News roundup - Tuesday, 30 April, until 3pm

Slovenia's annual inflation rate down 0.6 p.p. in April to 3%

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia's annual inflation rate fell by 0.6 percentage points to 3% in April, while the monthly inflation was 1%. Such a low annual inflation rate was last recorded in October 2021. Since last April, service prices went up on average by 4.5% and goods prices by 2.3%, the Statistics Office said. Contributing the most to the annual growth rate (0.6 points) were 4.8% higher prices in the group housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels.

Slovenia acts as voice of reason in EU, FM says

LJUBLJANA - In the 20 years as EU member state, Slovenia has proved to be a voice of reason and an advocate for peace, said Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon ahead of the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's membership in the Union. In the future, Slovenia should form even closer connections in areas where it shares interests with other countries, such as science and education, the banking and monetary union and security and defence, Fajon said.

EU migration pact to be challenging to implement, minister says

GHENT, Belgium - The implementation of the EU migration pact into Slovenian legislation will be challenging but manageable, said Interior Minister Boštjan Poklukar at the sidelines of a ministerial meeting in Ghent, Belgium. In the coming days it will become clear whether Slovenia will extend border checks on its borders with Hungary and Croatia. If not extended, the checks would end in the second half of June, but the escalating situation in the Middle East does not point to this, he said.

Mesec pledges deepening of social model in May Day address

LJUBLJANA - Slovenia and Europe face formidable challenges, with competitive pressures from China and the US intensifying, and concerns about mass lay-offs due to artificial intelligence on the rise, Labour Minister Luka Mesec noted in his May Day address. He pledged to seek answers to these challenges by deepening rather than abandoning Slovenia's and Europe's social model.

Over dozen parties open bank account for EU elections

LJUBLJANA - As many as 13 political parties or lists have opened their bank account to finance campaigning for the June EU elections, which officially starts next week. While the two largest parties have not disclosed how much they intend to spend on the campaign, several other parties have revealed their budgets, ranging from EUR 1,000 to upwards of EUR 100,000.

Voters from elsewhere in EU can cast votes in Slovenia

LJUBLJANA - Citizens of other EU countries will be able to cast their votes in the European Parliament elections at polling stations in Slovenia on 9 June. But while Slovenians do not have to register for elections, other EU citizens need to do so, with the Interior Ministry urging them to sign up as soon as possible, by 24 May at the latest. To register, EU citizens must be at least 18 years old, with temporary or permanent residence in Slovenia.

Food delivery company Glovo leaving Slovenia in May

LJUBLJANA - Glovo, the Spanish delivery service for food and other products, is leaving the Slovenian market on 10 May. The decision was made on the basis of a reassessment of the company's priority investments, the company wrote in a press release. Glovo, which entered the Slovenian market in 2021, will perform its services normally until 10 May at 10pm. Its customer support team will be active until the end of May.

Cyclotron project gaining momentum

LJUBLJANA - Last week, the Health Ministry gave the go-ahead for a project to set up a cyclotron to produce radiopharmaceuticals in Slovenia, UKC Ljubljana, the country's largest medical centre that is in charge of the project, said on Monday. A cyclotron would enable Slovenia to produce the isotopes needed for PET-CT scans. Under a best-case scenario, it would take two years to prepare project documentation and between two and three years to build the facility.