Robert Polnar News Today

MPs change 2020-2024 budgeting framework to allow higher expenditure 24. April, 2021 Ljubljana – As the country continues fighting the epidemic with a number of measures, parliament endorsed on Friday the government’s proposal to raise the public spending ceiling for the period until the end of 2024. Considerably higher expenditure is planned for 2021, to be followed by a gradual decrease. The expenditure ceiling for this year will rise from EUR 24.9 billion as set last November to EUR 25.3...

Slovenia Times 24. April, 2021 Ljubljana – In a 46:42 vote, MPs rejected on Friday the government’s proposal to merge eight major regulators into two agencies, as the majority of opposition MPs criticised the government for wanting to subjugate oversight institutions. Under a bill the government adopted last October, a new agency for market and consumers would absorb the Energy Agency, Agency for Communication Networks and Services, Competition Protection Agency, Traffic Safety ...

Slovenia Times 14. April, 2021 Ljubljana – Parliament debated Tuesday the Court of Audit’s recent findings about the efficiency of personal protective equipment (PPE) procurement during the Covid-19 epidemic last spring. Centre-left opposition MPs insisted there had been serious problems with the purchases, coalition MPs saw today’s plenary as a mere show for the public. Speaking on behalf of the four parties which requested today’s session, Robert Pavšič of the opposition...

Minister Kustec survives no-confidence vote in parliament 17. March, 2021 Ljubljana – Simona Kustec is staying on as education, science and sport minister as the National Assembly was eight votes short of voting her out of office. 38 MPs voted for her dismissal, while 41 opposed it after a 16-hour debate, which started on Monday and ended just after midnight. Four centre-left opposition parties mounted the no-confidence vote over what they claim are her unprofessional and harmful policies dur...

Slovenia Times 11. February, 2021 Ljubljana – The parliamentary Finance Committee adopted a series of amendments to the National Demographic Fund bill on Wednesday, mostly based on remarks from the parliamentary legal service. The opposition walked out after its amendments, which would change the basic concept of the fund, were voted down. The committee members from the opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and the Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB) proposed ...

Slovenia Times 2. February, 2021 Photo. STA Ljubljana – The parliamentary Home Affairs Committee discussed on Monday integrity at the Court of Audit and the conduct by its president Tomaž Vesel in the wake of alleged conflict of interest caused by his work at FIFA. The session was boycotted by four opposition parties and ended with two proposals, one of them being for Vesel to resign. Concluding the session, Branko Grims of the ruling Democrats (SDS), the chair of the committee, ...

Slovenia Times 31. December, 2020 Ljubljana – The National Assembly decided in a 50:16 vote on Wednesday that the latest corona crisis stimulus package, passed late last night, cannot be put to a referendum. The decision means that the law was published in the Official Gazette Wednesday evening and will take effect on Thursday. It comes after the upper chamber of parliament met earlier in the day deciding not to veto the bill in a 29:3 vote even if it had some second thoughts abou...

Talks with SMC on KUL agenda prior to vote of no-confidence in govt 29. December, 2020 Ljubljana – Karl Erjavec, who is slated for a candidate for prime minister-designate by the informal KUL coalition, said on Monday after meeting KUL representatives that “it is clear that we also need support by the SMC party if we want a new government”. Talks with the coalition party are thus in store. The leader of the Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) and representatives of the fellow centre-left oppositi...

Slovenia Times 23. December, 2020 Ljubljana – After meeting representatives of the informal KUL coalition on Tuesday, Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) leader Karl Erjavec announced that a motion for a constructive vote of no-confidence in the government would be filed next week or by the end of the year. He expects that the required 46 MP votes will have been secured by then. Speaking to the press after meeting the heads of the left-leaning opposition Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social ...

Slovenia Times 18. December, 2020 Ljubljana – The council of the Pensioners’ Party (DeSUS) voted in favour of a proposal by the party’s executive committee that DeSUS leave the current coalition and back party leader Karl Erjavec as a candidate for prime minister-designate. The decision on the fate of the government ministers who are members of DeSUS is on Prime Minister Janez Janša, Erjavec said. Erjavec told the press he expected that the DeSUS deputy group would follow the...