Andrej Vizjak

Ljubljana – Aleksander Zupančič, the chief-of-staff to Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak, has been appointed chairman of power grid operator Elektro Ljubljana. He will start his four-year term on 6 January, the company said. Zupančič is already a supervisor at the partially state-owned energy group Petrol.

Ljubljana – The National Assembly is meeting for an eventful plenary session tomorrow that will culminate on Friday and next Monday with debates and votes on the opposition-sponsored motions to oust Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak and Interior Minister Aleš Hojs.

Ljubljana – Primary schools and kindergartens will serve traditional Slovenian breakfast on Slovenian Food Day, introducing a novelty this year – a story about traditional farmer dish – to further raise the youth’s awareness of local food and eating habits, also to reduce the amount of food waste and climate impact.

Ljubljana – The Environment Ministry said that significant progress had been made at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, while further efforts would be needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It quoted Minister Andrej Vizjak expressing satisfaction that the Slovenian EU presidency was able to contribute to the overall result.

Glasgow – The COP26 climate conference is a key step for the future of our planet and younger generations, Slovenian Environment Minister Andrej Vizjak said at Monday’s press conference in Glasgow, UK. “It is time we act responsibly and move up from good intentions to concrete actions,” he added.

Ljubljana – The government approval rating slipped to its lowest point this term in the latest Barometer poll commissioned by the newspaper Delo. As many as 40% of respondents gave the cabinet a very negative grade. The gap between the ruling Democrats (SDS) and the opposition Social Democrats (SD) is narrowing.

Ljubljana – President Borut Pahor has decided to call a general election on the first possible date, 24 April 2022, “but if he expected to calm down the increasingly tense situation in the country, he was very wrong”, the newspaper Večer says in Saturday’s commentary under the headline No Reprieve.

Ljubljana – The Slovenian Judges’ Association, a non-profit organisation uniting judges and retired judges, said on Thursday it was shocked by the statements made by Andrej Vizjak as the economy minister in 2007 in a new recording revealing his conversation with businessman Bojan Petan during privatisation of spa company Terme Čatež.

Glasgow – PM Janez Janša will attend the World Leaders Summit, a high-level political event held in Glasgow, UK, on Monday and Tuesday as part of the ongoing COP26 climate conference.

The summit, hosted by UK PM Boris Johnson, will be an opportunity to discuss ways of mitigating climate change and providing climate aid to the most vulnerable countries.

Ljubljana – The weekly Reporter says in its latest editorial that an early election is the last thing the right wing wants, as it is looking forward to the distribution of EU funds. It is unlikely, though, Janez Janša will remain prime minister after the next election, the magazine notes.