Slovenia

People often climb mountains for recreation, sport, entertainment, in search of fresh air or breathtaking views. But Ajdna, a tooth-shaped peak below Mount Stol in northwestern Slovenia, offers much more than a momentary respite from the world.

A draft emergency bill on judicial pay brings a pay rise of up to three pay brackets, or roughly 12%, for judges at courts of first instance, as the most disadvantaged group of judges in terms of pay, while other judges will also get higher pay, which is to kick in as of 2025, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) said on Tuesday.

The small region of Prlekija in Slovenia's northeast, tucked away along the right bank of the River Mura, is an often overlooked part of the country, even though most people are quite familiar with many of its delicious products: from excellent wines to the sweet prleška gibanica layer cake or the tünka cured meats.

Mateja Čalušić, who took over in January as Slovenia's new minister of agriculture, forestry and food, believes food security and self-sufficiency should be the common goal of all stakeholders in the sector.

Slovenia's general government deficit amounted to EUR 1.587 billion or 2.5% of GDP last year, which is EUR 114 million or 0.5 percentage points less than in 2022, the Statistics Office said on Friday. Despite increasing in nominal terms, the general government debt decreased in terms of GDP share, amounting to EUR 43.67 billion or 69.2% of GDP.