As you know, the National Security Council convened today.
I would first like to invite the Prime Minister,
dr. Robert Golob, to speak. Go ahead, Prime Minister.
Greetings.
Slovenia is facing its worst natural disaster in recent history.
This is now a fact. The damage is unimaginable.
Two thirds of Slovenia have been affected.
Efforts to restore life to normal will be immense.
All political actors at today's Security Council meeting
have demonstrated their will and decision to act in unison.
We will all work toward one goal,
helping our citizens to recover quickly from this natural disaster
and live a normal life again.
We have read the report
by the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief,
the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of the Interior.
Thankfully, last night was less punishing than the night before.
Therefore, certain fears turned out to be excessive,
but still, the important thing is that Slovenian infrastructure,
meaning roads, energy facilities and habitations
are largely damaged.
We are talking about several hundred buildings
and damage that will almost certainly exceed 500 million euros.
If we want to solve this efficiently
we will need to act differently than in the past.
That is why legislative changes are being prepared.
We will need to keep improving things as we go along.
The government will convene today
in order to begin amending the Natural Disaster Recovery Act
with a single goal,
how to empower municipalities and mayors
so they can directly order urgent intervention measures in the field,
bypassing the public procurement system.
Measures that will enable people to live normally
and that will reestablish the flow of people and goods
as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, Črna na Koroškem is still cut off from Slovenia
and there is already a shortage of certain things,
including water and equipment.
We are preparing an operation
to start bringing things to Črna na Koroškem by air,
as it is unfortunately impossible by land.
The current activation of all forces in Slovenia
is of vital importance to helping people.
I wish to sincerely thank everyone who is in the field today,
all firefighters, Civil Protection members,
army and police members,
who are really helping people get back on their feet.
Many volunteers from all over Slovenia are also offering to help,
however, we have a coordinated system of civil protection.
I urge everyone who wishes to help
to provide help through Civil Protection,
even at the local level.
That is the only way we can mount these operations.
Good intentions can sometimes be harmful,
when they cannot be coordinated
or when they prevent existing systems from working.
Another important matter is that stores and people
have started running out of food and technical equipment.
That is why we will open stores with food and equipment
on Sundays as well, and we will extend open hours
so that this remediation can begin as quickly as possible.
The last, very important message,
is that all of us politicians have decided today
that this is no time to look for differences between us
or to look for who to blame for things in the past.
Today we all showed unity
in wanting to act with a single goal,
our citizens recovering as quickly as possible.
I hope that this political unity will last a long time,
not just during this intervention and disaster. Thank you.
Thank you, Prime Minister. If there are no questions
we will invite the President to speak. Yes, please.
One question, then we move on. -Gregor Drnovšek, RTV.
Mr. Prime Minister, are you considering
declaring a state of emergency for the whole country?
We talked about this yesterday and decided it is unnecessary,
mainly because we have one of the best
systems of protection and rescue in Europe, and it works.
Our Civil Protection, of which we are rightly proud,
is working efficiently with the army and the police.
We have also received several offers of help
from the international community. We will also talk about those.
I want to thank our neighbouring countries.
Some have contacted us directly, Croatia, Hungary and Austria.
It is only right that we accept
the help that we can use, once we can use it,
in order to help Slovenia recover as soon as possible.
Thank you. Any questions?
No? Thank you, Prime Minister.
I am calling to the podium President Nataša Pirc Musar.
Greetings, everyone.
I would first like to say that I am extremely happy
with the way our services are reacting.
All praise goes to the army, police, firefighters and Civil Protection,
which is organising the rescue efforts.
Mr. Šestan will provide more statistics,
but I remember from the National Security Council meeting
that we have already rescued 121 people with helicopters
and that there are about 2500 calls per day.
I would like to urge people to only call emergency services
if a life is in danger
or if property of significant value is in danger.
Emergency call centres are working at full steam.
I am asking for understanding,
because they cannot respond quickly to each and every call.
There have been more than 3000 incidents
in the past 48 hours alone in 145 municipalities.
This data shows the terrible scale of the disaster,
which Slovenia has not seen since its independence.
I would also like to appeal to various event organisers.
Mr. Srečko Šestan said that there was a lot of rescuing
due to the imprudence of organisers who did not react quickly enough
and did not evacuate people and children at various events.
Rescue by helicopter was also required a few times
due to individuals' imprudence.
I would also like to say that I was very happy with the report
of the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Poklukar.
Namely, the police has not been registering
break-ins and thefts these days.
I am truly happy that people are not exploiting others' distress
and are not breaking in and stealing things.
As President I hope that we will stand together, strong.
Talks at the National Security Council went similarly.
I am also very pleased that the opposition is standing with us
and that we have this national awareness during these trying times.
We will stand united and do what can be done.
We would all like to tell our citizens and residents
that they are not alone.
The Republic of Slovenia will do everything in its power.
I have already received calls
from the presidents of two neighbouring countries
and the President of the Republic of Kosovo.
I received calls from Mr. Milanović and Mrs. Katalin Novák.
Our neighbouring countries are watching what is going on here.
Believe me, the international community will come to our aid.
Slovenia is currently deciding what it requires the most.
Thankfully, our water-pumping capacities are very good.
Mr. Srečko Šestan emphasised today
that this is of key importance in these vital moments.
Today we also discussed what to do once the water runs off.
The government will prepare a plan with all relevant departments,
but I can already say that during post-flood restorations
we will need interpersonal aid and solidarity.
I am appealing to everyone to help once the water runs off.
I remember, and Mr. Janša pointed it out today as well,
how engaged the scouts were in previous years.
The State's help will not be enough.
We will have to help each other, as neighbours and as people.
I believe that Slovenia will stand united,
that we will help each other
and that we will overcome this terrible disaster together.
Thank you, that is all from me.
Thank you, Madame President. Are there any questions?
No? Thank you, Madame President. -Thank you, goodbye.
I will now invite to the podium Mr. Luka Mesec,
coordinator of the Left party
and Vice-President.
Go ahead, Mr. Mesec. -Thank you. Greetings.
Today the National Security Council had an emergency meeting
dedicated to the emergency across the country.
I would also like to first thank everyone
who helped with the situation in the field
and everyone who did not exploit the situation
to improve their political standing.
The best message that politics has to convey
in the following weeks is one of unity.
Unity in helping people, standing together
and finding solutions to the disastrous conditions in the field,
which we are reading as a sum of all floods
that have affected us since the year 1990.
I remember the 2007 floods in Železniki,
where I am from, very well.
I remember how frightened we were of the water,
the efforts of volunteers,
firefighters and the Civil Protection
and how long recovery took.
Now, as Vice-President, I can assure you
that we will do everything in our power,
beginning with the government meeting in 15 minutes,
to expedite and optimise recovery measures
and to offer people all possible support.
That is where I will end today.
To conclude, I hope that things settle down quickly
and we can begin remedying the situation. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Mesec.
Next, I am inviting Mr. Matjaž Han of the Social Democrats.
My apologies. A slight change, go ahead, Mrs. Sukič.
Greetings. The Cabinet of the President of the National Assembly
is following this terrible disaster with great concern.
Conditions in the field are critical
and we are offering people our full support and solidarity.
We are urging everyone to guard their life,
the lives of others and the lives of animals.
We are also calling for unity and solidarity.
The National Assembly will do all it can to act quickly.
We are rapidly preparing interventive legislation
in order to act quickly, because we need to act now.
The National Assembly is committed to being quick and responsive.
The National Assembly will hold a special meeting these days,
in which we will adopt measures for the initial intervention,
whereas damage repair will follow later.
Thank you. Any questions? Go ahead.
Kaja Kobetič, POP TV. Is there a timeline for these measures?
They will probably have to be adopted quickly.
There is going to be a government meeting right now,
where they will propose an intervention act.
This act will then come to the National Assembly,
so I am expecting a meeting of the relevant committees
and a meeting of the National Assembly at the start of next week,
presumably on Tuesday or Wednesday. -Thank you.
Any other questions? No? Thank you, Mrs. Sukič.
I am inviting the President of the Slovenian Democratic Party,
Mr. Janez Janša.
Greetings.
In terms of scale and consequences this disaster is worse
than anything we have experienced in past decades.
The damage is enormous, even a life was lost,
my sincere condolences to the family of the victim.
Weather forecasts are currently relatively optimistic,
so we have a big clean-up campaign ahead of us.
I would like to thank all protection and rescue services,
the Slovenian firefighters, army and police,
the mayors of the most affected municipalities that reacted in time,
the volunteers that helped and are still helping,
and everyone who did everything in order to minimise damage
and the consequences of this disaster as much as possible.
The National Security Council was governed by the realisation,
that this is a time when we need to stand united.
Discussions on what could have been done
or what could have prevented the consequences of this disaster
can wait until later.
Right now we must focus on preventing further damage
by these floods and previous disasters.
We are not only talking about floods,
but also hail and everything that has affected
Slovenian agriculture and rural areas.
We require measures.
We proposed to the government,
and I believe this was also a common view,
an inclusive approach to preparing the intervention act.
The act must also include measures
that will completely cover the remediation
of the damage caused by these floods
and everything that has recently affected Slovenian agriculture.
I think that Slovenians do not have such a summer in living memory.
We must also change our priorities.
There are things that were urgent yesterday
and are less urgent today,
as we have to focus on remedying all of these consequences.
I think it is also time to put on the table everything
that has not been done due to various bureaucratic obstacles
and to include measures in the act
that will allow preventative measures to be taken
in urban planning, the settlement of Slovenia,
building anti-flood structures
and in expediting procedures.
For instance, if the Mokrice hydroelectric power station
had been built with all of the projected anti-flood additions
and if it hadn't been stopped for ten years,
a large part of Brežice would no longer be at risk of flooding.
I believe that decision-makers,
the State of Slovenia and local communities
have a sober assessment ahead of them.
This is also a time for us all to take a step back
in terms of not being arrogant
and thinking that we can hoodwink nature
by writing something in an act
and thinking it will all turn out well.
Humanity will probably never control nature completely,
but we can prepare for disasters such as this one
and minimise consequences as much as possible.
Slovenia is certainly also facing
a redistribution of competencies and funding
for watercourse maintenance.
It is impossible to make decisions on this from Ljubljana.
This needs to be in the hands of municipalities,
whom we also have to provide with additional funding.
As I said, this is also the time
for an inclusive approach to proposals.
The SDP has already given its proposals
regarding minimising the damage to agriculture.
We proposed to the government
to include them in the intervention act,
which should be adopted next week.
The representatives of the SDP will cooperate constructively.
This is a time when we need to stand together.
You will not find our MPs protesting on bicycles today,
you can find them in Mozirje cleaning the town.
That is how it will be in the coming days.
This is a time to stand together,
to pacify the debate on social media
and to focus on everything that we can do
to minimise the consequences of this terrible natural disaster
that has affected us all.
Even those in larger cities
that have not directly felt the effects of this disaster
are calling and offering to help.
Many volunteers are stepping forward to help the affected.
As per our experiences from 2007,
when the natural disaster affected mainly Železniki,
we are urging everyone who is offering help to be patient.
Do not just go help where the cameras are.
We all have family and friends across the country.
We can get informed.
The best point of information for where help is needed most
are mayors and Civil Protection leadership at the municipal level,
who know the situation and know where to direct aid.
As President of the SDP I would like to thank our members
who reacted with great solidarity everywhere that help was needed.
We are appealing to our colleagues from other parties
to follow this example. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Janša. We have a question. Go ahead.
Marko Valadžija, N1.
These are the worst floods since our independence.
The Prime Minister said
that he will not declare a state of emergency.
Do you think it should be declared? Thank you.
The state of emergency may not have been declared,
but it was recognised, as the national plan was activated
by the commander of the Civil Protection.
A state of emergency as per the constitution
may be a broader subject.
I personally do not care what we call it,
as long as we respond to the challenge.
I think that today's National Security Council meeting
went in the right direction.
The fact is that in such times
the government must reevaluate priorities,
the budget and funding for individual things,
and it must respond appropriately.
We can say that this disaster of national proportions
has shown that Slovenia has a robust system
of protection and rescue.
Civil Protection has proven itself several times.
Yesterday and last night
it had to activate across a large part of the country
and it passed the test.
Again, congratulations to all intervention forces,
including the army and police,
which provided gear and experienced personnel,
and to the mayors of the affected areas.
They were the ones who had to respond and make decisions.
There are small municipalities that provided accommodation
to hundreds or even a thousand people,
foreign tourists that were rescued from camps and other resorts.
This was a very mature reaction
by the structure as well as much of the population.
Considering our experiences with natural disasters,
that were less extensive,
but equally catastrophic in smaller areas of Slovenia,
we are now faced with a situation
in which many people can also help directly.
Cleaning apartment complexes,
outbuildings and agricultural holdings,
so they can once again become habitable,
will occupy the lives of many Slovenians in the coming days.
We are talking about tens of thousands of such buildings.
Imagine how much labour is needed
to at least partially clean up flooded spaces.
In 1990, when I was Minister of Defence,
I was also responsible for the response
to the catastrophic floods in Slovenia in November.
It was worst in Zgornja Savinjska dolina.
I was there. It was very difficult,
but what I saw yesterday in Nazarje, Mozirje and Ljubno
is significantly worse. The damage will be greater
and greater clean-up efforts will be required.
But right now the important message
is the one that came from the National Security Council today,
that Slovenia stands united. No one will be left alone
and we will join forces in the relief efforts.
Thank you, Mr. Janša.
I am inviting the President of New Slovenia, Matej Tonin.
Go ahead, Mr. Tonin.
Greetings.
In these trying times it is crucial that we stick together
and help each other as much as we can.
How we prepare for such challenges in the future is also vital.
Unfortunately, this is likely not the last of such natural disasters,
but it is vital how we recover and prepare for the future.
I see two important things we can do.
One is at the human level
and the other is systemic, between municipalities and the state.
I think it is important to protect our properties
and to establish a system
in which individuals could easily protect their real estate.
The State should especially create such a system
for the most vulnerable people who cannot afford this.
On the other hand, the extent of this disaster is so great
that the State cannot take care of everything by itself.
Municipalities have proven to be an extremely effective system.
New Slovenia will propose that the State transfers
as much funding as possible to the municipalites,
as they know their areas and their problems best,
so they can remedy the consequences of this disaster
quickly and efficiently.
This would expedite recovery and the restoration of infrastructure.
So, distributing the money and restoration as much as possible
is the quickest way
for us to get back on the horse after this disaster.
This may turn out to be a good systemic approach
for dealing with natural disasters in the future.
So, a bottom-up approach
that will significantly speed up recovery and restoration.
Thank you, Mr. Tonin. Any questions?
No? Thank you.
Lastly, I invite to the podium
Mr. Matjaž Han of the Social Democrats.
Thank you. Interestingly, my counterparts and I
did not listen to each other's reports today,
so I do not know what they said before me.
But I do know that now is the most crucial time for unity
in remedying this last of a series of disasters in Slovenia,
as we have had hail and similar things before.
I would like to thank the representatives of Civil Protection
who are working in the field day and night.
Our party will also make a coordinated response.
I would also like to thank you, the media.
I think you have done a great job in informing Slovenians,
covering the situation across Slovenia
and pointing out certain dangers. So, thank you again,
we now have to stick together.
At the Ministry for the Economy we wrote a few intervention acts.
We know what needs to be done,
we will propose some things to the government today
and then try to quickly coordinate them in Parliament.
We want to open stores on Sundays, at least during these times,
since people are lacking basic goods.
That is what the Ministry will do right now,
but the members of the SD are also prepared to help.
We really do have to stick together.
Even if you do not see any politicians in the field,
it does not mean we are not working with the people.
We do not want to appear to be trying to increase our popularity,
but I know that everyone will go help in their hometowns.
Thank you. -Thank you, Mr. Han. I think we have a question.
Kaja Kobetič, POP TV. Regarding the stores,
for now it is only a proposal that needs to be adopted?
And is there a set time for the extended work hours?
We will discuss this today. I spoke to the Prime Minister yesterday.
The law does not allow us to do this,
but Mr. Šestan of the Civil Protection can make a decree
and then we respond. The Chamber of Commerce
is waiting for this decision and I know we will make it soon.
So you agree with this? -Absolutely, we should do this right now.
Thank you. -Thank you. -No further questions?
Thank you all for coming to this press conference, have a nice day.