WEBVTT

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Good afternoon. 
At today's 79th meeting

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the Government adopts a bill amending 
and supplementing the law on the

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restriction of the use of tobacco
and related products.

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The Minister of Health

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Dr Valentina Prevolnik Rupel.

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Welcome! We have adopted the
amendment to the law on the

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restriction of the use of tobacco
and related products because the use

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of electronic cigarettes among
children and young people is

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increasing sharply.

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Electronic cigarettes contain a
number of harmful, carcinogenic and

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irritating substances, one of the
key ingredients being nicotine, which

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is highly addictive and has adverse
effects on the cardiovascular system,

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lung function and brain development
and function in adolescents.

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A growing body of research shows
that for adolescents who do not

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smoke, using an e-cigarette
significantly increases the

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likelihood that they will start
smoking conventional cigarettes by up

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to four times. The amendments to the
Tobacco Products Act thus prohibit

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distinctive flavours such as fruit,
spices, herbs, alcohol, candy,

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vanilla for all heated tobacco
products and electronic cigarettes,

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except for the taste or smell of
tobacco or menthol.

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Most adolescents start using
e-cigarettes because of the different

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flavourings, but flavourings reduce
the perception of harm and inhalation

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is more pleasant because it makes it
easier to start and continue using.

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The bill also introduces a ban on
smoking rooms, i.e.

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a complete ban on smoking in all
enclosed public places and

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workplaces. Despite ventilation,
filtration and other technical

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measures, smoking rooms have proven
to be ineffective protection against

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exposure to tobacco smoke.

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However, the possibility of smoking
rooms has led international

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organisations to classify Slovenia
as a country with incomplete

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protection of its population from
exposure to tobacco smoke, which also

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weakens the international assessment
of Slovenia's tobacco control policy.

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It is precisely to prevent the black
market and to ensure more effective

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implementation of the law that we
are also supplementing some of the

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supervisory and criminal provisions,
which include the involvement of

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several supervisory authorities and
new offences by individuals.

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Among other things, individuals
should not sell such products, nor

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import them in large quantities.

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In order to enforce more effectively
the ban on online sales

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of such products, which has been in
place since 2017, the draft law

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prohibits individuals from importing
these products from third countries.

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These are products that often break
the law, in particular on the

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permitted levels of nicotine and
other harmful substances.

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It is virtually impossible to
sanction third-country suppliers of

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these products.

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All these measures proposed in the
law are necessary to ensure the

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health of the entire population,
especially children and adolescents,

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and to contribute to the
sustainability of the Slovenian

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health system in the future.

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They will also make a major
contribution to the long-term

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strategy to reduce the impact of
tobacco use, which envisages Slovenia

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becoming a tobacco-free society by
2040. Thank you.

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Thank you, Minister, and now the
journalists have the floor for

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questions. Those who are with us
will first come to the microphone,

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introduce themselves and have the
opportunity to ask a question.

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First, those of you who are here
with us in the studio, and then we'll

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go online. No questions?

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Tjaša Dogulin. Pop TV.

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You said it was to prevent the black
market from flourishing.

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So if I understand correctly,
an individual will not be allowed to

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sell or import large quantities.

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What does this mean in concrete
terms?

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And also on the ban on imports from
third countries.

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Will there be checks at the border
then, if you can explain

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a little more practically.

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This is, of course, not a matter for
the Department of Health.

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That is a matter for the supervisory
authorities, we are only establishing

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supervision by law. A larger
quantity, i.e.

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imports, have been banned since
2017.

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Of course, there is a difference
between an individual ordering one

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single box and those ordering
several.

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Otherwise, it is not up to the
Ministry of Health to supervise, but

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to the relevant supervisory
authorities.

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We also know in the
law that, for example, the NLZOH will

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purchase certain apparatus which
will then also monitor use around

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schools, shops and so on.

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So control is divided into several
levels and tiers.

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I'm interested also in
user terms, when we talk about

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electronic cigarettes.

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Is this related to vapes only
or also to heated cigarettes?

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There are several types of it.

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There are also disposable ones.

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What exactly?

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The directive itself bans 
heated products,

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where heating is concerned, we are,
in addition to the directive,

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removing flavourings from electronic
cigarettes.

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That's two. While single-use
products remain in use, the use of

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flavourings will of course also
limit the use of these single-use

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products.

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Next.

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Any other questions? Perhaps,
Minister, you could tell us which two

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flavours will still be in force
under the law.

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Of course, the aromas that remain
are the tobacco and menthol

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flavours. All the other flavourings,
of which we currently have around

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15 600, are banned.
-And therefore monitored.

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We have a bit of a problem
with the chairs. In short, if I may.

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They will be monitored, but the
Minister will say more about the two

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flavours that will be monitored.

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True, these two aromas,
the tobacco and menthol

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aromas. Of course, as in all
flavourings, there are harmful

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substances. Here we will follow the
example of other countries, notably

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Denmark, Estonia, which have taken
the same approach, allowing two

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identical flavours.

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We will monitor or

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analyse the harmful substances in
these flavourings and then treat or

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ban them accordingly.

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Understandable. In short, fifteen
thousand is harder to control.

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This was also discussed at the
cabinet meeting.

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Just come here.

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Flavourings are prohibited.

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Discrepancies, maybe.

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Electronic cigarettes are called by
different names.

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Puff bar, all live mate and all have
a different approach.

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We are live and people can't hear.

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Flavourings will be banned in all
electronic cigarettes, except for

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tobacco and menthol flavourings,
this applies to USB or, sorry.

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A representative of the Ministry of
Health, who is not visible on camera.

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Yes, Vesna Marinko, Ministry of
Health.

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I can repeat once again that
flavourings will be banned in

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electronic cigarettes, with the
exception of tobacco flavouring and,

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of course, menthol.

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Electronic cigarettes are known
today by various names, puff bar,

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muff, you name it, and flavourings
will be banned in all forms of

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electronic cigarettes, except
tobacco or menthol.

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But it is about human health.

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Any other questions for the
Minister?

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Then we move online.

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I see that we have Brigite Ferlič
Žgajnar from Delo.

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If she wants a word, 
she should turn on the camera.

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Apparently not.

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Any other questions?

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Hello, Nastja Stopar, TV Slovenija.

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I have another topic, 
and that is the health reform.

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Somehow, it all went quiet.

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The Prime Minister has said
that you will announce measures as

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soon as you take office, which are
supposedly already in place, but I

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would like to know what they are and
what you are doing in the area of

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health reform?

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True, we have gone quiet.

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We're not in the media much.

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This is because we are doing what I
said when I took office, that I will

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of course present solutions to the
public as soon as we have them.

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At the moment, we are actively
working on all the changes we want to

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introduce in many areas.

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As soon as we have solutions, we
will be happy to present them to the

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public.

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What are these areas?

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We are moving working on 
legislation, general agreement,

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and a regulation.

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It's already 9th.

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About the queues
and access to quality, because as

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we know, a law on quality is being
drafted, so a really wide spectrum.

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You see that we have also been
working on public health,

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drafting laws to restrict 
tobacco products.

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One of the priorities was
the health pillar.

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Here, too, negotiations have stalled
somewhat with the unions.

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The agreement was signed by the
Ministry with Fides.

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The pillar is due to enter into
force on 1 January.

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Are you still committed to the
health pillar?

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Are you in discussions with
stakeholders?

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We are continuing the discussions
normally in the health pay system.

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Our team, which is appointed by the
Ministry of Health, is actively

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involved in the negotiations and
keeps me informed periodically of

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what is happening.

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So I think that the activities on
this have not stopped.

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But will the Health Pillar come to
life?

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I don't think we know yet.

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Thank you very much, thank you.

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Maybe it is related to my colleague,
but can we be a little more specific.

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What measures are you planning?

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Do you plan to do it by the end of
the year, say?

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In addition, I would also like to
know your opinion on the proposal of

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the Strategic Health Council on the
increase in the price of tobacco,

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alcohol and the total ban on
electronic cigarettes.

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You probably support that.

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It was a joint meeting 
of the Strategic Councils for

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Health and for Food that I attended.

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And from a public health point of
view, of course, I absolutely,

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absolutely support all the changes.

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I don't think they have been
finalised yet, but of course we are

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discussing them.

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That is to say, it is about taxing
more heavily those substances that

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are harmful to health.

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That is, sugary drinks, tobacco,
alcohol.

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So, as Minister for Health, I am of
course in favour of such changes and

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I am looking forward to them.

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I am glad that we accept them.

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As for the more concrete 
measures, I cannot really be

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specific right now, because there
are so many and they are also

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interlinked.

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But just to highlight a few.

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We are actively developing a
protocol to manage waiting lists.

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The working group, which was already
established when I started working at

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the Ministry, is expected to present
a draft protocol next week, which

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will of course be discussed later
with all stakeholders in the health

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sector. We have also already 
invited the providers, i.e.

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the directors of health centres and
hospitals.

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We are working on changes in the
General Agreement in such a wide

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area, in so many areas that it would
be difficult to describe them quickly

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now. But let's say we have been very
busy in the last few weeks with the

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digitalisation law, which we are
trying to coordinate with all

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stakeholders. You know that we have
had a lot of comments and feedback on

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the articles from different services
and we are actively coordinating

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them.

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Thank you very much, Minister.

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We wish you good luck in your work.

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Oh, Brigite Ferlič Žgajnar has come
forward.

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But we will certainly make public
what is being questioned now, once we

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have solutions in place.

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So. Brigite, please.

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Yes, I have heard that you have also
touched on other topics.

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I am also interested in two
other topics, namely if you can tell

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me if you have already responded to
the lawsuit

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of Dr Tomislav Klokočovnik,
or why you are not giving him a

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decision on whether or not he can
work at Celje General Hospital.

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My second question relates to the
psychiatric clinic, and I would like

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to know what you expect from today's
meeting at the Psychiatric Clinic.

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Thank you very much.

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We have received the
case of Dr Klokočovnik or his

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activities at Celje General
Hospital.

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The case is not easily solvable, we
are studying it and I

00:14:33.380 --> 00:14:40.770
think we will be able to issue a
decision or study the case

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and finalise it shortly.

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We have not yet received a lawsuit
from the Ministry of Health.

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Regarding the psychiatric clinic,
the institutional council is meeting.

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I would not like to prejudge
anything that they have agreed by

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today, so I will be happy to take
note of the conclusions of today's

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meeting of the Board of the
Institute.

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Now, thank you very much indeed.

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We will explain it later.

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Because there is clearly a lot of
interest in today's amendment.

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So thank you very much, Minister.

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I wish you a successful day and
work.

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Thank you and goodbye.