WEBVTT

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We're looking for...
Is the secretary here? No?

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He left.
-OK. No problem.

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Hello.

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I'll begin with a topic
that wasn't discussed

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during our lunch,
but will interest many people.

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Over the next few days,
the government plans

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to propose a special coordination
of pensions at the conference

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of the Pension and Disability
Insurance Institute

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in the amount of an additional
one percent beginning in March.

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The management of the Institute
assures us that the funding

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of this hike is available.

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I trust that this money
will come in handy to retirees

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and help them deal
with increased costs.

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We'd also like to show
respect to all those

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who've built our society
and gave us a better life.

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During today's tour of the region,
I visited several locations,

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the last of which was a discussion
with business leaders

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from the Central Slovenia region.

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As is always the case,
our debate was lively.

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We touched on all the issues,
but we spent most of our time

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discussing what we could do together
to make Slovenia's economy

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even more dynamic
and globally competitive

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with increased value,
so employees will have higher wages.

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One of the key subjects
we talked about

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is the need for us to define
the industries and sectors

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that we'll jointly recognize
as world-leading

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and with the best conditions
for success.

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Several were mentioned,
and I trust we'll carry on

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our dialog with the Chamber
of Commerce

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and other organizations
to ensure that we're investing

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maximum efforts, knowledge,
and funds in companies

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that have the best opportunities
to create well-paid jobs.

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I don't wish to single out
any of them,

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but it's clear that Slovenia
is being represented

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by pharmaceutical companies
as an investment destination

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for high-value, globally
competitive projects.

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The situation is similar
with biotech companies and others.

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We would like to work
with the private sector

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to create and encourage
high-value businesses.

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Only by encouraging companies
that pay their employees well

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will we live better.

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We also informed business leaders
about the latest

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legislative changes, primarily
the Employee Participation

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in Profit Sharing Act,
which rewards the best,

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most enterprising employees
with the lowest taxes.

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This is a schedular tax
in the amount of 30%

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without the payment
of contributions.

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This way, the salaries
of the most valuable employees

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are taxed at a lower rate.

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We discussed two other
subjects today.

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The first concerned the existence
of a wide range

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of energy-intensive industries,
including the chemical

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and paper industries, which are
dealing with high energy costs.

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We're developing other
assistance programs

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to help these industries
become more competitive

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on the European and global markets.

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We also talked about how to impose
greater financial discipline

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in the business sector,
including the possibility

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of strengthening the authority
of the Financial Administration.

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There was even talk
of a financial police force,

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but we'll discuss that later.

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In short, we all believe
that Slovenia possesses

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a lot of knowledge
and very good companies.

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With more dialog
and common initiatives,

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we'll be able to unlock
this potential.

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Nina Rozman, RTV Slovenia.

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About the meeting with
business leaders,

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could you be more specific
about their recommendations

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and expectations?
Were there any proposals?

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The purpose of our discussions
is to have frank exchanges of views

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on topics rarely talked about
by the public.

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Today's topics are not prominent
in public discourse.

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We talked about how companies
can scale up.

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A family company with 50 employees
that is present in the European

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and global markets and wants
to expand its production

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doesn't have any mechanisms
at its disposal to help it

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expand to 150 employees.
I've encountered quite a few

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such companies over
the past few months.

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Unfortunately, we have no way
of helping them.

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We talked about setting
up a program to help

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Slovenian companies with local
knowledge expand

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on global markets.
The second topic was the lack

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of financial discipline.
Third, we have the interesting fact

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that when the state organizes
public tenders

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to encourage research
or new companies,

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it tends to overcomplicate them
because some bidders cheat.

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Instead of having complicated
tender criteria,

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we talked about
relaxing the criteria

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and establish more effective
punitive measures

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for those attempting to cheat.
This is where the idea

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of a financial police comes from,
the need to punish cheaters,

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which are few in number,
while relaxing the public tender

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criteria for everyone else.

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Regarding the recent
cyberattacks,

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do you have
any new information

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about whether
an investigation is ongoing?

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The party has handed
the matter over to the police

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and representatives of Meta.

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The talks are ongoing,
but I'm not involved.

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There were posts
on social media claiming

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that these were not fake profiles
and that comments were removed.

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What is your comment?
-Again, I saw the lists.

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They didn't include Slovenian names.
When I bring up the cyberattack,

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I'm referring solely about attacks
by fake profiles from abroad.

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Most of the names are Iranian.
It doesn't mean that Iranians

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are behind this. There is a huge
misunderstanding on social media,

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which may not be coincidental.
The cyberattack was real, though.

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I didn't come up with that,
but law enforcement and Meta

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have been notified.
The most important thing

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is that Meta doesn't block
our accounts,

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which is what happened
to Serbia's opposition

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after a similar attack.
That was our biggest worry

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and why we went public with it.

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Hello. Rok Bizjak, STA.

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Since your visit today was marked
by the subject of flooding,

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and given the events
in eastern Slovenia,

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I'm curious about the status
of the SI-Alarm system

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and its implementation?

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Based on my information,
the system is operational,

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but any system needs
to be activated.

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I'm told that no one
Štajerska activated it.

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The ones responsible
for that are offices

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within the Administration for Civil
Protection and Disaster Relief.

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You need to ask them
why they didn't do that.

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Will they activate it during the
next heavy snowfall? I don't know.

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But just as we saw
during the ice storm

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15 years ago, this snow damage
happened in a broad area,

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and weather disasters
will continue to happen.

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Weather can't ever be predicted.

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What matters is that we must
react appropriately

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when such events occur,
and I'm pleased that the state

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has come to the aid of Elektro
Maribor and the water

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supply companies. We supplied
both generators and crews

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from other parts of the country.

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I spent time in the field
with a single purpose:

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to coordinate all the relevant
services, and I've met

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with Commander Šestan, and ensure
the supply of generators.

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And that's what happened.

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Janez Hočevar, Nova24.
Dr. Golob, the Draft Strategy

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for the Elimination of Precarity
was heavily criticized

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by the Young People+ Union
and the Youth Council.

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They allege that it doesn't
have a foundation

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and won't be effective.
How do you respond?

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First of all, I'm not familiar
with that document.

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If the ministry put it up
for public debate,

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it probably did so
to get reactions.

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If the response is negative,
I trust they'll either

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get rid of it or fix it.
That's all I know.

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The Slovenian Youth Council
hasn't been in contact with you

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as frequently as predicted.
Have things changed

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in terms for your availability?

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I believe I'm available
to many people.

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If there's one thing I'm proud of,
it's the availability

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of all key players. I know we'd like
to see even more of this,

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but you need to realize
that, as the Prime Minister,

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my hands are often tied.
In many cases, institutions

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and ministries are independent
in how they operate.

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That needs to be considered.

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Thank you very much.