Set monthly premium for complementary health insurance

The Government issued a Decree setting the maximum price of the complementary health insurance premium.

Currently, monthly premiums for complementary health insurance are set between €34.50 and €35.67, excluding discounts. Zavarovalnica Generali has announced a rise in the monthly premium for complementary health insurance by €10.39, or more than 30 per cent, as of 1 May 2023. Two other insurance companies, Triglav zdravstvena zavarovalnica and Vzajemna, have also announced the possibility of raising the premium in the coming months.

The Decree sets the maximum premium for complementary health insurance at €35.67 per month. The reason for this price level is that it is currently the highest full premium (without discounts) on the market for complementary health insurance.

Article 8 of the Price Control Act provides that the Government shall, by decree, establish appropriate price control measures where the activities in question are activities in which a single undertaking or a few undertakings hold a monopoly, but these activities are necessary to meet the needs of people and organisations. In view of the State's obligation to provide complementary health insurance, which is in the public interest and forms part of the social security of the population, under the Health Care and Health Insurance Act (ZZVZZ), the Government, under the Price Control Act, has decided to take a measure under Article 9(1), thus adopting a price cap measure, whereby undertakings may not sell services above this price, but may sell services below it.

By setting the price, the Decree ensures a "regular supply" of this product, otherwise the premium would be waived as it would be too expensive for the financially weaker segment of the population. As a result, they would bear the co-payments themselves directly when receiving healthcare services, which would mean even greater financial hardship for them, as co-payments can amount to several thousand euros in the context of hospital treatment.

Source: Ministry of Health

Government adopts reply to Anja Bah Žibert's question on the establishment and work of the Strategic Council for the Prevention of Hate Speech

Under the Government of the Republic of Slovenia Act, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia may establish and appoint members of the Strategic Council, who, within the scope of their work, shall, on the Prime Minister's proposal, discuss specific issues and advise him in this regard as well as prepare opinions and expert guidance. Accordingly, the Prime Minister may invite to the Strategic Council individuals or representatives of various institutions whom he considers to be able to advise him effectively in specific areas, using their knowledge and experience. In this way, the members of the Strategic Council for the Prevention of Hate Speech, which was established on 9 March 2023 and held its constitutive meeting on 17 March 2023, were invited to participate.

At the second meeting of the Strategic Council, the members of the Strategic Council defined the way of working and the substantive areas of work that they would prioritise. The following areas were highlighted as major themes: youth and education, prevention in society, media, operation of institutions, the internet, and law enforcement and justice. The Strategic Council will prepare opinions and expert guidance related to systemic regulation and prevention and is expected to present its final joint recommendations at the end of July.

According to the Act Establishing and Appointing the Members of the Strategic Council for the Prevention of Hate Speech, the members of the Strategic Council are entitled to the payment of meeting fees or, in some cases, to reimbursement of travel expenses. The amount of the meeting fee is set by Government Decision No 10007-11/2007/3 of 1 February 2007 on setting the amount of meeting fees and reimbursement of expenses for members of the Strategic Councils appointed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia. The Chairwoman of the Strategic Council, who is also the National Coordinator for the Prevention of Hate Speech, is entitled to a fee for the provision of consultancy services in her capacity as National Coordinator, but the Chairwoman of the Strategic Council has waived both the meeting fee and the fee for consultancy services. No other costs are foreseen for the work of the Strategic Council.

Source: Office of the Prime Minister

Government adopts reply to a written question by Anja Bah Žibert on meetings with animal advocates

In its reply, the Government explains that part of the public duties of Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia Robert Golob is to take note of the various opinions and proposals of civil society and to take them into account in a meaningful way. To this end, under Article 24(2) of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia Act, a State Secretary has been appointed in the Prime Minister's Office to establish a dialogue with civil society and to coordinate citizens' initiatives.

The State Secretary, who is responsible for establishing a dialogue with civil society and coordinating citizens' initiatives, is in constant contact with civil society representatives, either alone or through the relevant ministries. One of the important commitments enshrined in the Coalition Agreement, where the Coalition sees a significant added value of NGOs, is the development of measures for more humane treatment of animals. The Prime Minister highlighted this at the "For a Better Future for Animals" consultation held at the National Assembly on 16 January 2023, announcing the preparation of new legislative proposals to improve the situation of animals. The Secretary of State is actively involved in this issue and, within her remit, organises various meetings with interlocutors who can make an important contribution to the development of proposals and systemic solutions based on their concrete experiences.

Source: Office of the Prime Minister

The government has given response to the parliamentary question of mag. Dejan Kaloh regarding the prohibition of incitement to inequality, intolerance, violence and war

In its response, the government specifies that the Strategic Council for the Prevention of Hate Speech is not a law enforcement body, but a consulting body of the Prime Minister. The tasks of the Strategic Council are set out in the second Article of the Act on the Establishment and Appointment of Members of the Strategic Council; more detailed priorities, i.e. youth and education, prevention in society, the media, the functioning of institutions, the internet, detection and justice, were laid down at the second meeting of the Strategic Council, held on 6 April 2023. The Strategic Council will draw up opinions and professional guidelines related to systemic regulation and prevention. At the second meeting, the members of the strategic council unanimously adopted the decision that the Strategic Council, as a consulting body, will not give a position on individual specific cases of hate speech.

A developed society should be based on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and fundamental rights, which are also the guidelines of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. The indicated values should not be adapted to political needs, but must apply equally to everyone in comparable circumstances.

Source: Office of the Prime Minister

Response to the parliamentary initiative of Jonas Žnidaršič regarding the purchase of the Plečnik’ Stadium in Ljubljana

Plečnik Stadium has been a cultural heritage of national importance for well over a decade. Its owners are legally obliged to preserve it; however, they fail to do so, with the exception of the most necessary maintenance work, despite inspection measures. The largest owner of the monument area and its immediate surroundings has a stadium renovation project at his disposal, which should be adapted to the guidelines of the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Slovenia. The initiative of MP Jonas Žnidaršič is about the transformation of the stadium into a city park and is based on the repeated and publicly announced initiatives of civil society and the master’s thesis of Nika van Berkel from 2015, which was inter alia presented in Matevž Granda’s article in the Outsider magazine. Given the function of the stadium and its importance to the residents of the city, it would make the most sense for it to be publicly owned. Public ownership of cultural monuments can indeed contribute to their intact preservation or comprehensive renovation, as it avoids the pressure to place new additional functions. The need for the latter is usually justified by private investors based on economic justification. The management of monuments and monument areas, which includes maintenance, use, accessibility of the monument and its presentation to the public, is of utmost importance. Moreover, in the light of climate change, we should be aware of the importance of green areas, the decongestion of road traffic, and respond to the challenges of quality stays in cities, and establish high-quality public and open green areas instead of densifying hot spots. In the care of preserving and revitalizing Plečnik Stadium, the government, in dialogue with all stakeholders, is already examining various solutions and types of cooperation. To this end, a constructive dialogue between the city, the private owner and the state is necessary, because only in this way can we reach the most optimal solution which will serve people, the environment and the preservation of cultural heritage.

Source: Ministry of Culture

Response to the parliamentary initiative of Jelka Godec regarding support and contribution to the Victims of Communism Museum in Washington

According to available information, the mentioned foundation operates in the field of education and commemoration of the victims of communist regimes; it is privately owned, and financed also through donations. The museum has no professional staff and is not accredited as a member of the American Alliance of Museums, nor is it a member of the ICMEMO global organisation of museums (International Committee of Memorial Museums in Remembrance of the Victims of Public Crimes), which unites memorial museums dedicated to paying due remembrance to the victims of atrocities. Therefore, from an expert point of view, as well as from the point of view of public financing, it is difficult to justify any possible state donation.

The Ministry of Culture provides budget funds for the operation of eleven national museums and galleries, as well as funds for the implementation of museum public service in 36 museums and galleries, the founders of which are municipalities. Integral budget funds, together with European cohesion funds, are also intended for the restoration and revitalisation of cultural monuments of national importance owned by the Republic of Slovenia, and, through monument conservation tenders, also for monuments of national and local importance owned by municipalities and other stakeholders.

Together with the rest of Europe, Slovenia has committed to paying due remembrance to the victims of the violence and atrocities of the Second World War. Therefore, it will professionally and financially support the activities of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation and allocate funds to preserve the memory of the 2,300 Slovenian men and women who were forcibly deported to this infamous concentration camp. In the budget items of the Ministry of Culture for the years 2023 and 2024, the government has already provided financial resources of EUR 160,000 for the restoration of the exhibition spaces in block 17 in the German Nazi Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp in Oświęcim, Poland. Procedures are underway to conclude an international agreement with other successor states to the former Yugoslavia, so that the joint exhibition, which was held in the international memorial museum of victims of totalitarianism between 1963 and 2009, is revived, and that the Jewish heritage on the soil of the former Yugoslavia, the fate of the murdered, the stories of survivors and resistance against the occupying forces, is highlighted in a contemporary manner.

The government cannot support the project financially neither from a professional nor financial point of view, beyond the fact that the foundation is not directly connected to Slovenia.

Source: Ministry of Culture