The Slovenia Times Summer Edition 2019

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in Slovism enia The Slovenia Times Slovenian Magazine in English Language Summer Edition 2019, Volume 16, EUR 4.90

www.sloveniatimes.com

M. Cerar – Minister for foreign affairs A reference country and an active partner

A. Pivec – Minister for agriculture High hopes for linking agriculture and tourism, especially in terms of gastronomy and cuisine.

M. Pak – Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board About the growing trend of increasingly prominent five-star tourism in Slovenia.

M. Batagelj – Chairman of the board of Postojna Cave Slovenia is Not a Place of Mass Tourism

Bled Strategic Forum as a part of Slovenia’s Soft Power

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Dear Readers, The upcoming summer vacation presents a golden opportunity for delving into the latest edition of The Slovenia Times. We have prepared a wide array of quality content, which we believe is the true reason readers enjoy our magazine.

The Bled Strategic Forum, which is sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is just around the corner. Since we are dedicated to monitoring all the current topics and trends in foreign affairs, we interviewed Miro Cerar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Peter Grk, the Secretary-General of the BSF, about their speculations and expectations.

According to nearly every projection, Slovenian tourism is in for yet another record season. You can learn about the current tourism trends in the interview with Maja Pak, the Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board.

We also interviewed two of the most esteemed experts and directors of successful companies about how Slovenia can be promoted as a five-star destination and whether we have such high quality products and services. One of them is Marjan Batagelj—Director of the Postojna Cave—who opened Vila Planinka, a luxury hotel in Jezersko this year. The other is Gregor Jamnik, the Director of Hotel Slon, who also happens to be the President of the Slovenian Association of Hoteliers.

Moving on, we discussed the importance of cuisine with Dr. Janez Bogataj, and gained a broader perspective on local food production and topical industry challenges with Dr. Aleksandra Pivec, the Slovenian Minister of Agriculture.

We are highlighting some of the most attractive culture and entertainment events taking place in both Ljubljana and around Slovenia this summer. Among them is the legendary Metal Days festival, an annual event organized in one of the most pristine outdoor venues in the world—at the confluence of the Soča and Tolminka rivers.

Slovenia has many boutique five-star destinations perfect for summer pampering but they don’t receive a lot of media coverage. Perhaps it is best we keep it this way and preserve them for individuals who are driven by curiosity and have a thirst for discovering the hidden corners of the world on their own.

Wherever you end up spending this year’s summer vacation, we hope you enjoy it to the fullest. Unwind, spend some quality time with your loved ones, and remember to turn off your phone for at least a day or two. After all, not every moment has to be documented or streamed—living and experiencing the moment sometimes proves to be the better option. Who knows, maybe “disconnecting” will be the next big fivestar luxury!

Brane Krajnik CEO The Slovenia Times

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Contents Page 4

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

4 Interview: Miro Cerar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia

6 Interview: Peter Grk, Secretary-General of the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF)

8 Interview: dr. Aleksandra Pivec, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food

EUROPEAN UNIONT 10 2019 European Parliament Elections: The Far-Right Strikes Back in Europe Page 8

POLITICS 12 Column: Britain’s black farce offers lessons to Slovenia 13 Understanding Slovenian Foreign Policy towards the Western Balkans

GLOBAL CHINA 14 Interview: Christina Boutrup, China analyst 16 Interview: Xie Duquan, Chinese director of Confucius Institute Ljubljana

Page 14

REGIONAL INSIGHT IN ASSOCIATION WITH S&P GLOBAL RATINGS

18 European Banks Face Risks In Race To Implement PSD2

ECONOMY 20 Interview: Damir Yandrich, investor and strategist, founder of INEX360 Fund and Consultancy for

Page 20

transforming business models 21 "In 3-5 years 47% of the jobs will be gone, and over 80% of todays companies will not exist anymore" 22 Comprehensively Assessing Business Partners through AJPES 24 Who will Dominate the Market in the Autonomous Mobility Industry?

26 Interview: Professor Nevenka Hrovatin, Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana

28 Interview: Dr. Mitjan Kalin, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana

LEADERSHIP CORNER 30 The Art of Saying No

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Contents Page 40

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PARTNERS 34 TOPIC: Boutique Tourism in Slovenia

American Chamber of Commerce – AmCham Slovenia; British – Slovenian Chamber of Commerce – BSCC; The German-Slovene Chamber of Commerce and Industry – AHK Slowenien; Italian Trade Agency (ICE); Luxembourg-Slovenian Business Club (LSBC); Kazakh-Slovenian Business Club - KSBC

GLOBAL PITCH 38 Interview: Timothy Armoo, CEO of Fanbytes 39 Sleepy Bottle–The World’s First fully Portable Baby Formula Maker: "Just Twist and Shake When

Baby Awakes"

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FIVE STAR TOURISM 40 Interview: Maja Pak, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board 42 Interview: Marjan Batagelj, the chairman of the board of Postojna Cave 44 Interview: Gregor Jamnik, the president of Slovenian Hoteliers Association 46 Interview: Janez Bogataj, doctor of ethnological sciences, professor at the University of Ljubljana 48 Bled: Culture Destination of the Future 50 "Water is good, Air is Better, but Light is the Best of All!" 51 Vila Mila, Bled: Slovenia Green Accommodation

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ACTIVE LIFESTYLE 54 Running along the River Savinja – to Celje and Back 55 Outdoor family adventure trails across Slovenia

EXPERIENCE & LIFESTYLE SLOVENIA 56 Is Kamnik the World Microbrew Capital?

57 A Sip of Wine You Will Never Forget 58 Cliché: From Ljubljana to New York

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EVENTS

60 A vibrant summer in Ljubljana 62 Where to this Summer?

64 Twice a Year Metal Days Cultivates a Global Community with Heavy Music and Nature in

Slovenia’s Julian Alps

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In the Spotlight Interview: Miro Cerar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia

"A reference country and an active partner"

Q Within this context, how does the government cooperate with export companies—is the cooperation based predominantly on aid, technical support, or participation in delegations when visiting foreign countries?

A We cooperate in different ways. The Minis-

try provides support by collecting and providing business information, as well as the concrete assistance to our advisors from foreign representative bodies in terms of networking.

Advisors also help solve problems that certain companies face in certain countries, and proBy the editors vide assistance with presentations at various summits, etc. Of course they cannot provide direct help when it comes to entering contracts How Slovenia is building up its economic diplomacy, or presenting individual companies in foreign from tourism to digitalization markets.

Whenever our President, Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, or Minister of Q What is the significance of economic di- Economic Development and Technology visit plomacy for the Slovenian economy today? foreign countries, the Ministry organizes socalled economic delegations that accompany A When I was appointed to be Minister of them abroad. In 2018, we organized economic Foreign Affairs, I suggested that I would devote delegations that accompanied our highestconsiderable attention to the work of economic ranking officials to Kosovo, North Macedonia, diplomacy. Representatives of both large Albania, Montenegro, and Denmark. We also and small Slovenian companies have a lot of assisted them to establish contact with African praise for the help provided by our embassies, countries when they participated in delegaeconomic advisors, and my colleagues at the tions with Ethiopia and Ghana.

As a rule, such visits require us to organize Ministry. Slovenian economic operators are grateful for the support of the Ministry and business forums in cooperation with chambers the useful information provided by our diplo- of commerce. We also collaborate with international organizations and partake in B2D (Busimatic representative bodies around the globe.

I would like to further strengthen our net- ness to Diplomacy) events. In mid-June, we work of economic advisors. By 2020, we wish took diplomatic representatives to Žiri where to increase the number of economic advisors we presented the local company Alpina.

A large part of our work also involves assemby 18, which means to a total of 40 advisors. I think there is no need to explain why more of bling mixed intergovernmental committees for them are needed. During the crisis, it became economic partnerships. In mid-June we asclear how useful skilled economic diplomacy is. sembled a joint committee with Russia, and in Back then, it aided our companies to find new 2018 with China, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Auspartners around the world and sought oppor- trian Styria, Friuli Venezia Giulia, and others. tunities for foreign investments in Slovenia.

Quick access to fast and quality information is Q Which forums currently connect Slovevital in times of crisis. It is essential to open nian foreign policy and economic operathe door when economies are cooling off, and tors to encourage development of common this is precisely what networks of economics strategies? are best at.

The fact is that Slovenia is highly export- A In our efforts for a greater internationMiro Cerar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia oriented. Our 100 largest companies account alization, we cooperate with other ministries for more than half of our exports. The majority and organizations, such as the Chamber of of our exports–a staggering 87 percent–are to Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (GZS). countries within the radius of 500 kilometres. An excellent example of such cooperation was But being export-oriented also makes us vul- the Three Seas Initiative Business Forum held nerable. Thus, cooperation between all minis- in June. The forum, which was organized in tries, associations, and organizations in charge cooperation with GZS, took place at the edge of promotion at summits and in markets is key. of the Three Seas Initiative. The Initiative is The Ministry of Foreign Affairs fosters cooper- comprised of 12 member states from Central ation between the Government, the Chamber and Eastern Europe, which are spread beof Commerce, and Industry of Slovenia as well tween the Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Adriatic Sea. June’s summit in Ljubljana saw over 600 as the Slovenian Tourist Board.

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In the Spotlight economic operators and 44 states discussing concrete infrastructural, energy, and transport connections that would enable the countries of Eastern and Central Europe to catch up with the progressive western part of the integration.

This is just one of the important events that contribute to the development of concrete projects.

Q How do you support small companies in the so-called "new markets"? Which of these new markets do you reckon is the most promising for Slovenia?

A As I have mentioned, Slovenia’s primary focus is on markets within a 500 km radius, so we would also like to direct our efforts in the search for new opportunities to geographically distant, non-traditional markets. Last year, the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology organized a visit of the economic delegations to the Sub-Saharan Africa, namely to Ethiopia and Ghana. This spring, we also organized African Days and Latin American Days, and cooperated with China on the 16+1 initiative.

I would like to highlight two success stories from previous years, which resulted from cooperation with distant countries. I am talking about two successful investments, namely the Japanese investment by Yakasawa in Kočevje and the Canadian investment for setting up the Magna factory near Maribor. I believe there is no need to mention the success our companies–for instance Pipistrel–have enjoyed abroad.

I think it is necessary that we look for business opportunities in geographically more distant countries, such as China, Japan, South Korea, certain Gulf countries and individual countries in Africa and South America. This is where the Council for Economic Internationalization, which connect partners from the public and private sectors, has to step in and play a key role.

Q Is today’s economic diplomacy focused on any specific areas, for instance digitalization and circular economy?

A When we talk about the structure of the Slovenian economy, we cannot overlook the fact that it is based on small and mid-sized companies. Many of them are highly innovative, boast exceptional knowledge, technology and products, and are leaders in the segment of digital transformation. This is why it is of no surprise that Slovenia wants to establish itself as a reference country and an active partner in the digital transformation of Europe. Digitalization requires us to think quickly and develop artificial intelligence. It is penetrating the very pores of our lives in all areas–from the automo-

A special focus will be placed on our future activities: digitalization and artificial intelligence, green mobility, nanotechnology, and the promotion of circular economy. tive industry to other, higher levels such as the work of the government. When Slovenia takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2021, the main topics will be digitalization and circular economy. According to my assessment, the latter is no longer a thing of choice.

In the process of dynamic and fundamental changes to business operations, Slovenia can be defined as a success story. After all, we boast some of the most important characteristics that are of essential to succeed in the described conditions: a regulated infrastructure environment, well-functioning and stable public systems, a stable and development-focused political situation, numerous innovative individuals and companies, a quality education system, and diverse research activities.

Lately, we have brought together all these advantages in a single effort, which is summed up nicely by the slogan, "Slovenia, a green reference country in the digital Europe." The slogan encompasses respect for the environment, high quality of life, and the digital future of Europe.

As Prime Minister I emphasized the importance of transitioning to a sustainable economy, which is being established in the European Union by means of the circular economy concept. As stated, this will be one of the important topics in the foreign policy during our presidency in the Council of the European Union. We want Slovenia to become a regional hub for the development of a circular economy.

Q How are tourism (mainly with I Feel Slovenia) and economic diplomacy connected?

Do the two concepts support each other?

A Tourism is becoming an increasingly important branch of economy in the green Slovenia. We want tourists to visit all the different parts of our beautiful country. Our vision is clear. Slovenia is striving to become a green, active and healthy destination of five-star experiences. In other words, "Slovenia is a green boutique global destination for high-end visitors seeking diverse and active experiences, peace, and personal benefits." Our embassies are proactive in presenting Slovenia as such at various summits, on social media, at different protocol and promotional events by promoting our natural landmarks, cultural attractions and events, cuisine and beverages, as well as various wellness activities and sports.

Q To what extent is our membership in the European Union increasing–or reducing–the efficiency of Slovenian economic diplomacy?

A The European Union is our home, our living and working environment as well as our safe haven. Most of our external and commercial business exchange is with other EU member states–as much as 80 percent of it. As one of the active and constructive members of the EU, Slovenia strives to contribute to a stable, solidary, free and tightly interconnected European Union, which is an important player in the international arena.

Even in the case of Brexit, Slovenia sought constructive solutions that would benefit both the EU and the UK. We want to disperse our commodity flow, which is why we are also in favour of entering free-market agreements between the EU and third countries with hidden potential.

Q Do you still see room for improvement?

How else could Slovenia achieve a more efficient and powerful economic diplomacy?

A In the past decade, economic diplomacy has gained in importance, especially so during the crisis. I want to expand the network of economic advisors at our diplomatic missions and consular posts abroad. This will benefit our economy and provide extra support, especially due to the expansion of our services and the geographic scope of our companies’ operations abroad. Despite the limitations in human resources and finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was successful in adapting and bringing innovation.

Our joint activities will focus on establishing and strengthening international connections, as well as promoting innovative achievements of Slovenian companies and the high level of Slovenian knowledge. A special focus will be placed on our future activities: digitalization and artificial intelligence, green mobility, nanotechnology, and the promotion of circular economy.

I will continue to encourage the internationalization of small and mid-sized companies and the internationalization of science, technology and innovation. And last but not least, we will take care of strengthening the image of our country and brand–Slovenia.

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In the Spotlight In short, we will talk about us [the Forum] and our ability to comprehend the changes, which are influencing our sense of security and our way of life. In this light, we will put special emphasis on sustainable development and try to look at it from different angle–democracy, economy, security, human rights, digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

Q Does this year’s edition innovate in any way, in comparison with previous editions?

A We always try to innovate, we are especially proud that over the years Young Bled Strategic Forum and Business Forum have become key and integral part of the BSF, where we are trying to introduce new and exciting topics such as artificial intelligence and digitalisation.

Peter Grk, Secretary-General of the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF)

Interview: Peter Grk, Secretary-General of the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF)

"Bled Strategic Forum is Already Part of Slovenia’s Soft Power" By the editors Q In 2006, the Bled Strategic Forum’s first edition dealt with "Political Reform and Sustainable Development in the South Caucasus." How has the Forum evolved since its inception?

A It’s interesting, and thank you for reminding me about the first edition of the Forum in 2006, that the theme of sustainable development has been dealt with then and is also at the centre of the 14th edition of the Bled Strategic Forum, which will take place this year from the 2nd to the 3rd of September.

What changed? Certainly the scope and the ambition of the Forum. If we wanted to remain relevant in the international context, we needed to adapt to the new reality and to this globalised and digital world, which is changing so rapidly. International conferences like the Bled Strategic Forum must be observant and vigilant in order to embrace and understand events as they are happening.

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Looking back at the previous editions, I would put this as our biggest achievement–we remained relevant and each year we brought new topics and questions, which are important, not only in the context of international relations, but also in understanding the future of society as a whole. We understood that you cannot discuss important questions in a void, but you need a platform where you can connect the dots of the ever-changing international environment.

Q One year after "bridging the divide," what is the overarching theme for this 14th edition?

A This year we are talking about "(re)sources of (in)stability," which is not only an interesting play of words, but it also represents a theme, which is and will be even more in the future in the focus of international community and key global players.

Q Which high-level panellists can we expect?

A If I need to choose three, which represent main pillars of the Forum (politics, business civil society), then I would mention Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia, Andrea Illy, CEO of Illy Caffè, and Professor Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia University.

Q BSF says it is "making commitments for the implementation of new strategies designed to confront the most pressing issues of today’s Europe and the world." Do you set up some sort of follow-up between two editions?

A This is, in a way, our mission statement. We need to be objective and say that we are not there yet. We are getting better, but our final goal is to establish a platform, which would be able to take the suggestions, ideas and commitments from Bled and implement them in the wider international arena. This platform would be able to organise events, round tables, and smaller events year-round and have the capacity to produce analyses, ideas, and other relevant papers in order to help Slovenia, its Government, and its citizens adapt to the changes in the international community.

Q Could one say that the BSF is becoming a part of Slovenia’s soft power?

A I would argue that Bled Strategic Forum is already part of Slovenia’s soft power and it represents one of its most important tools. BSF offers an opportunity for Slovenia to hear and to be heard on the global stage and it brings together all the relevant stakeholders in order to promote and enhance the brand "Slovenia" or "I feel Slovenia," which is becoming more and more recognizable not only in Europe but worldwide. BSF is a small but important piece of this puzzle.

In the Spotlight Interview: dr. Aleksandra Pivec, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food

Slovenia boasts one of the most efficient systems for ensuring food safety

By Barbara Pavlin

According to Aleksandra Pivec, who was appointed the Minister of Agriculture last year in September, there is still a lot of untapped potential in Slovenian agriculture. She has high hopes for linking agriculture and tourism, especially in terms of gastronomy and cuisine. After all, Slovenia has excellent conditions for the boutique production of food, which has a rich taste and is often produced ecologically. dr. Aleksandra Pivec, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food

Q How would you assess the current state of Slovenian agriculture?

A Firstly, I would like to point out that Slovenia is a country with great potential and the necessary natural resources for agriculture.

While a large part of agricultural land in Slovenia is located in areas with limiting factors, I believe this can be considered an advantage or high added value. In a way, it encourages a more boutique production of agricultural produce or products. These areas demand special cultivation, which is oftentimes more natural and thus provides excellent conditions for the development of ecotourism. The branches in Slovenia that are highly traditional and well established also from the point of view of self-sufficiency include cattle farming, milk production, chicken farming, beekeeping and fruit growing in terms of apples and permanent plantations. The weaker branches include vegetable farming and the growing of other fruits. In the last decade, we have also had low self-sufficiency rates for pork. Slovenia is traditionally a country of viticulture, where on the one hand we have highly developed vineyards with exceptional, high-quality products.

Sadly, on the other hand, vineyard properties are highly fragmented, so there are numerous small vineyards that do provide a solid source of income. In this sense, they are highly challenging and call for special attention.

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Q As you have mentioned, Slovenia is witnessing alarming self-sufficiency rates for certain produce and products. How can we increase local production and consumption?

A One of the difficult challenges is definitely tackling the strategic plan for strengthening the loss-making branches or those branches that are marked by lesser self-sufficiency. In terms of vegetables, we must focus on investing in a technological overhaul, especially in the sense of prolonging out-of-season production by setting up greenhouses and using modern farming methods, which enable a higher production outside the typical seasons.

We should also ensure a greater protection from environmental impacts. Lately, we have witnessed highly unfavourable weather conditions – from draughts, hail and frost to crops rotting due to excessive rainfall. This is why in the next financial perspective we want to focus on encouraging farmers to protect their crops from various weather conditions by setting up anti-hail nets and irrigation systems as well as spraying crop for frost protection and similar.

In terms of pig farming, I am considering the implementation of highly systemic solutions involving the establishment of entire chains, which start on crop fields with the production of grains for feeding our livestock, and then working on a high-as-possible produc-

tion of home-bred livestock. In several years, this could enable us to achieve a 10-percent increase in self-sufficiency rates for pork.

Q New technologies are being introduced to different industries, including agriculture. What is the situation like in Slovenia and how can the state be of help?

A This is one of the most important goals of the new strategy for developing Slovenian agriculture, which is in desperate need of a technologic overhaul. Only farms that are focused on development and are equipped with modern technology – including various digitalisation systems – can achieve sufficient long-term production, adequate market orientation and competitiveness in agricultural markets.

Q Can this be one of the factors that would retain and attract the youth to agriculture?

A One of the key challenges of Slovenian agriculture is the necessity to face the question of a generational overhaul. In the sense of generational structure, Slovenian agricultural economies are old because the average age of farm owners is 57 years. This means we must start attracting the youth to agriculture, which is a lengthy process. The notions of farming and agriculture are unpopular in the society.

We must first raise the youth’s awareness of

In the Spotlight how significant the role of farming and agriculture is in today’s society. Then, we must enable the conditions for them to start farming in the first place. One of these conditions is the availability of farming land, which is highly limited in Slovenia. The lands currently being sold on the market are expensive, and the state has few agricultural lands at disposal that it could offer the youth to start farming. This is why we would like to change the related legislation. A technologic overhaul and the start of digitalisation of Slovenian agriculture will definitely be brought about by the young generation.

As they acquire farms, we must give them a chance to equip themselves with technology and different innovative approaches, and to digitalise their farming processes.

Q You have mentioned extreme weather, which causes significant damage in agriculture. How is Slovenian agriculture equipped for combating weather changes?

A Seeing how we are witnessing high-damage cases, we cannot be satisfied with the current situation. We face a different catastrophe each year. This year, for instance, we had exceptionally high rainfall, so we are experiencing problems with rotting crops and fruits, as well as problems with bees. This is why, in the future, we plan on focusing more on protection, i.e. risk management. But this cannot be limited to subsidised insurance premiums only. In the existing financial perspective, there are certain invitations to tenders for preventive measures.

The legislation changes pertaining to land policy are moving towards facilitating the implementation of in-field measures such as setting up larger irrigation systems in areas with different types of land ownership. Due to the amendments in the building legislation and high community infrastructure levies, setting up greenhouses is somewhat more problematic as well. We have started addressing this issue by proposing that it be regulated by the Agriculture Act.

Q The link between agriculture and tourism has a great potential in Slovenia. How could we better utilise this link and what are the steps that we have already taken to do so?

A This is one of the areas which we have already stepped up, and I believe that we can tap into numerous other opportunities than the ones we already have. Gastronomy and oenology are important parts of tourism, and research suggests that tourists are keen on exploring the culinary and vinicultural characteristics of different countries. What is more, tourists dedicate large portions of their taveling budgets to such experiences. In Slovenia, this percentage

is still relatively low – about 15 percent. Thus, there is a lot of untapped potential. Each quality food starts with quality ingredients. Seeing how Slovenia has excellent prerequisites for the production of boutique food, which has a rich taste and is oftentimes produced ecologically, this definitely presents a great opportunity for our master chefs. So, where is the problem? We have talked to both sides – to the farms, which want to sell to hotels and restaurants, as well as to restaurant and hotel owners. What we have found is that there is a missing intermediary link that would provide a constant supply and consistent quality. We have various cooperatives and cooperative systems that could play a key role in solving this problem, but this would require the establishment of correct and fair price ratios.

Q Slovenia boast top-quality food produce and master chefs. which is proven by the various awards they are collecting all over the world. Could we make better use of this?

A I have spoken with some of our master chefs. They have all recognized added value in the fact that they could use their culinary masterpieces to promote quality Slovenian ingredients. I have received quite some praise from foreigners as well, for example about Slovenian milk. Supposedly, it has a really good and authentic taste. And this is just one example. Therefore, I believe that it is not enough for chefs to use Slovenian ingredients – they also have to promote them. In many aspects, Slovenia is undoubtedly on par with the top European countries. For instance, our wines easily match the wines produced in France and Germany. However, we could be a little bit more ambitions. We could also do with a higher degree of consistency when it comes to supply and ensuring a consistent level of quality for our products. We will either have to establish good systemic solutions or review and upgrade the existing ones, for instance the cooperative system, which I see as one of the mandatory and essential intermediary links between the producer and final consumer.

Q How satisfied are you with the success of protecting Slovenian agricultural produce and food? What more could we do?

A Slovenia has quite a few protected products, both at the European and the national level.

But we want more because – aside from protection – this is a good way of promoting our indigenous, traditional agricultural and food produce. We would like to upgrade this scheme more ambitiously and pay more attention to including as many products as possible, which would provide the consumer not just with

indigeneity and tradition but also with Slovenian origin and, consequently, a certain level of safety and quality. Especially nowadays, when we are being bombarded by products from all over the world.

Q Now that you have mentioned safety – how safe is Slovenian food?

A According to research, Slovenia has one of the three most efficient systems for ensuring food safety. Our system is excellent, which means we control everything from the first step, i.e. from the agricultural inspections on farms, through processing, which is controlled by the Food Safety Administration, to all the food production chains that are under constant control. We are relatively safe. However, occasional scandals speak volumes of how inventive people can be. Even in a system this good, they always find ways for exploitation.

Q The Ministry has drawn up a resolution entitled “Our food, rural areas and natural resources after 2021”, which was subject to a public debate at the end of May. What are the key objectives of this resolution and is this document being drawn up?

A The resolution is a strategic and political document. Based on detailed analyses and an overview of the current situation, our strong and weak points, it outlines the important guidelines for the development of Slovenian agriculture after 2020. The resolution is highly goal-oriented and aimed at pinpointing the priority focus areas that will be subject to our interventions in the future, both in terms of national and EU funds. The most important of these priority areas are food production and processing. The reason why food is placed at the forefront of the resolution is that it completely changes the social perception of agriculture. The second important aspect is the preservation of our natural resources, and the third one the preservation and continuous development of rural areas at all levels. Rural areas make up 80% of Slovenia, which is reason enough to keep them developed and vital, making sure that educational, health and social systems in rural areas are well developed.

Only this way, people will want to stay, live and work there. The last goal of the resolution is to strengthen and spread knowledge, which will ensure a higher degree of innovation, a better technological overhaul and increased access to knowledge. Knowledge is of no use if confined to educational institutions – it needs to be put into practice and utilized by the economy.

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European Union Politics

By Diliff - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35972521

2019 European Parliament Elections

The Far-Right Strikes Back in Europe

By Charles Nonne

On May 26, the Northern hemisphere’s biggest democratic exercise took place amid rising nationalism and Euroscepticism, as a 427 million-strong electorate was called to elect 751 members of the European Parliament. If the new political map of Europe reflects a divided continent, the ground-breaking changes pundits expected did not occur.

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The Slovenian Times | Summer Edition 2019

Volatile Electorates, Contrasting Results Surprise was not the predominant feeling on the evening of May 26. Nuanced realities of 28 member states prevented any "black and white" EU assessments.

France and Italy lived up to the expectations with openly Eurosceptic far-right parties gaining ground. In France, Marine Le Pen’s National Front rebranded as the Ressemblement National, or the National Assembly, narrowly defeated President Emmanuel Macron’s La République en Marche and reached the symbolic victory they longed for.

In Italy, Matteo Salvini’s Liga confirmed its standing as the country’s new political behemoth, reaching 34 percent of votes in a land which was long considered cast-iron Europhile.

The far-right is on the rise in Belgium and Austria, where the FPÖ did not collapse despite a corruption scandal tarnishing vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache.

In Germany, which was unexpectedly quiet during the campaign, the governing centreright CDU-CSU and centre-left Social-democrats (SPD) both lost seats as the Grünen rose to fame. Social democrats scored poorly with three notable exceptions: Spain and Portugal, where Prime Ministers Petro Sánchez and António Costa defeated a moribund right; and the Netherlands, where Labour recovered after a crushing defeat in last year’s elections.

EuropeanPolitics Union In Central and South Eastern Europe, the conservative right is winning outright in Austria, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria. In Hungary, Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz triumphed with a stunning 52 percent, the biggest score made by a single party after Malta’s Labour. Poland’s governing Law and Justice (PiS) has a single seat more than the second and third parties. In Greece, Prime Minister Aleksis Tsipras suffered a severe loss to New Democracy’s conservatives. In Scandinavia and the Baltic states, the far-right did not make as many gains as expected, with social democrats trying to reverse a long trend of decline in their historical strongholds.

New Battlegrounds Emerge In 2014, the previous European elections bore the aftermath of the financial and budget crises that have weakened the EU’s economy for years. Today’s Europe seems to have forgotten about post-crisis economic policies. Across the continent, most anti-austerity forces lost seats.

Among them, the radical left lost 14 seats and became the smallest fringe group in Parliament. The Italian protest "Five Star" Movement is on the decline. The time of economic radicality seems to be fading, giving birth to three new victors.

Nationalist and anti-migration forces have increased their influence with the promise of a return to a better world, as Italy’s Matteo Salvini deemed his allies’ results as "the sign of a changing Europe".

Overall, the far-right tripled its score from 37 to 112 seats, while the moderately Eurosceptic right lost half of its seats, going from 116 down to 64. In several countries, migration has shaped the debate, like in Hungary, but also in Denmark, where the Social Democrats’ tougher stance on immigration pushed voters to the left.

Liberals and centrists (ALDE) also had promising results, gathering the voices of moderates disappointed with traditional parties: Emmanuel Macron partially succeeded in his endeavour to create a domestic battlefield between European-friendly and Eurosceptic forces, though he stopped short of a pan-European alliance. Riding on a wave of discontent with careful environmental policies across Europe and especially in France and Germany, the Greens are one of the only genuine surprises this year. Ecology mattered particularly for younger generations, as environment-related issues have been slowly coming to the forefront of political debates, from school strikes to alarming UN-sponsored reports.

For more information about the results in each country, the turnout and the new composition of the European Parliament, visit http://www.sloveniatimes.com

Zero-sum Game and Looming Showdowns Only one question remains: who can achieve 376 members and secure a majority? No rightwing (355 seats) or left-wing (265 seats) coalition could muster a majority, nor can the Eurosceptic and radical forces (176 and 150 seats respectively). Of the two parties that have been governing the EU for decades, the European Popular Party (EPP) is prone to internal strife and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) suffered locally heavy losses. The liberals and the greens, on the other hand, have boosted their gains in France, Germany and the UK.

"In 2019, the kingmakers belong to the centre" With 87 seats short of an absolute majority, the fate of a spectrum-wide coalition seems sealed.

In 2019, the kingmakers belong to the centre.

As any majority will include either the Green or the liberals, if not both, all the non-EPP Euro-friendly parties are currently attempting to break the biggest party’s monopoly over European politics. In the meantime, the far-right, which has more MEPs than the liberals and democrats, is having a tough time agreeing on a common platform.

The future leaders of the EU will emerge as the result of painful negotiations between heads of state, in which the Parliament may well be a passive spectator. Stakes are high, considering the influence resting in the hands of the Presidents of the European Commission, European Council, European Parliament, and European Central Bank, let alone the 27 remaining Commissioners.

Several heads of state are publicly repudiating the so-called Spitzenkandidaten or "lead candidate" process, designed to give more democratic legitimacy to the newly head of the European Commission. Larger countries will try to trade lesser positions, such as the influential High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, in exchange for support for their own candidates.

Europe is "Saved." What about the Europeans?

In the run-up to the elections, the European Parliament launched an unprecedented effort aiming to bring youth to the poll with the campaign #thistimeimvoting. The project involved around 300, 000 volunteers in a continental network, supported by a new communication strategy, with millions viewing videos subtitled in 33 languages. Companies, heads of state, social network influencers, and intellectuals alike warned that these elections would

be the single most important electoral meeting for decades.

While this endeavour did not entirely fail, the results are disappointing. Although the symbolic threshold of 50% participation rate was overcome (50.9 percent against 42 percent in 1979), the turnout remains low, especially in central Europe, starting with Slovakia (22 percent) and Slovenia (28 percent) at the bottom of the list. Abstention increased in Portugal, Ireland, Italy and even Belgium, where voting is compulsory.

"The EU is a strong, pan-European democracy, which citizens care about," EU Council president Donald Tusk declared two days after the results. Many still feel that the EU has little to do with everyday lives. The European institutions often showcase the successes of Erasmus, roaming fees reforms and passport-free travel policies, which do not appeal to people living in remote regions with little chance to travel at all. This underlines the need for Brussels not to rest on the laurels of an increased turnout, to reinvent the European project, and to focus on issues at hand: climate change, border management, the values gap, inequalities between regions, and the enlargement process.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom…

Across the Channel, lines are being redrawn based on the 2016 referendum results: the two main forces of Leave and Remain, Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats, were rewarded for their unequivocal stance.

In the meantime, the two pillars of British politics, the Tory and Labour parties, walked another step toward the fringes of political relevance due to their internal divisions over Brexit. However, both the Liberal Democrats and Brexit Party may struggle to convince the electorate that their vision and political programme stretch beyond their stance on Brexit.

The UK is back to square one after Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal seems now only to be a bad memory for citizens of the UK. With Boris Johnson claiming that the UK would not pay its "divorce bill" to the EU under his leadership, long protracted debates are to be expected, both in Westminster and Brussels. Brexit will probably long remain a parasite for the European debate, at a time when policy issues are piling up on the table, and deeper integration is no longer the only envisaged direction.

The European political landscape is undoubtedly more fragmented than several years ago. Is it necessarily a liability for the European Union? The challenging situation may well incentivise European leaders to become more self-demanding and urgently tackle the many challenges waiting for them with more vision, ambition, empathy, and self-awareness.

Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Politics Column

Britain’s black farce offers lessons to Slovenia

By Guy De Launey

The United Kingdom may claim to have "the mother of parliaments".

But the process to select its head of government could have been concocted by the writers of Black Mirror.

In the latest episode: a tiny and utterly unrepresentative electorate of elderly, middle-class right-wingers chooses whether the country should be led by an adulterous serial liar – or an opportunistic geography dunce. Comedy does not get much darker than that.

How we got here is not exactly a secret. But for me, it started in Slovenia. I was in Ljubljana on 24 June 2016, the day after the fateful vote which transformed Britain from an influential voice in this region to a gibbering irrelevance.

The idea was to hoover up soundbites from the European heads of state who were gathering in the city to mark Slovenia’s 25 years of independence. I had also lined up an interview with the then-prime minister, Miro Cerar. All of this was arranged on the assumption that the UK would be remaining in the European Union – with the leaders making the appropriate noises of approval.

Instead, it was a scene of desperate discombobulation – and that was just the journalist.

The leaders made remarks informed by a mix-

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ture of shock and hurt – while insisting they would respect the decision of the British voters.

This set the tone for what has followed.

Politicians drone about their "responsibility" to "deliver Brexit" as if it were an Amazon order, while deliberately ignoring inconvenient – but crucial – facts. "Brexit" was never defined in the referendum, the vote was not legally-binding and the margin was so tight that if 2% of voters changed their minds, the result would flip the other way.

Three extremely fraught years on, if there ever was a mandate for Britain to leave the European Union, it needs to be renewed in the hard-won knowledge of what this would entail for the country and its people. Unfortunately, politicians of all colours have prioritised their personal positions over holding an honest conversation and informed confirmatory vote. This has been exacerbated by newspaper reporting which – when weighted by circulation – favours leave by a margin of 4-to-1.

One could fill pages with the ins and outs of this desperate black farce. But as in any crisis, there are lessons to be learned – not least for a young democracy like Slovenia.

Getting hooked on government by plebiscite is a dangerous game – as is blaming the EU for problems in your own party or country.

Parliamentary and constitutional conventions exist for very good reasons. And attention to detail is not optional when it comes to matters of national importance.

As for my profession, responsible media organisations need to understand the difference between balance and due impartiality. Offering a platform to both mainstream and marginal voices, then leaving the audience to make up their own minds on the veracity of those views, is a dereliction of duty.

Perhaps Britain may no longer serve as an inspiration to countries like Slovenia. But at least it may be useful as a warning.

[Guy De Launey is a presenter and correspondent based in Ljubljana.

He works for BBC News, Monocle magazine and several international broadcasters.]

Politics From Friends to Strangers and Back

Understanding Slovenian Foreign Policy towards the Western Balkans

By Faris Kočan, Researcher at the Centre of International Relations of the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana

The cultures of the former Yugoslavia were marked in the 19th and 20th centuries by the diversity of experience gained from one another at the time of the joint modernization processes. But just like the other states of Central Europe, these territories have sustained a bloodstained history and were particularly interesting for the larger global powers’ to access every strategic point in the region. However, the various external factors that have historically permeated the terrain, which was inhabited by smaller unique cultures, were dealt with in a rather different matter.

At the beginning of the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Slovenia formed an alliance with Croatia at the 14th Congress of the Yugoslav League of Communists in January 1989 to advocate for complete independence. A realization of its small size and the necessity of an open economy paradoxically lead Slovenia to engage with yet another international integration, the EU, even before declaring independence or reaching international recognition. Until the end of the century, Slovenia focused on the Euro-Atlantic integration and built its foreign policy strategy on distancing itself from the war-waging Balkans.

ity in the 1999 Declaration. The momentum continued during the Slovenian Presidency of the Council in the first half of 2008, but the ongoing conflict with Croatia and the complexity of the stabilization process have led to a less-uniformed policy towards the region.

Even before the Presidency, Slovenia defended its stronger role of the EU in the stabilization of the region on many occasions.

Parallel to this, member states expected that Slovenia would act as a bridge between the EU

and the Western Balkans, with which a sense of responsibility has grown. Slovenia’s leadership priorities regarding the Western Balkans were well known, namely: 1) Bringing each country of the Western Balkans a step closer to the EU; 2) Maintaining dialogue with Serbia and sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement. During the Presidency, Slovenia acknowledged the aggravating circumstances that have arisen surrounding Macedonia, bilateral disputes, and the recognition of Kosovo as independent from Serbia. For that reason, Slovenia focused on raising awareness on the importance of bringing Western Balkan countries closer to the EU, maintaining the process on the EU agenda, and avoid risking the promotion of bilateral issues or sentiment against the majority will of the EU member states.

Life after the Brijuni-Brdo process–What Now? Slovenian foreign policy activities striving towards bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU did not end in 2008. On the contrary, on the 20th of March 2010, Slovenia and Croatia organized an important regional conference entitled the Brijuni-Brdo process, where eight countries would gather and talk in informal matter regarding the EU integration process, regional cooperation, and conflict resolution. The process, which at first looked as a platform for Slovenian and Croatian influence in the region, proved to be a very successful joint venture where countries discussed issues from radicalization and terrorism to the rule of law and the youth. The next big opportunity for deepening the EU engagement in the Western Balkans is slated for 2021, when Slovenia will again preside over the Council. But this time they can count on Croatia, an important partner in the region, for the same amount of help.

Brdo-Brijuni Process – leaders' meeting in Tirana, 8-9 may 2019; Photo: Daniel Novakovič /STA

The EU Accession Process: Coming Back to the Western Balkans During the process of EU accession, Slovenia has clearly indicated that its foreign policy interests towards the Western Balkans have changed. This has manifested in Slovenian endeavors regarding transitional trade agreements with countries in the region, while developing a policy focused on aid programs for the war-torn region. Slovenia has gradually become active in the economic, political, and security forums in the region, and the Western Balkans was for the first time after the dissolution of Yugoslavia recognized as a top priorSummer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Global China Christina Boutrup is an author, lecturer, and one of Europe’s leading China specialists. Her speech, "How China Shapes our Future," was a highlight of a recent conference organized by the Bled School of Management in partnership with Thinkers50 and the Bled Strategic Forum. Her recently published book titled "The Great Tech Revolution" is an analysis of the global expansion of Chinese companies and a call for all decision-makers to pay attention to China’s ambitious plans to become a leader in high-tech innovation.

Q In the middle of May, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order enabling the federal government to prohibit US companies from buying telecom equipment from foreign companies. The first to feel the damage from the order was Chinese company Huawei. How do you see this situation?

A It is fair to say that the trade war is not re-

Interview: Christina Boutrup, China analyst

How China Shapes our Future

By Silvija Fister

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ally about trade, but technology. China has climbed the ladder so fast, faster than anybody thought, and this challenges the US. Huawei is now number two in the world for smart phones and number one for certain fields of 5G, which is going to revolutionize our transportation system. The US has many reasons to limit Chinese tech companies. There are economic and business reasons, but there are also political reasons. They claim that Chinese companies can be used for espionage, so there is a security risk if you use their technologies. But at the same time if there is Huawei equipment in vital infrastructure, the US themselves cannot carry out espionage. It has never been documented that Huawei has been involved in any espionage, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.

I think that most of all we need to remember that we are Europeans, not Americans. This means that we are often caught in this power game between the US and China. We are not part of the game because the EU isn’t as big of a power. The problem is that the US is so powerful in Europe. For example, a small country like Denmark, where I come from, is very dependent on the US intelligence to protect against terrorism. And when the American government tells Denmark that they cannot share intelligence with us because the infrastructure was built by Huawei, do we really have a choice?

Global China European governments and politicians need to be much better at setting up demands and counter claims for China.

But it’s about much more than espionage.

It is about market shares and about the future where everything will be connected. This is why 5G will be so important.

Q China was recently labeled a partner of the EU, but also "an economic competitor in the pursuit of technological leadership and a systemic rival promoting alternative models of governance" by the European Commission. Is there any advice on relations with China and Chinese companies that you would give to European governments?

A It is good that the EU takes a more strategic approach to China. China puts much effort into bilateral cooperation with EU countries.

It is crucial to cooperate at the level of the EU. China is very protectionist in certain strategic areas like energy and finance. Chinese companies can easily build infrastructure in Europe, but European companies don’t have the same access to the Chinese market.

So if you want to put pressure on China to change some of these limitations, you need to be more strategic in the way you deal with them. It is smart to think of the country with the ambitious Made in China 2025 plan as a strategic competitor. Eventually, European companies will have a tougher time because the prices will come under pressure. Some players in China don’t even have to be profitable, they just focus on expanding their business and that’s very difficult to compete with.

Chinese officials deal with countries very much like a businessperson would deal with investments and trades. For example, when they show interest in knowledge cooperation in areas where EU is more advanced, like our welfare system, medicine control, and food safety, our governments often provide this knowledge for free because they hope their companies can export to China. European governments and politicians need to be much better at setting up demands and counter claims.

Q What are the biggest innovations of most successful Chinese high tech companies and brands? Relatively low prices are not their only competitive advantage. What can and what should European companies learn from them to compete successfully?

A Chinese companies are extremely good at creating user experience and they have a strong dialog with their customers online. If you are a company in the European context, you usually

launch a product after a long process of innovation or development. But in China you need to be much more agile. You can’t just launch one product that has to be a success, because you’ve spent so much money and effort on it. You probably launch around seven products that are perhaps only eighty percent ready, but you still push them to the market and test them.

This way you start a dialogue with the users and listen to their feedback. Chinese companies are born agile because the environment demands it. The Chinese government will often change the regulations overnight so the business can be made illegal. You need to be very dynamic and Chinese companies know that. So that is one thing our companies can learn from them.

Q What is or what should be the main competitive edge of European companies in China? What industries do you think can have most success in China’s market in the near future?

A There are ten industries included in the Made in China 2025 plan. They represent a great challenge for European companies, because according to the plan, Chinese companies in those ten industries will become global front runners in the next five years. On the other hand they can be very attractive because it will be easier for foreign companies to get license to operate in those areas. They can also get access to state subsidies, because China really wants to attract that kind of investment right now.

While all companies say they listen to the customers, Chinese companies are obsessed with listening to the customers.

to be here, even though you can’t earn a lot or have to pay to sell medicines?

The Chinese consumer market provides plenty of opportunities with all the new emerging platforms. Some of them enable you to sell products to Chinese consumers directly from Slovenia. In general they feel safe about buying products directly form EU because they know that the quality control is better for many products.

Chinese companies are born agile.

Ten priority industries of the Made in China 2025 plan: • Next generation information technology; • High-end numerical control machinery and robotics; • Aerospace and aviation equipment; • Maritime engineering equipment and high-tech maritime vessel manufacturing; • Advanced rail equipment; • Energy-saving and new energy vehicles; • Electrical equipment; • New materials; • Biomedicine and high-performance medical devices; • Agricultural machinery and equipment

Health is another area, also related to poverty reduction, which is a priority for the government. They have a plan called Healthy China 2030 and we can see many medical companies trying to set up labs in China. The problem is that the Chinese government wants to reduce the prices of medicine. You can get access to the market because they need our products, which are high quality and safe, but they are not willing to pay the price to cover research and development. So again you have to make a strategic decision. Do you think that China is so important for the long-term that you want Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Global China

Interview: Xie Duquan, Chinese director of Confucius Institute Ljubljana

"Many Slovenian business executives come to learn at the institute"

By Silvija Fister

In the words of professor Xie Duquan, since its establishment in 2009, the Confucius Institute (CI) in Ljubljana has had a sound development, which is measured not only by its ever-growing size, but also by its increasing popularity among the Slovenian community.

Q What would you say is the biggest achievement of the Ljubljana Confucius Institute?

A Established in 2009, the Confucius Institute (CI) in Ljubljana has had a sound development, which is measured not only by its ever-growing size, but also by its increasing popularity among the Slovenian community. The biggest achievement of CI Ljubljana is that it has been

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an important window for Slovenian people to connect with China and an important platform for educational, cultural, and individual exchange, greatly enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of two countries. Based on the local needs, CI Ljubljana works with 30 plus partner schools at various levels in different cities and offers a variety of courses including Chinese language

and culture courses, credit courses for different faculties, and more. The courses provide good opportunities for Slovenian people to know more about China and Chinese culture. As the Vice Mayor of Ljubljana Dejan Crnek puts it, "The introduction of Chinese language and culture programs to our schools makes our city more diverse and inclusive, and our citizens always feel close to Chinese culture." By organizing annual summer

Global China camps for students and education trips for teachers to China, receiving education delegations from top universities and institutions in China who wish to seek collaboration opportunities, staging wonderful performances conducted by Slovenian and Chinese artists, and hosting joint theme exhibitions, CI Ljubljana provides people from different sectors in both countries a platform to communicate, work, and collaborate with each other, bringing new ideas together. In these processes, they learn from each other, and build mutual understanding and friendship.

Q How can the institute help students who want to study in China?

A As a platform to facilitate individual exchanges, CI Ljubljana tries its best to help Slovenian students who want to study in China.

The services include administering Chinese language proficiency test, coordinating language competitions, and arranging study tours to China for students. Through CI, students can apply for the Confucius Institute scholarships and Confucius China Studies Program.

Various scholarships allow them to study short or long-term in China. Confucius China Studies Program also recruits students to study in China towards doctoral degrees in social sciences and humanities. Understanding China Fellowship and Young Leaders Fellowship will be offered to fund research and study tours to China. If the student wins the first prize in the Chinese Bridge Competition, he or she is automatically entitled to a year-long scholarship in China.

Q Do many Slovenian business people come to learn Chinese at the institute? How can you help them be successful in the Chinese market?

language is the best key to understanding a culture and a country. The greeting in Mandarin "ni hao" (How are you) instantly shortens the distance between people and builds up trust among Chinese business partners. If necessary CI Ljubljana also offers tailor-made crossculture courses for companies and enterprises, which helps executives cultivate a culturallysensitive mind and become prepared for different models of management. Webinars are also available on such topics as the Chinese mindset series and the Chinese Tourist Welcome Quality Host (CTWQH) certificate program. For future business leaders, CI Ljubljana has been running in a special credit course for students in English called "How to do Business with China" (HBWC) at the School of Business and Economics, one of the most popular courses among international and Slovenian students.

This course aims to provide as much practical experience as possible to students, guests from business practice are regularly invited to share their experiences. Students also need to figure out solutions for a company facing a specific issue in China, which also adds strong value for Slovenian companies. Through these courses, the students will have advantage over others in either doing business with China or securing ideal jobs.

culture and art, but more importantly to provide a stage to present themselves as well. CI Ljubljana attaches great importance to the participation of local people and interactive nature of the events. In the celebration of 2019 Spring Festival, all the Chinese pieces performed by Slovenian artists are done with Slovenian flavor. Every year for the Double Ninth Festival (Seniors’ Day in China), CI surprises seniors in retirement homes by staging performances and offering Chinese delicacies. Recipients are moved—overjoyed—by receiving their name written in Chinese calligraphy. The Dragon Boat race this year on the Ljubljanica River attracted 12 teams and over 500 audience members. It’s amazing to see the teams, made up of Slovenian and Chinese members, paddle for the same goal. For some culture events, CI Ljubljana collects feedback through apps. The feedback of CI’s recent event "Digitalization of payments as a tool to boost Chinese tourism: Case of Alipay in Finland on 05/23/2019" showed that the vast majority of the participants (over 95 percent) enjoyed the event very much and will recommend the event to their friends.

Q How do Slovenians in general respond to activities like the Days of Chinese culture and celebrations of major Chinese holidays organized by the institute?

A Many activities and cultural events ran by CI Ljubljana are very well received by locals and the number of participants is the best proof.

These events not only provide opportunities for Slovenian people to better understand Chinese

A With business as its background, CI Ljubljana also offers business and culture-related courses, which cover a wide range of topics from Chinese business environment to business etiquette to finesse and practice. Many Slovenian business executives come to learn at the institute because they are fully aware that

Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Regional Insight in Association with S&P Global

European Banks Face Risks In Race To Implement PSD2 By: Benjamin Heinrich, CFA, FRM, Primary Credit Analyst, S&P Global, Frankfurt Markus W Schmaus, Primary Credit Analyst, S&P Global, Frankfurt Bernd Ackermann, Secondary Contact, S&P Global, Frankfurt Salla von Steinaecker, Secondary Contact, S&P Global, Frankfurt Gabriel Zwicklhuber, Secondary Contact, S&P Global, Frankfurt This article is a fragment of the report: "European Banks Face Risks In Race To Implement PSD2".

Banks and their customers have so far noticed little impact from the EU’s second Payment Services Directive (PSD2), which came into force in the European Economic Area (EEA) on Jan. 1 last year. The full potential effect of PSD2--designed to boost competition and the variety of products in the payments space--will only materialize on Sept. 14, when banks’ technical implementation needs to be in place. We see imminent and significant threats to European banks from PSD2, but also some opportunities. To navigate the changes successfully, European banks will first need to act swiftly to ensure technical compliance with PSD2 over the next few months. But, in a second step, we believe they will also need to develop a sound digital strategy that incorporates PSD2, so as to remain competitive and at the forefront of product innovation in financial services.

PSD2 establishes the regulatory framework for the creation of a single, open, innovative, and competitive market for payments in Europe.

The directive’s goal is also to strengthen security in the payments’ ecosystem. In essence, PSD2 allows third-party providers (TPPs) such as fintech or big tech companies (Google, Amazon, Apple, or PayPal) to initiate payments on behalf of bank customers from their bank accounts.

It also permits TPPs access to customers’ financial account information to analyse their spending patterns and financial capacity. The introduction of PSD2 will therefore potentially enable TPPs to compete with banks by offering customized or innovative digital financial services to bank customers, provided that customers explicitly give their consent.

Tech Competitors Are Piling In PSD2 has already brought new participants to the payment services market. These competitors will undoubtedly encourage the development of innovative payment services and help to improve efficiency, transparency, and security in the payment markets. According to latest European Bank Authority (EBA) data as of April 2019, 891 payment institutions and 53 account information service providers were registered under PSD2. The largest proportion of these are in the U.K., followed by France, European Banks Face Risks In Race To Implement PSD2 Germany, and Poland (see chart 1).

Chart 2

Key Takeaways • Time is tight for European banks to implement the technical requirements of the EU’s PSD2 regulation–which opens payment and account services to competitors– by the September 2019 deadline.

• Banks that fail to meet the deadline could open the door to tech competitors gaining non-regulated access to banks’ customer data if customers decide to use competitors’ services.

• We think PSD2 poses threats to bank franchises and customer bases, but also opportunities for banks to use the new rules to accelerate product innovation, generate revenues, and retain strong client relationships.

National authorities remain responsible for authorizing a provider for the provision of payment or account services. Once granted, however, this permission can also be transferred to other host states where the provider intends to offer payment services. We nevertheless believe that many customers may be reluctant to share financial information with new and less established service providers, as they may initially raise security and data confidentially concerns.

National authorities remain responsible for authorizing a provider for the provision of payment or account services. Once granted, however, this permission can also be transferred to other host states where Tight Timeline For Technical Implementation Opens Up Risks the provider intends to offer payment services. We nevertheless believe PSD2 officially became live more than a year ago in January 2018 after all EU members transposed the directive into national may law. At the time, the directive also empowered the that many customers besame reluctant to share financial information EBA to develop regulatory technical standards (RTS) on customer identification and with new These andaim less established service providers, astypes they may initially communication. to establish rules that create a level playing field among all of providers, thus ensuring technology and business-model neutrality. The final version of the RTS raise security and data confidentially concerns. was published in the official EU journal on March 13, 2018. This date also saw the launch of the 18

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months' technical implementation phase--meaning that PSD2 will finally become operational on Sept. 14, 2019.

While European banks still have a few months to reach technical compliance with PSD2, the remaining timeline remains tight, in our view. Banks are having to develop dedicated application

Regional Insight in Association with S&P Global Tight Timeline For Technical Implementation Opens Up Risks PSD2 officially became live more than a year ago in January 2018 after all EU members transposed the directive into national law. At the same time, the directive also empowered the EBA to develop regulatory technical standards (RTS) on customer identification and communication. These aim to establish rules that create a level playing field among all types of providers, thus ensuring technology and business-model neutrality. The final version of the RTS was published in the official EU journal on March 13, 2018. This date also saw the launch of the 18 months’ technical implementation phase--meaning that PSD2 will finally become operational on Sept. 14, 2019.

While European banks still have a few months to reach technical compliance with PSD2, the remaining timeline remains tight, in our view. Banks are having to develop dedicated application programming interfaces (APIs) to fulfil the regulatory requirement to allow third-party providers access to customer accounts. Data provided via those dedicated APIs can be used by third parties only in relation to a specific service, such as the initiation of a payment. A number of European banks rely on an access-to-account (XS2A) framework developed by the so-called Berlin Group that goes back to a European initiative, while other banks have developed their own frameworks. All European banks nevertheless face the risk that their APIs do not meet the service level targets set by the RTS. Should that be the case, the directive would require banks to provide TPPs access to their customer-facing interface instead. This ultimately means that, if a customer uses a third-party service, the TPP could access bank accounts on behalf of customers, effectively by pretending to be the user, to initiate a payment from the user’s account.

Screen scraping is not a new concept that came along with PSD2. For many years now, TPPs have offered account aggregation and personal financial management services to bank customers by utilizing screen scraping. There is generally no direct contractual relationship between a bank and TPP, and access to customer data does not require the consent of banks. Data extraction via screen scraping is widely unregulated. This raises privacy and security issues because bank customers effectively share login credentials, including passwords, with TPPs. There are no effective controls to prevent screen-scraping tools from theoretically copying all available customer data.

A Threat To Banks’ Revenues And Customer Relationships Customer relationships could be usurped by third-party providers that could build customized account management and transaction services via platforms. We see two main threats to banks in Europe. First, by allowing external parties to initiate payments on behalf of customers, PSD2 has the potential to change the traditional acquirer-issuer cardbased payment model. The introduction of PSD2 already facilitated the entrance of a number of fintech and big tech companies into the European payment space, mainly by offering convenient payments and digital wallet services with innovative functions through digital platforms and mobile apps. A strong trend toward account-to-account transfers could effectively remove banks from the value chain in many payment transactions with a material impact on revenues from payments. We believe that card issuers have the most to lose because they currently generate a sizable portion of earnings from transaction revenues, specifically interchange fees. We nevertheless recognize that growth in card payments in Europe has been strong in recent years and will likely remain resilient for some time to come. We believe users find credit card payment convenient enough to prevent them from moving quickly to alternative mobile payment services. Banks often even remain part of the value chain in mobile payment services through smartphones, as credit cards issued

by banks are used as the funding source. However, in Germany, PayPal, Google, and Mastercard have implemented a mobile payment service that effectively removes banks from the value chain. Customers can add their existing PayPal account to Google Pay as a payment method, where a digitized debit Mastercard is generated automatically. This leaves the banks with relatively narrow fees when funds are moved between PayPal and bank accounts.

The second main threat to banks from PSD2 is that it has the potential to disintermediate traditional banking relationships. Aggregation in financial services is becoming increasingly important in open banking and banks could lose customer proximity when customers increasingly manage their finances through third-party applications. This could reduce regular direct customer interaction and negatively affect the banks’ ability to cross- or upsell its most income-generating products. It could ultimately leave the bank in the position of providing highly commoditized and competitive products, such as loans and deposits. If banks lose control of their customer relationships, they effectively become wholesalers for at least some of their customers.

An Opportunity To Innovate And Partner With Fintechs While many European banks consider PSD2 a potential threat to their franchise, it may also offer them opportunities, not only by establishing a centralized platform for payment services or by becoming a data aggregator itself. Another positive is that PSD2 now allows banks a more detailed analysis of their own customer data, which will help gain a better understanding of their clients and improve their products.

We also consider PSD2 an opportunity for competitive differentiation. A powerful API that allows banks to easily partner with fintechs and onboard innovative financial services will help banks improve the customer experience. We consider larger banks in a slightly better position here, as they have the scale and IT budgets to establish a flexible API architecture that supports onboarding of external services. On the other hand, larger banks often face more challenges with heterogeneous, complex, and expensive legacy IT infrastructure compared to smaller and simpler banks.

In our view, banks could utilize PSD2 to become faster and more agile in product innovation. They could use connected fintechs as outsourced IT developers, especially for products in financial services where the banks lack the in-house talent and entrepreneurial spirit to develop their own innovative products. One of the challenges with PSD2 is to maintain a positive user experience when applying strong customer authentication that the directive introduces. Banks have already informed many customers they no longer consider payments by inputting login details secure enough, and will require two-factor authentication at the latest once PSD2 becomes fully operational.

We believe banks successful in implementing PSD2 will have the opportunity to gain market shares in certain market segments. In order to monetize their valuable customer data and significant investment in API architecture, banks could also offer additional services beyond the minimum regulatory requirements set by the directive.

Sources: Standard & Poor’s Rating Services and Eurostat.

Copyright © 2019 by Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC. All rights reserved.

STANDARD & POOR’S and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC. Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Economy Interview: Damir Yandrich, investor and strategist, founder of INEX360 Fund and Consultancy for transforming business models

Preparing for the new storm ahead We conducted an interview with Damir Yandrich, value investor, thinker and global expert on strategy, who is lately busy with projects in Slovenia and other EU countries on business model transformation of growth stage companies, also plugging them into major global networks and ecosystems, so they can continue growing globally. He believes this will ensure they remain competitive on the global stage, where fast growing giants from US and Asia currently dominate, and avoid the scenario of being taken over, which seems to be the trend lately, causing even some governments like Germany, to implement political measures of protection. Here we will discuss with Mr. Yandrich the probability and timing of the next economic crisis and the effects he predicts it will have on our businesses and societies. downturn. There is a new trend lately when it comes to distribution of outcomes – the socalled bi-modal distribution of outcomes. It manifests itself by producing either hyper-positive or hyper-negative outcomes, or sometimes both at the same time, triggered by some major event, such as an economic downturn.

Q When you say hyper-positive or hypernegative, does that mean the effects would be stronger than before?

Q Many influential experts have been announcing the next crisis for quite a while now. What is your opinion on that?

A It is in the very nature of economy to have the cycles – short-term and long-term economic cycles. We are still living in the longest growth cycle in the history, which naturally has to switch to correction at some point. So, it is quite reasonable to expect the downturn of the long-term cycle. The question, however, is not whether this growth cycle will turn negative, but what exactly will be the outcomes of that 20

The Slovenian Times | Summer Edition 2019

Q Is it only up to governments to establish those support systems?

A Government is just one of the key stake-

By the editors

Damir Yandrich with the Prime Minister of Antigua, Finance Minister of Malta, and CSO of YOTI during the Davos 2019 sessions

were unthinkable just several years ago. All the advantages of Europe are also its disadvantages, when it comes to business transformation and technology implementation. Its mature democracy evolved significantly, but it causes the slowness of decision making when it comes to regulation, and support systems for growth, such as EU funds, which are not following the real dynamic needs of the private sector.

A Exactly. Due to rapid advance in technology which causes significant increases of both speed and intensity of change, the outcomes of any change will be amplified and move with a dramatic speed. The only way to cope with such amplified effects is to invest in learning and using the technology itself. We have passed way beyond the point when it was possible to use just human wisdom to cope with all the effects of technology on the economy and society.

Q What percentage of society and businesses are ready for such speed of change caused by technology?

A It differs in the different parts of the world.

In the developed world, Europe is actually lagging behind this time. Asia, especially China, is able to test and implement technologies that

holders. But it is important to structure a balanced ecosystem of all major stakeholders – banks, financial institutions, universities and research centers etc. In some countries that is functioning very well, but not really in the majority of the EU countries. Businesses also have to take stronger initiatives and form more efficient associations and consortiums, working together and sharing resources, especially in research and development. They should also form their internal venture funds and support their internal innovation culture.

Q So, what would be the best advice for businesses at this particular moment? How to prepare for the next stage in the global economy?

A The best advice would be not to waste their energy and resources trying to predict the exact timing of the next downturn, but to build their capacities to be able to act fast in the case of any scenario – good or bad, and to use the opportunity to position themselves fast as the leaders in what will be The New Economy, which is a common name for all the fundamental changes of the very nature of doing business.

Many companies have some innovation or incubation program and they think they will be fine. The fact is, most of those incubation programs didn’t bring the desired results, except for creating some excitement for the employees. They should start practicing higher inclusion of all stakeholders in all processes, from board level governance, to R&D and other departments.

They should also think about re-distribution of risk, co-creation, integration of breakthrough technologies (AI, Data analytics, Robotics, Blockchain…) and other fundamental changes in the way they manage their processes. Also, defining a whole new way business and success is measured, is a crucial improvement needed by and large.

Economy

"In 3-5 years 47% of the jobs will be gone, and over 80% of todays companies will not exist anymore" Oxford University research In next 3-5 years conditions of doing business will be affected by platformization and all 5 breakthrough digital technologies – Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Big data, Internet of Things and Blockchain.

Most businesses and people will not be ready for the drastic changes.

On the other side, geo-political tensions and protectionism which are obstructing the free global trade, combined with slowing of growth due to the ending of the longest in the history economic growth cycle, will also add to the problem.

Since early 2014. research has been showing significant increase in the speed of business model transformation, both in the US and Asia.

The data from Europe, however, constantly shows much slower pace of business transformation, which is lately becoming a major threat to Europe’s position among global economic superpowers. Businesses of all sizes are affected, but especially mid-size companies which are in the growth & expansion stage.

INEX and its global partners – leading Universities, Chambers of Commerce and Innovation Hubs have started an initiative to conduct a qualitative research on several European markets, in order to get deeper insight and better understanding of underlaying reasons for the slower pace of transformation of European companies. The research will serve as a Fit-test for the participating companies, in order to assess how ready are they for the next economic downturn and fundamental structural changes that will follow, which are often referred as The New Economy. It is currently being deployed in 5 markets, including Slovenia, and the aim is to get deeper insight into the needs of local companies, especially those that are critical to accelerate the pace of business transformation.

Companies participating in the research would have to allocate 90 minutes of a C-level executive (CEO, CIO, CSO) for an active conversation with one of our research specialists.

This can be done also in a group setting, with 2-3 companies participating at the same time.

A preparation deck would be sent to the participating companies 7 days prior to the working meeting. The research is funded by the INEX CE Development Fund, so there is no cost for the participants.

The results of the study will be used as a direct framework for deploying a set of business development initiatives on the selected markets - funding, leadership education, partnering and opening global markets, and availability of tools and technologies for growth.

Participating companies will have a priority access to the framework, providing them access to capital, global connections and partnerships to open new markets and opportunities.

They will also have an option to ba a founding member of the Consortium, which will be a platform to share knowledge, technology and opportunities among large as well as SME companies, and to lobby among the key stakeholders such as government and regulators.

Participating companies will also be invited to the INEX global events to represent their respective region, starting from the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit in New York during the UN General Assembly in September 2019 and also in Davos during the World Economic Forum 2020, in the INEX Ecosystem Lounge. All participating companies and partner organizations will be invited and presented together with the report. For more information or if you want to apply for your company to participate please email robi.d@inex360.co.

The New Growth Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Economy

Comprehensively Assessing Business Partners through AJPES Digitalisation, globalisation, and data are the three main characteristics of modern business. In our globally and digitally interconnected world, a reliable approach to comprehensive business risk management and high-quality plans based on the continuous validation of business partners are vital. Data plays a big role in making the right business decisions. .

The web portal of the Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records and Related Services (AJPES) provides 24/7 access to daily updated original, official and reliable information about the operation of legal entities available through different registers and records. The online service allows for consistent updates of information about business partners through its database.

From an Individual to a Comprehensive Approach Using the Fi=Po Online Tool

Mojca KunĹĄek, M.Sc., Director of the Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records and Related Services (AJPES)

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Up until now, traditional users have mostly assessed their business partners individually. This means they analysed the operations of a partner by means of financial data from statements published over the past five years, which are checked for ownership changes in the business register, pledges of their movable property in the Register of Pledged Movables, and for any potentially frozen bank accounts in the same register. They could also request for an S.BON credit rating, which can be used to assess risk according to an internationally comparable methodology, or obtain an international Legal Entity Identifier (LEI).

Analysing business partners one-by-one is time consuming, AJPES has developed a modern analytical tool called Fi=Po, which enables a comprehensive analysis of all business partners at once. By linking financial and content data, FI=Po makes it possible to analyse one business partner individually or multiple

partners simultaneously. This brings an added value for the users and saves a lot of time. The centrally upgraded search engine enables a quick insight into the basic data, such as contact information, industry, headquarters, the management board, supervisory authorities, and related legal entities. It also provides a single-site overview of all the records on the legal entities in registers, records and publications in the AJPES portal. The subscriber can compare the information about their business partner to the competition, the region, and the industry while exporting data to their tables and drawing up their own detailed analyses. They can monitor the movement of the business partners’ risk assessment, solvency, and other relevant data. Additionally, they can subscribe to receive up-to-date notifications that detail any changes in the information about their business partners from the registers, records, and publications in the AJPES portal. In the AJPES portal, it is also possible to monitor any publications pertaining to the management of insolvency proceedings, publications based on the Companies Act (ZGD-1), and other legally binding publications.

From Local to Global Data with a Click In the digital era, advanced users can also opt for the pro Fi=Po online service, which provides CRM and accounting systems with current information on all business partners simultaneously.

While the Fi=Po analytical tool enables the analysis of Slovenian business partners, the AJPES portal also provides access to the European Business Register (EBR). Here users can obtain various types of information about foreign business partners. The basic information about foreign business partners can also be obtained in the BRIS system, which is accessed through the e-Justice portal.

Today, modern managers cannot imagine doing business without an up-to-date monitoring and assessment of their business partners and the environments in which they work.

Business risk management reduces the variability of future business performance and the likelihood of business-related and financial problems. The race against time can be more successful when the business uses modern approaches enabled by the digital era. Using the Fi=Po analytical tool will enable a simple, comprehensive and modern business partner monitoring, which is based on official and reliable data and make up the basis of all business relationships in the modern world.

Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records and Related Services

RELY ON THE AUTHORITATIVE DATA SOURCE SPOT - Slovenia Business Point Registers Annual reports Fi=Po Financial Assistant Credit ratings LEI (Legal Entity Identifier)

Doing business in Slovenia?

Get to know which companies you can trust.

Fi=Po Financial Assistant

Your best toolkit for access to quality assured data.

www.ajpes.eu

Economy

Who will Dominate the Market in the Autonomous Mobility Industry?

By Urška Jež

Five years ago, when Julij Božič, then-CEO of IBM Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, came up with the idea of BTC Living Lab, he probably couldn’t have imagined the scope that the project would in 2019. Due to his many visions for BTC, he joined Jože Mermal’s team as the Executive Director of Innovation and Digitalization in May 2016.

On the 4th and 5th of April 2019, BTC Living Lab and its sister company AV Living Lab d.o.o., which was headed by Daniel Avdagič, hosted distinguished foreign representatives at a conference held at BTC. It was called "The Birth of an Autonomous Marketplace." This year’s edition of City as a Lab, CAAL 2019, was attended by big names from the automotive industry and influential service providers from the sector of new mobility. Among them were representatives of Magna, Toyota, Nissan, Hella, AID, JP Morgan Chase., Scania, Italde-

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sign, ITU, Accuweather, HPE Ventures, BMW, and Mercedes Benz.

At the two-day gathering, participants shared their visions of what mobility means today, how it’s changing, what we can expect and look forward to, and what we have to take into consideration when discussing mobility as a service. The common thread of the conference was precisely the change in the perception of cars as we know them today. As the round table discussion was moderated John Koetsier of Forbes and Natalie Novick of Tech.eu, the conference was also covered in Forbes Magazine.

The intriguing and lively debates presented a series of exceptional reflections on the future of mobility and its users. Speakers agreed that the future will be marked by autonomous and electric vehicles, and that all the related services will be user-focused.

On a number of occasions, Fede Ponce and Massimo Martinotti highlighted that new mobility has to restore the quality of life and that the focus of innovation development must be placed on the user. Apparently, a car will no longer only be a means of transport, which today requires the driver to pay constant attention to traffic. In the future, while we are driving in a vehicle to reach a destination, we will be able to work, have fun, relax and even sleep. The ambient lighting in the vehicle will change according to our mood, and the vehicle will take care of all other adjustments based on weather conditions. The rider will take a back seat to the experience, and users will no longer have to worry about driving. Furthermore, optimization and car-sharing will make traffic jams a thing of the past–places where we now park vehicles could be turned into parks with walking trails. The simulations presented at

the event provided the audience with a representation of what we can look forward to in the future.

Finding what is mandatory to establish a marketplace for autonomous vehicles was heavily emphasized. This will be based on cross-industry collaboration and partnerships between various stakeholders, even stakeholders who are considered competitors. With this, we must take into account that certain companies, which were not connected to the traditional automotive industry in the past, are now entering the industry with services and solutions related to vehicle autonomy. The real question is: who will win the battle?

Many discussions also focused on safety and the means for ensuring that vehicles–as autonomous machines–will know how to react in certain situations to ensure the lowest number of casualties in an accident. Ethical drawbacks are numerous, but it must be stressed that these are exceptionally rare cases compared to the number of traffic accidents today, which are mostly due to human error.

As far as safety, nobody emphasizes its importance more than Violeta Bulc, the European Commissioner for Transport. In her speech, she highlighted that all EU regulations are thoroughly focused on the formation of common standards for traffic safety concerning automated vehicles.

Speculations about the arrival of autonomous vehicles vary. Some say it will take another 10–30 years. Is that so? If so, it will be primarily because we are still building and investing in traditional infrastructure. Setting up a new one, which has to be accompanied by appropriate regulations, will be an expensive and lengthy process. However, all speakers agreed that our technology is ready to take this step, and that there are micro areas already being established to implement autonomous vehicles. This also presents an opportunity for BTC, which already presented an autonomous bus during TENT-T Days in 2018, a conference hosted by European Commission for Transport. While this was only a pilot project, the follow-up phases have already been planned.

Over the course of two days, CAAL 2019 immersed attendees into a not-so-distant future and demonstrated without a doubt that Ljubljana’s BTC City is a perfect partner for major global stakeholders. There is, as it turns out, the same Silicon Valley spirit in this parts of the world.

With their teams, Julij Božič and Daniel Avdagič prove that, despite Slovenia’s size, it is a highly unique country and that the global leaders in technology respect our opinion when shaping the future. As far as the participants at the conference are concerned, we have exceeded all expectations and can hardly wait to see what CEOs will be speakers at CAAL 2020.

Smart Factory Hub: a success story for the industry 4.0 The fourth industrial revolution brings up numerous challenges for SMEs, whether they are the solution providers or production oriented SMEs. A project undertaken under the Interreg Danube programme cast the light on opportunities and challenges of digital transformation of small- and medium-sized production companies.

A challenge: how to bring production-oriented SMEs and solution providers together Small- and medium-sized manufacturers experience an increasing pressure as they are confronted with new technologies, principles and approaches. SMEs need to tackle the increased production capacity in low-cost economies and an increased level of sophistication of supply chains in high-cost economies. Skills required at future workplaces will significantly differ from those currently produced by the higher education institutions.

How to deal with the challenges of digital transformation? How can manufacturers, who generate R&D, innovation, growth and employment, digitize their production? Those are questions that occupy stakeholders around Industry 4.0 and especially those in highly diverse Danube region.

According to a survey of 261 SMEs taken under the ? of the Interreg Danube programme, up to 50% of SMEs in the Danube region are still not familiar with their national Smart Specialisation Strategy. 37% still do not understanding the benefits of smart manufacturing. However, 80% of them are willing to cooperate in order to "receive" new technologies and systems.

This highlights a number of challenges: implementation-linked investment costs, the lack of knowledge, and difficult access to new solutions.

Speeding up digital transformation in SMEs through the Hub methodology These challenges oversaw the establishment of a Smart Factory HUB (SFH),

which brought together representatives of manufacturing companies, universities, clusters, state administrations and research centres from Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech republic, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. The project has been spearheaded by Pomurje Technology Park, an internationally recognized support non-profit institution aiming at the promotion of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Together with ten partners, the dealt with improving R&D and business policy conditions for transnational cooperation in the manufacturing industry, in order to apply (1) novel technologies; (2) effective production processes and (3) effective human resource management systems.

Initiated in 2017 under the framework of the Interreg Danube Transnational Programme, the project aimed transfering technical solutions into production processes showing improvements in the areas of cost-effectiveness, quality assurance and risk management. More than 105 smart production solutions were identified, endorsed and promoted, through series of activities, matchmaking events, roadshows and learning demonstration workshops.

Paving the way for the (smart) future of manufacturing The project brought altogether up to 1529 SMEs and 2225 stakeholders. The list of achievements is impressive: among them, a catalogue of 57 good practices, 53 international learning demonstration workshops and regional workshops, as well as policy instruments developed to help SMEs digitalizing their production facilities.

To vehiculate these achievements, the Hub established an E-learning platform and a Smart Factory Cooperation Platform (SFCP), which provides a geographic overview and detailed information about actors, good practices, projects and facilitators. With 1580 entries, it spans 1292 organisations, 180 projects and 108 funding schemes, thus fostering the match between the demand (needs from the production oriented SMEs) and supply (Smart factory solution providers).

Partners: 12 Countries: 10 Team members: 59 Starting date: 1 January 2017 Ending date: 30 June 2019 Budget: 1 838 636,6 euros ERDF contribution: 1 456 071,99 euros

The project is co-founded by EU funds (ERDF,IPA)

Economy Interview: Professor Nevenka Hrovatin, Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana

Empowerment of Consumers Drives Changes in Energy Markets

By Tina Drolc M.Sc.

Energy markets are becoming increasingly complex—tremendous changes have been happening over the last few decades. With the industry’s fundamentals altered by government policy and technological advancement, these changes require markets to be redesigned. gas, use of energy in transport (electrification), energy efficiency, and consumer behavior. In addition, the event will address the increasing role of prosumers; digitalization, smart meters, and prospects of block chain technologies accompanied by new business models. We will discuss climate change and energy transition, the European energy sector in the global perspective and differences in national policies.

Plenary sessions will be accompanied by seven concurrent sessions running over the three days of the conference, where academics and professionals will present their research findings and discuss them with colleagues in the field.

Q As the general conference chair, what can you say about its main speakers?

A The conference will host 24 prominent

Professor Nevenka Hrovatin, Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana

Dr. Nevenka Hrovatin, Professor of Economics at University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Economics, reveals the main challenges in energy markets and highlights the best practices from both Slovenia and the region while emphasizing that Slovenia should increase its ambition in the heating and cooling sector.

Q Which energy challenges will be addressed at the 16th International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), the European Conference on the 25th-28th of August in Ljubljana?

A The conference plenary sessions will address challenges and disruptions of the energy sector in the next decade. Among the main subjects are the future of electricity market design, the economics and geopolitics of oil and

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speakers in eight dual plenary sessions chaired by distinguished experts, all from the energy industry, institutions and academia. To name just a few: Laurent Schmitt, secretary general of ENTSO-E, professor Pantelis Capros, author of the EU PRIMES model Edward C. Chow, international energy expert, CSIS USA, Alberto Pototschnig, Director of ACER, Markus Graebig, project director of WindNODE consortium, Germany and several other leading academics and professionals. The Slovenian Minister of infrastructure Alenka Bratušek will open the conference. Christophe Bonnery, President of the IAEE and of the French Association for Energy Economics (FAEE) and Marjan Eberlinc, President of the Energy Industry Chamber of Slovenia and general sponsor of the event, will make addresses. The event will conclude with the post conference seminar on Energy Transition and Power Markets delivered by Professor Richard Green from Imperial College in London.

Economy Q According to the World Energy Outlook 2018 from the International Energy Agency, the electricity sector is experiencing the most dramatic transformation since its creation more than a century ago—its share of global final consumption is approaching 20 percent and is set to rise. The investment requirement is, however, still huge. How will the future investment in renewables be driven and what will the power sector look like?

A Future investments in renewables are a must, which are dictated by the EU 2030 and 2050 targets. They are expected to rise 32 percent by 2030. The discretion of member states is in which types of renewables. Some countries, like Germany, rely on the mix of wind and solar, while Slovenia decided to prioritize solar, which is also driven by difficulties in getting environmental approval for wind mills and less suitable conditions for wind farms. The prices of renewables have been steadily decreasing and have already become competitive with traditional energy sources, which gradually eliminates the need for the FIT support schemes.

These distributed energy sources (intermittent sources) with volatile production that does not correspond to the load curve (demand) will however require the market for flexibility (DRM- demand response management with critical dynamic tariffs enabled by the smart meter technologies, battery storage, aggregators and prosumers in the market, smart grids, micro grids, and local energy communities).

The energy user will become a central agent in the system playing an active role. This involves a major shift from the former monopoly utility markets to the democratization of the system.

Q Which practices would you highlight at the regional level from the energy efficiency perspective that combine digital technologies and the low-carbon economy?

A In Slovenia several activities are already happening in local communities, smart grids, projects on demand response, and active consumer engagement. In the field of smart grids I would mention NEDO and SINCRO.GRID projects. NEDO is ran by Slovenian TSO -ELES with Japanese partners and several Slovenian stakeholders, which is very different comparing to other countries because the implementation of the smart grid project goes on at the national level while projects in other countries are more localized. DSOs are also involved in automatic detection of defects, coordinated voltage control, and testing the results of demand side reduction as a part of ancillary services or local optimization service use to reduce peak loads.

SINCRO.GRID is a project of European significance, carried out in the regions of Slovenia

According to the Energy Agency data 86.6 percent of the heat produced for the district heating systems in Slovenia comes from the combined heat and power co-generation plants with energy efficiency up to 80 percent. and Croatia, where electricity TSOs and DSOs from both countries participate, and it involves among others the introduction of the virtual cross-border control center. It will enable appropriate data exchange, voltage control, loss optimization, and better integration of RES in both transmission systems.

Then we have consumer-oriented EU Horizon 2020 projects; one on critical dynamic tariffs, so -called Flex4Grid involving Elektro Celje and the use of Pilot Critical Peak to shift the demand from peak to off peak. I would also like to mention the Active consumer project run by GEN_I involving ELES and Elektro Ljubljana. The projects aims to develop the system and enable the participation of minor active consumers in electricity and ancillary services markets, where the aggregator will calculate the total available capacity and make decisions on its activation.

Another Horizon 2020 consumer behavior project is CONSEED (Consumer Energy Efficiency Decision making), led by Trinity College in Dublin, where the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana participates. They are seeing if and how European consumers pay attention to energy labels.

Then, to look a little bit broader, in Austria several smart city projects are going on in Vienna, Salzburg, and Graz, where they are implementing the concepts of sustainable urban mobility, zero emission areas, and electric micro-grids to demand response using smart metering and integrating active consumers.

There are also other good practices of localized sustainable energy communities in Murau.

Germany has 20-30 projects, where they test technologies ranging fromo power to gas to try to make them commercially viable by series production. The German and Austrian governments have also financed several research projects developing new RES technologies, which involve various stakeholders, numerous research institutes, universities, and private companies to develop commercially viable solutions and become leaders in Europe and globally.

Q Many district heating systems (DHS) in Slovenia are highly energy inefficient (mostly fueled by fossil sources) and need to be modernized. How would you approach that challenge? Could using local renewable be a solution as well?

A First, a short comment is needed here regarding the energy efficiency. In fact, it is just the opposite. According to the Energy Agency data 86.6 percent of the heat produced for the district heating systems in Slovenia comes from the combined heat and power co-generation plants with energy efficiency up to 80 percent.

Heat produced in this way is much more energy efficient compared to conventional thermal power plants where heat is wasted and energy efficiency is at most 50 percent. Heat losses in the Slovenian district heating systems are, on average, comparable with the average losses in the EU, or even lower.

Another issue is the use of RES in the Slovenian district heating system, which is a concern becaause it is mostly fuelled by fossil fuels. The two biggest district heating systems in Slovenia, Ljubljana and Velenje, use call in their cogenerations, contributing to the 56 percent of the heat produced for district heating.

The share of natural gas is 26.5 percent, oil 1 percent, and renewables 12.8 percent.

Indeed fossil fuels should be displayed

by RES, which is also dictated by the revised RES directive in the winter package, which requires 1 percent increase of RES annually in the district heating sector. The solution could be found in building the new district heating systems on wood biomass, many new smaller systems in Slovenia have already been built in this way. There is also potential in geothermal energy and waste heat. For Slovenia this is particularly important since the increase of RES in other sectors (transport and to a certain extent power) would be difficult to achieve. The Slovenian target recommended by the EU for 2030 is 37 percent compared to the EU average of 32 percent. The increase in heating should offset the lack of potential in other sectors. In fact, this has just been emphasized in the recent EU commission comments to the Slovenian Energy and Climate Plan. This would, however, require a stimulating framework that would also phase out the current practice of individual heating by burning wood in houses. A good example of stimulating RES in district heating is the Netherlands. Tariffs for heat are based on the principle that the costs for a household with district heating should not be higher than the costs of heating by an individual condensing gas boiler. For larger customers, the price of heat is free.

Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Economy Interview: Dr. Mitjan Kalin, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana

"We Want to Share our Scientific Research with the Industry"

By Barbara Pavlin

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering is one of the faculties at the University of Ljubljana that are most involved in economic projects. In recent years, the scope of such cooperation has increased and is, according to the Dean of the faculty, Mitjan Kalin, bringing highly positive results. However, the faculty is facing certain challenges, such as updating the study program and a shortage of rooms. progressive technologies whose integration unlocks a new function in production. With this project, we wish to get closer to the industry, which is precisely what our faculty is all about. We develop and conduct research not only to contribute to the global accumulation of knowledge—we do it to transfer this knowledge to the industry. Smart factories allow for a significant increase in production relatively fast. We believe that Slovenia could be at the very top when it comes to smart factories, but we are still lagging behind the developed countries of Western Europe, Japan, and the USA.

Q What kind of resources does the faculty have to invest in research equipment?

Dr. Mitjan Kalin, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana

Q Recently, the faculty officially opened the first smart factory in Slovenia. Why did you do it and what is the objective?

A It is actually a smart factory demo center, which was established at our very own Laboratory for Handling, Assembly, and Pneumatics (LASIM). In fact, this is the first project of its kind in Slovenia. While most of the individual components of smart factories—such as sensors, machine vision, digitalization, increased intelligence, predictability and similarities–are not new, the integration is. My colleagues at the faculty are experts in these fields, so they established the demo center to prove to the industry and the students that productivity in manufacturing can be increased by using

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A The University of Ljubljana does not have an established system of funding research equipment. In humanities and social sciences, this problem is of lesser extent because the costs of so-called non-building infrastructure are different from the ones in technical subject fields, where we use various machines, measuring devices, and similar methods. This is why professors at our faculty also have to participate in various projects that provide funding for such equipment. Unfortunately, even when we are successful in getting a project, only a small portion of the funds can be allocated to the purchase of the equipment. So if we want to buy all the necessary equipment, we have to get many projects. According to data from recent years, we only acquire about 5 percent of funds in the projects that we apply for. And even though we invest in equipment every year by connecting the different departments at our faculty, we still cannot get all the equipment we need because certain fields require highly specific equipment. Last year, the Faculty of Mechani-

cal Engineering invested approximately 1 million Euros in equipment, which was more than we normally do.

Q How do you cooperate with the industry?

A Of all the institutions in Slovenia, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering cooperates the most with the industry. Because mechanical engineering plays a role in practically any company, we work with a variety of different companies. It is true that Slovenia has very few big companies that could invest a lot in development on a global scale. Nevertheless, cooperation with companies has been increasing in recent years and is proving to be quite fruitful.

Some of the larger companies we cooperate with include Gorenje, Kolektor, Domel, Hidria, Mahle, Jaskawa, Krka, Lek, Iskra Mehanizmi, TPV, and so on. With some of these companies, we cooperate on large-scale, long-term projects.

Q What kind of projects do you implement for companies?

A For instance, we study the vibrations and noise emitted by devices, as well as energy efficiency. Then there are projects that involve the development of components in new constructions for different conditions and new devices.

We are also working on certain development projects for laser technologies and photonics, as well as projects for reducing friction and wear, extending the lifespan of devices, improving various technology production processes, and [coordinating] logistics. Then there are also the aforementioned smart factories. And the list goes on. We also work with foreign companies.

More and more of our research is focused on special constructions, numerical methods,

Economy simulations for foreseeing the behaviour of certain elements of machines and devices, implementation of green technologies, and the use of environment-friendly lubricants, production processes, progressive modelling of processing problems—for instance in aluminium casting—or modelling in the manufacture of polymer products, the implementation of new wear-resistant materials, and innovative processes for improving energy efficiency. We are working on at least one project from each market of the economy.

Machine engineering is no longer what the majority may consider it to be—we are no longer preoccupied with gears and bearings. We work on high-tech technology, automatization, robotics, lasers, nanotechnologies, surface films, modern materials and more. The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering ranked between the 150th and 200th place in the Shanghai University Ranking. This is well above the average ranking of the already high-ranking University of Ljubljana. We are also working on prestigious ERC projects, which the European Research Council funds for breakthrough research. The value of each such project is approximately 2–2.5 million Euros. In more than 15 years, which is how long ERC projects have been around, Slovenia got 9 such projects—two of them by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The only other faculty operating under the University of Ljubljana to have achieved such success was the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics.

Q In the last couple of years, the number of students at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has dropped steadily. Why is that so?

A In the past, the Slovenian system of state funding was not logically motivating, which meant it was better to enroll as many students as possible regardless of how many of them would actually complete their studies. This encouraged an uncontrolled admission of students. We decided to gradually limit the number of students we would enroll, which is why the overall number of students dropped while the number of graduates did not. We have improved our efficiency, progression rates, and quality [of education.] As they reach their final year of studies, all students have a job guaranteed because companies enquire about human resources on a weekly or monthly basis.

The industry needs are therefore increasing, but we are highly limited in terms of funding, the number of professors, teaching assistants, space potential, and equipment. Of course, we would like to have more students, especially good ones. Many people have an outdated perception of what mechanical engineering is all about, so we are exerting our efforts in pro-

moting our profession, showing the public how modern it is, and demonstrating the progressive, highly specialized and interdisciplinary knowledge it has to offer. But explaining this, of course, will be a lengthy process.

Q How is global digitalization reshaping the pedagogical program of mechanical engineering and the profile of a mechanical engineer?

A Just these days, we are discussing a new study program. We are updating it, basing it on entirely different concepts, and placing it on different structural foundations by significantly improving its individuality, interdisciplinary, selectivity, and connectedness. This is an imperative. We are implementing new, more contemporary contents. With the new program, we will make it possible for professors to implement an individual approach in the final years of studies—enabling them to satisfy practical needs or specializations for whichever company or specialized scientific and professional work in our subject field. We will ensure this with in-depth research activities organized within the framework of certain courses. At the same time, we are increasing the extent of project work, which will allow us to increase the focus on independent development, linking it to industry-related problems.

Q The students at your faculty are successful in international competitions. How do you support such endeavors and what does this mean for the faculty?

A We have a few successful student projects.

The last such project was Design/Build/Fight (DBF). It is an annual competition held in the United States, which our students attend yearly. A new team is put together each year, the project demands a whole spectrum of skills and knowledge—from mechatronics, electronics, management, control, aeromechanics, strength structures as well as manufacture and production. In the past five years our students placed first two times, third one time, and fourth one time. Seeing how only students from the best faculties in the world participate in the competition, our success proves that we rank among the very best. We support such efforts by students to the largest extent possible.

Not just with funding but especially by means of mentoring, laboratories, as well as professors and teaching assistants, who provide the students with their knowledge, experience and advice. However, the students must know how to get by themselves and find extra sponsors, which is one of the interdisciplinary objectives of such student projects. Aside from the airplane team, we also have another one called Formula Student, where the input is even

greater. The team brings together students from different faculties, even non-technical ones. Each year, they design a formula which successfully competes across the entire Europe. In certain competition categories, such as acceleration, they have ranked among the best.

Students learn a great deal in such projects.

They gain experience in project work and learn how to see and understand a problem from perspectives other than their own expertise.

In the end, they get results and see how they compare to their competition.

Q You have mentioned room shortage.

What are the solutions for that?

A If there are no complications, we will have all required documentation for the new building next year. In best-case scenario, we should move to the new premises in 2023, but the prerequisite to that is funding, which is currently not guaranteed. We will invest around 2.5 million Euros of our own project development resources, as we cannot apply for any other funds. We decided to invest in the new building and not in the development and equipment because we find it more pressing at the moment—even though it might not yet be apparent and the majority of Slovenia might not see it as such, this is the only way of ensuring that the faculty survives years to come. We have the full support of our Strategic Council, which is composed of the leading representatives and directors of successful Slovenian companies who understand the need for development and the conditions for progress. I am truly grateful for this. We are also backed by leading representatives of the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce. We hope that we will also be heard by the broader society and finally get a chance to build the new faculty. I believe this is the only way for us to continue supporting the Slovenian economy.

Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Leadership Corner

The Art of Saying No

By Saša Fajmut, M.Sc.

Managers often say they don’t have time or, more frequently, that they don’t have the time to manage people. This is a struggle, especially for newly appointed managers who need a huge mind-shift in order to stop doing everything by themselves and to start thinking strategically, develop their people skills and delegate wisely. If they fail to do so, managers soon start struggling with work overload and team dissatisfaction. Thus, one of the most important skills for every manager is the ability to say no.

When you feel overwhelmed and stressed out, it’s time for a serious self-analysis. Now be honest with yourself.

Who told you to work late hours every day? Really? Why do you need to prove yourself? To whom?

And for what? When we sincerely answer all those questions, we start to understand that we have issues saying no because we fear that it will upset someone, people will think we are rude, or that we will miss out on opportunities. But when we have inner peace, we think less, work less, travel less, talk less, eat less, and do less. Once you understand your inner thoughts that keep you saying yes to everything, you are on a long journey towards a balanced and healthy life.

First, you need to understand that people will always come asking you to do things, go places and meet for

coffee. In order to keep your schedule under control, you need to know how to put first things first. Career?

Family? Hobbies? Think of what is really, really important to you. When it gets tough, you have to say yes to your priorities and no to other things. Because, when you don’t choose to say no, you end up having to say no when you quite simply cannot take on another thing. This does not just mean saying no to the things you really didn’t want to do, but also saying no to things you really did want to.

A famous productivity writer Claire Diaz-Ortiz, who previously worked at Twitter, suggests that saying no should be "truthful, firm and not overly apologetic" (The Better Life, 2015). She offers 99 ways of saying NO, here are my top 10:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

No, thank you.

I have something else, sorry.

Thank you, but no.

Would love to, but it‘s my time off today.

I say no on Wednesdays.

I‘m not able to make it this week/month/year.

Bandwidth is low, so I won‘t be able to make it work.

I‘m learning to limit my commitments.

Not now.

No.

Saying no, as everyone knows, is hard. Most of us need to work to get better at it. The art of saying no with disappointing others is one of the most crucial competencies every manager needs to have. In fact, the most successful people say no to many things. This way you will get more of your work done, have time to relax and start to be more valued. You will start to value yourself more and you will make room in your life to say yes to the things you want to say yes to.

Saša Fajmut, M.Sc., Director Leadership Services at Amrop, responsible for leadership assessments and development. She holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology and an Executive MBA.

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Because when you finally manage to say no to others, you actually say yes to yourself.

Source: • Diaz-Ortiz, C. (2015). The Better Life.

Chicago, Moody Publishers.

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Managers' Association celebrated 30th anniversary

By STA

Ljubljana, 30 May - Marking its 30th anniversary on Wednesday, the Slovenian Managers' Association pointed out that the role of management had changed and become more employee-focused and committed itself to promoting responsible leadership.

"In the knowledge economy, the power lies with those who have knowledge for development," said the director of the largest Slovenian association of managers Saša Mrak.

The association was established on 18 May in 1989. The inaugural meeting was attended by some 250 participants, who came together to set up professional management, develop corporate governance and ensure progress, said Mrak.

According to her, in the past 30 years, management has undergone a lot of changes, in Slovenia perhaps even more due to the country's intense transition period.

Pointing out that positive business results, companies' growth and development remain the main goal of every manager, the association thus added that managers today also needed to ensure the development of human capital as well as employees' commitment and empowerment.

Today, the association has almost 1,200 members including middle and top management as well as numerous entrepreneurs. The revenues of their companies amount to a third of the Slovenian economy revenue.

According to the association's president Aleksander Zalaznik, the association has always been and will remain an active participant in dialogue with the government and other stakeholders. He pointed out that economy growth depends on the country's politics as well.

Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said that the association was the government's professional and credible partner, equipped to lead the way in boosting the country's economy, describing the association as "the key cogwheel of the engine that runs our economy".

The event was attended by Labour Ministry Ksenija Klampfer and Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković as well.

The association handed out an honorary certificate for outstanding merit in strengthening the association and management in Slovenia to Vojko Čok, a long-time president of the association's honorary tribunal. Čok stressed the importance of managers' ethical stance, saying that was equally important as achieving good business results.

"History teaches us that even the greatest achievements don't guarantee our future but only represent a better starting point, which can be easily squandered," he said.

International Business Partners

TOPIC: Boutique Tourism in Slovenia

American Chamber of Commerce – AmCham Slovenia Slovenia is an exceptional country. Its natural beauty is invaluable and it constantly ranks among the most attractive and friendly countries. On the global map, we are recognised as a green, active, and healthy country and the word about our cuisine is spreading to the world. All of this is also reflected in the number of tourists, who visit our country in bigger and bigger numbers, to come to a place where you can dive in the sea and hike in the hills in a single day.

All of these are advantages that Slovenia needs to take advantage of. The government is set to promote boutique tourism, which attracts

more demanding guests, as a strategic goal.

Some tourist destinations in Slovenia, such as the Goriška Brda, have already begun. There is still a lot of work to be done in this area, and Slovenia has a lot of options only we’ll be able to take advantage of them. However, there are also some necessary adjustments to be made.

Slovenia, which lies in the heart of Europe, will have to update its transportation infra-

structure. Creating better flight connections, rehabilitating motorways, and improving rail transport are necessary. Some tourist areas are overburdened, which also causes inconvenience for locals. Therefore we want to encourage the state and local municipalities to come up with strategic goals to regulate the situation for both locals and tourists, which will be additional stimulation for tourists and investors.

The United Kingdom is one of the key markets for Slovenian tourism. In 2018 the growth in British tourists coming to Slovenia was 9 percent in arrivals and 10 percent in overnight stays compared to 2017. British tourists perceive Slovenia as a destination different from mass tourism, a new gem for discovering nature, experiences, and offering value for the money. We’re happy to announce that British Airways is returning to Ljubljana with flights

from London Heathrow, starting on 15 July, and hope this will bring more tourists looking for 5-star experiences. The opening of new hotels in Ljubljana in the near future will cater to the much-needed business and tourism in the capital. We also look forward to more investment in the renovation of state-owned hotels in other destinations around the county, especially Bled and Portorož, two favorite destinations for British tourists.

British – Slovenian Chamber of Commerce – BSCC

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International Business Partners

The German-Slovene Chamber of Commerce and Industry – AHK Slowenien Photo: Round table discussion on sustainability at the occasion of the German Economy Award 2019.

Slovenia is an important destination for the German foreign direct investment and tourism is certainly a sector it flourishes in. According to the survey, "Economic situation and Investment climate 2019," which the AHK Slovenia traditionally carried out this spring, Slovenia is still on a dynamic growth course and the level of investment continues to rise. Germany is the most important investor considering the

original countries of origin of FDI with a total of €1.86 billion. In terms of the tourism sector, investment in boutique tourism is among the most profitable hospitality investments. In this direction, German private equity investors are looking for opportunities while taking advantage of the country’s geographical position in Europe as well.

Slovenia is growing and developing its tourism industry, but there is still desire for more fivestar tourist destinations. Is Slovenia interesting for this type of foreign investment, and where do you see opportunities?

Slovenia has much to offer. Italians love Slovenia: traditionally they have always been in first place for number of arrivals and overnight stays. According to the latest data from the National Statistics Office, in the first three months of this year over 104,300 Italian tourists arrived to the country. This figure places Italy at the top among foreign tourists, before Croatians (79,700 arrivals), Austrians (59,600) and the Hungarians (close to 26,000).

Italians are also in first place for overnight stays, with over 224.200 people, followed by Croatians, Austrians, and Germans. Why is this love continuing to grow? Slovenia is a European country where the Alpine, Mediterranean, and Karst landscapes—all of which are familiar to Italian people—are really close to each other and easily reachable. But tourism is becoming more and more sophisticated, and the demand for a more tasteful and refined concept vacation is in constant growth. Millennials especially seem to be in search of luxury accommodations that have a modern flavour and a sophisticated but, at the same time, functional atmosphere. They are travellers that are

always connected—they like to find a design that is an elegant, technological, and comfortable environment.

Slovenia is the perfect place to invest in small, elegant, and unique boutique hotels in a natural environment, close to Alpine sport locations, on the coast, and where you can emphasize the flavour of the regional cuisine.

Italian Trade Agency (ICE)

Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Economy Business Partners International

Luxembourg-Slovenian Business Club (LSBC)

By Iztok Petek, Nataša Zajec Sharing our experience in digital marketing at the DST (Days of Slovenian Tourism)

LSBC has the first-hand experience with highend tourism. In 2015 and 2016, we co-created BIG BERRY, one of the first luxury glamping resorts in Slovenia, located in White Carniola.

The project gained a lot of attention worldwide, but there was a constant struggle with the simplest question "How will people get to the resort due to the poor accessibility of the destination?". Our answer was by using various alternatives like shuttle services to Ljubljana, Zagreb, and the Venice Airport, and even organizing private transfers with Big Berry’s

Kazakh-Slovenian Business Club - KSBC Slovenia is a tourist pearl!

By Dejan Štancer, President of the Kazakhstan-Slovenian Business Club and the regional representation of the national company Kazakh Invest in Central and South-Eastern Europe

Yes, you have read it right, Slovenia is a pearl.

Our guests, who we invite more and more every year, tell us this repeatedly. It is true that there are too many people in Kazakhstan and Central Asia and the Caucasus who still do not know where Slovenia is. They may not know a thing about it, but it is also true that sincere smiles from those who have visited

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own car fleet. The problem was solved but it took a lot of time and money. We have learned a lesson that no matter how good your destination is, direct connection with your target market(s) is an important factor that will affect the volume of arrivals to a particular region.

LSBC has been lobbying for years for a direct flight from Luxembourg to Ljubljana. Research in Luxembourg has been done and we got the same feedback, with no direct flight people will not come. Luxembourg, with the highest Slovenia are invaluable. It is usually difficult to stop them when they talk about their tourist experiences in Slovenia. However we shouldn’t be fooled by this. We have a fantastic country and are mostly very friendly and helpful people. Security is at an enviable level, which is of utmost importance for tourism growth.

Prices are generally acceptable and no tourist complains much about them. What sticks out a mile and hinders the faster tourism growth is the airport infrastructure. There is only one airport in the country, which also has connections problems, and lately there have been problems with the national air carrier. We have less to offer wealthy guests, those with really deep pockets, that’s why they do not come to Slovenia. It is the same with investors who would like to develop high-end and boutiquestyle tourism. Fortunately, we can notice that things change for the better. Investors’ interest in Slovenian tourism is growing, but we certainly should not fall asleep in the laurels of growth. We constantly need to be aware that tourism is the fastest growing segment of the world economy. In this context, we should follow trends, try even to be trendsetters, and develop the infrastructure that is absolutely necessary for growth. And, perhaps the most important, we need to continue to invest in human resources. Without them Slovenia will not become the tourist pearl that it truly is.

purchasing power in the EU and high interest for alpine destinations, is one of the most underestimated markets. This year, together with Kompas, we made the first step towards with promotion at the VAKANZ Luxembourg annual tourism fair and found that the interest is genuine. We are aware that a new flight connection also brings a risk of empty seats to the carrier, therefore it has to go hand-in-hand with the better promotion of the destination, not just for leisure but for business travel.

BEEN THERE // INCENTIVES ALPE ADRIA

WHO IS IT FOR?

28 - 30 AUGUST 2019 Cankarjev dom, Ljubljana

• event organisers / planners • marketing agencies • event venues • special venues • meeting destinations

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FESTIVAL OF EVENTS AND LIVE MARKETING

Conventa Crossover is an international conference dedicated to the future of events and live marketing. We are opening the stage to new formats and bringing 16 creators from the field of event planning, experiential marketing, architecture, design, theatre, fashion and visual arts to Ljubljana. Every year Conventa draws attention to excellence in the meetings industry with an award for the best event in ‘New Europe’. The winners will be announced at the Crossover conference in Ljubljana.

www.crossover.si

Global Pitch Interview: Timothy Armoo, CEO of Fanbytes Q Whenever somebody writes about you, the first thing that always seems to pop up is your age. 24-year old CEO. Is this really still so unusual?

Q Is it just teenagers are young and similar to all other teenage generations of the past, but the technology they use is different? Or is there more to it?

A I think this is quite unusual, because most

A I think it’s more that the power now has

CEOs are much older. But with the rise of the internet has meant that young CEOs have taken the world by storm and it’s becoming more common. Eventually what will end up happening I believe is that it’s going to get even younger, maybe even see 16-year-old CEOs. I think for us at Fanbytes, it’s helped coming in very young because we are able to understand the mindset better than most.

moved to the consumer. Fundamentally, the teenagers of the past and teenagers of the future are the same people, they are all human beings with relatively similar tendencies. It all comes down to the fact that now brands can’t get away with just shoving ads into their faces, it’s a much more nuanced approach that people need to take.

Q Do you feel that your age helps you understand Generation Z better and so you can come up with more effective communication solutions for them than your older peers?

A Indeed, I certainly think so. Our average age Timothy Armoo, CEO of Fanbytes

Generation Z

By Nenad Senič

Timothy Armoo is 24, and he is the CEO of Fanbytes, an advertising video platform that helps major brands become relevant for Millennials and Generation Z. This multi-awardwinning company has built a network of online communities and influencers entertaining millions of teenagers around the world.

Fanbytes works with campaigns on new platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok with brands such as Apple Music, Sony, YouGov, Deliveroo, Warner, Universal Studios and the government. In the world of marketing they have redefined how brands communicate with Millennials and Generation Z. The company is a pioneer in its field and has won recognition from Forbes, Adweek, Business Insider, the Huffington Post and others. Armoo is the youngest speaker at Ljubljana’s POMP Forum content marketing conference this year.

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of the team is 21 and that gives us a lot of reason to really own the conversation when talking to brands about why they should use us.

It also permeates all our marketing enabling us to become an authority as to what we do and why we take certain steps

Q If one wants to effectively communicate/ market to Gen Z, what does one have to know about them? How are they different?

A The key thing here is to think about the idea of Advertainment, which is to think just beyond impressions and simply eyeballs to think about how to really emotionally connect with the audience. Gen Z are a very, very savvy audience with ad blockers everywhere but that doesn’t mean they don’t like good ads. Rather what this means is that they don’t like bad ads and bad ads are those that don’t stir up emotions.

Q What exactly are their values and priorities? How do they make purchasing decisions?

A One of the key things the world of social media has provided is a certain closeness that comes with everyone. As a consequence, it’s very easy to feel pressure from others when making a decision. Gen Z feel this social pressure the most and it’s important that brands leverage this when marketing [to them.] This is why companies like us exist in order to help brands amplify social proof through influencers.

Q Snapchat or Instagram, something else, or all of the above? How do you even choose? Or is this a wrong question to be asking?

A I think the right question isn’t platform, it’s about where your audience is and then working your way backwards from there. Marketing is relatively easy; it’s going to where your audience are and then giving them some reason to come to you. If you lead with an audience first approach, this is where you win.

POMP FORUM 2019:

10 Years of the biggest Content Marketing Conference in Slovenia POMP Forum is one of the greatest content marketing conference in Central and Eastern Europe and one of the oldest in the world. For 10 round years, we have hosted many Slovenian and international speakers. This year, 14 top content marketing experts from various fields will present new trends and attractive examples from the field of corporate communication, marketing, public relations and more. On the top location in Cankar Hall Club, you can enjoy the conference by the stunning panoramic view over the Ljubljana’s rooftops. At the after party, you can enjoy in more relaxed and fun atmosphere–a perfect chance to mingle with experts and other attendees.

More: www.pomp-forum.si/en

Global Pitch

Sleepy Bottle–The World’s First fully Portable Baby Formula Maker.

"Just Twist and Shake When Baby Awakes"

Due to the its ability to make the perfect baby formula at perfect temperature in the matter of seconds, Sleepy Bottle is a perfect travel companion. It enables long outdoor activities and gives a family a lot of flexibility. To heat the Sleepy Bottle it only takes a portable battery "power bank." Or you can simply plug it in a car’s 12V power socket.

It’s as simple as that. With its design, Sleepy Bottle made it into the prestigious Selfridges in London in 2018.

Today you can buy Sleepy Bottle not just in Selfridges in London, but Baby Center in Slovenia, and they can be found in Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Dubai, Qatar, and they are currently finalizing agreements with Oman, Kuwait, Lithuania, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and Costa Rica.

The most important fact in their success story is that parents are recognizing the product as useful, but also stylish. The team really put a lot of effort into not just making an efficient feeding device, but a beautiful product for the eye as well.

For supporters of Sleepy Bottle it was no surprise that, in addition to other accolades, they were listed in the Top 100 best world products of the year 2019 as a part of T3 Magazine’s Hot Pick, where the product made it to 78th place.

So what are this young team’s ambitious plans? They just started talking about cooperation with Danone, the second biggest baby formula producer, to join forces in the optimization of baby formula’s manufacturing.

By Urška Jež

Observing people and a high level of empathy are key to successful innovation.

This is wide-spread knowledge by now. But you don’t necessarily need to feel the pain yourself to have a great idea. Sleepy Bottle is a product that has followed this rule.

After sleepless vacations due to a friend’s baby hunger and dad making noise at night making formula, Rok Colaric said to himself that there must be a better solution than wandering around the kitchen in the middle of the night trying to make a late-night meal for a new-born.

And so Sleepy Bottle was born. Two years ago, Rok introduced the first prototype of world’s first fully portable baby formula maker with the intention to make young parents’ lives easier. But the path to success was long and difficult. Being an innovator of digital solutions takes time, but developing a physical product, where you have to depend on production, is another thing entirely.

You have to have great designers, engineers, and financial support from investors that can actually enable testing of the product’s proto-

types. But Rok and his team were persistent and it paid off for them.

But what is it so unique that Sleepy Bottle can do? The product plugs in to the wall and heats while you sleep. It has clever sensors so it knows how much water you’ve put in the bottle and how much heat it needs to achieve a perfect feeding temperature of 37°C. The patented cartridge design keeps the powdered formula dry and separated from the water until it is time to feed the baby. The device is BPA-free, easy to clean, safety-tested, highly durable, heat resistant, and available in two colours. It covers an impressive list of world’s health and safety regulatory standards, such as CE, WEEE, ROHS, FCC, and FDA all in order to keep your baby not only fed, but healthy and safe. And last but not least, it is made in the EU.

Andy Baynes, CEO of Global Talent, Investor, Entrepreneur, Former Apple & Google Executive, on why he got involved with Sleepy Bottle at an early stage: Unlike most mainstream VCs I like to get involved with exciting companies at an early stage. Sure, it is more risky, but I feel I can contribute more and have more impact at the early, vulnerable stage of a new idea or business. Sleepy Bottle already had other investors when I joined. Remarkably, they also had some advanced prototypes.

Sleepy Bottle stood out for me as a simple design that solved a very real problem for young mums and dads the world over.

Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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 Tourism Interview: Maja Pak, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board

"Five Stars Stand for Taking Guests from a Material to an Empirical Level"

By Nina Krajčinović

Maja Pak is the Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board, which was established 24 years ago. We interviewed her about the growing trend of increasingly prominent five-star tourism in Slovenia. In the interview, we discuss whether five stars in Slovenia differ from five stars in Dubai and talk about the culinary image of our country on the sunny side of the Alps, which–despite the absence of Michelin Guide inspector –is on par with the best.

Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism, which awards the Slovenia Green certificate for sustainability based on internationally comparable criteria.

At the STB, we have also established a national development and marketing platform for the identification and development of five-star experiences under the brand Slovenia Unique Experiences. Based on 40 criteria and committee rankings, this certificate has already been awarded to the aforementioned Garden Village, as well as to the vintage gourmet tour of the Lisjak olive oil mill, underground kayaking tour of the Peca mine and the Fonda fish farm.

If I were to list additional examples of five-star experiences, we might as well look outside our Slovenia Unique Experiences collection and focus on the broader boutique offer.

Q You’ve been working in tourism one way or another for more than 20 years. How has Slovenia evolved in this period in terms of five-star tourism? When did it begin, how did it continue, and what is it like today?

A Upon gaining independence, Slovenia was

Maja Pak, Director of the Slovenian Tourist Board

Q "A green boutique global destination for high-end visitors seeking diverse and active experiences, peace, and personal benefits.

A destination of five-star experiences." This is your official vision of Slovenia as a tourist destination, which you wish to present to affluent foreign visitors. Which Slovenian destinations and related tourist offers or services would you place in the five-star category with certainty?

A Lately, Slovenia has soared in terms of the experiences it provides to support this vision.

Wonderful boutique hotels have been estab-

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lished–among the most recently opened ones is also Vila Planinka in Jezersko. The existing ones have started developing boutique experiences. An innovative, intimate and back-to-thenature offer is provided by glamping resorts, such as Garden Village Bled, Herbal Glamping Resort Ljubno, Glamping Resort Olimia Adria Village, and many others. We have exceptional restaurants with chefs par excellence–for instance Hiša Franko with Chef Ana Roš, the most famous Slovenian chef in the world–and wonderful wine cellars. At the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB), we encourage green development with our unique programme called The

a relatively unknown country. When the STB was established 24 years ago (back then, it was known as the Centre for Tourism Promotion of Slovenia), Slovenia was yet to be placed on the world map. A continuous and systemic marketing throughout the years has paid off.

Five stars also represent a tourist offer based on a sustainable concept and the development of high-quality and innovative tourist products with high added value. The Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism under the so-called Slovenia Green umbrella brand brings together all the sustainable efforts of Slovenian tourism at the levels of destinations, providers, national parks, tourist agencies, and attractions. The

 Tourism previously mentioned national development and marketing platform Slovenia Unique Experiences encourages the development of five-star experiences. However, gastronomy contributes to the five-star experience in Slovenia as well. In recent years, Slovenia has made a substantial breakthrough thanks to the many talented master chefs and our exceptional offer of wines. Boosting our recognition were definitely Ana Roš, the best master chef of 2017 in the world, her restaurant Hiša Franko ranking among The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the now-regular highest Decanter World Wine Awards, the publishing of the established Gault & Millau guide, and the title of the European Gastronomic Region 2021. I can say without doubt that we have made significant progress in terms of development and recognition, but there are still many challenges ahead.

Q When it comes to tourism–especially five-star tourism–we must constantly keep up with the trends. How are you addressing this issue at STB, and where do you find the inspiration for the ever-emerging new ideas?

A Our team at STB monitors global trends by means of regular trainings, cooperation with different field experts, participation in the most important global exchanges and other global tourist offer presentations, active cooperation with organizations such as the European Travel Commission, the World Tourist Organization UNWTO, the Pacific Asia Tourist Association and Green Destination, Virtuoso membership, and more. At the same time, it must be noted that the STB and the Slovenian tourism in general share a widely accepted common vision. I am talking about the vision of a green boutique destination of five-star experiences. All the activities and projects that we organize support this vision–they are not some changeable stand-alone ideas. The listed and memberships are definitely our source of information, but it is important that we remain true to ourselves and that we focus on the long-term realization of our vision in cooperation with our partners.

Q Which are the factors that define the five-star category, and do five stars in Slovenia differ from five stars in Dubai?

A Aside from the aforementioned, let me stress that five stars stand for taking visitors from a material to an empirical level and experiences, which ultimately leads to personal transformation. As a green and responsible destination of non-mass tourism, Slovenia has this potential. If I quote the strategic vision of Slovenian tourism, "Slovenia is a green boutique global destination for high-end visitors seeking diverse and active experiences, peace,

At the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB), we encourage green development with our unique programme called The Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism, which awards the Slovenia Green certificate for sustainability based on internationally comparable criteria. At the STB, we have also established a national development and marketing platform for the identification and development of five-star experiences under the brand Slovenia Unique Experiences. and personal benefits." Slovenia amazes precisely due to the vast diversity of experiences made possible at the meeting point of the Alps, the Mediterranean, the Karst and the Pannonian Basin (let us not overlook the fact that we are the only country with this advantage)–and all this within an easily manageable distance.

This sets us apart from other destinations, especially destinations like the one you highlight in your question. In Slovenia, activities take place in our inspiring nature, which is why there is no need for artificial indoor attractions. You can just step out of the hotel and engage yourself, become part of the nature and drink tap water regardless of where in Slovenia you are located. Nature and culture walk hand in hand. We could go on for hours on end. Nevertheless, we need more excellent and modern attractions as well as interpretation centres placed at meaningful sites according to the principles of sustainable development, a wellmaintained sports infrastructure, additional educational facilities at all levels, and so on.

Q Which category do destinations such as Bled and Postojna Caves belong to? We know that they are must-see destinations on the bucket lists of foreign visitors coming to Slovenia, but can these destinations offer five-star experiences? And how?

A They are the icons of Slovenian tourism, representative of our country much like a visit of St. Mark’s Square is of Venice, the view from atop the Eiffel Tower is of Paris and the view of the Cliffs of Moher is of Ireland. These destinations are normally on the list of the most desirable destinations among tourists – at least when they are visiting the country for the first time. We cannot change this, but we can develop boutique contents and approaches to accompany such destinations and landmarks, systematically upgrading them with thoughtout models so as to increase their value and not their quantity. This way, we can have a five-star experience at the highly frequented Bled Castle or in the Postojna Cave. The latter, for instance, has already developed a special experience.

Visitors can discover the cave by following the trails of the first cave explorers, which al-

lows them to avoid the queues and crowds to enter the parts of the caves that are off-limits to other visitors. Additionally, they also have the opportunity to see the olm in its natural habitat. The experience is organized for small groups, provides highly advanced guidance, has a great empirical feel to it and, of course, comes at a higher price.

Q Even though we do not have a Michelinstar restaurant, Slovenia is rapidly gaining in recognition among high-end culinary destinations. Why is that so? Why are we not seeing Michelin Guide inspectors in our parts and how do affluent visitors manage to discover Slovenia as a culinary destination nonetheless?

A Everything demands time and–let us be honest–it was not until now that Slovenia has become ready for the arrival of big gastronomy guides. We finally have a wider offer of quality cuisine, which is scattered around the entire country and taken care of by innovative chefs.

Additionally, the awareness of how important the origin and local production of ingredients are is increasing as well. There are more and more gastronomy events, which attract local and foreign visitors with their high-quality offers. One great example would be Odprta kuhna in Ljubljana.

Q Do you believe Slovenian cuisine belongs to the category five-star tourism?

Which restaurants would you point out?

A Gastronomy can be a five-star experience in itself. But most importantly, it provides wonderful opportunities for the development of authentic experiences with added value, because it functions especially well when it is used as an essential and complementary part of a comprehensive tourist programme. By utilizing gastronomy, we can develop exceptional and innovative products, which will set us apart us from other destinations. Many of our restaurants and master chefs deserve to be labelled with five stars, but the best of them have been highlighted in the Slovenian edition of the Gault & Millau gastronomy guide.

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 Tourism Q Why have you have decided to initiate a smaller project in the sphere of boutique tourism, something very different from the Postojna Cave? The famous caves are the most visited tourist attraction in the country, after all.

A Slovenia has formed a tourism strategy that includes concepts of five-star boutique accommodation and unique experiences. While the strategy is very well-conceived, there are quite a few issues with the implementation, especially on economic subjects. Luxury means a higher bill, one can not offer a boutique experience for the regular price. Those of us, who know well, how mass tourism works—where numerous people admire natural sights and cultural heritage—accepted the challenge of this boutique approach with the idea of preserving the most exquisite corners of Slovenia in all their unique glory. So we approached the project within limits dictated by the environment. By a smaller hotel than has existed in the past, along with an emphasis on local materials, architecture, and cultural heritage. Our main goal was to prove that a tiny hotel like this can be just as successful as bigger ones.

Vila Planika

Q You had built a strong relationship with the locals before Vila Planinka was built, deeply immersing in traditions and the local mind. Why? A One can not create such a project without Marjan Batagelj, the chairman of the board of Postojna Cave

Interview: Marjan Batagelj, the chairman of the board of Postojna Cave

Slovenia is Not a Place of Mass Tourism

By Petra Godeša

Tourism, in its essence, is a complex struggle between revealing and preserving.

No one knows this better than Marjan Batagelj, the chairman of the board of Postojna Cave, a tourist attraction that welcomed its 39 millionth visitor this year. But because more is not necessarily better, Vila Planinka was born as a sustainable boutique project and stands as a real experiment in the field of luxury tourism in Slovenia.

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the help of the locals. Some skeptical people warned me that the locals from Jezersko won‘t have the desire to work for us. That might be the case if the hotel was neglected, but how about the villa we built, a beautiful landmark where people recognize a piece of themselves?

No one from the Postojna Cave is employed in Vila Planinka, all of the employees live nearby.

In some way, Vila Planinka is now the pride of the people of Jezersko. They used to have a very distorted self-image before, seeing themselves as a narrow-minded community in an underdeveloped area. I told them to change the perspective and see how many unique things they have to offer in an environment that is very original and still untouched. Maybe some things are the same as fifty years ago, but that can be a good thing! In Jezersko, we see that even in a place where the local public is initially reserved, you can achieve acceptance. If you manage to explain the concept correctly.

The locals are an incredible asset of the place, uncovering the secret corners of the area. Having respect for the people and the surrounding area is the key to successful boutique tourism.

These hotels are usually not built by the local residents, but foreign investors, which can be a very slippery slope.

 Tourism Q Slovenia, as a country, has a very ambivalent attitude towards tourists. We have always felt overlooked by foreign travellers, but now with the masses arriving, many people complain about numbers being too high.

A I tried to expose this problem in the past, that an exceptional location such as Slovenia should not allow itself to become a place of mass tourism. With our knowledge of the profession, we are well aware that no matter how widely we promote Jezersko, the site has limited capacities, which will not be any bigger due to advertising. Until now, the locals were happy to have visitors, so they were afraid to lay clear ground rules, which are much needed in a natural environment like this. I am not scared to say motorcyclists are not welcome in Jezersko since they interrupt peace and quiet.

Why is this even allowed? This is not tourism for me. Bohinj should be an adequate lesson on its own, with the locals having extreme difficulties because of an increasing number of visitors. If we attract people who destroy the area, what good did we create? Nothing.

Q Vila Planinka is promoted only abroad, not across the country?

A That is right, we are not advertising much at home, but it is true that we currently have mostly Slovenian guests. The word spread so quickly among those who visited us already!

Foreign guests will arrive with a little delay.

One of the main reasons we decided against full promotion in Slovenia—although it would be simple with the promotional channels we already have established for Postojna Cave—is because we don‘t want the phenomena of curious people who come only to observe, but don‘t

stay in the hotel. Unfortunately, they do not add additional value to Jezersko. we want to carefully target the right type of guests who will appreciate the nature and our sustainability values. I am very cautious here, such a hotel is fully developed in three years. Why would we take the easy road in the first season it is opened?

Q Instead, you are just expecting a journalist from Condé Nast Traveller to write a story about Vila Planinka.

A If you dare to invite someone like him, you risk candid feedback, your accommodation could be average. These people are well-seasoned connoisseurs, after all. But Vila Planinka is an essence of everything good my wife Katja and I experienced on our numerous travels around the globe. That is why I hope many

more guests like this will come, to explain how rooms for $1500 differ from ours. There is another problem with the prices in Slovenia, we are so reluctant to charge the full value of our work. The global guest is also the one who is segmented by the price range; somebody can set up a filter and is only interested in rooms over €400. Where exactly will they stay in Slovenia? They have nowhere to go! The wine list in Vila Planinka will contain a hundred and fifty different labels of Slovenian wines, for example, where else can you find something like this? And the food, which is fresh, local, and sustainable, has traceability from start to finish. If I develop the concept here, to the point that I can easily transfer it elsewhere, it can be applicable again and again. Because we will know very well how it works! That is why Vila Planinka is an incredible challenge for Slovenian tourism.

The Real Connection is in the Woods With pristine nature becoming more and more scarce, the real luxury is quite simple: tranquility, health, and comfort. Vila Planinka is a unique boutique hotel, built on sustainable philosophy and with the idea of connecting with the local community. But the real gem is not only the renovated house, dating back to 1938, but the untouched greenery that surrounds it. The secluded valley of Jezersko is one of its kind in its efforts to preserve the eco-equilibrium. All street lamps in the area turn off after 11 PM, just to avoid the light pollution, for example.

The alpine hotel offers 23 rooms of different sizes and characteristics, but with the same concept in mind. Refusing thoughtless technological modernization, Vila Planinka prides itself with the quality of natural materials and an interior design tributing to the cultural heritage of the area.

There is no wi-fi connection in the rooms, except upon special request, but there is plenty to enjoy—ethnic and adrenaline experiences, fresh local culinary delicacies, an in-house spa center, and four unique energetic points surrounding the villa and bathing it in the spring of rejuvenation.

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 Tourism Luxury in tourism is a combination of a superb ambiance, service, and exceptional destination attractions. Luxury is rare amenity or experience. Rare because of their limitations and difficult access to the wider population. Luxury is not just going to an ultra-expensive restaurant that ordinary human beings cannot afford, luxury can also be a hard-to-reach natural attraction, where people do not go because it is far or hardly accessible.

Gregor Jamnik, the president of Slovenian Hoteliers Association

Interview: Gregor Jamnik, the president of Slovenian Hoteliers Association

Luxury is Multi-dimensional:

Slovenian Individuality and Rarity as Luxury

By Kaja Komar

For people exploring Europe, Slovenia can be hidden gem and Europe’s best kept secret. Most tourist are fascinated by the natural beauty and culinary experiences at some of the best restaurants in the region. If they had the chance to taste the luxury our hotels offer, they will want to come back as soon as they return home. We talked about luxury tourism in Slovenia with Gregor Jamnik, the president of Slovenian Hoteliers Association, a member of the supervisory board of Slovenian Tourism Board and member of the supervisory board member of Ljubljana Tourism Board. Jamnik has been working as a general manager and CEO at Best Western Premier Hotel Slon since 2007 and has successfully modernized hotel with methods to maximize guest satisfaction and the quality of its services and facilities.

Q In an interview years ago, you told me that "luxury tourism is a perfect combination of ambiance, service and destination attractions. It is the ultimate tourist experience." Do you agree? Can Slovenia offer our guests a five-star experience?

A I still agree with my statement. Luxury in tourism is a combination of a superb ambiance, service, and exceptional destination attractions. Luxury is rare amenity or experience.

Rare because of their limitations and difficult access to the wider population. Luxury is not just going to an ultra-expensive restaurant that ordinary human beings cannot afford, luxury can also be a hard-to-reach natural attraction, where people do not go because it is far or hardly accessible. Luxury is so multi-dimensional that it cannot be described in one sentence.

Q Does Slovenia have luxury tourism?

Would you call it a five-star destination?

A The Slovenian Tourist Board has a very refined and appealing promise: a five-star destination for five-star experiences. It’s a good idea because they know that Slovenia does not have a five-star infrastructure.

Q What about tourism and travel-related services?

A Slovenia has high quality cuisine: we have a five-star culinary chefs with skills, it is luxuri-

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 Tourism ous, top quality yet rare and very special. It is rare, because our top chefs use local and seasonal ingredients. Well renowned chef Ana Roš is picking wild plants and herbs for food by herself. This is very rare; you cannot have a meal like that in New York. There are many culinary experiences in Slovenia that are luxurious. Not like other services, for example transport.

Q By that you mean public transport in Slovenia, airports or taxis?

A Luxury means comfort. How does a tourist come to Slovenia? The comfort is to fly with a direct flight from New York to Ljubljana. Unfortunately, we cannot offer this and this is the first drawback. You have to fly to Frankfurt and then with a smaller plane with no first nor business class to Ljubljana. And this is the first inconvenience for a jet set that wants to come to Ljubljana. If I think of a banker in London who has five million British pounds of annual salary and would like to spend a weekend break in an undiscovered European city like Ljubljana.

Will he fly with Easyjet? Probably not. The next problem is public transport in Slovenia, from and to Brnik, from Ljubljana to the coast and other touristic attractions and destinations.

Q Despite the negatives, the image of Slovenia as touristic destination is rising.

A Yes, the image is rising, not just visibility.

The image of Slovenia as a high-quality destination is now known in other countries.

Q In what sense?

A We can offer some unique luxury experiences to our guests. There are already a couple of agencies in Slovenia that are preparing very innovative luxury packages with rare and unique experiences, for example, tasting a special cheese on the farm, driving a tractor . . .

Q What would you highlight as the best example of luxury tourism in Slovenia?

A Again, I would say gastronomy. I would like to point out the top six chefs and restaurants in Slovenia were also mentioned in the worldrenowned French gastronomic guide Gault & Millau. These are Ana Roš (Hiša Franko), Tomaž Kavčič (Pri Lojzetu – Zemono), Igor Jagodic (Strelec), Hiša Denk, Restavracija Mak and Oštarija Debeluh. This is a complete service and all-inclusive experience. Everything else in our tourism has elements, but is not as complete.

Q What about hotels in Slovenia?

A We have a luxury five-star hotel Intercontinental in Ljubljana and elements of luxury in

Q What about other hotels in Slovenia?

never had a fine bourgeoise and tradition. But we can offer something else –a variety of things in such a small country. If our guest sleeps in Ljubljana, he can have daily trips to the sea, mountains, caves, etc. and yet enjoy urban life in the evening. This is our advantage. In addition to our chefs and natural beauty. And with this we can be the best in global terms. We have to be innovative enough to transform our uniqueness into luxury like the Four Seasons hotels in the rest of Europe.

A Guests can enjoy superior five-star services at the Kempinski Palace Hotel at the coast and at the Hotel Aleksander with a modern Spa Centre in Rogaška Slatina, in those two for sure.

Q So, if guests like famous celebrities Kim Kardashian, Madonna or Christiano Ronaldo want the whole hotel just for themselves for three days you can close it down?

Q And unique boutique Hotel Planinka

A Money can buy almost everything. It would

our established four-star hotels in the capital, offering services of a five-star hotel. Like Hotel Slon that didn’t decide to become a five-star hotel but has, for example, luxury bedding concept, luxury cosmetics, marble bathrooms, 24hour room service, and exceptional massages.

These are elements of comfort and also luxury.

And when all this is put together, it is one truly amazing experience.

in the tranquil landscape of Jezersko that opened this year?

A This one is a very special story and unique luxury, especially from the point of view of the rarity of the location and the very concept of the hotel. Everything is organic, they use only natural cosmetics, all materials, even wood is coated with the smell of honey. The culinary service is superb. In the mini bar there is so called "alive water", natural juices, etc . . . Their service is very personalized. Another example of unique luxury is also Nebesa (Heaven) with its spectacular views, which are certainly rare.

The manager, the Roš family (mother of chef Ana Roš), makes sure all the services are higher standard.

Besides gastronomy, the luxurious Rogaška Crystal is a whole luxury experience, the store is luxurious, the products are luxurious, materials and design are luxury. Of course, we have more beautiful examples of luxury in Slovenia, but tourism experts say—and I agree with them—Slovenia is still not participating fully as a luxury destination.

Q Why? A Because mainstream luxury, practiced by most rich populations, is a five-star destination with a five-star hotel and its outstanding services, luxury shopping, luxury clubbing, and fine dining in restaurants with Michelin stars.

Q And events.

A Definitely events. And not just any event, but Placido Domingo singing on the main square in the old city centre, international film festivals, Picasso and other special exhibitions in galleries, the best clubbing in the world, and so on. Slovenia doesn’t have that and never will. We don’t have amazing palaces, fine collections in galleries, and museums. We have always been a province of a larger country. We

be difficult to shut down the whole hotel due to such demand and annual contracts we have for some of the rooms. But without any hesitation we could give him or her the whole floor or two, arrange to dine alone in a renowned restaurant, as we have done it before.

Q Where is the best luxury city- break in Europe for you?

A In Germany it is definitely Hamburg, one of the wealthiest cities in Europe, besides Paris and London. The local population has money and extremely high purchasing power, and this combined with the wealthy tourists makes the whole city luxurious. There are only fine stores and excellent shopping, restaurants with superb cuisine, all the hotels are renovated with no three-star hotel in the city center, only few four and mostly five-star hotels. Big capitals are not very luxurious, only some tourists go to luxury hotels. In a way, Milan is also luxury, because it is blended with fashion on every step and the whole city center is dedicated to fashion. It has the best shopping in the world, therefore spectacular restaurants, hotels and other buildings around it.

Luxury means comfort. How does a tourist come to Slovenia?

The comfort is to fly with a direct flight from New York to Ljubljana.

Unfortunately, we cannot offer this and this is the first drawback.

You have to fly to Frankfurt and then with a smaller plane with no first nor business class to Ljubljana. And this is the first inconvenience for a jet set that wants to come to Ljubljana.

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 Tourism Q Do we have five-star cuisine in Slovenia and which Slovenian restaurants do you reckon belong to this category? What is it that makes five-star cuisine?

A We have quite a few excellent restaurants

Interview: Janez Bogataj, doctor of ethnological sciences, professor at the University of Ljubljana

Five Star Slovenian Traditional Cuisine

By Nina Krajčinović

Janez Bogataj, doctor of ethnological sciences, professor at the University of Ljubljana and one of the most prolific writers of culinary literature, is well known among Slovenians. Mostly because he is the person to turn to when you have questions concerning traditional Slovenian cuisine. When we were thinking who could best explain how traditional Slovenian cuisine can be turned into a five-star culinary experience, Bogataj was the first person who came to mind.

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and inns in Slovenia. I will list their names, but the numbers are between 15 and 30. All of them are definitely five-star places–if we use this label. In cuisine and gastronomy, five stars represent the highest quality sum of all the elements that define a certain restaurant, all their employees and their entire offer. Oftentimes, Slovenians wait for someone from abroad to wake up, come to Slovenia and assess our restaurants. I believe as many of us as possible should think of ourselves as though we already have various praise-worthy international awards and titles. Though I also think international institutions that award quality marks should discover on their own that Slovenia is home to exquisite tastes and excellent cooks–it should not always be us begging them, so to say, to come here.

Q Which five Slovenian dishes do you consider the most traditional? How could we prepare them in a way that would allow us to serve as "fine dining" without a shadow of doubt, and offer them as five-star cuisine?

A Whether they are prepared in a traditional or modern way, all 391 typical and representative foods and beverages from the 24 gastronomic regions in Slovenia fall into this category, if they are made with knowledge on their stories and respect for the four seasons.

Q Do any of these traditional dishes have an intrinsic five-star "ingredient" or does each of them have to be upgraded as a whole if we want it to rank in the five-star category?

A This is a typical example of the Slovenian "servant" frustration. We think that something simple and everyday needs to be upgraded in some way for it to be worthy of five stars. For instance, we have govnač and sweet cabbage, and everybody would most likely make a fuss and say we cannot go global with something like that. But years ago, information about this extraordinarily interesting and delicious dish was featured on the cover of an esteemed Dutch food magazine. Or perhaps we should take prekmurska gibanica as an example. In the neighbouring Medžimurje, the dessert is sold as "healthy food" in its original form, while in Slovenia, I have had waiters explaining enthusiastically how highly caloric it is and convincing me to order something else, instead of presenting the story behind it that they were clearly unfamiliar with! We obviously first have to put things in order locally, which is something nei-

ther stars nor some other thing will bring – it can only be achieved with systemic long-term education.

Q What defines tradition in cuisine? Is it the food’s history and culture? And what defines a five-star ranking? In what ways do the two notions intertwine?

A Tradition is always a problematic term. This is why today we talk about gastronomic and culinary cultural heritage. Just like clothing, our way of life and other things, cuisine is primarily a cultural category. And five stars are a mark awarded to the most comprehensive and perfect quality–not just in terms of ingredients or taste, but also with regard to everything that co-defines cuisine and gastronomy. In fact, to achieve five stars, education on cuisine and gastronomy, promotion and, last but not least, the behaviouristic norms of all those employed in these two fields have to meet up to the fivestar standard as well.

Q What about the wine accompanying traditional Slovenian cuisine? What are the Slovenian customs like and what do we have to offer to our affluent foreign visitors in this respect?

A I believe this is the area that we have done most work on, which undoubtedly proves how important the role of wines (and other alcoholic beverages as well) is in our everyday and holiday contexts. Next to fridge magnets, which are still massively bought by tourists, exquisite Slovenian wines are the number one go-to product for those tourists who are looking to stock up with souvenirs.

Q Where do you see extra potential for the promotion of traditional Slovenian cuisine as a five-star gourmet experience?

A Especially in the offer, which would thus gain in recognition. There is great potential in the field of gastronomic diplomacy. We have some highly promising rudiments of local and regional brands, such as Bohinjsko, Dobrote Dolenjske, Geopark Idrija, Okusi Rogle, Jeruzalem, Srce Slovenije, and Okusi Laškega. But first and foremost, we must start gradually moving away from parroting the global innovations and understanding of cuisine. Slovenia must build its own identity in this respect. It is essential that we invert our projection, so that it projects from us into the world and not the other way around. And one more thing: we must be aware that the questions of cuisine and gastronomy as well as their strategies and developments are primarily professional questions. They are not some fruitless political debate where everyone can have a say.

 Tourism

Bled:

Culture Destination of the Future

By Petra Godeša

With castles being among the most praised and visited tourist attractions around the planet, their maintenance is another story. Complex renovations of masterpieces with such enormous historical and cultural significance can become a tremendous financial burden to the community‘s budget, which often leads to unfortunate degridation.

But not in Bled, where the Bled Culture Institute took over management of the Bled castle, one of the most prominent Slovene monuments, back in 2007.

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Their first and main task of the Institute was to come up with a strategy that would provide the financial means to complete the renovation of the château, which didn‘t undergo any significant improvements since the the 1950s.

With several abundant tourist seasons and thoughtful management of the premises, along with numerous cultural events that attracted large numbers of visitors, they secured enough revenue. More than 10 million Euros was accumulated and invested in the renovation.

Revitalization of the precious building and legacy took place with the cooperation of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, under the governance of Dr. Nika Leben. The main renovation difficulty was the location and the extremely exposed position of the castle, which oversees the lake from more

than hundred meters. An additional challenge was the nature of tourist attraction itself, demanding regular visiting hours throughout the year.

But the Institute is not resting on their laurels, they are already making plans for the future. One project for 2021 envisions the installation of a lift, enabling everyone, including the elderly and handicapped, who may struggle with the steep road leading to the castle.

Another enhancement of the future is an extended castle complex, which will provide additional cultural content and enriching the experience of the visitor. Within the complex the Institute is planning a renovation of the old Mrak‘s homestead, turning it into an ethnological museum with a memorial exhibition of the artist and sculptor Slavko Oblak. There wil also be an archeological excavation at the site of the early Slavic settlement in Višce. In addition to the Bled castle, the main attraction of this area will be the Gallery of Contemporary Art, which will be created at the foot of the castle hill and designed by world famus David Chipperfield. Traffic areas will also be upgraded, with additional parking spaces and shuttle services. All these points of interest should be completed by the year 2022.

Thoughtful activities for Visitors Bled castle is already an excellent example of a tourist destination with more than one point of interest. Each section of the ancient building has its own purpose, serving several human desires—to learn, to feel, to eat, or to shop.

Everyone interested in the history of Bled, which dates back to the 7th Century AD, can quench their thirst for knowledge in the castle

 Tourism museum, located in the baroque rooms. An essential event in castle‘s history was a period of the building serving as a Protestant stronghold in the 16th Century, when a Slovenian Protestant reformer, the author of the first book in Slovene, Primož Trubar, visited the place. Today, as a memory, one can observe a demonstration of printing on a reconstructed Gutenberg printing machine and prints of certificates. In a neighboring forge, where various forged artifacts, are presented. One can get a souvenir coin to the freshly printed memorial certificate. Bled used to be surrounded by rich ore deposits around the lake, which led to the birth of the local forging art.

The castle‘s renowned restaurant, led by the Jezeršek Company, offers modern interpretations of traditional dishes and drinks while preserving the gastronomical heritage of Upper Carniola region and Slovenia. The nearby coffeeshop, open during the warm months, has

a selection of premium Slovene wines and craft beers, along with one and only cream cake! For wine lovers, there is also a unique castle wine cellar, where a visitor can fill a bottle with their own hands or keep it simple, just tasting its top-quality wines. A boutique shop called Castle Beehouse focuses on honey products typical for the area, where an endemic species, the Carniolan honey bee, prevails.

Vibrant Summer in Bled Cultural events are one of the foundations of the castle hustle and bustle, inviting thousands of visitors every part of the year. Summer is reserved for a medieval event, Sir Lambergar‘s adventure, and a simulation of the battle against the Turks that takes place every Tuesday and Thursday. But the battle against the Turks is not the only journey back in time visitors can experience. There are swordfighting knights, medieval music, dance, and several arts and crafts workshops take place behind the castle walls. Visitors can also attend numerous lectures about the history and background of the area and its prominent people, places, and

events. There are multi-vision presentations of movies and Bled documentaries presented in the Knights‘ Hall.

Okarina, Slovenia‘s biggest world music festival, will happen for the 29th year this summer. From the 23rd of July to the 3rd of August, Bled will host twelve international musicians and performers for twelve days. All concerts will be free of charge and will start at 20:30.

The festival will begin at Bled Castle on 23rd and 24th of July with performances by the Spanish group Vigüela and Serbian band Legende.

The festival will then move to a stage on the Lake Promenade, which will first welcome the Afrobeat sensation Antibalas from Brooklyn, New York, followed by the French-Pakistani project Markus & Shahzad Santoo Khan. On the 27th of July, the Okarina stage will be taken over by Ravid Kahalani and his band Yemen Blues. The following evening the Belgian ensemble Panta Rhei. A renowned Jamaican jazz pianist, Monty Alexander, a Grammy nominee and one of the 650 greatest jazz pianists of all time will play, and the festival will close with Italian group Canto Antico and Tunisian jazz musician Dhafer Youssef.

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 Tourism

"Water is good, Air is Better, but Light is the Best of All!"

By Tjaša Janovljak

Before coming to Bled, Arnold Rikli, originally from Switzerland, first got acquainted with alternative healing in the Slovenian town Ajdovščina while visiting his uncle at just 19-years-old. Here he learned about natural healing processes and began studying it, even testing methods on himself for more than a decade. Then he decided to move to the shores of Lake Bled to pursue his calling.

Bled is one of the most famous destinations in Slovenia. First visitors here were pilgrims and admirers of the idyllic landscape, and in the second half of the 19th century health tourism started developing in earnest. Rikli is one of the people responsible for this. On the shores of Lake Bled he built the Natural Healing Institute (Naturheilanstalt Mallnerbrun) and successfully managed it for half a century.

A few months ago, the first monograph about Arnold Rikli’s life was published, called "Retracing the Footsteps of Arnold Rikli." For the occasion its author, Vojko Zavodnik, a Slovenian writer and historian, told us: "It’s a story of a man with ambition and passion, who believed that one can truly be healed through natural methods and reconnecting with nature. We could say that Arnold Rikli is a worldwide-recognized symbol of naturopathy, whose teachings and ideas inspired many highly respected intellectuals. Arnold Rikli’s story is one of rare authentic tales, which–if presented in right way–could satisfy the demands of high-class guests with the desire for authentic, un-

Photos: Private collection of Vojko Zavodnik, rikli.info@gmail.com, All rights reserved

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forgettable experiences. The return of this segment of guests would be very beneficial for the local community and future touristic development of Bled."

The natural conditions of Bled—the fresh mountain air, mild climate and clean water— remain the same, but what happened to Rikli’s heritage?

At the Natural Healing Institute, Arnold Rikli used many alternative methods with his patients: sunbathing, showering, and constantly breathing in fresh air. Walks were compulsory every day, males and females were strictly divided into groups according to the how demanding the walk was. The patients were prohibited from drinking alcohol, smoking, and eating meat. Even though his treatment was far from cheap and–as it turned out– quite demanding for many patients, Rikli’s methods attracted people from all over Europe.

A century after he died, interest in the natural healer has returned. A path he used for his patients to Straža hill was named after him.

Every year a traditional ´s hike to Straža using "Rikli methods" is organized.

Last year Sava Group opened Rikli Balance Hotel to promote Rikli’s lifestyle. These methods include getting up before sunrise, drinking fresh water on an empty stomach, walking barefoot in meadows, enjoying light meals, swimming, sunbathing, and taking lots of walks in fresh Alpine air. In hotel’s Živa Wellness Centre, they also offer treatments adapted to Rikli’s healing methods.

Still, whatever you may think of his legacy, it offers a wide range of wellness treatments and holistic therapies. In his book, Vojko Zavodnik details what has happened with Rikli’s heritage after his death and proposes ways to enhance Bled’s heritage tourism potential by using it.

He strives to preserve cultural heritage by building a brand that combines Rikli’s unique story with high-quality service, a holistic approach, unforgettable authentic experiences, and reconnection with nature.

 Tourism

Slovenia Green Accommodation Small establishments understand the importance of sustainable tourism Under the Slovenia Green brand umbrella, the Green Scheme of Slovenian Tourism brings together all the efforts directed towards sustainable development and promotion of green tourism in Slovenia.

Slovenia offers 48 destinations, 34 accommodation providers, 4 natural parks, and two tourist agencies that comply with the green strategy and pride themselves on obtaining the Slovenia Green label. One of them is Vila Mila, a fully renovated villa in one of the oldest parts of Bled–positioned right under the Castle.

Vila Mila is a house with rich history. The first information about it can be found in the Franciscan cadaster from 1827, which noted a household name Kaischouz. At the beginning of 20th century the house was rebuilt due to a fire in the area. It was named Kajževina and by the family Čop who owned it at the time. The family kept ownership of the house until 1980

when they moved out of Bled and sold their villa to the group of Slovenian companies that began to use the house as a holiday home for their employees. After some ownership rotations between various individuals, companies, and brokers, in 2007 the complete villa was bought by a young family from Bled. They had visionary plans of renovating the property and bringing back the look that the mighty building once had.

After much coordination and planning, the documentation for complete renovation was ready at the end of 2011. Construction work began in the summer of 2013 and at the beginning of 2015 the villa was ready to accept its first guests. Renaming the villa after the youngest family member, Mila, the family added a personal note to the house and started a new chapter in the villa‘s history. Vila Mila has both a touch of the past and cutting-edge

technology for a comfortable stay. Guests can sleep in seven different one-bedroom apartments, with a beautiful garden and a view of the St. Martin‘s church and only a short walk from the Lake Bled. A garage with two EV charging stations and a greenery roof with BBQ facilities offer added value for a relaxed stay in the center of Bled that manages to be a very private area.

Believing that only sustainable tourism has a positive impact on the small town of Bled, its lake, and the local community, moving towards eco-friendly construction solutions and the use of environmentally-friendly products was a natural way to re-position Vila Mila as the accommodation choice for guests with high ecological standards. Being eco-friendly does not mean the quality of the guest‘s experience will be compromised. Quite the opposite, high standards to receive eco certificates for tourism ensure that the establishments have both the guests and the environment in mind.

The Green Key is the leading standard for excellence in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainable operation within the tourism industry. This prestigious eco-label represents a commitment by businesses that their premises adhere to the strict criteria set by the Foundation for Environmental Education. A Green Key stands for the promise to its guests that by choosing to stay with the Green Key establishment, they are making a difference on an environmental level.

Being the first accommodation in Bled to have the Green Key certificate, holding also the EU Eco Label certificate and the Slovenia Green Accommodation award, Vila Mila strongly supports the town in it‘s endeavour to beome a truly green destination.

Welcome to Bled, dobrodošli na Bledu!

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Shopping Arena A Shopping Arena A is a diverse unit of more than 150 specialized and boutique shops. Visitors can explore a wide range of domestic and world-famous brands. You can choose among many sports or fashion shops, personal care shops, children’s shops, and souvenir/gift shops. Do not hesitate to visit it if you want to treat yourself or your loved ones. During your shopping spree, you can refill your energy with a fragrant cup of coffee or a delicious meal.

Shopping Gallery The Shopping Gallery of the Crystal Palace offers a perfect shopping experience – choose among a sophisticated selection of clothes, footwear, fashion accessories, consumer electronics, furniture, home decoration products, a coffee concept shop, as well as beauty and wellness salons.

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BTC City Ljubljana

Shop, eat, explore BTC City Ljubljana is one of the largest business, shopping, entertainment, recreational, and cultural centers in Europe and a "must see" when visiting Slovenian capital.

Over 450 shops and 10,000 brands When it comes to shopping, BTC City offers world-famous fashion stores and brands, a wide selection of sports gear and equipment, shops for children, and a variety of small shops.

BTC City’s mecca of all sorts of trendy and niche products for your friends back home or a nice souvenir for yourself.

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Emporium More than 100 fashion brands ranging from high fashion to streetwear, sportswear, lingerie, and children’s clothing are waiting for fashion lovers in the Emporium fashion store.

Enjoy the shopping experience with your favorite fashion brand in the "shop-in-shop" concept. Friendly and trained sales personnel, equipped with the latest knowledge of fashion trends will be there to assist you to find a piece of clothing, shoes or any matching accessories that will perfectly fit your personal style.

Standalone Shops A vast area of BTC City Ljubljana also hosts many standalone specialized retail stores, the majority of them being known as flagship shops here in Slovenia. They offer everything from consumer electronics, "do-it-yourself" supplies and accessories, kids’ clothing and accessories, eyeglasses, home furnishing, sports clothing and equipment to all sorts of fashion stores for different customer segments. Come and explore a wide selection of offerings either for yourself or your loved ones.

More than 70 food and drink vendors More than 70 food and drink vendors take you on a delicious culinary journey. Fans of authentic local dishes can enjoy the amazing offer as if it were homemade, while fans of international cuisine can enjoy Italian food, find delight in the diverse flavors of Thailand, experience the lightness of Mediterranean dishes, or be charmed by Mexican cuisine.

A trendy selection of excellent breakfasts, local burgers, or soups is also available, while those with a sweet tooth will find pleasure in the delicious desserts, offered by sweet and coffee shops.

While in BTC City Ljubljana, don’t forget to seize the opportunity to enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the city of Ljubljana and the Alps! Get yourself to the Crystal Café at the top of the Crystal Palace, the highest business tower in Slovenia, or the City Restaurant in the BTC business tower, and enjoy your culinary experience.

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Open Air Street Food Experience Want to enjoy trendy cuisines of a range of cultures in a relaxed atmosphere? For those who want to enjoy their meal in a relaxed atmosphere without the formality and etiquette of restaurant dining, BTC City’s Open Air Food Court is definitely the place to go. Immediately, spontaneously, and affordably!

BTC City Open Market Meet people or discover and enjoy flavors, aromas, and sounds at the BTC City Open Market. Refresh yourself and your travelling companions with fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, meat, dairy products, and flowers in a great and relaxing atmosphere.

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Atlantis Water Park An always refreshing and highly popular tourist attraction, a consecutive winner of the prestigious awards "Best Water Park" and "Best Wellness", Atlantis Water Park provides a relaxing atmosphere throughout the entire year. With 17 swimming pools, 14 saunas, and Asian massages, conveniently located in BTC City Ljubljana, it is a must visit spa and wellness destination for every tourist.

Photos: 1 Youth Square with Shopping Arena A and Crystal Palace in the back 2 Latin square with Emporium 3 BTC City’s Open Air Food Court 4 BTC City Open Market 5 Atlantis Water Park

Active Lifestyle installed. Today, none of them are in operation but the stream still flows.

At 8 km you will reach the bridge between Kasaze and Petrovče. At 10.5 kim there is a narrow hanging bridge over Savinja. At 12.5 km we you will reach Špica. This is where Koprivnica flows into Savinja. Kayakers have a home here. There are rapids and marked tracks.

If you‘re thirsty, enjoy a refreshment in the guesthouse.

Do not hang around too long, it is time to go on. Crossing the footbridge over the brook, from where we can take a look at the Celjes swimmimg pool, at 13 km you will be at the bridge on Čopova street. At 14km in you will find a new footbridge across the Savinja River, where a statue of Splavar–the man that leads a raft across the river—stands. In the past woods were rafted along the river Savinja as far as Belgrade. Rafting so far, in his target city, the rafter dismantled his raft, sold the wood, and went back by foot. Now you will have to do the same.

Running along the River Savinja – to Celje and Back

By Jasmina Kozina Praprotnik

Every day thousands of people cross one of the most beautiful plain routes around without knowing that it is there. Next time you are driving between Ljubljana and Maribor after a strenuous work week and will cross the Savinja river, remember that you can stop, give your car time to rest, strech your legs, and fill your lungs with a run along the river Savinja towards Celje.Refresh from the drive and even immerse youself in some wonderful scenery.

Leave the motorway at the exit Šempeter. If you are driving from Ljubljana, turn right at the first crossing to Šempeter at the first roundabout and take the second exit to Prebold. After 200 meters, just before the bridge, turn left to the camping park Latkova vas. Park there and climb to the embankment that braces the river against floods. The route offers walkers and runners, and ciyclists a well-arranged trail that goes all the way to Celje and back, in a total distance of 28 km.

Savinja is the longest Slovenian river, and runs exclusively in Slovenia at 102 kilometers long.

Lets get to know one part of its path. Towards Celje, after 2.7 km you reach the first bridge in the village Šešče. Continue straight

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on and after 4.5 km you reach the Vrbje pond, which is about 10 times smaller than Lake Bled, but very alive. 170 species of birds have been discovered in this vicinity. It is a special natural environment that is often flooded by the river and hidden from urbanization and intensive agriculture.

At the 6 km mark you reach the bridge at Griže. At 7,4 km, cross a short wooden footbridge over the Podvinska stream. The stream is 14 kilometers long and was created from the abundance of the Savinja river, which during the year greatly overflows in the stream, and made unusable for mills and saws. In the desire for its inexhaustible energy, a part of the Savinja River was taken to the riverbed where numerous saws, mills and a power plant were

Active Lifestyle

Outdoor family adventure trails across Slovenia Family tourism with an original story and unique experiences

By Nina Peče Grilc The Krvavec Goblin Adventure Trail, Photo: Iztok Medja

Through the landscapes of Slovenia, a crisscross of adventure trails are waiting to be explored, revealing nature, culture and local specialties to families and children in a truly original way: through storytelling. The creators of this innovative tourist experience, Uroš Grilc and Nina Peče Grilc from the Škrateljc Institute, have so far created three exciting trails along the beautiful corners of Slovenia that are open to domestic and foreign visitors: The Krvavec Goblin Adventure, The Dormouse Adventure Park in Polhov Gradec and The Mali plac Bog Goblin Adventure in the Ljubljana Marshes. New routes are already springing up, and sometime in the next three years visitors will have the choice of a fairytale nine trails.

The three family adventure trails in operation are located in the immediate vicinity of Ljubljana and offer a few hours’ experience for families looking for daily trips into nature and a relaxed, child-friendly way of getting to know new places and their specialties. Above all, the goal of all these experiences is for children to learn to observe nature and realize the importance of caring for the environment. Children will begin their journey with a booklet, which they get at the starting point, and a prize awaits upon completion of their mission.

The Krvavec Goblin Adventure: A sensational adventure for the whole family high in the Alps

Mount Krvavec, only half an hour from the capital of Ljubljana, beckons families to a true goblin adventure. Long ago the shepherd goblins cast a spell on the mountain and nothing has been right since. Moody weather, enchanted trees and spooked livestock – all the work of mischievous goblins. But most of all, the goblins love to play tricks on local shepherds, which is why the shepherds need help. As the children enjoy the thrill of a treasure hunt, collecting goblin runes that they can use to break the goblins’ spell, they discover strange enchanted trees, create spooky mountain tunes, take part in shepherd games and unveil the mysteries of the Krvavec mountain pastures.

and flying critters. Now the children must find a magic spell with the help of a friendly goblin called Lilly.

Dormouse Adventure Park: An amazing family adventure in Polhov Gradec

A roistering dormouse has lost his home in the attic of Polhov Gradec Mansion after making too much noise. Now, with the help of children, he seeks a new home. On this journey, accompanied by the rollicking dormouse, children will visit and learn about animals, plants and other characteristics of this charming environment. A trip to Polhov Gradec, a small location at the end of the valley, is perfect to visit, along with the Polhov Gradec Manson and the Post and Telecommunications Museum, both suitable for children of all ages.

Languages of the family adventure trails Škrateljc adventure trails are perfectly adapted for foreign visitors, enabling parents and children to keep up with the stories and content with ease in their mother tongue.

The Krvavec Goblin Adventure works in four foreign languages – English, German, Italian and Czech, Dormouse Adventure Park is available to experience in two foreign languages – English and Italian, while Mali Plac Bog Goblin Adventure will be soon available in English. Škrateljc adventure trails are based on stories from original picture books, illustrated by Slovenia’s most famous illustrators. For foreign language readers, The Roistering Dormouse picture book is available in English and Italian.

The Mali Plac Bog Goblin Adventure:

An exciting adventure in the middle of the Ljubljana Marshes Mali plac means the "Little Spot" and it is a magical place full of unusual flowers and animals. For thousands of years it has been covered by moss, which reaches deep into the forest into the kingdom of the bog goblins. But these mischievous goblins turned the magical "Little Spot" into an empty old bog infested with annoying mosquitos and irritating midges, not to mention all the other creepy crawlies Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Experience&Lifestyle Slovenia

Is Kamnik the World Microbrew Capital?

By Noah Charney

Beer clearly has an enthusiastic audience and draws tourists.

This got me to thinking how my own new hometown, Kamnik, could draw more tourists through its unusually high number of microbreweries per capita.

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I grew up in the United States but have been an expat for decades. My adopted hometown of Kamnik, population 13,000, nestled at the foot of the Alps and featuring three castles, can make a claim being the beer capital of Slovenia.

The town boasts four microbreweries (more, if we consider the greater Kamnik area), the largest of them are Maister Brewery and Mali Grad Brewery. They are indeed micro, but the quantity of them in one small alpine town is distinctive. In addition to these two larger microbreweries, you can find Menin’c (run by a farmer who grows his own hops) and Barut (run by a team of chemists who use very exotic, experimental methods and ingredients, like wild yeast). There is also Mister, which brews at the Mali Grad brewery, but from its own recipes, and whose owner hosts a weekly vlog on adventures in microbrewing.

Just why there are so many microbreweries in Kamnik is down to one thing: the water.

It turns out that Kamnik has unusually good, pure water. I always knew that the water from the tap tasted good, but water usually is only remarked upon if it tastes bad (or is some color other than transparent), so I hadn’t given it much thought. Kamnik is an idyllic, pristine clean Alpine town, so it was no surprise that the water should be good here, but why is it better here than in the neighboring municipalities? I asked some of the brewers and they all told me that they chose Kamnik to brew their beer to take advantage of the water.

"It is very soft," said Miha from Barut Brewery, "which means that it is like a tabula rasa, a clean first layer into which you can mix other ingredients. If you have hard water, which will affect the taste of the beer, then you might have to treat it with chemicals before it is suitable to brew with."

In Kamnik, the water straight from the tap is ideal.

Oddly enough, if you drive about five minutes out of town, the water is completed different. Anja of Mali Grad Brewery told me that the water in Nožice, a village a short drive from Kamnik, has water that is "hard," full of calcium deposits, so that when you boil water, a film develops. Her husband and fellow brewer, Urban, once prepared a stout in Nožice and thought it was great but couldn’t make a good pale ale. When they moved their operations to Kamnik, his pale ale was perfect, but the stout had to be changed. The only difference was the water, but as Frenk from Menin’c said, "Water is the main ingredient in beer. We tend to think of hops or barley, but beer is mostly water. If the water isn’t good, then the beer won’t be good."

I’ve had the pleasure of tasting the local beers and interviewing the knowledgeable, passionate brewers. But I’m an American hungry for superlatives. I started to wonder whether Kamnik might actually be a superlative, hosting the most microbreweries per capita in the world.

First off, let’s take a look at the competition, and then we’ll do a bit of math.

In the US, Portland, Maine has the most microbreweries per capita, with one microbrewery per 3941 people. In Europe, Bamberg, Germany is the "beer capital" but it’s claimed to fame are large-scale breweries (there are 9 major ones, and the number of microbreweries is not widely published). Focusing on the big 9 means that Bamberg has one big brewery per 7888 people.

But little Kamnik, Slovenia, population around 13,000, has one microbrewery per 3250 people—possibly the most per capita anywhere.

This would require more dedicated research (and someone better at math than I am) to determine officially, followed by a call to the Guinness World Records folks, but I think we’ve got a shot.

Photos: Klemen Brumec

If you would like to know more about Kamnik’s microbreweries or how to spend time in Kamnik and its surroundings, then visit them at tourist office on Glavni trg in Kamnik or visit www.visitkamnik.com.

You can follow them on Facebook Visit Kamnik or Instagram @visitkamnik.

Kamnik is something you must experience!

Experience&Lifestyle Slovenia Charine Tan from Singapore, the co-founder of Exotic Wine Travel, an award-winning platform promoting wine, food, and travel, suggests that Slovenia has potential to create a single, differentiated wine product that helps elevate the rest of the Slovenian wine market to a certain premium price point and quality mark. "Take Marlborough, Sauvignon Blanc, and Provence Rosè as examples," says Tan.

When Quality Meets Hospitality

By Tonja Blatnik, iUFC-Institute for Universal Future Communications

Slovenia is home to the oldest vine in the world. At more than 450 years old, it’s the only plant boasting its own museum. Even the Queen of England and the Pope own a bottle of wine made from it.

There is a winery for every 70 people in Slovenia. Actually, wine plays such an important role in our culture that even the national anthem is basically a toast.

So, a logical question arises. How developed is wine tourism, and how can we increase it?

Forbes Magazine reports that in California wine tourism has been estimated to contribute $2 billion annually to the economy. In France there were 7.5 million tourists in 2009, but it is estimated that 10 million came in 2016 to discover French wines and vineyards. This represents a growth of more than 30 percent and a total of 5.2 billion euros spent. In Slovenia, it is estimated that each euro spent by tourists on visits to winemakers "left" three euros in the tourist destinations budget. So, can Slovenia benefit from wine tourism? No doubt, the potential is enormous.

Wine Growers Compete Creatively for Unique Wines Robert Gorjak, founder of Belvin Wine School, agrees that Slovenia is benefiting from wine tourism but there is room for much more.

"Accommodation and facilities for small conferences, company public events, team buildings at the wineries in wine regions are still in their infancy," explains Gorjak.

Matjaž Lemut, founder and oenologist of the winery Tilia Estate House of Pinots, is

one a winemaker who has put Slovenia on the world map for producing this divine drink of the gods. He stresses that Slovenia is remarkable because it has many identities of wine styles and varietals. "The wine growers compete to be as different as possible. This is very nice for consumers, especially for those visiting our country." But as this is an advantage for tourists, it is a risk for the industry when selling outside of the country. "It is harder to make recognisable identity and demands a lot of marketing capital," adds Lemut, described as the most cosmopolitan Slovenian winemaker by The Financial Times.

Robert Gorjak, author of the book Slovenia: a Winemaking country, stresses that Slovenian reputation as a wine country is rather nonexistent for most consumers, which is neither good nor bad, except for those who have already visited the country. "They return home positively surprised by the quality of our wines."

One of them is Fabine Laine, a lauded expert in travel, wine, and food from France. "Slovenia has much potential and is gaining more and more awareness worldwide. Winemakers are not working only with very well-known grapes, but also indigenous varieties. For example, they really have mastered skin maceration for white wines like Rebula grapes, and they are breaking the ground with varieties such as Zelen, Teran and they are also proposing amazing wines made with Pinot Noir."

In order to push the boundaries of quality in promoting and presenting wine brands, Lemut recommends making regional focus of identity, either in winemaking style or a focus on variety.

"It guarantees predictable identity and quality. It makes promotion easier to organize and more effective." It would also be wise to organize different regional associations. Tan adds, "To move forward, it will be interesting to see Slovenia establish several consortia to promote different regions and styles of wine. Look to Italy for reference on that."

However, in Slovenia there are a large number of family estates where you can still meet and talk to a person who is an owner, winemaker and marketer. Lemut stresses the importance of authentic communications with consumers. "The ability to interact with wine lovers and connoisseurs is an important advantage of being a small wine grower. At the Tilia Estate we offer guided tours of our wine cellar, all kinds wine tastings in order to create a real experience. So far, people from over 30 countries who visited us will remember Slovenia as a wine-heaven. Or at least we strive for it."

As Slovenia is promoting itself with the brand "I Feel Slovenia"–expressing a balance between nature and the diligence of Slovenians; wine tourism should also be based on giving the wine a human story. When wine-lovers buy a bottle and pull out the corkscrew, they do not only swirl, sniff, and sip, but also think of the country and people who were responsible for creating the wine. If all this brings a smile, we all win.

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Experience&Lifestyle Slovenia Cliché apparel presents Ljubljana as gentle and adorable, while New York takes on the vibe of a megapolitan melting pot.

Jelena Pirkmajer, Photo: Matija Tomc

Slovenian fashion

Cliché:

From Ljubljana to New York

By Aleš Čakš

Sexy, playful, comfortable, and accessible. These are the adjectives that best describe Cliché, a Slovenian brand established 25 years ago by Jelena Pirkmajer. The brand, which persevered through the economic crisis, is once again climbing to the top of fashion.

The success of the new Cliché collection in the "fashion capital of the world" proves that the brand is something to be reckoned with.

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What led to a fashion show for the Cliché brand, held two years ago at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in New York? According to Pirkmajer, it was all very spontaneous. "I responded to an invitation by the organizers of the International Fashion Day (IFD). In March 2016, I presented a part of my collection at the same event in Bratislava. Many buyers, agents, and the media praised my collection. A day before the fashion show, models were trying to convince me to sell certain creations to them." The general opinion of fashion critics was that her collection was "deeply fascinating."

However, it did not stop with words as it often does in the industry. After the fashion show, Pirkmajer was invited to the NYC Life! at Fashion Week. "In two days, we had a meeting at the famous Fifth Avenue, at the headquarters of the Empire State Building. The meeting was a success and two days later, we had another fashion show at a hotel near Bowery Park. The audience, which was composed of numerous fashion editors, journalists, buyers, models, stars, stylists and designers, gave us a roaring round of applause. Then came interviews for various newspapers, blogs, local televisions, etc."

New York takes on the vibe of a megapolitan melting pot.

So considering the differences, what are the prices of her clothing in the USA? First come the finest materials available and highestquality production, then comes the price. As she explains, the prices are somewhat higher than in Slovenia.

"All my collections are backed by Slovenian knowledge and made with love. I believe in Slovenian production which–when it is good–is more expensive. Each special material also comes at a special purchase price. I do not want my apparel to only be worn by the wealthy. I have dedicated it to active and open-minded women who are well-informed and not interested in showing off their wealth."

Among her best-selling pieces of clothing are trousers, coats, bombers, skirts and gowns.

Her collection presented at the penultimate Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Ljubljana (MBFWLJ) was elegant and sensual. Cliché apparel is made of soft and light fabrics. "I select materials that are made in ways friendly to both nature and people. How clothing fits the body and how it behaves during movement are important."

Cliché at Flying Solo in SoHo But Pirkmajer’s most notable success was opening a store in New York. "I searched for districts that were most fitting for a Cliché store. I opted for SoHo, which is a highly popular part of New York among fashion buyers. I was on the hunt for socalled multi-brand stores and showrooms, which is how I soon found Flying Solo."

She immediately booked a meeting with the managers, even though it normally takes weeks or months to get such an appointment.

With her collection, the owner of the Cliché brand convinced the managers in record time.

"We signed the contract the very next day."

This is not the first success enjoyed by Cliché. The founder has been presenting collections at fashion events in New York, Tokyo, and Paris for eight seasons now. According to Pirkmajer, the greatest response was received in the USA and Canada.

"Recently, however, the financial crisis has caused the sales to develop too quickly on the one hand, and too slowly on the other. A decade ago, and before that, today’s way of selling was not the best business model. But the times have changed and so have I, as well as sales itself. Everything has become very personal, which is what I always wished for."

The apparel she sells at Flying Solo brings together two distinct fashion worlds: Ljubljana and New York. With her clothing, Ljubljana is presented as being gentle and adorable, while

Cliché for men since last year For several years, Jelena Pirkmajer has been drawing in her sketchbook and running out of pages. Last year, the time came for her designs to be brought to life. As she explains, this was a big responsibility for her because expectations for men’s apparel are high. "The first men’s clothing," or male clichés as she calls them, have made quite an impression with their minimalism, usefulness, and high-end materials. In men’s apparel as well, a designer must pay attention to comfort. Thus, the choice of fluid fabrics is important. The predominant color is black, but blue is featured as well since she has also designed men’s jeans.

13. 6. – 7. 7., 6.8. – 22.8.

Kinodvorišče.

Letni kino.

An open-air cinema in the atrium of the Slovenian railway.

26. – 29.8., 21:00 Vstop prost / Free Admission

Letni Kinodvor na Kongresnem trgu Open-Air Cinema Congress Square Kinodvor. Mestni kino. www.kinodvor.org

POTUJO

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POD ZVEZDAMI UNDER THE STARS

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11. 7. – 3. 8., 21:30 Ljubljanski grad / Ljubljana Castle

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Events

The Master and Margareta; Photo: Festival Ljubljana

Aida; Photo: Festival Ljubljana

A vibrant summer in Ljubljana In the summer—when events, culture and people fill the city to the brim— Ljubljana takes on a special vibe. Art enthusiasts will surely attend the Ljubljana Festival, which will once again cater to a variety of first-class cultural experiences and host leading artists from around the world. These are bound to inspire even the most demanding of audiences. The Ljubljana Castle, the city’s central tourist attraction, will turn into a lively venue where different tourist and cultural events will be held throughout the summer. The eventful season will wrap up at Congress Square.

67 Ljubljana Festival Presenting the World’s Leading Artists th

This summer, there will be more than 80 events organized within the framework of the 67th Ljubljana Festival. At the center of a program marked by quality and genre diversity will be a spectacular opening from the Aida Opera, which will take place at Congress Square.

But the program that follows will be just as breath-taking. We will get a chance to dance with flamenco star Marío Pagés, the Italian group Aterballetto, and famous Bolshoi Theatre champion Svetlana Zahkarova. We will also get to hear live performances from the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Chorus, Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, and Arias sung by Tomas Hampson and Elena Mosuc.

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Marío Pagés; Photo: Festival Ljubljana

Aterballetto; Photo: Lorenza Daverio

Zubin Mehta; Photo: Oded Antman

Also performing will be legendary bass players and Grammy Award winners Marcus Miller and Stanley Slarke. Ljubljana will also host two scenic and content-rich Russian performances, namely the musicals Onegin’s Demon and The Master and Margareta, and an Italian rendition of Verdi’s Traviata by Teatro Regio from Torino.

The festival will conclude with the farewell tour by one of the greatest modern-age maestros, Zubin Mehto, who will direct the Israeli Philharmonic. Finishing the festival is another music legend, Charles Dutioit.

Read more about the program of the 67th Ljubljana Festival at www.ljubljanafestival.si.

Svetlana Zahkarova; Photo: Vladimir Fridkes

Events

Open-air Cinema at Congress Square; Photo: Katja Goljat

Summer on the Ljubljana Castle; Photo: Domen Pal

Unique Cultural Overview– Summer on the Ljubljana Castle In addition to the Ljubljana Festival, the Castle, which boasts the most beautiful view of the Slovenian capital, is putting together a diverse cultural and art program. Beneath the starstudded sky, the Castle Courtyard will host traditional events, such as Film under the Stars, the Panč stand-up comedy festival, and Comedy under the Stars.

This summer, the Palatium and Estates Hall are home to a retrospective exhibition titled The Parallel Worlds of Alan Hranitelj. His extraordinary oeuvre produced both locally and abroad brings together the worlds of opera, theatre, and film.

The main thematic exhibition this year is called Mighty Guardians of the Past. The exhibition, which portrays Slovenia as a land of castles, will be on display in the Kazemate.

And for those who still believe in the power of fairy tales, the Pentagonal Tower is hosting an exhibition by Jelka Reichman entitled Twelve Elephants.

Both local and foreign visitors to the Ljubljana Castle are welcome to spend the hot summer weekends at the Castle study, a nice and quiet space safely guarded by the castle walls and moat. There, you are free to enjoy the relaxing summer vibes in the company of books.

And while exploring the Castle Hill, make sure to visit the Castle Arboretum and see the photo exhibition by Matjaž Krivic entitled Lithium: The Driving Force of the 21st Century.

Open-air Cinema at Congress Square, 26th–29th August 2019 at 21:00 The annual open-air cinema at Congress Square is a free event that screens world-famous cinema masterpieces, attracting more and more local and foreign visitors each year. With it, the Kinodvor City Cinema has come on par with comparable projects that attract tourists in Locarno, Vienna, Paris, London and Bologna for the sixth consecutive year.

On the first night, we will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the classic Ninotchka (1939), a lively mix of political satire and romantic comedy directed by Ernst Lubitsch, the master of laid-back sophistication and traditional Hollywood film.

As a prelude to the retrospective of director Jean Renoir, which will take place this autumn at the Slovenian Cinematheque (Kinoteka), the second night will see the screening of Elena and Men (Eléna et les Hommes, 1956).

The head-spinning and colourful romantic comedy portrays the Fin-de-Siècle Paris, where the beautiful Ingrid Bergman finds herself spiralling into adventures of love and political intrigue.

The third night will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Some Like It Hot (1959), a hilarious and spicy masterpiece by Billy Wilder with genius performances by Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and the charming Marilyn Monroe.

The event will conclude with a screening of the satirical classic and once highly controversial religious and political farce The Life of Brian (1979). Celebrating the 40th anniversary of its premiere, the film stars members of legendary British comedy group Monty Python. They recap the life story of young Jude Brian Cohen, who was born on the same day as Jesus Christ in a manger just next to his. The film ironically ends with the famous song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

Films are screened in their original language with Slovene subtitles. Films that are not in English will be accompanied by both Slovene and English subtitles.

Some Like It Hot; Photo: Festival Ljubljana

More info at www.ljubljanskigrad.si

Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Events

Where to this Summer?

Slovenia is culturally rich and prides itself on hosting many amazing festivals, especially during the summer. We’ve collected some of the most interesting ones, so you can experience culture, music, find beverages, and more.

Ana’s Festival in Rogaška Grossmann Fantastic Slatina Film and Wine Festival Dates: Throughout the summer, for more information check their web page at: www.anin-festival.si/en/ What’s Happening: Walk into summer in Rogaška Slatina. Enjoy a wide range of musical genres, something for everyone, at Ana’s Festival. You can enjoy the sounds of popular music at the Europe Square, sway to the rhythm of jazz and blues at the pavilion, and experience the elegant moments of classical music at the unique Crystal Hall of the Grand Hotel Rogaška, where the Ana’s Ball charity event takes place for every year.

Bled Festival Dates: 1.7.-17.7.2019 What’s Happening: For more than 20 years, Bled’s first half of July is reserved for the energetic vibe of a festival that is based on classical music, with other musical genres welcome.

In various venues in Bled, including the Bled Castle and Bled Festival Hall, a large number of concerts and accompanying events are held.

Workshops and courses are also provided.

Dates: 16.-20.7.2019 What’s Happening: The festival is devoted to horror and fantasy films. It is held in the heart of the wine-growing Prlekija region, where Dr. Karol Grossmann made the first Slovenian film in 1905. The main attraction of the festival is the film program, but there is also plenty to do in addition to the festival including wine tastings, concerts, exhibitions, workshops, book presentations, and lectures.

Kranfest and Kranj Night Dates: 19.7.-21.7.2019 What’s Happening: In summer, the capital of Gorenjska invites visitors to the largest festival in the region – Kranfest and Kranj night. The diverse festival events draw a crowd of about 35,000 visitors every year. The festival is a mosaic of music, sports, theatre, culinary and entertainment events. The rich program also offers a summer theatre in the courtyard of Khislstein Castle.

Jazzinty in Novo mesto Dates: 12.8.-17.8.2019 What’s Happening: Jazzinty is a boutique summer international jazz festival with a 17year tradition. It is held during the third week of August in the historical town center of Novo mesto. During the day, an international workshop is held, while the old town center is filled with the sounds of concert music in the afternoon and evening, creating a metropolitan atmosphere. Com here for new trends in jazz and improvisational music, and creative energy.

Kunigunda Festival of Youth Culture Dates: 23.-31.8.

What’s Happening: The Kunigunda Festival of Youth Culture is a nine-day international cultural festival with a 20-year tradition that brings Velenje to life in August. Its name comes from a legend about a beautiful young lady named Kunigunda, who was said to be a servant girl at Velenje Castle. She was accused of witchcraft and thrown into the castle well.

Since then, she is said to haunt the castle chambers from time to time. The organizers of the festival wish to pay tribute to the falsely accused Kunigunda and feature youth and alternative culture alongside traditional culture.

The Okarina Folk Festival in Bled Dates: 23.7.-3.8.2019

Laško, Beer, and Flowers Festival Dates: 11.-14.7.2019 What’s Happening: If you are a beer lover, visit the Laško factory in July, where the Beer and Flowers Festival (Pivo in cvetje) is held. Here, you can taste Slovenia’s most well-known beer brand, learn about the rich beer brewing tradition and ingredients used in Laško, some of which flourish during the festival. There are a wide range of concerts and other events, you won’t be bored during this three-day festival.

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What’s Happening: The Okarina Festival is an international music festival that has been held in Bled for over 27 years and is one of the oldest music festivals in Europe. With all types of folk culture from around the world, including modern music, the festival draws crowds with high-quality music, excellent performers, and a message about the significance of multicultural harmony.

Events The Sweet Istria Festival Dates: 28.9- 29.9.2019

The Days of Poetry and Wine in Ptuj,

The Festival-Filled Valley of the Soča River Dates: Metal Days- 21.7.-27.7.2019 Punk Rock Holiday-6.8.-9.8.

Overjam Reggae Festival- 15.8.-18.8.

What’s Happening: Experience summer festival excitement along the emerald mountain beauty of the River Soča. Music lovers of various genres, such as metal, reggae, punk, rock, and blues can visit exciting summer festivals where the Soča and Tolminka rivers meet.

Radovljica Festival Dates: 10.8.-25.8.2019 What’s Happening: In this picturesque medieval town, a festival of old music has been held since 1983. It includes rarely performed music of the 19th and 20th centuries, often on historical instruments that are less known today. In musical circles, the festival has the reputation of a boutique event, and it provides the audience a wide range of musical heritages.

What’s Happening: As you take a walk through Koper, you will be amazed at its attractive cultural and historical heritage, and its surrounding area will take your breath away with the wealth of flavours that can be encountered at numerous gastronomic festivals. If you have a sweet tooth, visit the town in September, when the streets are filled with the aroma of sweet Istrian delicacies. The Sweet Istria Festival also reveals its "sweet delights" at a number of accompanying events.

Dates: 21.8.-24.8.2019

Vilenica Literary Festival,

What’s Happening: The Days of Poetry and Wine are one of the most recognizable international poetry festivals in this part of Europe.

It combines poetic and wine-making art, and every year in late August it offers visitors poetic, oenological, culinary, musical, visual, and other experiences that bring the alleys of the medieval town of Ptuj to life.

Dates: 10.9. -15.9.2019 What’s Happening: This September, the Vilenica International Literary Festival will host poets, authors, playwrights, and essayists from more than 20 countries around the world for the 34rd time. The main event of the festival will be an award ceremony for giving out the Vilenica literary award, which is given in accordance with the Vilenica statutes to an author from central Europe for exceptional achievements in the field of literature and essay writing. The festival programme will be held in the Karst and elsewhere in Slovenia, but the most unique venue will most certainly be in the Vilenica Cave.

Tartini Festival, Dates: 22.8. - 8.9.2019 What’s Happening: During August and September, in the picturesque surroundings of the Venetian cities Piran and Koper, there is an international summer chamber music festival dedicated to Giuseppe Tartini, who was born in Piran. In addition to Tartini’s works, the festival also features other great international and Slovenian composers as well as the works of modern creators inspired by Tartini’s art. At the festival, you will have the opportunity to see Tartini’s famous 300-year-old violin and hear how it sounds. This violin continues to amaze audiences as they listen to it be played by world-class musicians.

Pippi Festival Dates: 9.9.-15.9.2019 What’s Happening: Velenje has not forgotten its youngest audience. The Pippi Festival is the largest family festival in Slovenia with an almost 30-year tradition, and it is visited by more than 100,000 visitors in just one week. In the world of Pippi Longstocking, young visitors can experience imaginative adventures while their parents can once again find the child within.

 Maribor Festival Dates: 10.-19.9.2019 What’s Happening: In Maribor, summer continues into September when the traditional Maribor Festival is held. In recent years, this event has transformed from a chamber music festival to hosting revered Slovenian and foreign performers of orchestra and vocal music as well. Visit the charming venues of Maribor and enjoy the world-class musical experience.

Summer Edition 2019 | The Slovenian Times

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Events

Twice a Year Metal Days Cultivates a Global Community with Heavy Music and Nature in Slovenia’s Julian Alps

By Thyme Norda

Nika Brunet is sitting at a café on out outskirts of Ljubljana ready to talk about music and a music festival she co-organizes, Metal Days, but we’d both rather talk about travel. But that’s just what the festival is about, combining tourism and heavy metal.

80 percent of the patrons who come Metal Days are foreign spectators from around the world. They flock to the gorgeous green towns Tolmin in the summer and Bohinj in the winter to experience the combination of mystical Slovenian mountains and various sub-genres of metal, a relationship that has, since its inception, had an influence on the music.

Setting has always been a part of metal.

Folklore and myth have continuously been married to the dark, mystical, and triumphant styles of the genre. Particularly relevant in Scandinavian black metal, a connection to the land and wildlife has always been associated with the philosophical and lyrical content of

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the style, which has a reputation for extremities. It is an incongruity just below the surface.

But beyond the dark aesthetic and ethos, metal-heads are typically interested in music and a jubilant good time, surrounded by the natural world, music they love, and people they connect with. Coming all the way to Slovenia for the festival, it is a kind of pilgrimage for the like-minded metal lover.

"It’s important to make travelers feel welcome," Brunet says over espresso and orange juice. "If you are in this business, do it well."

Brunet, with her co-organizer and partner Boban Milunović, not only plan the Metal Days festivals almost entirely on their own, they or-

ganize a number of other music events, including Bluesland and the Overjam International Reggae Festival in Slovenia. As if they didn’t already have enough on their plates, they serve up vegan food at their restaurant Veganistra in the capital city.

Brunet has worked all kinds of jobs including as a photographer, a skill she still utilizes by documenting festivals, and as an employee of various airlines. But she loves nothing more than organizing events. "I finally do something I really love," she says.

While she is clearly a restless personality, Brunet holds onto no delusions of grandeur.

"We will do things as long as they make sense ... This energy is unmistakable." Up until now, creating an atmosphere where metal-heads from 89 countries around the world can come to a remote Slovene village to enjoy nature, loud music, and activities like yoga has made complete sense.

This year some of the festival’s heavy hitters include prog rock legends Dream Theatre, drone-metal icons Neurosis, symphonic black metal band Dimmu Borgir, and Finnish folk metal act Finntroll—all set to a gloriously green and peaceful organic backdrop.

Though the average listener would not connect the peaceful notions of nature and yoga to this brand of aggressive music, the environment created from a music-centered vacation has shown the people of small towns like Bohinj and Tolmin in the Soča Valley that metalheads are typically quite a kind and respectful group, despite the negative stereotypes sometimes associated with the music.

"There is a community building around this festival," Brunet says. This year, it should be no different. Now Brunet and Milunović are focused on preparing another welcoming experience for their international visitors. Coming back from their travels with stories of hospitality in Cuba, Indonesia, and Serbia, the organizers understand how to welcome foreigners, and they implement this knowledge in their event coordination.

After beaming about a specially prepared vegan meal in Indonesia, Brunet describes the unique experience and the hospitality their festivals aim to create. "I love to see people from our work," she says, "knowing this is because of us ..." She stops and simply nods her head in a gesture of satisfaction.

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