Category Archives: Slovenia

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Šutar Act

Published by:

Šutar Act

Šutare’s law, which enabled the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (Furs) to collect unpaid fines from recipients of social assistance, will undergo its first changes. New feature in social assistance transfers: One part will be protected from seizure.

Like many other debtors, Krk Roma councilor Dejan Brajdič (left) and former Novo Mesto Roma councilor Zoran Grm (center) were left without social assistance this month.

“My partner and I were left without every cent this month. I’m 60 years old, she’s 55, we’re both sick. I couldn’t even pay for electricity. These days we will go to the Red Cross for help, but I know that they have almost nothing to give there either, because in this system it is not only the Roma who are left without social security, there are also the homeless, many tenants, people with minimum wage and the like,” former Roma councillor Zoran Grm, who was also one of the co-organisers of Tuesday’s Roma protest, which then did not take place, told us these days.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Condemnation

Published by:

Condemnation

At the Ljubljana District Court, two Roma, Arsen and Leonardo Novak were sentenced for attacking Ribnica mayor Samo Pogorelc and a policewoman at a firefighter’s party in Ribnica. The former was sentenced to a year and seven months in prison, the latter to a year and three months, according to media reports.

The attack occurred after the mayor had said that he would cut electricity and water to the Roma settlement unless they started to “behave”…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Protests

Published by:

Roma Protests

The former Roma councilor Zoran Grm was informed by the Vtani, Roma Child association that there will be no protest rally against the Šutare Act as the municipality denied them the authorisation. He is already planning the next steps.

As the protest rally, which was planned for Tuesday, February 10, was canceled or postponed. Grm, in cooperation with the association, was one of the main representatives of the Roma community, which wanted to further inform the public about the consequences of the Šutare Act. “I plan to organize a meeting of Roma, including from Kočevje, Ribnica, Grosuplje, Krško, Brežice and Črnomelj,” announced Zoran Grm.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Roma Protest

Published by:

Slovenia: Roma Protest

The planned protest of Roma in Novo Mesto, Slovenia, which should have taken place on Tuesday February 10th, had to be cahcenlled. The reason: The municipality did not give the authoriusation. They claimed the application was incomplete.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma “Problem”

Published by:

Roma “Problem”

The Vstani Roma Child association of Slovenia responded to the proposals of the Dolenjska People’s Initiative, which prompted the latter to resond.

They said that instead of discussing security and the situation in southeastern Slovenia, the discussion is once again reduced to personal discrediting and accusations of “sedition”. According to them, the term “human rights” is too often used as a cover to justify illegal actions, while the hardships of the local population are pushed to the sidelines.

The initiative believes that the main issue is due to a long-standing policy of indulgence towards Roma and Roma criminality.

Of course, they do not think that the general population has anything to do with the problem…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Counter-Protest in Novo Mesto

Published by:

Counter-Protest in Novo Mesto

A pre-election confrontation on Roma issues could occur in Novo Mesto.

Silvo Mesojedec announced sharply: “Enough excuses: Who dares to come to Novo Mesto?”

He sent an invitation to all the presidents of parliamentary parties to a pre-election confrontation on Roma issues.

“The residents of Southeast Slovenia know that security is tested every day. For decades, we have been listening to promises from Ljubljana, while problems on the ground are only accumulating. Now, before the elections, we demand answers,” announced Silvo Mesojedec, coordinator of the People’s Initiative Dolenjska. According to him, the invitation was received by Robert Golob, Janez Janša, Jernej Vrtovec, Matjaž Han, Asta Vrečko and Anže Logar.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma Protests in Novo Mesto

Published by:

Roma Protests in Novo Mesto

The association Vstani Romaski otrok is announcing a rally for Tuesday afternoon at Glavni trg in Novo mesto, with which they will express their disagreement with the social welfare confiscations based on the Šutar Act. They expect between 100 and 300 Roma, who will also present the hardships that some of them have found themselves in due to the aforementioned foreclosures, the president of the association Matej Domijan told STA.

It is not sure they will get an athorisation. The municipality rejected the firstr submission stating that documents were missung, and the association resubmitted the request.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Protest

Published by:

Slovenia: Protest

Roma organisations were planning a protest today in Novo Mesto against the Šutar Act and its implementation which has by now deprived people of all means of existence.

It was not sure in the press whether wthe protest would be allowed, so let’s see what is reported tomorrow.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Sport and Integration?

Published by:

Sport and Integration?

The Roma Association of Slovenia organized a round table in Murska Sobota entitled Sports and culture within the Roma community – challenges of the future. The discussion, which took place in Mikko, was led by the president of the association, Jožek Horvat Muc, and was attended by Danica Polak Gruden, director of the Office for Nationalities, Damjan Anželj, mayor of the Municipality of Murska Sobota, Miran Kos, vice president of the Olympic Committee of Slovenia, Darko Rudaš, Roma councilor in the Municipality of Murska Sobota, and Dejan Židan, state secretary at the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport.

Well, regardless of this, sport is not going to solve the issue …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Šutar Act

Published by:

Šutar Act

In January, the Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (Furs), based on the so-called Šutar Act, began enforcing cash social assistance against debtors who had repeatedly violated regulations in recent years and failed to pay the fines imposed. They blocked the bank accounts of these people, and blocked even the delivery of the basic social cash assistance, leaving these families without any means.

The Roma community is drawing attention primarily to the social consequences of such implementation of the legislation. In public statements, they highlighted cases of families left without basic resources and demanded changes in the enforcement of fines and greater involvement of social work centers.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

Published by:

Slovenia and Roma

The president of the People’s Initiative of Dolenjska, Silvo Mesojedec, is criticising sharly Roma NGOs.

“Instead of finally confronting the causes that led to this situation (non-attendance at school, crime, unemployment), they are now attacking those rare solutions that are trying to establish order.”

The president of the Roma Association of Slovenia Umbrella – Dežnik wrote that almost 1,300 Roma families were pushed into absolute poverty with one political decision.

“The so-called Šutar legislation and the policies of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia have pushed the Roma community back centuries. The elderly, the sick and children have been left without food, water and electricity. Children are hungry today because of the decisions of a state that outwardly presents itself as social and democratic,” he wrote in a statement.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Šutar Act

Published by:

Slovenia: Šutar Act

Several articles about the recent impact of the so-called Šutar Act on Roma in Slovenia. Here, the Financial Administration (Furs) explained that in recent days, based on the Act on Urgent Measures to Ensure Public Safety (the so-called Šutar Act), they have issued 1,275 enforcement orders to debtors who had at least three unpaid obligations from misdemeanor claims in the last two years. Enforcement is also permissible for cash social assistance.

Roma representatives have warned about enforcement of social assistance. Several dozen Roma at the bank have not been able to collect part or all of their social assistance because Furs seized it, the president of the Roma Community Council, Jožef Horvat Muc, told the Slovenian Press Agency.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia, Roma, and Unemployment

Published by:

Slovenia, Roma, and Unemployment

The Municipality of Kočevje in Slovenia is investing extensive and long-term efforts in Roma integration, especially in the field of preschool education, but Mayor Gregor Košir warns that without changes at the state level there will be no real breakthrough. He says “As long as it is not worth it for people to work, we can forget about Roma integration”.

He is putting the carriage in front of the ox. As long as there is no prospect of work, there is no integration …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

Published by:

Slovenia and Roma

On Wednesday, 14 January 2026, the Inaugural event of the National Platform for Roma (SIFOROMA 7) project took place in Lendava.

The event was attended by representatives of the judiciary, ministries, social work centres, Roma associations, non-governmental organisations, local primary schools and folk high schools, municipal officials, police representatives and a local member of the National Assembly.

The project is a continuation of the SIFOROMA 6 project, in which we strengthened the national consultation process on the situation of Roma and, together with various institutions, developed responses to challenges in the field. The SIFOROMA 7 project will build on these foundations with new partnerships and measures, with a special emphasis on identifying and preventing early and forced marriages in the Roma community.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Emergency?

Published by:

Slovenia: Emergency?

“The Slovenian Democratic Party parliamentary group, based on the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, has requested the convening of an urgent session of the Commission for Petitions, Human Rights and Equal Opportunities to discuss the item: ‘Measures for the effective resolution of the Roma issue in southeast Slovenia’,” the SDS parliamentary group reports.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia, Education, and Social Help

Published by:

Slovenia, Education, and Social Help

Although primary education is compulsory in Slovenia, some individuals do not complete it. The issue is particularly acute in the Roma community, as according to Amnesty International, more than 60% of Roma in Slovenia have not completed primary education. Among the initiatives to the government was a proposal that primary education would be mandatory if individuals wanted to draw on state forms of assistance and allowances and, in general, the benefits offered by the state.

But the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities rejects the proposal. They explained (rightly so):

“The purpose of all forms of social assistance, supplements (child, care) and other benefits and subsidies is to ensure a basic level of social security for residents. The condition of being tied to education could constitute discrimination and a violation of the principle of equality before the law.”

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

People’s Initiative

Published by:

People’s Initiative

The People’s Initiative of Dolenjska (LID), Slovenia, has announced a protest rally in Ljubljana, as they have not received a response to their work activation program. The rally will be held in the capital if the government does not organize a working meeting with the relevant ministries by January 16. The program they are presenting would regulate the employment of Roma by establishing training centers where the unemployed would gain experience, and social assistance would be linked to participation in programs.

There is a catch, that they link this to other things…

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Roma “Problem”

Published by:

Roma “Problem”

Protests against the so-called Roma “Problem” are starting again in Slovenia. “The holiday peace is over!” This is how the public message signed by the People’s Initiative of Dolenjska and its coordinator Silvo Mesojedec begins sharply and without embellishment. According to them, the period of patiently waiting for dialogue with the government has finally ended.

They say the government is not doing anything angains Roma criminality and that they are too lenient towards them. They advocate stricter and disceriminatory measures.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Snow, Winter, and Schools

Published by:

Snow, Winter, and Schools

A Roma councilor from the Vejarje settlement in the Trebnje municipality in Slovenia, Matej Breznik, has publicly warned of what he says are very dangerous conditions for children who walk to the bus stop every day. As he pointed out, the sidewalks in the settlement are not maintained, nor is the bus stop properly maintained, which is why children are exposed to serious danger when walking on the road.

This situation is common in many villages and settlements throughout the region.

rroma.org
en_GBEN
de_DEDE fr_FRFR en_GBEN