In Slovenia, fines are to be waived or repaid for violations of Corona regulations that were later declared unconstitutional. The government in Ljubljana passed a bill to this effect last week, which is to be passed in parliament as soon as possible. In doing so, the government is fulfilling one of the coalition's most important promises, said Justice Minister Dominika Švarc Pipan.
Stephan Löwenstein
Political correspondent based in Vienna.
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According to government figures, by May 2022, more than 62,000 administrative offence proceedings with fines totalling 5.7 million euros had been imposed in the country of around 2 million inhabitants due to unconstitutional anti-corona measures. Of these, only about 30 percent have been paid so far. With the validity of the new law, the enforcement of all outstanding fines is to be stopped and the money already paid is to be repaid unbureaucratically.
Švarc Pipan said this was an important step towards restoring confidence in the rule of law. She criticised the "excessive and unconstitutional repression" of the previous conservative government under Janez Janša. Although there was uncertainty and time pressure, measures must always be within the framework of the constitutional order.