AGP Executive Report

Hydrogen Push in Slovenia: ELES, Plinovodi and Yokogawa signed an MoU to build a nationwide hydrogen ecosystem, linking electricity, gas and digital solutions and exploring a hydrogen plant demo plus resilient “green” mobility and backup power options. Tesla FSD in Europe: Tesla says Full Self-Driving Supervised is now approved in Slovenia, following the Netherlands’ earlier provisional green light; the rollout raises the same safety question seen in the US after videos of drivers sleeping with the system on. Road Cycling Spotlight: Slovenia named its Road World Championships squad in Canada, with Primož Roglič leading the men’s team while Tadej Pogačar is absent. Health Update: Slovenian Olympic swimmer Katja Fain revealed a chronic leukemia diagnosis, managed with daily targeted pills. Education & Tech in the Region: Balkans schools are easing heavy schoolbags with lockers and digital textbooks, as authorities try to reduce daily load. Sports Tech Moment: WTT Champions Macao 2026 continued with Slovenian Darko Jorgić advancing to the quarterfinals.

Hydrogen Infrastructure Deal: ELES and Plinovodi, with Yokogawa, signed an MoU to build Slovenia’s hydrogen ecosystem by linking electricity, gas and hydrogen systems, including a possible hydrogen plant demo tied into transmission networks and digital coordination tools. Energy Tech & Resilience: The partners also plan “resilient green hydrogen” mobility concepts and mobile backup power units that double as fast-charging stations, aiming to strengthen critical infrastructure as renewables grow. Autonomous Driving Regulation: Tesla says its FSD Supervised has been approved for use in Slovenia, making it the sixth European country to authorize the system, with rollout expected soon and an EU-wide vote discussed for early October. Diplomacy With Tech Spillovers: Israel opened its first embassy in Slovenia, a political shift that drew protests and may influence future bilateral cooperation. Sports Tech Angle: Slovenia named its Road World Championships squad for Montreal, with Primož Roglič leading in Tadej Pogačar’s absence.

Autonomous Driving in Europe: Tesla says its Full Self-Driving (FSD) Supervised has been approved for use on Slovenian roads, making Slovenia the sixth European country to authorize the system, with an EU-wide vote possible as early as Oct. 6. Hydrogen Infrastructure Push: ELES, Plinovodi and Yokogawa signed an MoU to build a hydrogen plant demonstration tied into Slovenia’s electricity and gas networks, plus digital tools for coordinated operation and portable hydrogen backup units. Energy Policy & Budgeting: Slovenia’s government published a revised 2026 state budget with revenues of €16.5bn and spending of €18.8bn, adjusting Recovery and Resilience funding timelines and defence-related obligations. Research & Conservation: Slovenia marks the first UNESCO International Day of Caves and Karst with an international conference in Postojna and a central ceremony in Postojna Cave. Climate Warning: Researchers report the Triglav Glacier is effectively disappearing, with remaining ice patches expected to vanish by the end of the melting season. Diplomacy: Israel opened its first embassy in Slovenia in Ljubljana, drawing both official praise and pro-Palestinian protests. Sports Tech Spotlight: Slovenia’s Darko Jorgic advanced at WTT Champions Macao 2026, beating Chen Yuanyu in the men’s singles round of 16.

Hydrogen Push: ELES, Plinovodi and Yokogawa signed an MoU to build a hydrogen ecosystem in Slovenia, including a demo plant linking electricity and gas networks plus digital tools for coordinated operation. Energy Policy: Slovenia also released a revised 2026 state budget, raising planned revenues to EUR 16.5bn and expenditure to EUR 18.8bn, with a EUR 2.2bn deficit tied to Recovery and Resilience funding deadlines and higher defence obligations. Research & Climate: The Triglav Glacier is nearing disappearance after decades of monitoring, with unusually early ice loss blamed on thin snow cover and record summer heat. STEM Education & Health: Across the Balkans, authorities are easing schoolbag loads with lockers and digital textbooks, while a Ljubljana-led review finds no harm from replacing sugar with non-nutritive sweeteners for weight and cardiometabolic health. Cybersecurity: Acros Security’s 0patch is offering “micropatching” to keep Microsoft Office 2021 secure after official updates end in October 2026. Diplomacy: Israel opened its first embassy in Slovenia, triggering protests and highlighting a policy shift under Janez Janša.

Hydrogen Push: ELES, Plinovodi and Japan’s Yokogawa signed an MoU to build a hydrogen ecosystem in Slovenia, including a demo hydrogen plant tied into the electricity and gas grids plus digital tools for coordinated operation. Energy Infrastructure Resilience: The same hydrogen plan also targets backup power units and EV fast-charging using hydrogen-linked solutions, starting with a feasibility study. Retail Tech in Slovenia: Spar is rolling out its first retail media network with ZetaDisplay, using hundreds of in-store screens in Hungary and Slovenia to sell targeted ads to brand partners. Office 2021 Security Workaround: Slovenian firm Acros Security says it’s starting “micropatching” for Office 2021 after Microsoft ends security updates on Oct 13, 2026. Climate Alarm: Slovenia’s Triglav Glacier is likely to disappear by the end of this melting season, with unusually low snow and extreme summer heat cited. Diplomacy & Tech Collaboration: Israel opened its first embassy in Slovenia, with cooperation plans spanning education, science, culture, youth and sports—prompting major protests.

Hydrogen Push: ELES, Plinovodi and Japan’s Yokogawa signed an MoU to build Slovenia’s hydrogen ecosystem, including a demo plant linking the electricity and gas grids plus digital tools for coordinated operation and emergency hydrogen-powered backup units. Energy Security: The same MoU frames hydrogen as “sector coupling” to strengthen resilience of critical infrastructure as renewables scale up. Diplomacy Shock: Israel opened its first resident embassy in Slovenia in Ljubljana, with Foreign Ministers Gideon Sa’ar and Tone Kajzer attending—prompting large pro-Palestinian protests and renewed debate over Slovenia’s foreign policy direction. Public Health Research: A University of Ljubljana-led review reports no harm to weight management or cardiometabolic health when replacing sugar with non-nutritive sweeteners, based on multiple randomized studies. Climate Warning: Slovenia’s Triglav Glacier is likely to lose its remaining ice by the end of the melting season, with unusually low snow and extreme summer heat cited. Retail Tech: Spar is rolling out a first retail media network across Central Europe, with Hungary and Slovenia leading, using in-store screens to sell targeted ads via ZetaDisplay.

Israel–Slovenia Diplomacy: Israel opened its first resident embassy in Ljubljana, with Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Slovenian counterpart Tone Kajzer signing a cooperation program spanning education, science, culture, youth and sports—while hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters rallied outside. Agritech Partnership: Vogelsang and Slovenia’s BeTEC launched a strategic joint venture for slurry applicators, consolidating product lines under a “Vogelsang-BeTEC” brand and expanding applicator options across farm sizes. Biotech Manufacturing in Ljubljana: Sandoz is investing about $300m in a new Ljubljana biosimilar drug-substance plant (targeting operation in 2029) with disposable fed-batch capacity to broaden its European supply. EV Tech from Slovenia: Nissan’s new entry-level electric “Pixo” will be built at Renault-Nissan partner facilities in Slovenia (Novo Mesto), sharing key engineering with the Twingo and Spring. Education Watch: New PISA 2025 results show steep global declines in reading and math, with Slovenia also down—raising fresh concerns for STEM readiness. Space Cooperation: ESA signed an agreement with Vast for the Vast-PAM-1 mission to the ISS, aiming to send Greece’s first crewed astronaut to orbit.

Biotech in Ljubljana: Sandoz is investing about $300m in a new biosimilar drug-substance plant next to its Ljubljana biosimilar development centre, adding four disposable fed-batch reactors and 8,000 litres of capacity, with operations planned for 2029. EV manufacturing in Slovenia: Nissan says its new entry-level compact electric car for Europe will be called Pixo, built at Renault-Nissan’s Novo Mesto plant in Slovenia alongside the Renault Twingo and Dacia Spring. AI for math discovery (Slovenia): Researchers at the Jožef Stefan Institute developed MoadeeB, an algorithm that can rediscover exact Fibonacci-style formulas and find new recurrence relations from integer sequences. Autonomous driving regulation: Slovenia has authorized Tesla Full Self-Driving (Supervised) on public roads, making it the sixth EU country to clear the system, ahead of an EU-wide vote. Education tech impact: New PISA 2025 results show steep global drops in reading and maths, with Slovenia also down. Sustainable fisheries science: The GFCM set up a new Adriatic Sea technical unit hosted in Split to strengthen science-based fisheries management across the region.

Autonomous Driving Policy: Slovenia cleared Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) for public roads, making it the sixth EU country to approve the camera-only system and setting up a high-stakes EU vote window that could either expand approval bloc-wide or keep a patchwork of national rules. EV Manufacturing & Pricing: Dacia unveiled the second-generation Spring, now built in Slovenia at Novo Mesto, with a redesigned look, a 27.5kWh LFP battery, and up to 250km range—plus a major shift in subsidy eligibility that could make it far cheaper in incentive-heavy markets. Nuclear Energy Planning: Slovenia says it will accelerate preparations for Krsko 2, pushing spatial planning and reducing investment uncertainties, while keeping the door open to Western suppliers. AI & Math Research: Researchers at the Jožef Stefan Institute developed MoadeeB, an exact equation-discovery method that rediscovered Fibonacci relations and found new recurrence relations. Biotech Recycling Push: The US DOE is funding a $3M effort to scale polyester-eating enzymes that could turn textile waste into new polyester. Education Signals: New PISA results show steep declines in reading and maths across many countries, with Slovenia mentioned among those near the OECD average in some areas.

Nuclear Energy Push: Slovenia plans to accelerate preparations for Krsko 2, speeding spatial planning and reducing investment uncertainties; the government says nuclear is needed for a reliable, affordable power supply and hints the main supplier will be a Western company. AI Data Protection for DevOps: HYCU brings enterprise-grade backup and granular recovery for Azure DevOps via HYCU R-Cloud, now generally available in the HYCU Marketplace. Autonomous Driving Regulation: Slovenia approved Tesla’s FSD Supervised for use on its roads, making it the sixth European country to allow the system, with rollout expected soon. EV Manufacturing & Pricing: Dacia’s redesigned Spring EV will be built in Slovenia (Novo Mesto) for European subsidies, with UK pricing expected to rise to under €18,000 before incentives. Education Signals: New PISA results show a global drop in reading and math, while Spain hits its worst scores on record—adding pressure on European education policy. Space Launch Milestone: Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket achieved Europe’s first private orbital launch from continental Europe, deploying CubeSats into a sun-synchronous orbit from Norway. Connectivity Regulation: BEREC Chair Marko Mismas (Slovenia) calls for agile, technology-neutral communications rules and stronger cross-sector cooperation. Tech & Society Debate: A new review weighs what psilocybin microdosing studies do—and don’t—support, urging caution about claims outside supervised therapy. Digital Safety for Teens: Coverage highlights the policy debate on protecting minors on social media, weighing bans against evidence of benefits and risks.

Aviation & Connectivity: United Airlines says it will launch nonstop service from the U.S. to eight new international cities in 2027, including Ljubljana, Slovenia (from May 12), alongside routes to places like Valencia, Marseille and the Azores—an expansion framed as a major shift away from hub connections. Regulation & Telecom: BEREC Chair Marko Mismas (Slovenia) urged more agile, flexible, technology-neutral communications rules, stressing cooperation across the digital ecosystem and lessons from Europe’s Digital Networks Act approach. Space Industry: Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket achieved orbit on a German-built launch from Norway, deploying CubeSats and positioning Europe for more independent commercial launches. Health Research: A new systematic review in Frontiers in Psychiatry finds psilocybin microdosing studies are often weaker than claims suggest, and that results from supervised full-dose therapy don’t automatically transfer to modern microdosing. Agritech & Slurry Tech: Vogelsang and Slovenia’s BeTEC formed a strategic joint venture to advance slurry applicators, aiming for more precise, modern application systems. Education & Digital Learning: OECD PISA results for 2025 are set to publish soon, with a focus on science plus “learning in the digital world,” including AI and smartphone/tablet impacts.

Slovenia EU Budget Talks: Slovenia’s prime minister is pushing for a balanced EU financial framework that protects cohesion and boosts science, research and innovation, plus funding for competitiveness, industrial transformation, energy, and strategic security. Space Launch Watch: Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket attempt hit another scrub at Norway’s Andøya Spaceport, with the company unusually staying silent while multiple commercial deadlines and obligations pile up. Agritech Partnership: Vogelsang and Slovenian firm BeTEC are forming a joint venture to advance slurry applicator technology, aiming for more precise, needs-based application across Europe. Nuclear Preparedness: An IAEA team completed a review of Finland’s nuclear and radiological emergency readiness, including visits to reactor sites and training facilities. AI & Age Rights: An ASEM forum in Seoul stressed that older people should be treated as rights-holders in AI adoption, warning about discrimination and digital exclusion. Education & Digital Learning: New PISA results for science and “learning in the digital world” are due, with AI and digital tech included in the latest assessment.

Slovenia in EU budget talks: Slovenia’s prime minister pushed for a “fair and balanced” EU financial framework that keeps cohesion and common agricultural policy strong while funding new priorities like competitiveness, innovation, research and development, industrial transformation, energy, and strategic security. AI cooperation in the region: Nine Central and Eastern European countries, including Slovenia, signed the Prague AI Declaration to coordinate AI policy positions, connect computing infrastructure, and share know-how to strengthen their role in EU AI rules. Critical minerals recycling: The EU launched CIRCUIT4EU, a €8.9m Horizon Europe project to recover critical raw materials from printed circuit boards, magnets, and electronics, with pilots in products like laptops and e-scooters. Nuclear safety review: The IAEA assessed Finland’s nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness, recommending stronger national coordination, a national radiation emergency plan, waste-management legislation, better public communication, and expanded lab capacity. Slovenian tech company recognition: Fora d.o.o. (Perception CloudWorks) was named in Future 100 Slovenia at the Bled Strategic Forum, highlighting its enterprise IPTV and streaming technology.

Slovenia in EU budget talks: Slovenia’s PM pushed for a “fair and balanced” EU financial framework that keeps cohesion and EU science, research and innovation funding strong, while also backing new priorities like competitiveness, innovation, R&D, industrial transformation, energy, and defence/strategic security. AI cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe: Nine CEE countries, including Slovenia, signed the Prague AI Declaration to coordinate AI policy, connect computing capacities (AI “factories” and “gigafactories”), and share experience to strengthen their position in EU AI rules. Circular tech for critical materials: Horizon Europe launched CIRCUIT4EU, a €8.9M project to recycle critical raw materials from printed circuit boards, permanent magnets and electronics, with pilots across everyday products like laptops and e-scooters. Nuclear emergency readiness: An IAEA review mission assessed Finland’s preparedness for nuclear and radiological emergencies, recommending stronger national coordination, a national radiation emergency plan, waste legislation, public communication upgrades, and expanded lab capacity. Slovenian tech company recognition: Fora d.o.o. (Perception CloudWorks) was named in Future 100 Slovenia at the Bled Strategic Forum, highlighting its enterprise IPTV and streaming technology.

Vuelta a España (Slovenian spotlight): Jakob Omrzel delivered a breakthrough stage win for Bahrain Victorious, becoming Slovenia’s youngest Grand Tour stage winner, while Enric Mas kept stretching his lead over Primož Roglič with another Sierra de la Pandera time gain powered by teammate Raúl García Pierna; Felix Gall moved into second overall after managing the brutal heat and overtaking Roglič late. Sports-tech crossover: The race’s shifting GC picture also follows Tadej Pogačar’s season-ending crash, leaving more room for contenders like Roglič and Omrzel. AI & ageing rights: An ASEM forum in Seoul urged that older people be treated as rights-holders in AI adoption, warning about discrimination, exclusion, privacy risks and autonomy. Nuclear preparedness: The IAEA reviewed Finland’s nuclear and radiological emergency readiness, recommending stronger coordination, a national radiation emergency plan, waste rules, public communication and lab capacity. EU innovation & materials: The EU launched CIRCUIT4EU to recycle critical raw materials from electronics, and Slovenia pushed for a balanced EU budget that protects cohesion and science/innovation funding. Slovenia business/tech: Fora d.o.o. (Perception CloudWorks) was named in Future 100 Slovenia for enterprise IPTV and streaming tech. Space industry watch: Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum rocket faced another scrub, with the company notably silent as obligations and deadlines pile up.

Slovenian Cycling Spotlight: Tadej Pogačar has opted to end his season early after a Vuelta a España crash, with surgery completed and recovery ongoing—his absence reshuffles the race’s top contenders and leaves World Championship plans uncertain. New Slovenian Breakthrough: Jakob Omrzel, 20, won a dramatic Vuelta stage 12 on debut, becoming Slovenia’s youngest-ever Grand Tour stage winner and jumping into the overall mix. Vuelta GC Update: Enric Mas holds a 1:45 lead over Primož Roglič after summit-stage drama, with Roglič still fighting for time as the race heads toward Granada. AI & Inclusion Policy: An ASEM forum in Seoul urged age-inclusive AI, warning that automated systems can deepen age discrimination and digital exclusion. Regional AI Cooperation: Nine Central and Eastern European countries signed a Prague AI Declaration to coordinate AI policy, connect computing capacity, and push joint projects. EU Research & Industry: Horizon Europe launched CIRCUIT4EU, a €8.9M push to recycle critical raw materials from electronics. Nuclear Safety Check: The IAEA reviewed Finland’s nuclear emergency preparedness, recommending stronger national coordination and improved radiation emergency planning. Slovenia Tech Business: Ljubljana-based Fora d.o.o. (Perception CloudWorks) was named in Future 100 Slovenia, highlighting growth in IPTV and streaming platforms. Sustainability at IFA Berlin: IFA’s sustainability theme showcased multiple paths—from EV plans to AI-enabled devices—showing how companies are pitching greener tech to consumers.