Legal issues related to the coronavirus (CoVID-19) epidemic

The Supreme Court of the Republic of Slovenia, pursuant to the Ordinance on Interim Measures for the Prevention and Control of the Communicable Disease COVID-19 (Odlok o začasnih ukrepih za preprečevanje in obvladovanje okužb z nalezljivo boleznijo COVID-19, Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No. 174/21) has issued an Order on special measures under Article 83.a of the Courts Act to prevent the recurrence and spread of the communicable disease COVID-19. The Order sets down how the courts are to operate during the period 9 November 2021 to 31 December 2021.

You might at times be left disappointed by a new product due to it being defective or breaking down soon after you purchase it - but do you know what to do next and what your rights are?

Given the current epidemiological situation, the President of the Supreme Court has decided to restrict the work of the courts commencing 16 November 2020 - except in urgent matters, all hearings are canceled, and in non-urgent matters, procedural deadlines are suspended. By Government order, effective from 20 November onwards, deadlines for exercise of rights by parties to court proceedings determined by law (i.e. material deadlines) are also suspended for at least one month.

On the 23rd of October 2020, the Provisional Measures for the Mitigation and Elimination of Consequences of COVID-19 (“ZZUOOP”) or the Fifth Corona Act was published, which (among other things) extends the wage subsidy scheme for furloughed employees, quarantined employees and the carer’s benefit scheme . It also grants employees the right to short-term absence from work due to illness without having to obtain a sick leave certificate.

On 9 July 2020, the National Assembly adopted the Fourth Corona Act, which introduces new measures in the field of labour law (compensation for the time of quarantine) and extends certain existing measures (extension of the measure for subsidizing compensation for furloughed employees).

The fourth package of measures to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic also includes the introduction of a mobile application for notification of contacts with those infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus and persons who have been quarantined. In this case, the most controversial measure is the mandatory installation of the application; a violation of the provision on compulsory installation is an offense punishable by a fine of 100.00 to 600.00 EUR.

On 29 May 2020, the National Assembly adopted the third »corona act«, which applies from 1 June 2020 and introduces new measures in the field of labour law, in particular the ordering of part-time work and the extension of the measure of reimbursing compensation for furloughed employees.

On 14 May 2020 the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted a decree declaring the end of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) epidemic and which is to enter into force on 31 May 2020. This move also affects the validity of intervention legislation, however, it does not mean that all intervention legislation measures cease to apply.

Due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, ZIUZEOP introduced certain changes regarding the obligations of managers in the event of company insolvency, extension of deadlines for the performance of legally obligatory acts, etc.

From 5 May 2020, courts are hearing and serving court documents even in non-urgent cases, provided that they can ensure the protection of human health and life and prevent the spread of viral infection.