The key player has not yet said anything about the deal - the state is the owner of the properties Luka Koper has promised to vacate and hand over for public use.

Moreover, will a former storage house of the national commodity reserves really be turned into a museum and a university library or will the plans change in time to accommodate other priorities of Mayor Boris Popovič, the paper wonders.

But the key thing now is that the city will not appeal the environmental permit required for a pier expansion for the second time. And it is a good thing that locals will get something in return.

The mayor and the locals want a new sea-side promenade at the site of the current passenger terminal. "A promenade overlooking the port, that is. When the mayor gets his own way the port is no longer a noisy nuisance," the paper says under the headline Promenade Overlooking the Port.