Ljubljana - The Slovenian Journalist Association (DNS) relaunched today a fundraising campaign to secure funds for the STA, which has not received any budget funds for its public service since the start of the year. A month-long campaign was first launched on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day, and raised almost EUR 275,000.

As part of the "Za obSTAnek" campaign (For STAsurvival), five euro can be donated via SMS by writing STA5 and sending it to the number 1919.

Larger donations can be transferred onto a special DNS bank account SI56 6100 0002 5727 075.

The donations should help the agency survive after the government has been draining it for months by violating legislation, the DNS said in a statement on Monday.

Following the spring leg of the campaign, the association said that it had received many initiatives to relaunch it via SMS donations. In the meantime, people have continued to donate on the bank account.

The association hopes the talks between the Government Communication Office (UKOM) and new STA director Igor Kadunc could bring progress on financing, "but given the experiences from the past months, one cannot be sure about this".

The DNS is convinced the government will have to meet its legal obligations towards the STA sooner or later, yet it stressed that the agency is running out of time.

The Journalist Trade Union (SNS), which has highlighted the STA's dire situation on several occasions, has also joined the campaign together with several STA supporters.