September 16 (SeeNews) - Sustainability rating agency Standard Ethics said on Thursday it has downgraded Slovenia's rating to EE from EE+, because the country's fundamental rights policy no longer meets the standards of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
"Government policy and legislative guidelines on fundamental rights emerging in recent years, including those concerning the freedom of the press and public opinion, no longer appear to be in line with the prevailing high standards of OECD nations and are not consistent with the rating previously assigned," Standard Ethics said in a statement.
In March, the OECD said there are serious concerns that media in Slovenia may currently not operate in an environment conducive to the independent reporting.
Slovenia fell four spots to 32nd position in the 2020 edition of the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), as the country's government took institutional steps to undermine the editorial and financial independence of the public TV broadcaster and the national press agency, eliminating funding for the latter in late 2020 and early 2021.
Standard Ethics is a self-regulated rating agency that issues Non-Financial Sustainability Ratings, applying the models of credit rating agencies.