In his address, State Secretary Raščan stressed Slovenia’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the EU’s commitment to becoming a carbon-neutral continent by 2050. As its EU Council presidency will overlap with the COP26 climate summit scheduled for November 2021 in Glasgow, Slovenia is now actively preparing to take on the leading role in coordinating the EU’s views on climate issues, which it will later represent at COP26.

Sustainable development requires overcoming divergent views on climate change, health, natural resources, and economic models. State Secretary Raščan went on to outline Slovenia’s action in forest and water management, its views on adapting to climate change, and its efforts to create the fundamental conditions for a circular economy.

The State Secretary also found time to underline that given its high levels of biodiversity, forests and water, Slovenia is an international advocate of nature-based management and is committed to climate neutrality in a socially just way. For Slovenia, a circular economy is a strategic development priority providing an opportunity to increase the competitiveness of the economy while at the same time reducing the use of natural resources. Lately, the dialogue between Slovenia and Brazil has centred on raising awareness about opportunities for the transition to a circular economy and concrete possibilities for cooperation between various companies and research institutes of both countries.