At the ceremony, Prime Minister Janša awarded Commemorative Badges for Selflessness in the Fight against COVID-19 to individuals and organisations that have shown exceptional commitment and willingness to work effectively in the field of protection against natural and other disasters. The civil protection bronze, silver and gold awards were presented by Darko But, Director General of the Slovenian Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief, and the civil protection plaques and statuette were presented by Srečko Šestan, Commander of the Civil Protection of the Republic of Slovenia.

In his address, the Prime Minister mentioned that when a disaster strikes, not only does each person have to help him- or herself, but at the same time we should also think of solidarity or how others will help us. “In moments like that, a rapid response and good organisation are essential.” In Slovenia, the first democratically elected government inherited from the former regime several well-organised and well-functioning structures, including civil protection units which provided assistance from the very start of the aggression against Slovenia. At the time, the Slovenian Civil Protection, together with other structures, ensured that we were prepared for an even worse disaster than the one that actually occurred or was successfully avoided. He went on to say that the developments in Slovenia were followed by wars in the Balkans, in the aftermath of which the Slovenian Civil Protection had to help 70,000 refugees from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Although Slovenia was a poor country at the time, we demonstrated solidarity and provided help.”

Prime Minister Janša expressed his satisfaction that, even after those trials were over, the need to invest into these structures was not forgotten, stressing that the Slovenian Civil Protection has since provided assistance to many countries. “In the past 30 years, not a year has gone by without the engagement of the Slovenian Civil Protection in disaster relief operations around the world, especially in our neighbourhood.”

When Slovenia was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, its Civil Protection, together with the healthcare system, which bore the brunt of the crisis, acted as the backbone of our response to this challenge. “When the situation became serious, the Civil Protection was activated, making sure that we handled it relatively well.”

This special day is dedicated to civil protection, he added. “The Civil Protection is now preparing for an influx of refugees from Ukraine which has been caused by the Russian aggression.” He also said that there was no way of knowing whether this refugee wave would increase and even greater solidarity would be needed and that Slovenia has received around 40 requests for assistance so far. At a certain point the Civil Protection would have to be engaged, he stressed. “Thank you for being prepared for this. Solidarity is the glue of what civil protection stands for.”

The current government is well aware of the importance of civil protection. “We have significantly increased the funding of the civil protection and disaster relief system. We have doubled the amount or an increase from 40 to 80 million euros has been envisaged in the budgets for 2022 and 2023.”

By way of conclusion, Prime Minister Janša said that nothing ever happens without people, that nothing perseveres or works without an organisation. “The Civil Protection is a testimony to this, it is such an organisation. But an organisation is successful only if its people are successful.” At the end of the ceremony, the Prime Minister congratulated the recipients of awards.