News

Slovenia organised a training for Information Security Officers (CISO) in critical infrastructure and state administration. The activity took place in Podgorica from 20 to 22 November within the framework of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C). The activity was organised and financially supported by the Slovenian Government Information Security Office (URSIV) and brought together 19 representatives from all six Western Balkan countries.

The second day of the Latin America and Caribbean Days began with a session focusing on business opportunities and scientific research presentations in forestry and irrigation. The two afternoon panels discussed digitalisation and artificial intelligence, and feminist foreign policy. The discussion on the latter topic was opened by Minister Tanja Fajon’s address.

The Embassy of Slovenia in Tirana will be closed on December 8, on the occasion of Youth Day.

The Embassy of Slovenia in Tirana will be closed on November 28, on the occasion of the Independence Day of Albania.

Today, the Government agreed on the text of the proposed Reconstruction, Development and Provision of Financial Resources Act, whose aim is to provide mechanisms for accelerated reconstruction and development in areas that were flooded in August and protection against future natural disasters.

Today we remember Rudolf Maister. A general of steadfast character and unwavering convictions. A great patriot who, 105 years ago in Maribor, laid historic milestones in the struggle for freedom and, with his fighters, bravely and fearlessly disarmed the German security guards. Together with many teachers, educated, learned and conscious people, he passed on the awareness, ethics and knowledge of freedom to generations.

The autumn session of the 5th Latin America and Caribbean Days international conference (LAC Days 2023), focusing on the environment, climate, digitalisation, artificial intelligence and related economic opportunities, and feminist foreign policy, kicked off in Ljubljana with an opening panel.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the nine EU Mediterranean countries in Madrid, Spain, the first MED-9 meeting at the level of foreign ministers. The ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East and enhanced cooperation with the Southern Neighbourhood countries.

The Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy has set targets, put in place measures and allocated resources for reducing energy poverty in Slovenia in the Action Plan to Alleviate Energy Poverty. To this end, it will allocate almost EUR 34 million over the next three years.

At today's session, the Government continued its consideration of the proposed Act on Reconstruction, Development and the Provision of Financial Resources. It approved the proposed amendment to the Public Use of the Slovenian Language Act, the proposed amendment to the Building Act and the proposed Minimum Tax Act.

Representatives of the 21 Mediterranean countries – signatories to the Barcelona Convention, which commits them to the maintenance of healthy, safe, clean and biodiverse Mediterranean sea and coasts – will meet in Portorož early in December. This meeting highlights the importance of education and young people as key agents in the efforts for the sustainable development of the Mediterranean. At the meeting, Slovenia will take over the presidency of the group of countries from Türkiye, passing it on to Egypt in 2025.

At today’s sessions of the Committee on the Economy, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia included two new investment projects of the GREMO Consortium into the current Development Programmes Plan, namely e-MOTION – Experimental Development and i-MOTION – Industrial Research.

"We worked with a single goal in mind: to develop the best possible digital services for users," said Kristina Valenčič, Acting Director-General of the Directorate for Digital Solutions Development and Data Economy, at the presentation of the projects launched under the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the European Cohesion Policy in the period 2014-2020 and financed from the EU funds.

At today’s gala event at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre, SPIRIT Slovenia and the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport presented awards to the best foreign investors who have achieved outstanding results and made a significant contribution to the development of Slovenian economy in the past year.

Ministers of the Central European Initiative (CEI) member states met to discuss the prospects for and the acceleration of the EU integration process, including in the light of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the broader implications of the war, the impact of which is being felt in all CEI countries.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon announced that with great efforts and excellent cooperation between several parties, three Slovenian citizens have been evacuated from Gaza. She thanked her colleagues for their tireless efforts to help Slovenian citizens and announced a visit to the Middle East.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Žalec-Rogatec Cycle Route.

Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in an informal video conference of EU foreign ministers on the situation in Israel and the wider region.

At today's correspondence meeting, the Government adopted a Report on the implementation of the state budget in the first half of this year, adopted positions on the opinions of the National Council on budget documents, and took a position on the amendments to the draft budget amendments for 2024 and the amendments to the supplemented draft state budget for 2025.

Children's rights are human rights - and they are being seriously violated for millions of children around the world: in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti and elsewhere. On World Children's Day, we echo UNICEF's call for peace for every child. Every child has the right to live in peace, in a clean and safe environment. They also have the right to be heard and to participate in the decisions that affect them.

World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), which started on 18 November with the European Antibiotic Awareness Day, takes place this week. Growing antimicrobial resistance is a threat to people, animals, plants and the environment.

The Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU organised the 4th European AI Alliance Assembly, which aims to improve EU policy and cooperation in the development and use of AI. The event was attended by Ambassador Tadej Rupel, National Coordinator for External Aspects of Digitalisation, AI and Cyber Security.

On 18 November 2023, we celebrate the European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. Slovenia, together with the initiating countries Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Monaco and San Marino, has for the 9th year in a row prepared a declaration to mark this day. This year, 37 other European countries and the European Union have endorsed the joint declaration.

Temporary reintroduction of internal border controls is extended by 20 days, until 9 December 2023 (under Article 28 of the Schengen Borders Code). On 22 December, six-month internal border controls, as provided for in Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code, will be introduced.

The Government agreed to the proposed amendments to the proposal for the Implementation of the Republic of Slovenia’s Budget for 2024 and 2025 Act and issued a Decree amending the Decree on the method of determining and calculating the contribution for ensuring support for the production of electricity from high-efficiency cogeneration and renewable energy sources.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Slovenian delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance strongly condemn the hate message that appeared this morning on the door of the Jewish Cultural Centre and Synagogue in Ljubljana on Križevniška Street. It is unacceptable that individuals should attempt to violate the dignity of Jews or any other minority group.

From 12 to 15 November 2023, Ljubljana hosted the 16th Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) Classroom Network international conference entitled "Leading Change: Digital Transformation of Education in the Era of AI", where foreign guests were also served a traditional Slovenian breakfast to raise awareness of a healthy diet and regular breakfast for children and adults.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar has hosted the Romanian Minister of the Interior Marian-Cătălin Predoiu. They primarily talked about migration and Schengen.

The United Nations Security Council adopts a resolution focussing on the protection of children in Gaza and the release of hostages, many of whom are children. Below is the response of the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, to the adoption of the resolution.

The amendments to the Act also aim to strengthen existing development regions. “We want to see a more balanced development in development regions and reduce the development gap of less developed areas. The amendments aim to provide a legal basis for the country to delegate more tasks to development regions to be responsible for more than just the absorption of EU funds and to define how to ensure adequate resources for their operation.”

The High-Level Meeting of the OECD Development Assistance Committee was held in Paris to review and discuss the challenges of development cooperation in the context of rising global development and humanitarian needs, conflicts and disasters, the impact of climate change, and the slowdown in progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Slovenia will host the 23rd Meeting of the Member Parties to the Barcelona Convention, COP 23 – Conference for the Mediterranean, in Portorož between 5 and 8 December 2023, marking the second time in history that Slovenia has held the two-year Presidency of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean. The meeting will be held under the slogan “Green transition in the Mediterranean: from decisions to actions”.

On 15 November 2023, in Apia, Samoa, the EU and its member states signed with the 79 members of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) a new Partnership Agreement, which will serve as the overarching legal framework for cooperation over the next 20 years. On behalf of Slovenia, the Agreement was signed by the Permanent Representative to the EU, Ambassador Iztok Jarc, in Brussels.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today inspected the reconstruction of the areas affected by the natural disaster in Sneberje, Ljubljana. “The state must ensure the safety of Slovenian citizens,” the Prime Minister stressed after the visit.

The 16th international conference of the Asia-Europe Foundation Classroom Network took place from 13 to 15 November 2023 in Ljubljana to discuss the digitalisation of education in the age of artificial intelligence. The participants were addressed by Maja Balant Slobodjanac, Governor from Slovenia in the Asia-Europe Foundation from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, which is actively involved in the Foundation

Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) has received a report from the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) on the event and the repair of the damaged pipeline as well as on the immediate and short-term actions taken to restart of the plant.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals for co-financing municipal integrated transport strategies.

On his working visit to Rome, Prime Minister Robert Golob had an official meeting with his host, the President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, Giorgia Meloni. At the forefront of the meeting were the strengthening of cooperation, the migration issue, current foreign policy topics and the national communities of both countries.

Late this afternoon in Brussels, Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Meeting gathering the EU's Foreign Ministers and their counterparts from six Western Balkan countries. The second joint meeting this year was aimed at deepening cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkan countries in the field of the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Prime Minister Robert Golob received the President of the Slovenian Federation of Pensioners' Organisations, Zdenka Jan, and the federation’s former president, Janez Sušnik. They discussed the situation of pensioners in Slovenia and the related Government measures.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today met with Chey Taewon, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Korea for EXPO 2023 and Chairman of SK Group, Korea's second largest conglomerate.

Today, as part of preparations for tomorrow’s working visit to Rome, Prime Minister Robert Golob met with the representatives of the Slovenian minority in Italy. The minority representatives initially thanked the Slovenian Government for its good cooperation.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in the regular meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, which focused on the situation in Israel and the region. We are witnessing a crisis of humanity and a crisis of world order. It is therefore high time for an immediate humanitarian pause to the hostilities in Gaza and the establishment of humanitarian corridors," the Minister said.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Improvement of the Koren Brook embankment – arrangement of a pedestrian path.

The Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development, Dr Aleksander Jevšek, and his Croatian colleague, Minister Šime Erlić, attended the opening ceremony of the first headquarters of the European Grouping for Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) in Slovenia, namely the headquarters of the EGTC Pats of the Future – Ljubljana – Novo mesto – Karlovac – Zagreb, which is located in Novo mesto.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals Fighting youth precarity with youth work.

Ministry of Defence has received cyber defence equipment from the US government to improve the security of communication and information systems, and the cyber defence capabilities of SAF and DoD personnel.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today attended the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The key aim of the conference is to improve the coordination of international aid for Gaza and gather additional humanitarian funds for the affected civilian population.

Monitoring Committee of Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027 held its second meeting today. Members of the Monitoring Committee reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the programme and took note of strategic operations and plans for the remainder of 2023 and for 2024. The first calls for proposals have already been published and the first projects have been approved.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project City centre revitalization programme.