Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Irena Šinko met today with the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food.

Minister Irena Šinko attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. The presidency informed the ministers on the proposed regulation on packaging and packaging waste and the ministers discussed the situation of the market for agricultural products following the war in Ukraine. There was also a discussion on current practices related to the marketing of frozen products and the need for enhancing tools and strategies for a systemic management and response to the growing risks in agricultural markets.

The celebration of World Bee Day in Kalmthout Arboretum was co-organised by the Slovenian Embassy in Belgium with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. State Secretary Tatjana Buzeti and Ambassador Barbara Sušnik attended the event along with other guests. A bee tree was planted on the occasion.

Minister Irena Šinko attended the 2023 Golden Bee Award ceremony. Dr Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia, presented the award to the winner. The third Golden Bee Award was awarded for research into bees and other pollinators. Among the 12 candidates, the Golden Bee Award Committee selected Dr Slobodan Davidović from Serbia.

Today, Slovenia and the world celebrate World Bee Day. The main national celebration of World Bee Day was held in Celje as part of the 20th Beekeepers' Festival. Minister Irena Šinko addressed the numerous beekeepers and other guests, highlighting the situation in the world today and the need for food security where pollinators play a very important role.

Tomorrow, the attention of all the World is going to be dedicated to honeybees and other pollinators, with an increasingly important role in seeking solutions for food security, global hunger elimination, and protection of the environment and biodiversity.

On Saturday, Slovenia and all the World will for the sixth time be celebrating the World Bee Day, proclaimed on 20 December 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly. The main purpose of the World Bee Day is to raise the awareness of global general public on the significance of bees and other pollinators for the entire human race, in the light of food security, global hunger elimination, and protection of the environment and biodiversity.

Minister Irena Šinko participated in the presentation of the results of the targeted research programme entitled The Design of the Methodology for the monitoring of wild pollinators in Slovenia. The event came ahead of World Bee Day, which will be celebrated on Saturday, 20 May, bringing bees and other pollinators into the global spotlight at the initiative of Slovenia.

Slovenia has made a significant contribution to the visibility of Slovenian beekeeping knowledge and to raising global awareness of the importance of bees by proclaiming World Bee Day.

The sixth World Bee Day will be celebrated on 20 May. The UN General Assembly proclaimed World Bee Day on 20 December 2017. Our aim is to raise awareness of the general public about the importance of bees and other pollinators for our survival on this planet.

Minister Irena Šinko has attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council to discuss agricultural topics together with her EU counterparts. An important discussion was held on the situation on agricultural markets, in particular in light of the war in Ukraine, and export limitations for Ukrainian grain imposed by some EU member states. Ministers also exchanged their experience in implementing the strategic plans for the common agricultural policy and discussed the regulative framework for the certification of carbon removals. Slovenia recalled, in the EU Council, the importance of labelling the origin of honey in light of the planned revision of the Honey Directive.

As part of the new EU legislation to be adopted on the sustainable use of plant protection products, a European Commission delegation headed by Deputy Director-General for Health and Food Safety Claire Bury visited Slovenia at the invitation of Minister Irena Šinko.

In a month's time, on 20 May, Slovenia and the world will celebrate World Bee Day for the sixth time. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed World Bee Day on 20 December 2017. The main purpose of World Bee Day is to raise awareness among the international public about the importance of bees and other pollinators for humanity in light of food security, the global elimination of hunger and care for the environment and biodiversity.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Irena Šinko, met with the Croatian Minister of Agriculture, Marija Vučković, at a farm in Sela pri Ratežu.

World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March each year, highlights the importance of water. The theme of this year’s World Water Day is “Accelerating Change”. Clean (drinking) water is not a commodity to be taken for granted, it is also part of a carefully planned framework of regulations and measures to ensure water conservation.

With 332 million, the United States of America presents an important market with many opportunities for the Slovenian economy and tourism. It can take several years for companies to successfully penetrate the US market, and Slovenia as a country can open doors through increased promotion.

Ms Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF), met with the Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr Tetsuro Nomura. During her visit to Japan, the Minister held several meetings with representatives of different institutions, taking also a field tour of several show cases of good practices in agriculture and in fisheries.

Ms Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF), is participating in the formal opening of the 48th FOODEX Japan 2023, the largest international food and beverages show, jointly with a delegation of Slovenian industrial and economic operators. At the show, regarded as the leading food and beverage show in Asia, 11 Slovenian companies are presenting themselves.

In December, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food issued an open call to individuals, legal persons or bodies governed by public law for submitting the applications for the 2023 Golden Bee Award. The Republic of Slovenia gives out the Golden Bee Award as the highest national award for the preservation and protection of bees and other pollinators. The call remains open until 1 March 2023. The topic of this year's call is research on bees and other pollinators.

State Secretary Tatjana Buzeti attended the two-day Balkan Conference on Regional Food Security in Times of Crisis in Bulgaria. The aim of the conference was to improve cooperation in the fields of agriculture and rural development.