State Secretary Marko Štucin held a bilateral meeting with his Spanish host Pascual Navarro, Secretary of State for the European Union at the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, on the margins of the meeting of Ministers and State Secretaries for European Affairs of the MED-9 informal group in Madrid.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the meeting of Ministers and State Secretaries for European Affairs of the MED-9 informal group in Madrid. Participants discussed Mediterranean and topical European issues in the light of the MED-9 Summit to be hosted by Spain in September 2022.

Acting Director-General Ksenija Škrilec and Salvador Rueda, Director General for Integration and Coordination of General Affairs of the European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Spain, held a videoconference consultation on topical European and regional issues. Their discussion also served as preparation for the planned future meetings of the informal EUMED Group, to be hosted by Spain.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in the NATO Summit in Madrid, accompanied by Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, and Minister of Defence Marjan Šarec. Minister Fajon participated in the informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers and in the roundtable discussion of women foreign and defence ministers from allied countries on Women, Peace and Security (WPS).

Today marks the fifth World Bee Day, declared by the UN General Assembly on Slovenia’s initiative on 20 December 2017. In this European Year of Youth, World Bee Day is dedicated to the future of beekeeping and the role of young people in raising awareness of its importance.

At the invitation of the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares Bueno, Foreign Minister Anže Logar is visiting Spain today. He met with the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs of the Spanish Congress of Deputies. Slovenia and Spain have been deepening bilateral relations, coordinating and maintaining a regular dialogue, aiming at a stronger, more resilient European Union, acting in a coordinated manner and speaking with one voice.

Third-country nationals should exercise the utmost caution in all dealings with companies that claim to offer assistance in obtaining Slovenian citizenship or Slovenian passports. Many websites and e-mail scams attempt to mislead individuals into believing the companies are offering to expedite citizenship or passport applications or are acting on behalf of the Slovenian authorities.

Prime Minister Janez Janša had a meeting today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain, Arancha González Laya, who is on an official visit to Slovenia. The two discussed bilateral relations, which they assessed as very good, cooperative and amicable. They also discussed the current pandemic situation, the measures to curb the pandemic, the course of vaccination and efforts for a common approach to vaccination certificates.

Today, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Anže Logar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain Arancha González Laya travelled to Slovenia for a working visit. The visit was aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two Mediterranean European countries and exchanging views, which will play a vital role both before and during Slovenia's EU Council presidency in the second half of this year.