News

The Prime Minister of Slovenia, Janez Janša, attended the MED9 Summit 2026 in Split today. The summit brought together leaders of Mediterranean EU countries and was held under the motto For a safer, more sustainable and more resilient Mediterranean. The discussion among the leaders focused primarily on security and migration, energy, the EU Multiannual Financial Framework, the enlargement of the European Union, the situation in the Middle East, and the sustainable development of the Mediterranean.

The President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, received the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, at Palazzo Chigi.

In Trogir, State Secretary Tamara Weingerl Požar attended the MED9 meeting of ministers and state secretaries responsible for European affairs. The meeting was also attended by the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Ms Dubravka Šuica.

Koper, Slovenia, hosted the international marine pollution response exercise POLex 2026 on 23 and 24 September 2026. The exercise was organised within the framework of the ASAP project (Adriatic Sensitive Areas Protection mechanism), coordinated by the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative (CEI-ES) in Trieste and co-financed by the European Union through the Interreg IPA ADRION Programme.

Trieste, 22 September 2026 – As part of MMO ADRIA 2026 (Multipurpose Maritime Operation Adria), the international maritime search and rescue exercise Adriatic Sea SAREX 2026 was conducted in the Gulf of Trieste. The exercise was organized and coordinated by the Italian Coast Guard through the MRSC Trieste (Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre Trieste).

The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tone Kajzer, met with the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, in Nova Gorica. They discussed ways to further strengthen relations between the two countries, the situation of the national communities, economic cooperation, the northern Adriatic and current European issues.

Yesterday evening, the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tone Kajzer, met the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic, Antonio Tajani. The ministers highlighted the close neighbourly relations between the two countries and discussed EU enlargement, the situation in the Western Balkans, support for Ukraine and other current European and international issues.

State Secretary Tina Heferle attended the MED9 meeting of interior ministers from Mediterranean EU member states, held on 18-19 May 2026, in Rovinj, Croatia. Discussions focused on preventing irregular migration, protecting the European Union’s external borders to ensure a safer Mediterranean, and combating maritime drug trafficking.

On 16 April 2026, the Faculty of Law at the University of Ljubljana hosted a trilateral conference between Slovenia, Austria and Italy entitled Protecting Civilians and Civilian Infrastructure under International Humanitarian Law. The event was attended by more than fifty representatives of state institutions, the Slovenian, Austrian and Italian Red Cross, academia and student groups.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in the MED9 Informal Ministerial Meeting in Split to discuss security and cooperation in the Mediterranean. “The situation in the Middle East affects us all. We must insist on diplomacy and respect for the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran, which must apply to everyone,” said Minister Fajon.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended a ceremony in Trieste to mark the 30th anniversary of the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative (CEI). She also held a separate meeting with Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani. Before that, she met with representatives of the Slovenian national minority in Italy at the Slovenian Consulate General.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon addressed participants at a roundtable discussion at the Faculty of Social Sciences on the occasion of the reprinting of the report of the Slovenian-Italian Historical and Cultural Commission. She emphasised the importance of the report for understanding the complex history of relations between the two peoples and countries.

As part of the International Law collection, published by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia and the Faculty of Social Sciences Publishing House, a reprint of the book Slovene-Italian Relations 1880–1956, Report of the Slovene-Italian Historical and Cultural Commission has been issued.

Fifty years ago, on 10 November 1975, the Treaty of Osimo (agreement on the development of economic cooperation) was signed in the Italian town of Osimo between the then Yugoslavia and Italy. These documents represent one of the most significant diplomatic achievements of the post-war period for both countries and constitute a lasting milestone in their bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob welcomed to Portorož the leaders of the MED9 Group of Mediterranean EU Member States, together with two distinguished guests – King Abdullah II of Jordan and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The Italian Republic was represented by its Deputy Prime Minister, who had also attended the previous MED9 Summit held in Alicante, Spain, in 2022.

State Secretary Neva Grašič hosted a meeting of the MED9 group’s State Secretaries for EU Affairs in Portorož. The participants discussed current foreign policy issues, competitiveness and the EU budget. The MED9 group, which brings together nine Mediterranean EU member states, has been chaired by Slovenia for the first time this year. With nine voices being stronger than one, this is an important forum for coordination and the exchange of views.

On 30 September 2025, State Secretary Neva Grašič addressed participants at the conference titled 'Strategies for Competitiveness, Industry Leaders and Supply Heads Chains', held at the Grand Hotel Union. The event was organised by Confindustria Slovenia, in collaboration with the Embassy of the Italian Republic and the Italian Trade Agency.

Prime Minister Robert Golob met with the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.

Mateja Čalušić, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, is hosting a meeting in Maribor of representatives of the member states of the extended Forest Group +, which is chaired by Slovenia this year. At the meeting, Italy and Latvia formally joined the group consisting of the founding members – Austria, Finland, Sweden, Slovenia – and France by officially signing the guidelines.

On the margins of the meeting of the EU Agricultural and Fisheries Council, a meeting of agriculture ministers of the member states of the informal MED9 Group was held and organised on the initiative of Slovenia last night. The discussion focused on sustainable risk management in agriculture. The meeting provided important guidance for the continued discussion at the informal meeting of agriculture ministers to be held in Slovenia in early October.