News

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia decided to lift the temporarily reintroduced control at the internal borders with Croatia and Hungary. The government’s decision was announced by Franci Matoz, Minister of the Interior and Public Administration, and Danijel Lorbek, Acting Director General of the Police.

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.

Representatives of the Slovenian Maritime Administration (SMA) attended the 6th international conference ADRIASPILLCON2026 (Adriatic Oil Spill Conference), which took place in Zadar, Croatia, from April 21 to 23, 2026.

The State Secretary at the Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Slovenians Abroad, Vesna Humar, attended a meeting with representatives of Slovenian associations and organisations during the official visit of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, to Croatia.

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.

On January 1, 2026, the Republic of Slovenia took over the chairmanship of the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) initiative. The initiative was established in 2010. It currently brings together the defence ministries of six countries: Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. Poland participates in the meetings as an observer.

At its meeting on 17 December 2025, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia issued an Ordinance amending the Ordinance on the temporary reintroduction of border controls at the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia with the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Hungary.

The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs organised a meeting in Ljubljana for directors of consular crisis centres from Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary and Slovakia. The meeting was held as part of a Slovenian initiative to strengthen cooperation between centres in the region, and was also attended by representatives from the Ministry of Defence, the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief.

At an expert consultation on the opportunities and challenges of Natura 2000, organised by the Slovenian Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning in cooperation with the Slovenian Business and Research Association (SBRA) in Brussels, experts from Slovenia, Croatia and the European Commission presented the latest findings, best practices and key challenges shaping biodiversity conservation in this part of Europe.

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.

Today, the Ministry of Defence hosted a presentation of the Slovenian-Croatian Cyber Range Connect project, aimed at establishing a federation of cyber training ranges on the SimSpace platform. This places both countries among the leaders in the European Union and NATO in connecting cyber training ranges outside of multinational projects.

Prime Minster Robert Golob met with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković in Vinica. The meeting focused on reviewing bilateral relations and issues on the European Council's agenda.

In the spirit of strengthening international cooperation in the field of labor law, the Labour Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia hosted representatives from the Croatian State Inspectorate and the Croatian Employment Service.

Prime Minister Robert Golob met with the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanović. This was Milanović’s first visit abroad since the start of his second term. The Prime Minister and the President confirmed that bilateral relations between the two countries were excellent and exchanged views on current international topics.

On the margins of the official opening of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025, Minister of Culture Asta Vrečko hosted a working meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the Western Balkans at Villa Vipolže in Goriška Brda. The meeting was also attended by the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, and the Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, Glenn Micallef.

The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia and Minister for Slovenians Abroad, Matej Arčon, and the State Secretary at the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad, Vesna Humar, are on a two-day visit to Zagreb. The capital of neighbouring Croatia is currently hosting the World Handball Championship.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar hosted a trilateral meeting in Nova Gorica with the Croatian Minister of the Interior, Dr Davor Božinović, and the Italian Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia issued the Ordinance on the temporary reintroduction of controls on the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia with the Republic of Croatia and Hungary at its meeting on 18 December 2024. The ordinance enters into force on 22 December 2024, prolonging temporary controls on the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia with the Republic of Croatia and Hungary for another six months, up to and including 21 June 2025.

Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon received in Ljubljana Alexander Schallenberg, Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, and Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, as part of the second meeting of the so-called Trilateral.