News

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.

The representatives of the ministries responsible for higher education from Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Malta, Cyprus, Portugal, Croatia and Slovenia, a representative of the Union for the Mediterranean and a representative of the European Commission attended a ministerial meeting at Brdo pri Kranju. This was the first event since Slovenia assumed the one-year Presidency of MED9, a group of EU Member States in the Mediterranean.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Slovenians Abroad, Matej Arčon, visited Trieste, where he met with the leaders and representatives of societies from the two umbrella organisations, the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Union and the Council of Slovenian Organisations. He also visited several Slovenian institutions. He was accompanied by Gregor Šuc, the Consul-General of the Republic of Slovenia in Trieste.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar hosted the Brdo Process Ministerial Meeting. Alongside Minister Poklukar, the meeting was opened by Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement, and Magnus Brunner, European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration.

On 27 and 28 March 2025, the border cities of Gorizia and Nova Gorica, which hold the title of European Capital of Culture this year, hosted the Interreg GO! event, which was opened by keynote speakers Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reform, Marta Kos, European Commissioner for Enlargement, and Aleksander Jevšek, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development.

As commemorative events for the victims of the Foibe massacres take place in Italy and beyond, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs underscores the importance of an inclusive remembrance of the tragic events of the 20th century and their victims. The memory of such harrowing events must not be misused as a tool for political or ideological purposes.

State Secretary Melita Gabrič accepted the invitation of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to participate in the Friends of Western Balkans meeting. The event brought together the foreign ministers of EU member states belonging to the Friends of Western Balkans group, ministers from the Western Balkan countries, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the EU Commissioner for Enlargement.