News

The sixth Golden Bee Award was presented in celebration of World Bee Day. This year's winners are the Bee-etal Lab research group from Spain which, among other things, develop advanced methods for controlling invasive species. Their most notable achievement to date is the successful eradication of the invasive Asian hornet in Mallorca. The golden statue was presented to them by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar.

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.

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.

Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain condemn the latest Israeli legislation targeting UNRWA, including measures to cut water, electricity and communications to its facilities. Such actions undermine the UN mandate, violate international law and run counter to the findings of the International Court of Justice, while risking grave humanitarian consequences for the Palestinian civilian population and refugees.

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.

State Secretary Neva Grašič has paid a working visit to Spain, where the Slovenian Presidency of the informal MED9 group of Mediterranean EU Member States hosted a working breakfast for representatives of Slovenia and Spain, and the ambassadors of the group's member states. State Secretary Grašič also met with Fernando Sampedro, State Secretary for the European Union, and Maider Makua García, Director of the Department of European Affairs of the Spanish Presidency of the Government and PM’s sherpa.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway, Slovenia and Spain strongly condemn the most recent Israeli offensive launched in the Strip and the announcement to establish a permanent presence in Gaza City.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain strongly condemn the recent announcement by the Government of Israel of the intensification of the occupation and the military offensive, including in Gaza city. This decision will only deepen the humanitarian crisis and further endanger the remaining hostages’ lives. This operation will lead to an unacceptable high toll of deaths and the forced displacement of nearly one million Palestinian civilians.

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.

At the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister Robert Golob visited Madrid today. On the occasion of the anniversary of Palestine’s recognition, Prime Minister Golob and Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez issued a joint statement, in which they called, among other things, for an immediate end to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, the respect for international law, and urged Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government to stop the massacre in Gaza.

One year after the official recognition of the State of Palestine by Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and Spain, in the framework of the ‘Madrid+’ Group of the meeting, we have met to renew and reinforce the international commitment for the implementation of the two-State solution and to the principle that only a viable, contiguous Palestinian State, with internationally recognised borders, comprised of Gaza and the West Bank and with East Jerusalem as its capital, can fully satisfy the legitimate national aspirations and the needs of peace and security of both the people of Palestine and Israel.

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.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in the 9th UfM Regional Forum in Barcelona together with 43 foreign ministers and their deputies from the Euro-Mediterranean region. Thanks to its increased engagement in the UfM, Slovenia has been recognised as a very active and constructive member in recent years," said Minister Fajon.

On 14 October, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs welcomed representatives of institutions from Brazil, Chile and Uruguay working in the field of digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI).

At the invitation of Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, Minister Fajon took part in a meeting of European and Arab foreign ministers. The discussion focused on strengthening joint efforts and initiatives aimed at realising the two-state solution and achieving peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. They agreed that more diplomacy and international cooperation are needed to resolve this conflict.

"I welcome today's announcement by the leaders of the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Ireland and the Kingdom of Norway on recognising the State of Palestine. In recent weeks, I have been in close and regular contact with them. In the coming days, I will also be in contact with many colleagues from EU Member States that have not yet recognised Palestine, in the hope that they join the recognition process in the near future.

The Prime Minister, Dr Robert Golob, today hosted the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón. The two Prime Ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East, with a focus on the war in Gaza. They also touched on the issue of recognition of Palestine and agreed to hold a joint meeting of the two Governments.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar met his Spanish counterpart Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez in Madrid. The two ministers discussed topical issues in the areas of migration, Schengen, combating people smuggling and the further increase of the police cooperation.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers (Gymnich) in Toledo, where the ministers addressed current foreign and security policy issues. They discussed Russia's aggression on Ukraine and the situation in the Sahel, focusing on Niger after the military coup.