News

On the 71st anniversary of the signing of the Austrian State Treaty (ADP), the Republic of Slovenia once again reaffirms its ongoing commitment to supporting the Slovenian minority in Austrian Carinthia and Styria in their efforts to fully realise their rights as set out in Article 7 of the ADP.

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.

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.

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.

State Secretary Neva Grašič took part in the regular annual quadrilateral meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Slovenia, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, held in Vaduz. This regional format has been in place since 2011.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended two events in Vienna that brought together diplomacy, culture and business in one of the world’s foremost diplomatic centres. The events presented Slovenia as a creative, supportive and responsible country that believes in the power of dialogue and cooperation.

In Vienna, at a meeting with Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs Beate Meinl-Reisinger, Minister Tanja Fajon expressed her satisfaction with the publication of the report on the events at the Peršman Homestead, following almost three months of waiting, and conveyed Slovenia’s expectation that Austria would take swift and appropriate action based on the report’s recommendations.

The Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs has expressed strong indignation in response to reports of vandalism in Austrian Carinthia, where Slovenian place names on bilingual local signs in the municipalities of Železna Kapla and Pliberk were defaced with paint.

On 23 October 2025, Slovenia will present a remarkable story of integrating culture, economy and foreign policy in Vienna, one of the world's most important centres of diplomacy. Under the honorary patronage of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, the famous Wiener Konzerthaus will host a performance of the musical Peace Child, organised to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the United Nations.

The Slovenia–Carinthia Joint Committee, chaired by the Governor of Carinthia, Peter Kaiser, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, met in Celovec/Klagenfurt: “We are not only neighbours but also partners in our shared region in the heart of Europe”.

The Minister of Public Administration, Franc Props, held an introductory meeting with H.E. Dr Konrad G. Bühler, the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to Slovenia. Dr Bühler, who has been in post since November 2024, was accompanied by his deputy, Kristof Grabmayer-Keri.

State Secretary Marko Štucin received the Deputy Governor of Styria, Manuela Khom. During the meeting, the State Secretary spoke favourably of the halt of the procedure for the constitutional amendment in the Provincial Government of Styria. The amendments included the addition of the controversial Styrian anthem, which mentions the Slovenian territory.

During a visit to Austria, Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon met with the new Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, Beate Meinl-Reisinger. The visit was aimed at developing good neighbourly relations between the two countries and discussing current foreign policy and EU issues, including the Western Balkans and the EU enlargement.

State Secretary Marko Štucin hosted the new Austrian Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Family, Claudia Plakolm, for consultations. They discussed the most topical issues currently being addressed in the EU and agreed that Slovenia and Austria share similar views on several EU policies.

Minister Tanja Fajon met with representatives of the Slovenian minority in Austria at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in Ljubljana today to discuss topical issues relating to their situation, rights and development.

The Minister of economy, tourism and sport, Matjaž Han, is visiting Salzburg today, one of the world’s most renowned tourist destinations. During his visit, he met with representatives from the tourism and business sectors and visited one of the leading companies in the region. The main goal of the visit is to strengthen economic cooperation between Slovenia and Austria and to exchange best practices in tourism and industry.

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.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Slovenians Abroad, Matej Arčon, visited the Slovenian community in Vienna. He met with Slovenian societies at the Korotan Student Residence and Hotel, where the main focus was on the establishment’s operation after Slovenia’s recent capital increase aimed at securing the future of this symbol of Slovenian identity in Vienna.

Slovenia concluded its second Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP) with the 9th Annual Forum at Brdo pri Kranju. The priorities of Slovenia's Presidency of the Strategy, which provides a valuable platform for regional cooperation and the search for common solutions, were youth, water and the circular economy.

State Secretary Marko Štucin reaffirmed the good neighbourly relations during bilateral consultations with Nikolaus Marschik, Secretary General of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, held in Bled. He expressed hope that Austria would continue to adopt measures to improve the situation of the Slovenian minority through close cooperation with the minority community.