News

Today's conference on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 disease featured Ljubljana Archbishop Stanislav Zore, Bishop of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia Leon Novak, deputy head of the Infectious Disease Centre of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) Nuška Čakš Jager and Marta Grgič Vitek of the NIJZ, the national coordinator of the vaccination programme.

14 countries issued a joint statement expressing concerns regarding the recent WHO-convened study in China, while at the same time reinforcing the importance of working together toward the development and use of a swift, effective, transparent, science-based, and independent process for international evaluations of such outbreaks of unknown origin in the future. The signatories also underscore the need for a robust, comprehensive, and expert-led mechanism for expeditiously investigating outbreaks of unknown origin that is conducted with full and open collaboration among all stakeholders and in accordance with the principles of transparency, respect for privacy, and scientific and research integrity.

A press conference on the current COVID-19 situation was attended by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Mateja Ribič, State Secretary Ajda Cuderman, and the Director-General of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, Mitja Gorenšček.

Today's press conference on the current situation related to COVID-19 featured the head of the advisory group Mateja Logar and the head of the Intensive Therapy Department of the Infectious Disease Clinic of the University Clinical Centre (UKC) Ljubljana Matjaž Jereb.

At today’s session, the Government adopted measures to contain the COVID-19 epidemic. Most of the measures will be in force from 1 April up to and including 11 April 2021.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia today convened at the Brdo Congress Centre for its 67th regular session at which it discussed measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. Among other things, the Government discussed the expert group’s proposal for an 11-day lockdown. This proposal is based on the figures which show a growing number of infections and hospitalisations and which, once again, call into question the stability of the Slovenian healthcare system, since the numbers of those needing intensive care could exceed even those that we saw at the peak of the second wave. These were all topics of the meeting that Prime Minister Janez Janša attended earlier today at the Brdo Congress Centre together with the presidents of the parliamentary parties, the heads of deputy groups, the minister of health and the minister’s expert group for the containment and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, which was hosted by President Borut Pahor.

Today at Brdo Congress Centre, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended a meeting of the presidents of parliamentary parties, heads of deputy groups, the minister of health and the minister’s expert group for the containment and control of the COVID-19 epidemic. At the meeting, the minister of health and head of the expert group presented their proposals for measures to contain the third wave of the COVID-19 epidemic ahead of them being put up for discussion and adoption at the session of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia.

Prime Minister Janez Janša participated in a video conference today on media freedom and the rule of law in Slovenia. The European Parliament’s Democracy, Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group (DRFMG), as part of the EP’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), continued the discussion on the freedom of the media and the rule of law in Slovenia which began on 5 March 2021.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša took part in a video conference of the members of the European Council.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, French President Emmanuel Macron, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovič and Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîțu have written a letter to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen about the role of nuclear energy in the EU climate and energy policy.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today met with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen via a video conference.

Today’s press on the current situation with the COVID-19 disease was attended by Janez Poklukar, the Minister of Health, Tjaša Žohar Čretnik, Director of the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Deana Potza from the Health Inspectorate, and Tomaž Pečjak, Deputy Director General of the Police.

Prime Minister Janez Janša addressed a letter to President Borut Pahor proposing that a meeting with all leaders of parliamentary parties as well as with heads of deputy groups, Ministry of Health and advisory group is convened as soon as possible.

At today's session, the Government adopted the Ordinance amending the Ordinance on the temporary partial restriction of movement of people and on the prohibition of gathering of people to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which stipulates that the movement of people is again restricted to within the region in the Obalno-kraška region, the Goriška region and the Koroška region. Movement is now restricted at night from 22:00 to 5:00. By way of the amendment, a negative RAT test is no longer listed among the general exceptions for entry into Slovenia. The Government also supplemented the national COVID-19 vaccination strategy.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today met with President of the European Council, Charles Michel, via videoconference. Their discussion mostly focused on the harmonisation of priorities and events of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU. Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, will also be among the guests of honor at the ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of Slovenia’s statehood.

Eva Grilc, an epidemiologist from the NIPH, and Jože Ramovš, an anthropologist, social worker, scientific advisor and associate professor, the initiator of the establishment of the Anton Trstenjak Institute, participated in a press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša contacted Austrian Federal Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš for further harmonisation of views ahead of a meeting of European Council leaders who will, inter alia, discuss the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the supply of vaccines. Kurz, Babiš and Janša agreed that contracts for the supply of vaccines must be fulfilled and that corrective mechanisms should be put in place where the European Commission does not guarantee supplies in accordance with such contracts. Slovenia ordered 3.1 million doses of vaccines for the first half of 2021, which covers the needs of its population.

Maja Ravnikar, director of the National Institute of Biology (NIB), and Robert Carotta, coordinator for hospital beds at the Ministry of Health, took part in a press conference on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 disease.

At today’s 67th extraordinary session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke about the proposal for a Declaration on the Orientations for the Republic of Slovenia’s functioning in the European Union institutions for the period 2021–2024.

At today’s 67th extraordinary session of the National Assembly replied to oral questions put to him by Franc Jurša (DeSUS), Zmago Jelinčič Plemeniti (SNS), Tina Heferle (LMŠ) and Janja Sluga (SMC) on long-term care, harmonisation of pensions, vaccines, prosecutors and future government work.