News

On Friday, 23 December 2022, a state celebration will take place in Ljubljana in honour of Independence and Unity Day. Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, will be the keynote speaker.

Several foreign media re-listed Slovenia on the rankings of tourist destinations for 2023. It was ranked first by the French Le Monde and was included on the list of sustainable countries by the American Forbes, and Hotel Milka in Kranjska Gora was added to the list of the best new hotels.

The European Commission confirmed that a lot had been done in Slovenia in the last six months relating to the rule of law, said the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Marko Štucin, following the meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels. A great amount of work was still ahead, but we would make further efforts to continue the reforms, he added.

10 December marks Human Rights Day, a day when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which represents the foundation for all further international legal documents in the field of human rights protection. This year’s world day is celebrated under the slogan, 'Dignity, Freedom and Justice for All'.

On 3 December, many cultural institutions across Slovenia open their doors and invite visitors to free cultural and artistic events.

At the seventeenth session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, taking place in Morocco, the projects “Beekeeping in Slovenia, a way of life”, and “Lipizzan horse breeding traditions” have been placed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The proposed mechanism for limiting natural gas price presented this week by the European Commission will need substantial corrections, stated Bojan Kumer, Slovenian Minister of Infrastructure, after today’s meeting of energy ministers.

On today’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, calls are being made for violence against women to become a thing of the past. Non-governmental and other organisations stress that violence cannot be stopped without the elimination of inequalities in society. The support for victims of violence in proceedings and women’s empowerment are also crucial.

The 38th Slovenian Book Fair was opened on Tuesday, 22 November at the festival hall of the Exhibition and Convention Centre. The fair will be held until 27 November, and until 4 December online. Under the slogan Reading the World, this year’s fair will be organised as a symbol of the upcoming honorary hosting of Slovenia at the largest book fair in the world in Frankfurt, where Slovenian literature and culture will be at the forefront next year.

The slogan of this year’s European Week for Waste Reduction, which is taking place from 19 to 27 November 2022, is »Textile waste is out of fashion!«.

The Traditional Slovenian Breakfast project has been held in nurseries and schools every third Friday in November since 2011. This year the emphasis is on milk and dairy products, as shown by the slogan “Breakfast with milk – a great day”.

Nataša Pirc Musar will become the first woman to be president of Slovenia. The former journalist and information commissioner assumes the highest political office in the country as a lawyer with no political experience, committed to liberal values and the protection of human rights.

The explanation states that Ljubljana is the first European capital to commit to becoming zero-waste.

The wine harvest is over and the grapes in cellars are already turning into wine. Since wine is a big part of Slovenia's cultural heritage, St Martin's day is a holiday not to be missed by any Slovenian.

The 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) began in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, on November 7th. The focus this year is on the challenges faced by developing countries in the light of climate change. One of the most important questions is financial aid for these nations. In one of the main speeches at the panel of leaders, Slovenia’s President Borut Pahor confirmed his country’s commitment to limiting atmospheric warming, and providing developmental and humanitarian aid to the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Slovenian tourism, presenting itself at the World Travel Market (WTM) London, emphasises the importance of inclusive and respectful tourism. According to Karmen Novarlič from the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB), Slovenia’s focus on sustainable operations has been recognised by the leading decision makers in the travel industry, who ranked the country among the 10 most sustainable and responsible destinations in the world.

From 4 to 20 November, Celje and Ljubljana will be hosting the largest women’s sports event in Slovenia since the country gained its independence, together with Skopje and Podgorica – the 15th European Women’s Handball Championship.

Today, the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy officially submitted the Programme for the Implementation of the European Cohesion Policy 2021–2027 to the European Commission. "We have completed one of the main tasks of this Government and now we must see to the swift implementation of the projects," Minister Jevšek stated.

National Geographic’s Global Editorial Teams profiled Slovenia among 25 Most Extraordinary Places and Communities To Inspire Your Next Trip in the “Nature” category. As such, Slovenia is one of the eight European destinations that made to the list of 25 selected destinations.

Today we mark Sovereignty Day, which, however, is not a work-free day. On the night before Wednesday it will be 31 years since the very last Yugoslav People’s Army soldier left the territory of present-day Slovenia. The Slovenian War of Independence was thus at an end, and Slovenia became a sovereign state. The main state ceremony will take place in Gornja Radgona, with the Minister of Defence, Marjan Šarec, as the keynote speaker.