News

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EUR 764.5 thousand of European Regional Development Fund contribution for a project, implemented under the Agreement on the Development of the Region, for setting up electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Kranj. This is the first project supported by the ESI funds focusing entirely on EV charging stations; thus far EV charging stations were supported under Park and Ride projects resulting in around one hundred parking units offering EV charging.

The last meeting of the Working Group of the Public Procurement Council, chaired by Director General Sašo Matas and his colleagues, took place today at the Directorate for Public Procurement of the Ministry of Public Administration in the framework of the Presidency.

Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the Rome MED 2021 – Mediterranean Dialogues international conference, which is taking place in the Italian capital under this year's title “Leveraging Transitions”. Minister Logar together with the Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares Bueno and Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić Radman took part in the panel on Mediterranean common goods, stating “we are proud that Slovenia has joined the EUMED, an excellent platform for cooperation also for its Foreign Ministers. It is important that countries on both sides of the Mediterranean strive for common values and goals, even if at different paces, for a better future.”

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan attended the virtual event "Inclusive and Resilient Digital Transition: A New Chapter for the AU-EU Relations?" at which he stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between the African Union and the European Union in this field.

At today's meeting of the Telecommunications Council, chaired by the Minister of Public Administration, Boštjan Koritnik, the EU ministers unanimously endorsed a general approach on the NIS2 directive, which will make a major contribution to improving the EU’s resilience and cyber incident response capacities. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Digital Transformation, Mark Boris Andrijanič, who chaired the Council's policy debate on "Digital rights and principles" in the context of Europe's Digital Decade 2030.

Today, the Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the Central European Initiative (CEI) summit in Budva via an audio-video link, hosted by the Prime Minister of Montenegro Zdravko Krivokapić.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the 28th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Stockholm, at which the foreign ministers discussed conflicts and current crises in the region, stressing the importance of an effective OSCE approach in implementing the concept of comprehensive security.

From 1 to 3 December 2021, the Congress Centre Brdo pri Kranju is hosting the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs.

At the last meeting of the Working Party on Staff Regulations under the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, delegates discussed two regular annual reports, namely on the budget and financial expenditure for employees of the EU institutions and the employment of contract staff in the EU institutions. The working party was led by Peter Pogačar, Director General of the Public Sector Directorate, and his colleagues.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs and State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture dr. Ignacija Fridl Jarc today attended the conference of the Center for Creativity as special guests to deliver introductory remarks on the occasion of the launch of the call for proposals Promotion of cultural and creative industries – Centre for Creativity 2022. The call for proposals will receive ERDF co-financing.

On 30 November 2021, more than 150 experts and entrepreneurs participated in a webinar titled SMEs & Defence Initiatives: Unlocking Opportunities & Overcoming Challenges (SMEs), organized under the auspices of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU by the European Defence Agency (EDA), the Slovenian Business & Research Association (SBRA) and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia.

Prime Minister Janez Janša and Minister of Agriculture Dr Jože Podgoršek today met with representatives of non-governmental organisations in the field of agriculture and food.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended a meeting of foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Alliance in Riga on 30 November and 1 December 2021.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša, together with the President of the Republic Borut Pahor and the President of the National Assembly Igor Zorčič, attended a special celebration event marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. On this occasion which is celebrated on 3 December, the three presidents traditionally hold a reception for representatives of disability organisations every year.

The press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 was attended by Robert Carotta, Coordinator for COVID-19 Hospital Beds at the Ministry of Health, Tjaša Žohar Čretnik, Director of the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Patricija Furlan Fon, Acting Chief Inspector of the Infrastructure Inspectorate, and Maja Bratuša.

Negotiators from the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a new law to promote the availability of data and build a trustworthy environment to facilitate its use for research and the creation of innovative new services and products.

This statement has been co-signed by Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

At the first ministerial conference on digital transformation, representatives of the Three Seas initiative countries agreed on the need to chart an ambitious path for economic development and competitiveness. They are convinced that this will only be possible through increased investment in digitalisation and closer cooperation in the region.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today held a video conference call with Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg. The two interlocutors assessed the state of the Covid-19 epidemic and exchanged information and experiences with anti-pandemic measures and their effects.

On the 70th anniversary of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), State Secretary Stanislav Raščan took part in a hybrid meeting of the IOM Council in Geneva via videolink. The high-level panel focussed on the impact of COVID-19 on borders, migration and mobility.