News

Wishing to resume social dialogue, Prime Minister Robert Golob invited the union representatives sitting on the Economic and Social Council to attend a working meeting.

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Nato and the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the military organisation, an exhibition and a roundtable discussion on the importance and future of Nato were opened at the Military History Park in Pivka on 27 March. The panellists agreed that the Alliance has played an important role in maintaining peace in Europe and will continue to do so in the future.

At today's session, the Government approved proposals for new amendments to the Compulsory Motor Third-Party Liability Insurance Act and to the Market in Financial Instruments Act. It also adopted the Immigration Strategy, a draft Resolution on the long-term peaceful use of nuclear energy in Slovenia, and the Decree on detailed spatial planning rules for siting photovoltaic installations and solar collectors.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has issued two grant decisions for boosting employment, namely for the project Boosting employment – Zaposli.me+ and for the Call for proposals to co-finance social activation+ projects.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, today welcomed the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Christopher Cavoli.

Slovenia will appear as Guest of Honour at the prestigious Bologna International Book Fair next month, cementing its place on the world stage as a nation rich in imaginative children's and youth literature and with an exceptional illustration heritage.

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana will be closed on Monday 1 April (Easter Monday).

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon received an official visit from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Filip Ivanović. They confirmed their mutual interest in further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly in the economy. They focused on Montenegro's progress towards EU accession and the current situation in the Western Balkans.

Minister Mateja Čalušić has attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, where ministers continued the discussion on the necessary measures to tackle the crisis in agriculture. The European Commission presented a new package of measures to enhance farmers' position in the agri-food chain. The ministers discussed the market situation following the invasion of Ukraine. In early afternoon, Minister Čalušić met with Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, today hosted the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Olaf Scholz, on a working visit. The meeting was aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries and exchanging views on current European and foreign policy issues.

The Government has adopted a decision on increasing the earmarked assets and capital of the Slovenian Regional Development Fund for soft lending to small and medium-sized enterprises, adopted an opinion on a draft amendment to the Pension and Disability Insurance Act, included two new projects in the current Development Programme Plan 2024–2027, and adopted several decisions on the reallocation of state budget funds.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon hosted a meeting of the foreign ministers of the informal Central 5 group, with the participation of Alexander Schallenberg, Minister of European and International Affairs of Austria, Jan Lipavský, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Péter Szijjárto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, and Juraj Blanár Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, met today with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsolo. They addressed topical issues ranging from the upcoming European elections to the situation in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis, as well as European agricultural policy and migration.

Prime Minister's statement: "Finally some good news from New York. The UN Security Council has agreed on a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Slovenia, together with the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, played a key role in proposing the resolution.

During her working visit to Sarajevo, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon expressed contentment with the European Council's decision to initiate accession negotiations between Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the EU. She reaffirmed Slovenia's steadfast support for BiH's reform efforts.

State Secretary Eva Knez has attended the informal meeting of EU ministers responsible for fisheries. The main topic of the informal meeting was the "Future of the EU fisheries and aquaculture". The discussion focused on the impact of external factors such as climate change, energy and input prices, and geopolitical situation. Examples of good practice in fisheries were presented.

The Slovenian Regional Development Fund has published the call for proposals BIZI Liquidity Energy. The call for proposals, published on the Fund’s website, aims to ensure business entities' liquidity in light of the energy crisis and improve their competitiveness, productivity, and technological equipment by implementing measures to control energy consumption and energy loss.

Prime Minister Robert Golob attended a regular two-day European Council meeting in Brussels. The leaders discussed further support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression, security and defence, the situation in the Middle East, EU enlargement, migration and current challenges in agriculture.

The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, co-chaired the 5th session of the Slovenia-Friuli Venezia Giulia Joint Committee in Trieste, together with the President of the Region, Massimiliano Fedriga. Minister Fajon underlined that this type of cooperation contributes to the improvement and diversification of bilateral relations between Slovenia and Italy and is also of great importance for the two minorities.

An event marking the official opening of the revamped nursing home, the largest of its kind in the Pomurje region, was held in Rakičan. The renovation of the nursing home’s central unit was co-funded by the European Union. In his welcoming remarks, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development dr. Aleksander Jevšek underscored that the renovated and modernised nursing home makes an important contribution to improving the quality of life of seniors and of the elderly care in the region.

The 5th session of the Slovenia-Friuli Venezia Giulia Joint Committee that was co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Tanja Fajon and the President of the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia Massimiliano Fedriga was held in Trieste. The State Secretary at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development also participated in the meeting.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar has hosted a conference of the Brdo Process. The conference was attended by the Ministers of the Interior and ministerial delegations from the Western Balkan partners, Austria, Italy and Hungary, the representatives of EU institutions, international and regional organisations and other partners involved.

On February 28, 2024, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Athens, together with the Honorary Consulate General and the Municipal University Library in Limassol, organized the opening of the exhibition of the private art collection of the Honorary Consul General of the Republic of the Slovenia in Limassol, dr. Evros Alexandrou with the title "The touch of a Slovenian painter."

At a trilateral meeting in Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, the Ministers of the Interior of Slovenia, Croatia and Italy, Boštjan Poklukar, Dr Davor Božinović and Matteo Piantedosi, committed to strengthening police cooperation between their countries.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today attended the first Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels. In his address, Mr Golob presented Slovenia’s positive experience with nuclear energy and highlighted the necessary elements for further development.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels.

At the invitation of Landry Riba Mandicó, Secretary of State for European Affairs of the Principality of Andorra, State Secretary Marko Štucin held the first political consultations in the history of the two countries in Andorra la Vella. The discussions focused on bilateral relations and current European and foreign policy issues.

Prime Minister Robert Golob received the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda. The main topics of discussion were the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

At the 96th regular meeting, the Government adopted a draft amendment to the Medical Services Act and the starting points for the development of normative solutions to the right to be forgotten. It also issued a Decree amending the Decree on administrative operations and a Decree on the one-off compensation to municipalities to promote the deployment of wind power generation installations.

The last working day of the Consular section of the Embassy of the Republic in Slovenia in Cairo before the holiday season will be Tuesday, 30 April 2024.

On the 12th International Francophonie Day, Ljubljana will host the 12th Francophone Film Festival showcasing the films produced in Slovenia, Belgium, France, Canada and Switzerland. In addition to promoting the French language and cultural and linguistic diversity, member states of the International Organisation of La Francophonie share a commitment to peace, human rights, democracy and sustainable development.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon visited the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium, where she gave a lecture on diplomacy in an increasingly complex world and met with the Rector of the College, Federica Mogherini, and two Slovenian students currently studying there.

The General Affairs Council focused on preparing conclusions for the European Council, where EU leaders will discuss Russian aggression in Ukraine, necessary security and defence measures and the EU's response to the alarming situation in the Middle East. A follow-up to the European Commission's latest report on enlargement, which is crucial for Slovenia, is also planned.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon addressed MEPs at the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) during a debate on EU enlargement. She stressed that EU enlargement is a geostrategic imperative and that both the countries aspiring to become part of the EU family and the EU Member States should prepare for this important step.

On Tuesday, March 26th, the Archive, the reading room will be closed due to a cultural event.

The Government adopted the opinion on the initiative of the FIDES union and Milenko Stanković to instigate a procedure for a review of the constitutionality and legality of the Ordinance on the provision of medical services during a strike. The Government gave a positive opinion on the awarding of Polish state decorations, i.e. the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland and the Gold Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland, to two Slovenian citizens.

Minister Tanja Fajon took part in a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels to discuss the alarming situation in the Middle East, Russian aggression against Ukraine and the deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus. She also participated in the third edition of the European Humanitarian Forum, where she presented Slovenia's humanitarian response to the growing number of crises around the world.

Prime Minister Robert Golob met today with Mayor of the Municipality of Maribor Saša Arsenovič.

At today's regular meeting, Prime Minister Robert Golob and President Nataša Pirc Musar exchanged views on current domestic and foreign policy issues.

At today’s correspondence session, the Government read the document on the protest demands of Slovenian farmers and the announced nationwide protest by farmers involving the Farmers’ Union of Slovenia, the Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry of Slovenia, the Cooperative Union of Slovenia, the Slovenian Rural Youth Association, the Association of Hill and Mountain Farmers of Slovenia, and the Women Farmers Association of Slovenia.

Prime Minister Golob attended the ceremony marking the breakthrough of the second tube of the Karavanke motorway tunnel. Today's event marked the symbolic breakthrough of the second tunnel tube at the junction with Austria, although the actual breakthrough took place on 5 March.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Strengthening the network of offices for employers. The project will receive support from the European Social Fund Plus.

Ambassador Mirošič attended an informal coffee reception hosted by Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs, Ambassador Michele Sison at the U.S. Department of State on March 15, 2024.

State Secretary Marko Štucin held political consultations in Athens at the invitation of the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Alexandra Papadopoulou. The two officials also participated as speakers at an event on the Western Balkans, co-organised by the Bled Strategic Forum and the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), which was attended by more than 130 participants.

The Russian Defence Ministry claims, in a statement posted on Telegram, that there are five Slovenians among foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine.

Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs presented economic diplomacy to Slovenian craftspeople. The promotion of diplomatic support for craftspeople is part of a series of events aimed at systematically promoting the internationalisation of Slovenian companies through the network of the Chamber of Craft and Small Business and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, particularly in the framework of the Strategic Research and Innovation Partnerships between Slovenian companies and research institutions (SRIP).

State Secretary Marko Štucin discussed topical European and international issues and bilateral cooperation with Christopher Cutajar, Permanent Secretary at the Maltese Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, and Glenn Micallef, Head of Secretariat in the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta, in Valletta.

Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Ukraine Mateja Prevolšek handed over a modern C-type ambulance, equipped with an incubator for the transportation of new-born and premature babies, to Olena Yaroschuk, Acting Director of Maternity Hospital No. 5 in Kyiv, in the presence of Deputy Minister of Health of Ukraine Ihor Kopach.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Content support to accelerate the global and sustainable growth of innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – DevelopmentPlus Programme.

At today's meeting, the Government adopted an amendment to the Act on the Provision of Funds for Investment in Sports Infrastructure and the starting points for the preparation of the Act on Quality in Health Care. It also set the starting points for the conclusion of an agreement on mediation to resolve the strike demands of the FIDES Main Strike Committee and appointed Minister Matej Arčon as Deputy Prime Minister.

Minister Jevšek presented the report on the implementation of the European Cohesion Policy (ECP) for 2014–2020 and 2021–2027: “Slovenia concluded the 2014-2020 ECP as one of the more successful EU Member States. We have utilised all the available funds intended for people, the economy and balanced regional development. In 2023, we started implementing the 2021-2027 ECP, and have already issued decisions on support worth EUR 334 million.”

On Wednesday, 13 March 2024, the Republic of Slovenia, rated A3 (stable) / AA- (stable) / A (stable), successfully increased the 3% Notes due 10 March 2034 (ISIN SI0002104576) by EUR 500mio, bringing the total outstanding size to EUR 2bn. The success of this transaction is also underpinned by a strong final orderbook in excess of EUR 3.1bn.

The Prime Minister, Robert Golob, received representatives of the National Council of Disability Organisations of Slovenia (NSIOS). At the meeting, they discussed the solutions needed to regulate the situation of persons with disabilities in society and reviewed the work of the focus group so far in the period 2022–2023.

Minister Matjaž Han met Neale Richmond, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment of the Republic of Ireland, in Ljubljana. The two ministers discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries and topical European issues in the areas of competitiveness, the future of European industry and the EU internal market.

The Republic of Slovenia – EUR 10-year tap

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Upgrading the SOVIR system for early warning, awareness-raising and adaptation to weather-related emergencies in a changing climate.

Prime Minister Robert Golob visited University Medical Centre Maribor, where he met with the management and was briefed on the organisation of work and the implementation of the measures taken by the Government to protect the public healthcare system.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today met with Enrico Letta, the President of the Jacques Delors Institute and former President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic.

Today, the Minister for Slovenians in Neighbouring Countries and Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon and the Minister for Cohesion and Regional Development Aleksander Jevšek attended the signing ceremony of the Letter of Intent to establish the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Kras-Carso, which took place at the Regional Palace in Trieste, Italy.

State Secretary Sanja Štiglic hosted the Deputy Foreign Minister of Vietnam, Le Thi Thu Hang, for political consultations in Ljubljana. The fifth round of consultations coincides with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Deputy Foreign Minister Thu Hang also paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Public employee training for obtaining competencies of the future.

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies' "Open Academy" Slovene language courses are still open for registration until 11 March, 2024 at 23:59.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon is hosting representatives of the Israeli organisation Women Wage Peace, Manuela Rotstein and Enam Odeh, and the founder of the Palestinian organisation Women of the Sun, Reem Hajajreh. The two organisations have been nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for their joint work.

Elementary school students will enter a slightly renovated school in the fall. As the latest GOVSI podcast guest, State Secretary from the Ministry of Education, Janja Zupančič, emphasizes, the school is a living community that must adapt to what is happening in the environment. The recently adopted amendment to the Act on Elementary School is one of the responses to these adjustments.

A trilateral meeting between the Intellectual Property Office, the Portuguese Industrial Property Institute and the Latvian Patent Office concluded yesterday. The purpose of the meeting was to sign memorandums of understanding and to share knowledge and good practices, in particular in the areas of non-agri geographical indications, copyright and patenting.

At today's session, the Government adopted the Draft Resolution on the National Programme for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Violence against Women and amended the Articles of Association of the Slovenian Sovereign Holding.

Please be advised that the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Brussels and the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to the European Union Brussels are moving to a new location at Rue Joseph II 14, 1000 Brussels.

A meeting of the Development Council of the Western Slovenia cohesion region was held in Koper. The Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development, Dr Aleksander Jevšek, presented the state of play of European Cohesion Policy implementation. He highlighted the drafting of the Regional Development Agreement for which approximately EUR 460 million is available under the 2021-2027 programming period.

On the initiative of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia and the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport, a second consultation on the possibilities for Slovenian companies to be involved in international supply chains for the construction and maintenance of nuclear power plants was held in Krško.

In recent weeks, some Slovenian and foreign media have published fake news that the Republic of Slovenia was involved in sending 155 mm grenades purchased in India to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the Call for proposals to co-finance multigenerational centres+’ projects.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food informs the public that the deadline for submitting applications for the Golden Bee Award expires on 15 March 2024. The topic of this year's open call is achievements in the promotion of bees and other pollinators.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, and the Minister of Health, Valentina Prevolnik Rupel, attended the opening of the Centre for the Treatment of Infertility and Biomedically-Assisted Fertilisation at the Postojna Hospital for Women's Diseases and Obstetrics.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar attended the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels. The main topics of the meeting were the situation in the schengen area, the evaluation of the mandate of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the external aspect of migration.

State Secretary Marko Štucin participated in the third Antalya Diplomacy Forum on 1–3 March 2024, held under the theme "Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil". In his address to the panel, he stressed that to successfully meet global challenges head on, especially in diplomacy, we need to be able to talk and seek consensus. He also held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Forum.

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob today attended the main Civil Protection Day ceremony at Brdo pri Kranju.

The Council of Europe marked the second anniversary of the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, President of the Parliamentary Assembly Theodoros Rousopoulos, Chairman of the Committee of Deputy Ministers and Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein Domenik Wanger, and Permanent Representative of Ukraine Borys Tarasyuk addressed the attendees.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals Incentives for innovative start-ups in 2024.

State Secretary for European Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office Igor Mally received the Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka in Ljubljana.

The second month of our membership in the UN Security Council has come to an end. This month, under the Presidency of Guyana, was marked by the second anniversary of war in Ukraine and the dire situation in Gaza.

State Secretary for International Affairs and National and International Security Vojko Volk paid a productive working visit to Washington D.C. During his time there, he had the privilege of meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O'Brien, and Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, Michele Sison.

The European Commission announced its withdrawal of a proposal for a regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products by 31 March 2024. Slovenia supported the proposal in principle, but repeatedly pointed out certain problematic issues during the discussion, in particular the inadequate consideration of the specificities of individual Member States.

At today's session, the Government issued an ordinance on the provision of medical services during a strike, which sets out the medical services that doctors must provide during the strike by the Fides trade union. The Government also took note of the Spring Forecast of Economic Trends 2024 and adopted an amendment to the draft Matura Examination Act.

State Secretary Marko Štucin hosted the Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs, Dr János Bóka. They discussed current European issues, with a particular focus on Hungary's preparations for the EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2024 and EU enlargement.

The construction of the Vinjan viaduct, which is the third and also the last viaduct on the route of the second railway track between Koper and Divača, has been completed. Prime Minister Robert Golob and Minister of Infrastructure Alenka Bratušek attended the ceremony. They both gave assurances that another track would be built next to the second track.

The Prime Minister Robert Golob today attended the ceremonial opening of the Vinjan viaduct, the third and last viaduct on the route of the new Koper–Divača railway line.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project National platform – Centre for Creativity.

At the government committee meetings, the Government took note of the list of beneficiaries to receive the fourth tranche of advance payments for the reconstruction of housing damaged by floods and landslides in August 2023. A total of 731 beneficiaries will receive advance payments amounting to €2,389,214.42.

Between 27th February and 1st of March, the Center for European Perspective, in collaboration with the U.S. State Department, organized the 24th training session as part of the European Digital Diplomacy Exchange (EDDE) project. The training focused on strengthening digital strategic communication.

On 21 February 2024, a new chapter in diplomatic relations between Slovenia and Albania was opened with the official opening of the Slovenian Consulate in Duress, headed by Honorary Consul Genci Likoskëndaj. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, local authorities, business, media, artists and many distinguished guests.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, acting as the Managing Authority for the Interreg Programme Slovenia-Hungary, organized a signing ceremony for the European Regional Development Fund subsidy contracts for small-scale projects approved in the frame of the first open call submission deadline. The ceremony, which took place on Friday, 23 February 2024, was held in Nagyrécse, Hungary.

Today, the UN Security Council convened a briefing on food insecurity in Gaza, requested by Slovenia, Algeria, Guyana and Switzerland. The meeting followed a white note of 22 February, sent by OCHA to Council members on food security risks in Gaza.

On Saturday, February 24th 2024 Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United States Iztok Mirošič joined the rally organized by Ukranian diaspora in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion to Ukraine.

At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Robert Golob yesterday in Paris attended a meeting of European leaders and senior representatives of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Norway.

Participants of today’s EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Agri-Fish Council) meeting discussed measures to combat crises in the agricultural sector. Slovenia was represented in the meeting by the Secretary of State, Ms. Eva Knez, who pointed out on arrival that Slovenia welcomed the European Commission’s proposals of simplifying the existing Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) rules. “The measures proposed are aimed at taking greater account of specificities of individual Member States. Today, we repeatedly proposed introducing the ad hoc financial mechanism for countries to be in a position to respond rapidly to crises in agriculture.”

Ambassador Berta Mrak presented her credentials to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Maria Pejčinović Burić, and thus assumed her duties as Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe.

The 55th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) opened in Geneva and will run until 5 April 2024. Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in the high-level segment of the session with a video message, presenting Slovenia's views on the current situation of human rights around the world and the session’s priority themes.

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.

With the evening of chansons and cabaret, performed by two talented Slovenian artists, Sabina Gruden, mezzo-soprano, and Rebeka Dobravec, piano, in the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, the Embassy of Slovenia in Athens marked Prešeren Day, a national holiday, celebrated every year on 8 February.

At today's session, the Government adopted the first measures aimed at protecting the public health system. These measures will be particularly important after 1 March, when the withdrawal of overtime consents by doctors who decided to take this step during the Fides strike will take effect.