News

Following the adoption of the Healthcare Emergency Measures Act in the summer, a rulebook and two additional decrees to help stabilise the healthcare system and shorten waiting times are due to be published today.

At today's correspondence session, the Government adopted an opinion on the request for a reconsideration of the amendments to the Family Code and proposes that the National Assembly adopt the law in the reconsideration. It also concluded that the proposer's request to suspend two articles of the Decree amending the Decree on Packaging and Packaging Waste Handling is unfounded.

Uroš Brežan, minister of the environment and spatial planning, today made a field visit to Vintgar Gorge together with the mayor of Gorje, and also met the mayors and other representatives of the municipalities of Bled, Bohinj, Jesenice, Kranjska Gora, Bovec and Kobarid, and those responsible for managing natural resources in Triglav National Park (TNP).

Interior minister Tatjana Bobnar attended the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg.

The ministry has received the final report on research into the minimum cost of living. Before determining the size of the adjustment to the minimum wage, and drawing up the basis for raising the minimum basic income, we will coordinate with the government and the social partners. The latter were today briefed on the report within the framework of the Economic and Social Council.

The Naša Super Hrana website published the results of the third survey of basic food products from 10 October 2022. According to this insight into price developments in the consumer food basket, and additional analysis, products of Slovenian origin prevail at all food retailers included in the survey.

The purpose of the Decree on the criteria to define and assess the number of households in energy poverty is to contribute to a high-quality planning and implementing of energy and social policy in the field of energy poverty.

At today’s meeting by correspondence, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the amended Organisation and Financing of Education Act and the amended Public Sector Salary System Act.

The Government and public sector unions signed the Agreement regulating measures relating to salaries and other labour costs in the public sector for 2022 and 2023. The Agreement will increase salaries and meals allowance of public sector employees, including the adjustment of annual holiday pay for those working in salary grade 50 and below.

The Government adopted the Decree on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. The Decree governs individual objectives and measures for certain plastic products and waste generated from these products.

At the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, the ministers of justice discussed current activities regarding war crimes in Ukraine. Minister Dr Dominika Švarc Pipan condemned Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, especially the attacks on civilians.

At today’s session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the draft act on emergency actions to contain the spread and mitigate the consequences of the infectious COVID-19 disease in healthcare and submitted it to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia to be discussed in an urgent procedure. After the Government’s session, Minister of Health Danijel Bešič Loredan stated that the draft act "sets the legal bases for COVID-19 to become an endemic disease by spring."

Slovenian Press Agency journalist Luka Tetičkovič spoke to Slovenian Defence Minister Marjan Šarec about the defence budget, investments in the defence sector, the manning levels in the Slovenian Armed Forces, and the planned changes in the protection and disaster relief system. We are hereby providing a summary of the interview, published by the Slovenian Press Agency on Wednesday, 12 October.

At today’s meeting, the Government adopted a proposal for the Act on Healthcare Emergency Measures to Contain the Spread of the Covid-19 Communicable Disease and Mitigate its Consequences, and issued a Decree on the criteria for determining and assessing the number of households in energy poverty. The Government also took note of the proposal for the Agreement on measures relating to salaries and other labour costs in the public sector for 2022 and 2023.

Marjan Šarec, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, attended the meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence in Brussels. The war in Ukraine, strengthening the deterrence and defence of the Alliance, investing in defence and incentives to increase stocks of military equipment and industrial capacities were at the forefront of the ministers’ discussions. On the margins of the meeting, Minister Šarec signed a declaration on strengthening bilateral cooperation with Christine Lambrecht, the German Federal Minister of Defence.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today attended, as a guest of honour, the 26th meeting of businessmen from the Primorska region, which was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Primorska at the Vila Vipolže venue in Dobrovo.

The European Commission today published its annual report on the enlargement strategy and progress of candidate countries and potential candidate countries for membership of the European Union. In addition to the strategy, the so-called enlargement package summarises the annual progress of the six Western Balkans countries and Turkey and makes recommendations for the way forward. For Slovenia, the package is particularly important in the part concerning the granting of candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which Slovenia has been advocating since the European Council meeting last June. Today, the European Commission has made a recommendation on granting the candidate status to this country, which is expected to be decided by EU Member States in December.

As part of the enlargement package, the European Commission today issued a recommendation that Bosnia and Herzegovina be awarded EU candidate status but will have to meet additional requirements before making further steps on the path to the Union. This is the same formula that the Commission has already applied in the case of Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the recommendation as an important step towards the granting of EU candidate status. In the next stage, this will be decided on by the EU heads of state and government at the European Council.

The Government included the renovation of a section of the Ljubljana - Šiška Retirement Home into the applicable Plan of Development Programmes for the 2022–2025 period.

Ms Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF), participated today in the 7th meeting of the ‘Golden Bee Award’ Committee, where the central topic was the approval of the ‘2023 Golden Bee Award’ public tender dossier.

Within the framework of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the meeting of Directors-General for the Environment is taking place in Prague, which is also attended by mag. Tanja Bolte, the Acting Director-General of the Environment Directorate. The event is intended to start an international discussion on the environment and be a platform for an exchange of views regarding the recent legislative initiative of the European Commission about nature restoration and harmonisation of plans.

Today on 11 October 2022, Matej Arčon, Minister for Slovenians Abroad, visited the Primorska Technology Park (PTP) in Vrtojba and held a meeting with its Director, mag. Tanja Kožuh. Minister Arčon was accompanied by State Secretary Vesna Humar.

A panel discussion was held in Ig Training Centre (ICZR Ig), Slovenia, on 11th October 2022 as part of the planned project activities within the European Project Safe and Equal in EMErgencies – “SEE ME”.

The European Defence Agency and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia are organising a two-day thematic workshop of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector at Grand Hotel Union in Ljubljana. The participants were welcomed by State Secretary for Defence, Dr Damir Črnčec.

On the occasion of today’s World Mental Health Day, the Ministry of Health organised an expert meeting, 'Day of Mental Health', at the Brdo Congress Centre. In the initial part of the meeting, the attendees were addressed by the Minister of Health, Danijel Bešič Loredan, and the Human Rights Ombudsman, Peter Svetina, who presented the challenges of mental health.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today outlined the budget proposal in the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. As a preliminary point, he highlighted the historic moment at which the Government proposed its draft budgets for the next two years. The situation is uncertain due to the COVID and energy crises, the Russian aggression against Ukraine and China's cooling economy: "We can speak of a general economic crisis across Europe."

The Ministry of the Interior began implementing workshops to raise awareness among children and adolescents about human trafficking. This year, the workshops are focusing on ninth-graders in primary schools in the Central Slovenian, Gorenjska, Goriška and Zasavje regions and second-year secondary school students in the Podravje, Pomurje, Koroška and Savinjska regions.

This year's Biwako Biennale is entitled "Origin". With this title, it returns to the origins of the world. The Slovenian artist Ms Eva Petrič is also exhibiting at the Biennale with the artwork "Incubator of E@motions, we all come from this heart...". The heart as the centre of all networks, surrounded by a tree made of Slovenian lace.

During his visit to Japan, Minister of Education, Science and Sport Dr Igor Papič participated at the Science and Technology in Society Forum, which took place from 1 - 4 October 2022.

State Secretary Samuel Žbogar attended the 52nd General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Lima, Peru, from 5 to 7 October 2022. Foreign Ministers from North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, as well as permanent observers, held discussions under the title "Together against inequality and discrimination" to reduce social and other inequalities that have been exacerbated in the countries of the Western Hemisphere by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council concludes its 51st regular session today. Between 12 September and 7 October 2022, the central body of the UN in the field of human rights addressed the most pressing human rights situations around the world and adopted a number of thematic resolutions. At the meeting, Slovenia presented two initiatives in cooperation with partner countries, an initiative on the human rights of older persons and a resolution on human rights education. Slovenian expert Dr Sancin was elected to the Advisory Committee of the Council.

Today’s discussion focused on the convergence of EU Member States’ positions on energy market reform. As Prime Minister Golob pointed out after the meeting, significant progress was made today in finding a common energy solution for Europe. The starting point for the discussion was the European Commission’s latest proposal, which, according to the Prime Minister, was "a big step in the right direction", as it also contained the conclusions of yesterday’s round table on climate change, energy and environmental challenges, which was chaired by Dr Robert Golob together with his Icelandic counterpart.

State Secretary Marko Štucin addressed participants at the event held at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Slovenia and Austria.

The President of the National Assembly, Ms Urška Klakočar Zupančič visited Japan from 26 to 30 September 2022, where she attended the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. On behalf of the Republic of Slovenia, she expressed condolences to Prime Minister Kishida, Foreign Minister Hayashi, and Mrs. Akie Abe. The funeral ceremony was also attended by the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Miroslav Cerar.

Prime Minister Robert Golob is today attending the first European Political Community Summit and tomorrow, 7 October, will attend an informal meeting of EU heads of state or government.

When starting our term, we promised the citizens a different way of ruling that is based on the observance of the rule of law and constructive cooperation with everyone who can contribute to the stability of the situation and the welfare of the people. Political games and hindrances used by the opposition after its electoral defeat are not part of our policy or values.

The National Assembly adopted the Act Determining Intervention Measures in Education, which includes additional measures to mitigate price increases.

A working meeting between State Secretaries, Jure Trbič and Urban Kodrič, with the representatives of the Institute for Housing and Space Studies and the Legal Information Centre for NGOs took place today at the Ministry of Public Administration. The purpose of the meeting was to listen to opinions regarding the Physical Assets of the State and Local Government Act (ZSPDSLS-1).

Today, the National Assembly is deciding on the adoption of the amendments to the Act determining the aid to the economy due to high electricity and natural gas prices. With the Act, the Government is allocating more than double the aid totalling EUR 86 million to the business sector this year, including a higher level of coverage of eligible costs and an extended circle of beneficiaries.

The international regional conference of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) on development cooperation in the European region is taking place in Vienna. Slovenia was invited to participate in the conference as an example of good practice and, as a result, the representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology are presenting the Slovenian model of international development cooperation.

Inflation mitigation measures adopted by the Government led by Robert Golob are showing the first concrete results. The Government’s timely and decisive measures have helped to moderate inflation growth by 2.3% percentage points, according to the Office for Macroeconomic Analysis and Development. Without the Government's measures, September’s inflation would have been 12.3% instead of 10%.

The Government took note about the liquidity and business risks of the company, Geoplin.

Today, on Thursday, 6 October 2022, the ministers of defence, the interior, health and infrastructure signed an updated plan for activation and use of state aircraft for emergency tasks of protection, rescue and assistance.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon addressed Diplomatic Academy participants at the start of the new academic year. She spoke about her experience during the first months since taking up the post of Foreign Minister, and went on to mention current foreign policy issues and related priorities for Slovenian foreign policy in the coming period.

State Secretary Marko Štucin met with State Secretary at the Croatian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Andreja Metelko Zgombić, in Zagreb. They discussed opportunities for strengthening and further deepening bilateral cooperation and topical issues of the EU.

At a press conference today, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Irena Šinko, and the Acting Director-General of the Agriculture Directorate, Maša Žagar, presented the 2023–2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan for Slovenia.

Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh, Minister of Digital Transformation, met today with the management of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, the Director-General Aleš Cantarutti and Executive Director Vesna Nahtigal.

According to preliminary data, the state budget recorded almost EUR 9.3 billion in revenue in the first nine months, which is about EUR 1.3 billion or 16.2% higher than in the same period last year. Expenditure fell by almost EUR 837 million or 8%, amounting to around EUR 9.6 billion. Accordingly, the budget deficit amounted to EUR 324 million in the first nine months.

''Slovenia has finally joined the countries in Europe and the world that have already made the status of heterosexual and same-sex couples equal'', said State Secretary Simon Maljevac after the National Assembly confirmed the amended Family Code following decisions made by Slovenia’s Constitutional Court.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tanja Fajon, State Secretary for Economic Development and Technology, Matevž Frangež, and State Secretary for Defence, Rudi Medved, addressed the Business to Diplomacy (B2D) event entitled “Slovenia in Space” in the Noordung Centre. The purpose of the event was to help create new connections and opportunities for cooperation at the national and international level, to present the activities and achievements of the Slovenian space sector to representatives of foreign embassies and the Slovenian economic and defence attachés.

State Secretary dr. Branko Lobnikar inaugurated the eighth annual meeting of the Pompidou Group’s South-East Europe Airports Group with an opening address. The two-day meeting held in Ljubljana was organised by the Council of Europe and the Slovenian criminal police, current holder of the Group’s presidency.

Minister for Development and European Cohesion Policy, dr Aleksander Jevšek, attended the Szentgotthárd/Monošter Forum and underscored the importance of cross-border (Interreg) programmes in overcoming administrative, language and other barriers people in cross-border regions face.

Today, we celebrate World Animal Day. It is intended to raise awareness among the general public about animals as sentient beings and the necessity of caring for them responsibly and in a way that does not cause them pain, suffering and fear.

With today's successful tourism-promotional, cultural and culinary event entitled "In Honor of Slovenia", which took place after the screening of the film "Emerald Paradise" at the opening of the Chagrin Falls Documentary Film Festival 2022, we concluded this year's "Slovenian Days in Cleveland 2022".

Prime Minister Robert Golob visited the Maribor First Grammar School today. With students he discussed the energy crisis, the war in Ukraine, energy self-supply, renewable energy sources and investments in solar panels. The discussion, for which the students were well prepared, took place in a relaxed atmosphere. After a pleasant conversation with the students, the Prime Minister signed the memorial book in the school library. He encouraged the students, "Trust in yourself and in your virtues. Then only the sky will be your limit."

The UN has published the latest global E-Government Survey. This is a regular and respected publication that the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) has prepared every two years since 2001. According to the E-Government Development Index (EGDI), Slovenia comes 21st out of 193 countries, and progress is evident in all components of the survey.

The Prime Minister, Dr Robert Golob, today addressed the participants of the For a Better Future for Children consultation at the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. At the consultation, various stakeholders, from NGOs to deputies and representatives of ministries, discussed solutions to improve the situation of children with special needs and children living in poverty and threatened by violence.

Development council of cohesion region Vzhodna Slovenija today met at the Rajhenburg Castle in Brestanica and approved Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027.

After 18 months of safe and stable non-stop operations, a scheduled overhaul will take place at Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NE Krško) from 1 October to 2 November.

As part of Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of Europe, a conference entitled 'No safe haven: Integrated prevention measures to end domestic, sexual and gender-based violence' was organised in Dublin between 29 and 30 September 2022. The conference was attended by Minister Luka Mesec who, in his message, highlighted as the central objective, "A Europe with zero tolerance for violence against women, whether taking place publicly, at work or within the family."

Heavy rainfall, which again hit Slovenia in recent days, caused additional damage to the already affected and waterlogged areas in south-eastern Slovenia. Minister of Defence Marjan Šarec and his colleagues visited the Municipality of Osilnica, which was among the most affected by the flash floods in mid-September. The Slovenian Armed Forces will again help to remedy the consequences of the rainfall, the swollen Kolpa River and torrent streams.

In the first half of September, the Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Agricultural Markets and Rural Development (ARSKTRP) started paying aid to the agricultural and fisheries sectors, which are facing increasing costs of production and processing due to the rising prices of fuel, electricity and intermediate goods. By 30 September, almost EUR 22.2 million of aid was paid out from the anticipated EUR 22.3 million.

This year’s International Day of Older Persons, celebrated on 1 October, is dedicated to the resilience and contributions of older women. The discrimination and inequalities that women face can increase with age. For this reason, the contributions and experiences of older women, who play an important role in social, political, economic and cultural life, often remain disregarded.

An international research group has succeeded in identifying the most distant globular star clusters ever discovered using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

Switzerland has retained its top spot among the world's most innovative countries, a position it has held for almost a decade. Slovenia has dropped one place in this year's ranking to 33rd out of 132 countries.

Every friday the Slovenian Weekly Newsletter brings you the latest updates on the work of the Slovenian Government.

At its meeting by correspondence, the Government again discussed the draft Implementation of the Republic of Slovenia Budget for 2023 and 2024 Act. As per the draft Act adopted on Wednesday, the Government restructured the article referring to the payment of the annual allowance for pensioners. The amounts of annual allowance will increase by EUR 5 as per 2021 in all grades.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the international conference in Gorizia held under the title European Cultural Links - Cross-border cities as European meeting points. In a panel entitled How to further define cross-border cooperation and remove barriers: policy instruments and territorial perspectives, he highlighted the European Capital of Culture 2025 project and the successful partnership between Nova Gorica and Gorizia as outstanding examples of cooperation between the two border towns.

Today, Sanja Ajanović Hovnik, head of the Government negotiating team and the Minister of Public Administration, and the heads of negotiating teams of representative public sector unions, Branimir Štrukelj and Jakob Počivavšek, initialled the agreement after several negotiating sessions.

The EU Competitiveness Council met today in Brussels, attended by State Secretary Matevž Frangež on behalf of Matjaž Han, the Minister of Economic Development and Technology. The meeting took place in the light of the exacerbated energy crisis and the Member States displayed a great degree of unity in all key decisions. The ministers supported the proposal of the new crisis instrument to protect the internal market.

As per the Partnership Agreement with the European Commission and the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the EU Cohesion Policy in the 2021–2027 Period that was confirmed yesterday, Slovenia will earmark a proportion of funds for the activities implemented by the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief.

Secretary of State, Ms Tatjana Buzeti, participated in the 13th OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) Rural Development Policy Conference. The 3-day Conference, “Building sustainable, resilient and thriving rural places”, organised by the Irish Government, exposed a number of burning issues, relevant to coherent rural development.

The National Assembly adopted amendments to the Copyright and Related Rights Act and the Collective Management of Copyright and Related Rights Act. With the amendments, Slovenia transposes the provisions of two European Directives into the Slovenian legal order.

In March 2022, the successor states of the former Social Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) signed the joint sale contract and in September 2022, the closing documents for the sale of the real estate of the former SFRY Mission to the United Nations. Slovenia will receive EUR 7.3 million from the sale of the property at 854 Fifth Avenue, New York, which is 14 per cent of the total purchase price.

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tokyo is opening a job position for the Personal Assistant to the Ambassador to start work on 1 December, 2022. For the details, please see the attached file. (The application has been closed. Thank you for your interest.)

At today's session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia approved the European Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027. This is a document that, together with the Partnership Agreement - signed in Ljubljana today by Minister Dr. Aleksander Jevšek and European Commissioner Elisa Ferreira - represents the basis for drawing down European funds within the financial perspective 2021-2027, which expires in 2029.

Minister for Development and European Cohesion Policy, dr. Alexander Jevšek, and European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, signed a partnership agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the European Commission in Ljubljana. With the approval and signing of the agreement, Slovenia has opened the way to EUR 3.26 billion of European funds in the future programme period.

The Slovenian Prime Minister, Robert Golob, today received the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira. Prime Minister Golob and Commissioner Ferreira exchanged views on the current situation in the European Union and agreed on the importance of European cohesion policy in addressing the current economic, social and environmental challenges in Europe.

Acting Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation Eva Tomič took part in the meeting of EU development directors-general in Brussels. The directors-general discussed the implementation of the Global Gateway strategy, global food supply and preparations for the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15).

At today's session, the government approved the budget for 2023-2024. The government aims to ensure stable public finances for the well-being of citizens and to maintain the normal functioning of the economy upon considering the uncertainty and unpredictability of the further development of the energy crisis. Moreover, it has adopted the draft amendment to the Slovenian Sovereign Holding Act, the 2023-2027 Common Agricultural Policy strategic plan for Slovenia and the European Cohesion Policy 2021-2027.

In the article, the Washington Post journalist Michael Birnbaum describes the actions of firefighters, members of the rescue forces and the Slovenian Armed Forces during the big fire in July that raged in the Goriska Karst.

At the initiative of the United Nations General Assembly, we are celebrating the third International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. On this day, we call for rational food management.

The Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Uroš Brežan, and the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Luka Mesec, participated in the ceremony to mark the opening of the new modern Pod Pekrsko gorco neighbourhood in Maribor. The aforementioned neighbourhood is one of 34 projects to be developed under the auspices of Housing Fund of the Republic of Slovenia, which is supported by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) and financed by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB).

At today's government committees, the government included two new projects in the 2022-2025 Development Programme Plan as in force, and reallocated funds in the state budget for 2022.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the opening session of the workshop "ERP and IPA Coordinators as Inspired Leaders" in Bled. The event has been organised as part of the EU-funded project "Structural Reforms Better Integrated Within Fiscal Frameworks - FIR 2".

The Minister of Culture, Asta Vrečko, and the Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Matjaž Han, visited the filming location of the Netflix production “The Union” in Piran, which stars famous actors such as Halle Berry, Mark Wahlberg and J. K. Simmons. The Government contributed monetary compensation in the amount of EUR 2.5 million for the implementation of the film project in Slovenia. The implementation of the project in Slovenia will contribute to an estimated 30,000 overnight stays and the planned use of more than EUR 10 million of the film crew’s funds for preparations and filming here. Over 340 Slovenian workers participate in the project.

Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon and President Borut Pahor presented Slovenia's vision for its candidature for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council to the Permanent Representatives of the UN Member States in New York. "During its 30-year UN membership, Slovenia has proven on several occasions its commitment to multilateralism, solidarity and shared responsibility for world peace, security and development. Today, we are committed to this goal more than ever," underlined Minister Fajon.

On the occasion of the World Tourism Day, we publish the message from the Minister for Economic Development and Technology, Matjaž Han.

At today’s meeting by correspondence, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia approved the proposed amendments to five tax acts: the Personal Income Tax Act, the Excise Duty Act, the Tax Procedure Act, the Financial Administration Act and the Fiscal Validation of Receipts Act. The Government also stated its position on amendments to this year’s revised state budget.

Minister Irena Šinko attended a session of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. As part of fisheries topics, they exchanged views on fishing opportunities for the coming year, including fish stocks shared with the United Kingdom, and the annual consultations between the EU and Norway in 2023. In agricultural topics, the discussion regarding the market situation in the light of war and the state of agricultural production and logistics in Ukraine was at the forefront. The EU Council also learned about the impact of the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive on agriculture and information about the growing population of wild animals in Europe. The discussion on food labelling and the call to the Commission to supplement the assessment of the proposal for the Regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products was also important. Minister Šinko also met with the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides. They discussed the Commission’s measures to reduce the use of plant protection products and food labelling.

Minister Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh is attending the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is taking place in Bucharest. More than 3,000 representatives from 160 ITU Member States at the level of ministers, regulators of information and communication technologies, academic institutions and private companies are attending the conference.

The seventh event of this year's "Slovenian Days in Cleveland 2022" was the screening of the documentary Polka! The Movie, followed by a pleasant gathering with tarragon potica and Slovenian wine!

We started the fifth day of Slovenian Days in Cleveland 2022 with mass in the Slovenian church of St. Mary of the Assumption in Collinwood and continued with the concert of the Megaron Chamber Choir - this time with a program of Slovenian folk songs, which made many people cry!

The sixth event of the Slovenian Days in Cleveland 2022 was marked by cuisine, folk music and Slovenian tradition - traditional Grape Festival at the SNPJ Farm in Kirtland

The fourth day of Slovenian Days in Cleveland 2022 was spent on the beautiful property of the Slovenian St.Clair Rifle and Hunting Club for the traditional fall "Clambake".

At today’s correspondence session, the Government decided that a funeral with military honours will be organised for the late actor, Radko Polič - Rac. It also adopted a position regarding the Fiscal Council’s assessment of the compliance of this year’s draft revised budget and the proposed amendments to the Ordinance on the framework for the preparation of the general government budget for the 2022–2024 period with fiscal rules.

On the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in a number of ministerial events, held several bilateral meetings, and signed the economic cooperation agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the Kyrgyz Republic.

Tonight we marked the third event within the project "Slovenian Days in Cleveland 2022" - in the Cleveland Cathedral, with a concert of the Slovenian choir "Megaron" with conductor and composer Damijan Močnik.

At today's session, the Government started discussing proposed tax changes, adopted the proposed act on intervention measures in education for the 2022/2023 school year, increased economic aid to EUR 86 million due to high electricity and gas prices, and adopted the proposed act regulating anew paternity leave and parental protection. It also confirmed the assessment of damage to property and the reimbursement of intervention funds due to the consequences of this summer’s fires in the Karst region. The Government will also finance additional equipment for the societies that played a part in firefighting in the Karst.