News

As part of the Government’s visit to the Obalno–kraška region Minister for Development and EU Cohesion Policy Zvone Černač met, together with the Prime Minister, with the mayors of the region and the representatives of the Sežana Business Incubator.

This year, the NATO MW COE organized the 3rd Mountain Warfare (MW) Congress dealing with the topic of (JOINED) PERSONNEL RECOVERY IN MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. The congress was held from 5th to 8th October 2021 and took place in Bled and its surrounding area. It was attended by over 90 participants representing 14 different countries, who were attending a variety of presentations delivered by an ensemble of speakers ranging from scientists and high-altitude experts in MEDEVAC and CASEVAC to military personnel recovery.

The Government delegation concluded its visit to the Obalno-kraška (Coastal-Karst) region with a public debate on the development of the Obalno-kraška region in Lipica, discussing the challenges and opportunities in the region with representatives of local communities and business.

The Minister of Digital Transformation, Mark Boris Andrijanič, was part of the Government delegation that visited the Obalno-kraška region today. He visited the Koper Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, the companies Obala mobilnost and Dinit Card Service, and the Sežana Business Incubator.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today attended the regular General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg as Chair. The debate focused on preparations for the October European Council, the state of the rule of law in the Union and the Conference on the Future of Europe. “Today, we discussed a number of issues that directly affect our citizens. As the country holding the Presidency, we are very pleased to have reached the conclusions on the Joint Cyber Unit. In doing so, we have taken an important step forward in ensuring greater cybersecurity and resilience for citizens," underlined State Secretary Dovžan.

Today, the Slovenian Government visited the Obalno-kraška (Coastal-Karst) region, which includes the municipalities of Ankaran, Divača, Hrpelje-Kozina, Izola, Komen, Koper, Piran and Sežana. The region's performance figures are good, especially with regard to the development indicators, which are above the Slovenian average. For other indicators, it stands out in terms of below-average youth unemployment and total unemployment, a high level of treated wastewater and a relatively low risk of natural disasters. The Obalno-kraška region is also the only one alongside Osrednjeslovenska (Central Slovenia), with an above-average GDP per capita and productivity.

State Secretary Kirbiš Rojs today met with the officials of the Municipality of Izola which acts as project partner of Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy in the strategic project EUSAIR Facility Point. She also visited Izolana, the House of the Sea, a product of cross-border cooperation between Slovenia and Croatia.

Under the Slovenian Presidency, a global conference is taking place today and tomorrow, which for the first time is discussing government governance in terms of innovation, drawing-up better legislation and improving the quality of the public sector. Slovenia, together with the OECD, presented for the first time the results of a survey on the ageing of the workforce and attracting and retaining talent.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan held a reception for Marjan Osvald, the newly elected Deputy Director General of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union, and Tomaž Kokot, General Manager Ad Interim of Pošta Slovenije.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša participated in the "Government Beyond Recovery: Towards a Future-fit Public Sector" international conference, where he took part in the "Shaping Innovative and Inclusive Governments" panel discussion. Other participants who addressed the audience during this discussion included: OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, EIPA Director-General Marco Ongaro and Slovenian Olympic medallist Petra Majdič.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Jože Podgoršek attended the Farm to Fork international conference via video conference. The event, which is taking place on 14 and 15 October, is organised by the European Commission. The two-day conference will be devoted to the wider aspects of the strategy and sustainable food systems, which include all stakeholders in the food chain.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today attended the regular meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg headed by Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In their discussions, the ministers focused on the Gulf, the Eastern Partnership and the situation in Ethiopia and Nicaragua.

At today's 26th session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, Prime Minister Janez Janša answered parliamentary questions from deputies Bojana Muršič (SD), Luka Mesec (Levica), Alenka Bratušek (SAB) and Monika Gregorčič (SMC). The questions put to the Prime Minister addressed the increase in energy prices and other goods in Slovenia, tackling environmental challenges, the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, and methods of governance.

18 October is European Anti-Trafficking Day and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia would like to take this opportunity to raise awareness on trafficking in human beings.

In the field of anti-trafficking, Slovenia attaches great importance to international cooperation on the operational and the strategic levels, with special attention focused on the Western Balkans region. Over the years, the Slovenian Ministry of the Interior has been carrying out a number of regional activities, encouraging the countries in the region to align their legislation and standards with the acquis.

Minister Jože Podgoršek met by video conference with the representatives of Slovenian and EU environmental NGOs, such as BirdLife Slovenia (DOPPS), the Slovenian Foundation for Sustainable Development (Umanotera), BridLife international environmental organisation and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). The discussion centred on how to include environmental protection in the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plans.

H. E. Sanja Štiglic, Slovenian Ambassador to the Netherlands, officially opened "The Future of Living" Exhibition of Contemporary Slovenian Design at Dutch Design Week 2021 in Eindhoven. The travelling exhibition ‘The Future of Living’ showcases Slovenian designs at 25 locations around the world, and Eindhoven has been chosen as one of its prominent stops. The exhibition, displayed at #DDW21 until 24 October, features 19 of the 90 selected products that have received the “Made in Slovenia" mark of design excellence in the last two years.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan welcomed a delegation of the Uzbekistani Anti-Corruption Agency, led by Akmal Burkhanov.

Due to filming, the archival reading room will be closed on Monday, October 18, between 11:15 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Wednesday, October 20, between 10 a.m. and noon. During these days, work in the reading room and the information room will be interrupted from time to time.
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The new issue of the News from Nuclear Slovenia is published.

As the current holder of the presidency of the Council of the EU, the Republic of Slovenia and the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats held an online workshop on instrumentalised migration as a hybrid threat, focusing on the case of Belarus. The workshop’s objective was to examine the phenomenon of instrumentalised migration as a hybrid threat, its impact on the security situation in the EU, and to highlight the aims of its key actors.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan held two separate working meetings with Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, and Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships. Both discussions focused on the implementation of the Slovenian Presidency programme in the field of development cooperation and humanitarian aid, as well as current challenges, including the Afghanistan crisis.

Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs is participating as a panelist in a high-level conference marking the 10th anniversary of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). Key topics of discussion include the development of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) over the last decade and EASO’s role, the situation in the area of international protection in the EU, and the transformation of the Office into the EU Asylum Agency by the end of the year.

At today’s session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia took note of the information on the issue of extraordinary growth in energy product prices on energy markets. In view of the current situation, Slovenia has called an extraordinary meeting of energy ministers for 26 October to find common solutions that will protect citizens against further price rises. The Government also issued a new regulation on the treatment of unaccompanied minors and adopted a decree on financial assistance to compensate for damage in beekeeping in 2021.

Today, Minister Dr Anže Logar addressed the students of the Diplomatic Academy with an introductory lecture. “Over the past year, Slovenian diplomacy has made major shifts in establishing Slovenia’s firm links with the environments sharing our values and interests,” he told the diplomats at home and abroad.

A two-day international expert conference has been held in Ljubljana on how to facilitate an equal relationship between players in the global market of audiovisual content providers. The development of new technologies and the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic have led to significant changes in the production and distribution or accessibility of audiovisual works.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funds for the project COVID19 – Provision of premises for Intermediate Care Department of University Medical Centre Maribor. The EUR 8.9 million project that will be implemented by the Ministry of Health will receive a substantial contribution from the European Regional Development Fund under the React-EU initiative, i.e. EUR 6.8 million. This year alone, Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy approved EUR 66 million to help strengthen Slovenia's health sector.

State Secretary Kirbiš Rojs yesterday attended the Podravje Region Development Conference which was held in Lenart v Slovenskih goricah. She talked about the funding opportunities offered by the EU Cohesion Policy 2021-2027 and the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan addressed the High-Level Conference on Water and Gender Equality, which aimed at exchanging good practices, opinions and ideas on how to achieve gender equality in the context of water. The conference was organised by Slovenia, the current Chair of the Council of the European Union, together with the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme and the Women for Water Partnership organisation.

The High-Level Segment meeting as part of the fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) concluded today with the adoption of the Kunming Declaration, by which the Parties to the Convention committed to adopt and implement an ambitious global biodiversity framework. The aim is to stop the loss of biodiversity by 2030 and facilitate its recovery.

Prime Minister Janez Janša attended a plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions via videoconference. The discussion focused on key current topics and issues faced during the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has reached all the decisions regarding the appointment of European Delegated Prosecutors from Slovenia within its legal powers and the national part of the appointment procedure prescribed by law.

The Minister of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia Vasko Simoniti opened a conference "Increasing the accessibility and competitiveness of European audiovisual and media content", which took place in Cankarjev dom congress center in Ljubljana as well as online from 12 to 13 October 2021.

On the second day of the Luxembourg meeting, EU agriculture ministers focused on the Green Deal initiatives related to agriculture and forestry. They discussed the new EU Forest Strategy for 2030 and addressed the Fit for 55 legislative package.

EU fisheries ministers reached a political agreement in Luxembourg this morning on the total allowable catch for next year in the Baltic Sea. Already yesterday, the ministers exchanged opinions on consultations on fisheries with the United Kingdom and Norway for 2022.

The virtual meeting of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15), which will take place between 11 and 15 October 2021, will be dedicated to preparations for negotiations on the 2030 and 2050 biodiversity targets, concluding with an in-person meeting next year. Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak is attending the high-level meeting.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today hosted Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bisera Turković on a working visit to Slovenia. Their discussion focused on bilateral cooperation in various areas, particularly the economy, and on Slovenia’s support for the European perspective of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Prime Minister Janša and his ministerial delegation today met with ten leading Slovenian automotive suppliers at the Hidria company in Spodnja Idrija. Automotive manufacturers and suppliers are facing major and necessary structural challenges. Restructuring against the backdrop of the Fourth Industrial Revolution seems crucial for Slovenia to retain a prominent place on the international automotive map.

In his video speech for the annual OSCE Mediterranean Conference, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar underlined his conviction that a more effective system to respond to future crises must be included in the post-pandemic recovery plans.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan met with Stephan Holthoff-Pförtner, Minister of Federal, European and International Affairs of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The main topic of the talks was the strengthening of cooperation in the light of Slovenia’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan participated via video conference in a meeting of eminent representatives of the European Parliament Former Members Association (FMA) on the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Posavje Regional Development Agency invited State Secretary Kirbiš Rojs to take part in an online conference Posavje Development Outlook 2021-2027. The State Secretary talked about the programming process and explained how ESI funds are programmed and planned for the upcoming 2021-2027 period. She also touched on possible complementarities with other funding sources.

The Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, participated in a high-level videoconference of the Radicalisation Awareness Network (EU-RAN) organised by the European Commission. The conference marked the 10th anniversary of the network and provided an opportunity for a discussion on ways of addressing radicalisation challenges.

After four weeks, the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council drew to a close on Monday, 11 October. This meeting was one of the most demanding meetings for Slovenia in recent years, as it participated as the Chair of Council of the European Union and was in charge of several initiatives.

On the first day of the two-day meeting in Luxembourg, EU agriculture and fisheries ministers held a discussion on challenges and progress in the preparation of CAP strategic plans and on the revision of EU marketing standards for agricultural products. Negotiations on the fixing of fishing opportunities in the Baltic Sea for 2022 have also started.

In his capacity as Minister for Development Cooperation and representing Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar, State Secretary Raščan represented Slovenia at a commemorative meeting marking the 60th anniversary of the first conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). Slovenia is one of the successor states of a founding member of the NAM movement. On the sidelines of the event, he met with State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nemanja Starović.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Stanislav Raščan attended the extraordinary meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council composed of the ministers of International Development Cooperation (FAC DEV). The topic of discussion was Afghanistan. State Secretary Raščan stressed that the complexity of the situation in the country requires that international partners mount a continuous and coordinated response.

At the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, resolutions on the right to a healthy, clean and sustainable environment and on the rights of the elderly were adopted on the initiative of Slovenia and like-minded states.

During a working lunch in the framework of the EU Home Affairs Council meeting, EU ministers of the interior held an open discussion about the current situation regarding the implementation of interoperability (connectivity of information systems) in the member states, which should be concluded by 2023. So far, we have done a lot of work at EU level and in the member states on this major project for the interconnectivity of justice and home affairs information systems.

On World and European Day against the Death Penalty, which is observed on 10 October, Slovenia calls on the countries that still practice capital punishment to abolish it entirely. Slovenia is a resolute opponent of the death penalty, which is an inhuman, cruel, degrading, and final form of punishment.

State Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment, Metka Gorišek, attended the Ministerial Conference on the Environment within the Central European Initiative (CEI) currently chaired by Montenegro. The main topics of the ministerial meeting, which was attended by the ministers responsible for the environment of the member states of the CEI, which unites 17 countries as a regional intergovernmental political forum, were waste management and waters without borders. The conference adopted a joint declaration on cooperation in sustainable waste management between the CEI member states.

After participating in the Croatian Tourism365 conference, where he took part in a panel of leaders together with the Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister Janez Janša also held bilateral talks with his host. In a press statement after the meeting, the Prime Minister congratulated Croatia on a well organised event, as well as on its record-breaking tourist season, including the number of tourist arrivals from Slovenia this summer.

As part of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Working Group on Strategic and Project Environmental Assessments met online to discuss all current issues in the field, including the European Commission's instructions on defining plans and programmes which are subject to a strategic environmental assessment, and some examples of best practice, as well as infringements from EU member states.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the Tourism 365, a Croatian conference on tourism, in Terme Tuhelj, where he took part in a panel discussion together with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. The conference focused on initiatives and plans for post COVID tourism, smart and sustainable business operations, new technologies and a new future for tourism.

Due to urgent maintenance work on the infrastructure of the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia, the Virtual Archival Reading Room and registers of the Archives will be inaccessible on Monday, October 11th, 2021, between 6.30 am and 8 am.

The meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council that took place today in Luxembourg was chaired by Minister Marjan Dikaučič. The ministers discussed the issue of pre-trial detention and the conditions in detention facilities.

A press conference held to provide a COVID-19 update was attended by Minister of Health Janez Poklukar and Professor Borut Štrukelj from the Faculty of Pharmacy in Ljubljana.

In today’s statement to the press following the presentation of the budget documents at the National Assembly, Prime Minister Janez Janša commented on the fact that the opposition had obstructed a session involving the presentation of a document as important as the budget. The Prime Minister said that he regretted this behaviour by the opposition.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, today attended the 83rd extraordinary session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, where the Presentation of the Budget Memorandum 2022–2023, Draft Amendments to the Budget of the Republic of Slovenia for 2022 and the Draft Budget of the Republic of Slovenia for 2023 were discussed.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the European Parliament Plenary Session from 6 to 7 October 2021 as the high representative of the Council of the EU in relations with the Parliament during the Slovenian Presidency.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs attended the consultation Vision of the Research and Innovation Strategy for effective twin transition hosted by the strategic research and innovation partnership Materials as End Products (SRIP MATPRO). At the event, State Secretary presented the investment priorities of EU Cohesion Policy 2021-2027 from the viewpoint of reforming Slovenia’s Smart Specialisation Strategy (S4).

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan participated in the virtual forum for the protection of threatened Afghans hosted by High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell and EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson.

On 8 September 2020 the »2020 Annual Report on Radiation and Nuclear Safety in the Republic of Slovenia« was presented to Slovenian National Assembly. That was the last stage of its consideration. The report was approved by the Government of Slovenia in August and discussed in the National Council (the upper chamber of the Slovenian Parliament) in September the same year.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved European Regional Development Fund support for the project ITI Setting up systems for traffic calming, informing urban passenger transport users and directing drivers to parking areas. The said project falls under a series of projects aiming to improve road user safety and reduce traffic congestion.

Minister of Digital Transformation Mark Boris Andrijanič was on a working visit in Warsaw on 6 and 7 October 2021. The working visit coincided with one of the largest digital conferences in Central and Eastern Europe, the CEE Digital Summit. This digital summit connects the digital sector and tech companies with experts and policymakers who are working on the digital transformation of the region. At the same time, it serves as a platform for discussion on the future of the digital economy in Central and Eastern Europe, its challenges and means for a deeper digital cooperation.

The EU-Western Balkans Summit, which took place today and was hosted by the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU at Brdo pri Kranju, brought together the leaders of the EU member states and the six Western Balkan partners: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia and Kosovo*

The meeting of the European Migration Network (EMN) took place in Ljubljana as part of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU on 5 and 6 October 2021. Participants discussed the EU's preparedness for future migration flows.

Environment ministers adopted the Council Conclusions as a mandate of the EU and its member states at the meeting for the Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held in Glasgow in November.

Tonight, the Prime Minister hosted an informal working dinner at Brdo pri Kranju for the heads of state and governments of the EU member states. The European leaders held a strategic discussion on the role of the EU on the international stage in view of recent events in Afghanistan, the AUKUS security alliance and the development of relations with China.

Minister Anže Logar attended the regular annual meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which adopted a new strategy paper with a vision of the OECD’s work over the next ten years and an external OECD action strategy.

Acting Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation Igor Jukič took part in a meeting of EU Directors-General for development cooperation via a videoconference. The participants discussed the Team Europe initiatives, the European financial architecture for development, the assistance offered to partner countries in the fight against COVID-19, the Gender Action Plan, and the current situation in Afghanistan and neighbouring countries.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Jože Podgoršek has attended a ministerial meeting on the new EU forest strategy at the invitation of the Austrian minister responsible for forestry Elisabeth Köstinger. At the meeting, the ministers from forest rich member states discussed the future of forests at EU level.

Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs attended a meeting of the interior ministers of the Visegrad Group, the Republic of Austria and the Republic of Slovenia in Budapest. The meeting focused on the current challenges in migration and topical issues concerning the management of Europe's borders.

On the occasion of the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD DAC), State Secretary Stanislav Raščan added his congratulations to those of the high-level representatives responsible for international development cooperation and humanitarian aid.

Minister Jože Podgoršek has attended a meeting of chief veterinary officers of the Working Party on Animals and Veterinary Questions. The event is traditionally organised in the framework of the presidency of the Council of the EU. The highest representatives of veterinary services meet to work, exchange views and socialise.

Tomorrow, the EU ministers responsible for the environment and climate change will meet in Luxembourg. This will be their first meeting chaired by the Slovenian Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Andrej Vizjak.

Prime Minister Janez Janša responded to a letter from Zoran Stevanović, president of the Resni.ca party. In the letter, Zoran Stevanović calls for the immediate abolition of the recovered/vaccinated/tested rule and immediate resignation of the Government.

Today is the final day of the three-day Pre-COP meeting hosted by Italy, as the UK's partner country in the organisation of the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26), with a view to approximating the positions of the parties ahead of the COP meeting in Glasgow in November. Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak and his delegation also attended the meeting.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today had a meeting with European Commission Vice-President for Democracy and Demography Dubravka Šuica. They discussed the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today met with senior representatives of the Identity and Democracy Group in the European Parliament, which is on a study visit to Slovenia.

The second and third days of the 9th session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Water Convention were held in Geneva.

Within the framework of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union Programme, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food co-organises an international event called “Smart Villages for a Green, Digital and Resilient Europe” together with the office of MEP Franc Bogovič. In the debate, which was attended also by the Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner Dubravka Šuica, and the Director-General of the FAO, Qu Dongyu, the participants highlighted the importance of coherent and integrated rural development, which is an issue that extends way beyond just agriculture.

The meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the European Territorial Cooperation Programme (URBACT) was organised as part the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. It was attended by representatives of the EU member states, the European Commission, the Managing Authority and the Secretariat of the Programme.

The International Day of Older Persons is celebrated on 1 October and this year, it is dedicated to digital equality for all ages, pointing to the need for accessibility and inclusion of older people in the digital world.

The Slovenian legal conference is a great opportunity to hold an open dialogue on trends and challenges in the European legal environment in order to better understand different systems in the EU Member States.

The press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 was attended by the Minister of Public Administration, Boštjan Koritnik.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša paid a working visit to London at the invitation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar attended the regular meeting of EU member states’ ambassadors accredited to Slovenia. He presented Slovenia’s work as Chair of the Council of the EU to date and plans for the second half of the Presidency. “Despite the uncertain epidemiological situation, Slovenia has carried out all planned events and is successfully pursuing the objectives of its priorities,” said Minister Logar.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today participated in the 8th Western Balkans Civil Society Forum in Skopje, dedicated to EU enlargement. “The Western Balkans is part of Europe and the challenges of the region are also those of the European Union. It is therefore vital to involve the Western Balkan region in the debates on the future of Europe," said State Secretary Dovžan in his address.

From 12 to 13 October 2021, an international expert conference "Increasing the accessibility and competitiveness of European audiovisual and media content" will take place in Cankarjev dom congress center in Ljubljana as well as online. The participants will be addressed by dr. Vasko Simoniti, Slovenian Minister of Culture and President of the Council of the European Union for Culture and Giuseppe Abbamonte, Director of Media Policy at the European Commission.

At the meeting of the Competitiveness Council held on 29 September 2021, the ministers responsible for industry and the internal market discussed the impact of the “Fit for 55” package on the competitiveness of EU industry, and the importance of better regulation for the competitiveness of the European Union and the functioning of the single market.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan participated at the opening session of the Geneva Dialogue on responsible behaviour in cyberspace along with Livia Leu, State Secretary at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, and Gaurav Keerthi, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Cyber Security Agency of Singapore. This edition of the virtual event centred around the security of digital products and its regulatory framework.

In its capacity as Chair of the Council of the European Union, Slovenia hosted an informal consultation of the non-proliferation and disarmament directors. This is an annual traditional meeting for EU member states to exchange views on current strategic issues and challenges of the global arms of mass destruction control regime. The meeting was chaired by the Slovenian Ambassador for Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, Andrej Benedejčič.

A press conference to provide a COVID-19 update was attended by the Minister of Health, Janez Poklukar, and the head of the vaccination advisory group, Bojana Beović.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today paid a working visit to Klagenfurt to co-chair the 6th session of the Slovenia-Carinthia Joint Committee, together with Carinthia Governor Peter Kaiser. The meeting set out the course for future cooperation between Slovenia and the Austrian state of Carinthia in a number of areas of common interest. Minister Logar also held a separate meeting with Governor Kaiser.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar met with representatives of the Slovenian minority in Carinthia prior to the Slovenia-Carinthia Committee session. The Minister assured Slovenia's ongoing support for the minority's efforts towards long-term and systemic solutions regarding the implementation of their rights.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan held talks with Sergei Cheryomin, Moscow Government Minister and Head of the Department for Foreign Economic Activity and International Relations. The officials confirmed good relations between the two countries and wide-ranging cooperation in the economic, cultural, scientific, educational and other sectors.

In Ljubljana, Prime Minister Janša today met with Latvian President Egils Levits, who is on an official visit to Slovenia at the invitation of Slovenian President Borut Pahor.

The government finished its visit to the Zasavje Region with a public forum in which it discussed the challenges and opportunities in the region with representatives of business interests and local communities.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan met with a delegation of the European Parliament Former Members Association (FMA), headed by its Chairman Hans-Gert Pöttering.

In the frame the Government visit to the Zasavje region Minister for Development and EU Cohesion Policy Zvone Černač visited the municipality Litija and Trbovlje. State Secretary at the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs visited municipality Zagorje ob Savi.