News

Slovenia made a contribution in the amount of EUR 30,000 to the World Food Programme for emergency humanitarian aid to Yemen. Slovenia thus honoured its pledge for 2020 made at the High-Level Pledging Event for the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen, which was held in Geneva on 26 February 2019.

Following the invitation of the Italian Minister of Health, a meeting was held of the ministers of Italy’s neighbouring countries: Slovenia, France, San Marino, Austria, Croatia, Switzerland and Germany. Italy and its neighbours presented their existing and planned measures for protection against the coronavirus. The measures presented by the individual countries are comparable.

In Brussels, State Secretary Matej Marn attended today’s General Affairs Council, which launched the March European Council preparations and discussed the topics of EU enlargement and legislative planning. At the meeting, the ministers and state secretaries also agreed to authorise the opening of negotiations on a new partnership with the United Kingdom and learnt about the new European Commission's plans for monitoring the development of the rule of law in the EU.

At its meeting today, the National Security Council (NSC) Secretariat took note of the current situation and activities concerning the coronavirus, which are managed by the Ministry of Health as the competent state authority according to the Infectious Diseases Act.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, Managing Authority for ERDF, ESF and Cohesion Fund, has issued a grant decision for a call for proposals that will co-finance energy-saving renovation of buildings owned and used by municipalities in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The call will be published by Ministry of Infrastructure. The available funding under the call for proposals amounts to EUR 25 million of which the Cohesion Fund contribution stands at EUR 21.25 million.

In Thessaloniki, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Miroslav Cerar is attending the high-level conference ‘From Thessaloniki to Zagreb’, hosting foreign ministers of the Western Balkans, EU member states from the region (Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia), and EU representatives (EEAS, EC).

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, Managing Authority for ERDF, ESF and Cohesion Fund, has issued a grant decision for the project “Biotech Hub within the National Institute of Biology (BTS-NIB)”. The project worth EUR 20.8 million will receive European Regional Development Fund support in the amount of EUR 16 million.

Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar is paying a working visit to Sweden; yesterday, he met Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde and Chair of the Committee Andreas Norlén. Today, at the general meeting of the Slovenian Association in Sweden, the Foreign Minister addressed Slovenian compatriots living in Sweden and thanked them for preserving the Slovenian identity and mother tongue.

Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar is paying an official visit to Sweden at the invitation of the Swedish Foreign Minister, Ann Linde. He met her and the Speaker of the Riksdag, Andreas Norlén, to discuss the importance of the European future for the Western Balkan countries, sustainable development and EU challenges around the world. At the round table held at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, Minister Cerar touched on the challenges facing the EU and its relations with partners such as Russia, China, and the United States. He later visited the seat of the Smart City project in Stockholm.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund, has issued a funding decision for the Call for tenders for co-financing of the construction of open next generation broadband networks GOŠO 4. The call for tenders will be published by the Ministry of Public Administration next week. The total amount of funding available for the call for tenders stands at EUR 29.5 million, of which EUR 18.9 million is available for the programme area cohesion region Vzhodna Slovenija, whereas EUR 10.6 million has been earmarked for cohesion region Zahodna Slovenija. The contribution from the ERDF amounts to nearly EUR 23.6 million.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, Managing Authority for ERDF, ESF and Cohesion Fund, has issued a grant decision for the project “Construction and reconstruction of community and road infrastructure in Ugar business zone” in Ribnica. The project worth EUR 2.4 million will receive European Regional Development Fund support in the amount of nearly EUR 1.5 million.

The Ministry of Economic Development and Technology was intensively working on facilitating the operation of Slovenian companies through the Amazon Europe online Stores platform. The final solution and launch of the business was announced for November last year, but the setups for the best possible costumer experience resulted in short delay. From this week on Slovenian companies are enabled to launch their business through Amazon Europe.

Slovenia provided a humanitarian contribution of 40,000 euros to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for urgent humanitarian aid to Iraq, thus meeting its commitment made during the International Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq in Kuwait in February 2018.

State Secretary Matej Marn attended the EU General Affairs Council discussing the negotiating framework on the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) within the preparations for the European Council meeting. The compromise proposal presented by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is unfit for Slovenia as it fails to address the country's key negotiation priorities.

During today’s Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting, the Member States discussed strengthening relations between the EU and the African Union, the situation in Libya and closer relations between the EU and India. Before the meeting, the Italian Foreign Minister, Di Maio, hosted an unofficial breakfast with the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, while a working lunch was intended for talks about EU-India relations with the External Affairs Minister of India, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

At the 56th Munich Security Conference, Minister Dr Miro Cerar participated at the round tables on security in the Western Balkans and the Three Seas Initiative. On the margins of the conference, the Minister held bilateral meetings on current international topics with the foreign ministers of Iran, Egypt, Georgia and Croatia, as well as with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić. The Minister also attended the bilateral meeting of Prime Minister Marjan Šarec with the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti.

The Government took note of the corona virus situation in the People’s Republic of China and decided to send the People’s Republic of China, on the basis of a request submitted through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, material assistance in the form of protective masks, cover 25% of transport costs (to the maximum amount of 20,000 EUR), and grant a contribution of 60,000 EUR to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for emergency humanitarian aid.

Slovenia joins the efforts to limit the spread of coronavirus by sending assistance in kind (1.2 million facemasks) to the People’s Republic of China, thus being among the first countries to respond through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism by providing the most generous donation per capita. In addition, Slovenia will also allocate a EUR 60,000 donation to the World Health Organisation.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund, has issued a funding decision for the call for proposals Promotion of cultural and creative industries – Centre for Creativity 2020–2021 which will be published by the Ministry of Culture. The call for proposals makes a total of EUR 2.21 million available for projects; EUR 1.63 million comes from the ERDF.

State Secretary Dobran Božič attended a meeting of the Slavkov format composed of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia in Bratislava today. For the first time, the Slovenian and Croatian state secretaries joined their counterparts in the Slavkov trilateral format for a meeting.

State Secretary Matej Marn held political consultations on current EU issues with the Hungarian Minister of State for EU Affairs, Attila Steiner, in Budapest today.

Elan Ski Day, an economic and promotional event co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Elan company, took place in Kranjska Gora today. Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Miro Cerar addressed the participants of the event, intended for foreign diplomats accredited in Slovenia.

During his working visit, State Secretary Dobran Božič held bilateral talks with representatives of the US Administration. He addressed principal issues of common interest, including bilateral political and economic cooperation, NATO, EU-US relations, and individual regional issues, with particular emphasis on the Western Balkans.

Slovenian citizens are advised to postpone all unnecessary travel to China due to the novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV epidemic and related restrictive measures taken by the Chinese authorities. It is also not recommended to travel into Chinese provinces, where a quarantine or transport limitations and restrictions have been introduced, such as Hubei, Hunan, Henan, Guangdong and Zhejiang.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Marjan Šarec, met today with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, in Brussels. The discussion focused on the negotiations regarding the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework for the 2021-2027 period. Over the past week President Michel has been holding bilateral talks with the EU-27 Heads of State and Government, on the basis of which a compromise agreement should be reached on the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework for the 2021-2027 period. To this end, a special European Council meeting will be held on 20 February 2020.

On the occasion of the Slovenian national holiday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened the “Between the Sky and the Earth” exhibition mounted by the students of the Faculty of Architecture. At the same time, the Ministry presented Slovenian priorities for international cultural cooperation for 2020: research as art, intercultural dialogue, European cooperation, and cultural and creative industries.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund, has issued a grant decision for the project Development of pedestrian and cycling infrastructure along the Gregorčič alley. The project budget amounts to EUR 580,000; the Cohesion Fund will contribute over EUR 240,000 under the ITI mechanism.

The Slovenian Foreign Ministry welcomes today's proposal of the European Commission on new enlargement methodology, aiming for a more efficient, transparent and credible enlargement process.

Today, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry hosted bilateral political consultations between Slovenia and Ethiopia, headed by the Acting Director-General for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Anita Pipan, and the Director-General for European and European Union Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Ato Mehreteab Mulugeta. They addressed bilateral cooperation, including in economic matters, as well as cooperation at the multilateral level.

The eighth session of the Intergovernmental Slovenian-Belarusian Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation was held at the Brdo Congress Centre today. It was headed by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, Dobran Božič, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Oleg Kravchenko.

Today, the State Secretary, Dobran Božič, took part in a working meeting of State Secretaries and Secretaries-General of EU Member States' Foreign Ministries, hosted by the Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Helga Schmid.

Today, the Court of Justice of the European Union in Luxembourg delivered its judgment on the admissibility of the Slovenian action against Croatia for infringements of EU law resulting from Croatia’s refusal to implement the Arbitral Award on the border between the countries declaring that it lacks jurisdiction to rule on the action.

Students participating in the first project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ‘Young Women Ambassadors’ completed the informal educational programme on 30 January 2020. They were received by the President of the Republic and presented with project certificates.

On 30 January 2020, the Slovenian Government approved the report about the oral hearing of Slovenia in the third UPR cycle, which took place in Geneva on 12 November 2019. At the same time, it approved the report of the UPR Working Group on the basis of which Slovenia decided on the recommendations of other countries in the third UPR cycle. The decision will be published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

An amendment of the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009) enters into force on 2 February 2020. As a result, some of the rules governing the issuing of Schengen visas will change.

Today, the day before the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU, Minister Dr Miro Cerar held talks with the British Ambassador to Slovenia Sophie Honey. They agreed on the excellent bilateral relations and stressed that despite Brexit, Slovenia and the UK will continue to strengthen the bilateral cooperation in economy, tourism, investment, science, education and culture, and the cooperation within multilateral forums. The countries will pursue their endeavours in all areas of common interest, including in South-East Europe.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund, has issued a grant decision for the call for proposals Design and testing of services promoting social inclusion of people with disabilities which is to be published by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities. The call for proposals, which makes a total of EUR 1.15 million available, will receive over EUR 921,000 from the ESF.

Today, the State Secretary, Dobran Božič, took part in a working meeting of State Secretaries and Secretaries-General of EU Member States' Foreign Ministries, hosted by the Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS), Helga Schmid.

Today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a round table discussion ‘Slovenia for the Rights of the Child - How to Improve the Situation of Children Worldwide’ that marked the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 20th anniversary of its Optional Protocols. The aim was to highlight the breadth of international activity of different Slovenian stakeholders in the field of children's rights, for which Slovenia is known in the international community.

Slovenia remains committed to the activities aimed at achieving comprehensive, just and long-lasting peace in the Middle East, including the establishment of the State of Palestine and bearing in mind Israel’s security concerns.

Between 27 and 29 January, a Slovenian delegation participated in, and co-hosted an informal consultation on the preparatory work for the new international convention on international cooperation in investigations and prosecution of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, known as the MLA initiative.

Today, State Secretary Matej Marn attended the General Affairs Council. While the participants were informed of the priorities of the Presidency, which is held by Croatia for the first time, the discussions centred mainly on the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for ERDF, ESF and Cohesion Fund, has issued a grant decision for the project “Development of the northern connection road and associated cycling and pedestrian infrastructure”. The project budget amounts to EUR 1.65 million with the Cohesion Fund contributing a little under EUR 429,000.

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Birkenau death camp and other Nazi and Fascist concentration camps and persecution and execution sites. Slovenia joins in the Holocaust remembrance, commemoration of war victims and honouring of those who helped the victims of persecution survive. During the war, a great number of Slovenes, Slovene Jews and Roma of both genders were forcibly taken to concentration camps, with many never to return.

Prime Minister Marjan Šarec has announced he is stepping down in a bid to push for a snap election, saying he could not achieve what he set out to do with the current minority coalition.

The Government adopted a nomination of the buildings and urban development works of Jože Plečnik in Ljubljana for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Government entrusted the Ministry of Culture with the implementation of activities and coordination of procedures for the preparation and submission of the Nomination File, which is the responsibility of the Republic of Slovenia as a signatory of the Convention Concerning Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The Government instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to present the Nomination File for the inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage Lists to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in Paris by 31 January 2020 at the latest.

Today, a business event was held as part of the series of events for “Business-to-Diplomacy” (B2D) organised by the Directorate for Economic and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with the French Embassy and Renault-Revoz at the seat of Renault-Revoz d.d., Novo Mesto.

On the second day of the 50th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum taking place in Davos until 24 January, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec took part in a panel debate entitled Unlocking Public Sector Artificial Intelligence.

During the World Economic Forum, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec attended a working lunch where a discussion on 'Generating Growth for Central and Eastern Europe' took place. The main emphases included the economic situations in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The discussion partners spoke about issues concerning necessary measures by governmental decision-makers and businesspeople directed at promoting sustainable development and the ability to adjust economies to new driving forces of growth that must be closely linked with the transition to a low-carbon society.

Minister without portfolio responsible for development, strategic projects and cohesion Dr Angelika Mlinar has concluded her two-day visit to Brussels. Today was the first time the Minister met with European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira. Commissioner informed the Minister that the European Commission (EC) is withdrawing its warning of potential suspension of payments of European Cohesion Policy funding which is made from the EU budget into Slovenian budget. The EC announced its warning last July due to the e-MA IT-related problems. The Minister was happy to announce that “the European Commission acknowledged Slovenia’s progress in further developing the e-MA information system which is the result of the hard work of my staff and the staff of other ministries. The information system works and enables smooth implementation of European Cohesion Policy in Slovenia. We will continue to create the best user experience.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Miro Cerar, and the Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Zdravko Počivalšek, co-chaired the session of the Economic Internationalisation Council today. The Council acts as a link in the partnership between ministries and business representatives, contributing significantly to the shaping of policies for economic internationalisation and concerted efforts in third markets.

Prime Minister Marjan Šarec is attending the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos at the invitation of its founder and Executive Chairman, prof. Klaus Schwab, on 21 and 22 January 2020.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for ERDF, ESF and Cohesion Fund, has issued a grant decision for the project “Wastewater collection and treatment in the Dravinja basin – Municipality Rače-Fram”. The project is worth a little under EUR 5 million and will receive European Regional Development Fund support in the amount of almost EUR 1.4 million.

The situation in the Sahel, Libya and climate diplomacy were among the topics on the agenda today at the January Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, attended by Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar.

Based on the Association Agreement between Slovenia and the European Space Agency (ESA), which enables employment of Slovenian citizens in the ESA, three Slovenian experts will be seconded to the ESA centre in Noordwijk in the Netherlands for up to one year.

The Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar met with the Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on 17 January 2020 during her visit to Slovenia. “The Commissioner has taken over a key portfolio, one that comes with great expectations from Member States and citizens. Security, asylum and migration are among the greatest challenges the EU has faced in recent years,” said Poklukar when stating the importance of the meeting.

As part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week held on 11–18 January, Minister Cerar took part in the Future Sustainability Summit today. At the panel titled “Technology vs. Policies: What will unlock climate action?” the Minister underlined the importance of a steadfast fight against climate change, which requires a broader economic and social transformation.

Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar took part in the Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, convened by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, due to increased tensions in Iraq and Libya.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Miro Cerar called for all possible activities to prevent further escalation of tensions and violence in the Middle East. Slovenia remains a trustworthy member of the Global Coalition against Daesh and continues with its participation in the operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq. The next contingent of Slovenian Armed Forces instructors will be deployed to Erbil by 1st February.

On 9 January 2020, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Strategy for the Co-operation of the Republic of Slovenia with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) until the end of 2022. The proposal of the Strategy is based on the experience gained during the first nine years of the Slovenia's membership in the OECD, current priorities of the Organization, and interests and the needs of the Republic of Slovenia arising from the national development priorities of the country. The purpose is to make better use of the benefits of Slovenia's membership of the OECD.

At it's session, the Government adopted the wording of the proposed Court of Audit Act, which facilitates the auditing of the correct and prudent use of public funds and increases its efficiency. The act also expands the range of entities that may be audited by the court.

Slovenia condemns the Iranian missile attack on Iraqi military bases where the Global Coalition against Daesh forces are stationed at the invitation of the Iraqi government, and calls on all parties involved to refrain from any activities that could lead to further escalation in the region.

Today, Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar attended an event organised by the Institute for Strategic Solutions, where the new edition of the Adriatic Journal: Strategic Foresight 2020 was presented. Prior to the event, Minister Cerar held an informal meeting with the former Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Karin Kneissl, where they discussed the formation of the new Austrian government, the cooperation between the two countries in the year of neighbourly dialogue, the regional situation and the state of affairs in the Middle East.

On 7 January 2020, the Republic of Slovenia successfully refinanced the bond maturing on 27 January 2020 by issuing a new €1.5 bn 10-year bond.

The Republic of Slovenia, rated Baa1 (positive) / AA- (stable) / A (stable), has mandated Barclays Bank PLC, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs International Bank, HSBC, J.P. Morgan and UniCredit Banka Slovenija to lead manage a new EUR 10-year benchmark due January 2030 in regulation S format (dematerialized registered form). This transaction is expected to be launched in the near future, subject to market conditions.

The Republic of Slovenia, rated Baa1 (positive) / AA- (stable) / A (stable), has mandated Barclays Bank PLC, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs International Bank, HSBC, J.P. Morgan and UniCredit Banka Slovenija to lead manage a new EUR 10-year benchmark due January 2030 in regulation S format (dematerialized registered form). This transaction is expected to be launched in the near future, subject to market conditions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses grave concern over the heightening of tensions between the US and Iran. It condemns the recent acts of violence and armed attacks in Iraq, as these may trigger further disturbances engulfing the entire region. The Ministry calls on all parties involved to de-escalate tensions and preserve peace.

The Ministry condemns any acts of violence and armed conflicts witnessed in Iraq over the past weeks. Such actions heighten the risk of tensions escalating in the entire region.

Slovenia joins the European Union in condemning attacks on coalition forces fighting Da’esh in Iraq and shares the EU’s position on the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns this acts and calls on Iraqi authorities to guarantee the security of diplomatic missions in the country.

The Slovenian Foreign Ministry condemns the act of vandalism committed by an unknown perpetrator (or perpetrators) against the building of the Embassy of the Republic of Montenegro in Ljubljana.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for ERDF, ESF and Cohesion Fund, has issued a grant decision for the call for proposals “Support environment for culture-related activities 2020” to be published next Friday by the Ministry of Culture. The call for proposals worth a little under EUR 742,000 will receive European Social Fund support in the amount of over EUR 593,000.

After being formally appointed by the National Assembly as the new minister responsible for development, strategic projects and cohesion on Thursday, Dr Angelika Mlinar today took over at the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy (GODC).

Ministry of public administration has been proud to be part of the (European Security Certification Framework) EU-SEC project for the last three years. The main aim of EU-SEC is to improve trust in cloud services by creating a framework under which existing certification and assurance approaches can co-exist. The framework serves basic requirements of the EU Cybersecurity Act and adds an additional layer of trust, assurance and transparency by including continuous auditing-based certifications. It is targeted at cloud stakeholders wishing to improve the business value, efficiency and effectiveness of their approach to cloud security approach to cloud security and privacy compliance. This includes auditors, cloud service providers, regulators, standard owners and cloud users.

2019 is drawing to a close. Since the end of the year is a good opportunity to look back at what has been accomplished and what lies ahead for Slovenia, we have compiled a list of the key achievements in the recent period and the priorities going ahead.

In collaboration with the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, the National Assembly organised an event to commemorate the second anniversary of the historical proclamation of World Bee Day. 20 December will mark two years since the UN General Assembly, on the initiative of Slovenia, unanimously adopted the resolution designating 20 May as World Bee Day. The purpose of the event was to highlight all key beekeeping achievements that can also be attributed to the proclamation of World Bee Day. The attendees were received by their host, the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr Dejan Židan. The event, attended by State Secretary Dr Jože Podgoršek on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, began with the painting of beehive panels in the company of the pupils of the France Bevk Primary School in Ljubljana.

On behalf of the Slovenian Government, Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar attended the CEI Summit in Rome gathering prime ministers of the Central European Initiative Member States. In his remarks, he underscored the CEI’s role in the history of European integration processes and opening up of EU prospects for new members

At today’s session, the government approved the wording of the bill for the Act amending the Waters Act and proposed that the bill be considered under the fast-track procedure.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted the 24th session of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on Human Rights, with the participation of Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina. The main item of the agenda was the Universal Periodic Review of the human rights situation in Slovenia, which was held last month in the UN Human Rights Council.

The Minister of Public Administration Rudi Medved attended the fifth meeting of the Slovenian and Serbian Governments held on 17 December 2019. The visit of the Slovenian Government is a continuation of regular and intensive high-level political dialogue and a continuation of the practice of joint meetings between the two governments. Today's meeting in Novi Sad, which is the fifth such meeting, showed that relations between the two countries have been strengthening in all areas.

"Slovenia wants to be an active partner in Serbia's path to the European Union. For Slovenia, Serbia is an extremely important economic partner in the region. We want to help it tackle the greatest challenges of rural development by offering our knowledge and examples of good practices," said the Prime Minister of the of the Republic of Slovenia, Marjan Šarec, at today's press conference following the meeting of the Governments of the Republic of Slovenia and the Republic of Serbia in Novi Sad.

The last meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council under Finnish Presidency, which was attended by State Secretary Dr Jože Podgoršek, focused on fishing, agricultural and forestry issues. The ministers adopted the Regulation fixing for 2020 the fishing opportunities in the Black and Mediterranean Seas, reviewed the progress made in negotiations on the reform of the common agricultural policy and exchanged views on the importance of forests and forestry for a sustainable future. As part of preparations for the Presidency of the Council of the EU, the State Secretary met with the German and Portuguese ministers of agriculture.

Let the upcoming year 2020 be sealed with happiness, success and health.

“Slovenia wants to be an active partner in Serbia’s European journey. Serbia is an exceptionally important economic partner for us in the region. By sharing our knowledge and examples of good practice, we also want to help Serbia face its most significant rural development challenges”, said Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Miro Cerar is taking part in the 14th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting under the title Asia and Europe: Together for Effective Multilateralism. During the debate on enhancing the multilateral system and consolidating ASEM partnership on global challenges, he outlined Slovenia’s outlook on multilateralism and its efforts relating to climate change, sustainable development and gender equality.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Miro Cerar held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the 14th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held in Madrid on 15–16 December 2019. He met separately with the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Foreign Minister of Singapore Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

The talks focused on bilateral and multilateral cooperation of the two countries, the situation in Asia and some topical international developments. The ministers advocated for enhanced relations between their respective countries at various levels, underlining the need to strengthen cooperation in the economy and science. They also outlined the advantages of the Port of Koper as the leading Northern Adriatic port.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Slovenia today for an official visit. Together with his host, Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar, they pleaded for enhanced political and economic cooperation.

Slovenian prime minister Marjan Šarec is attending the regular meeting of the European Council in Brussels. The first day of the meeting, which is being chaired for the first time by its new president, Charles Michel, was dedicated primarily to discussing climate change.

State Secretary Matej Marn gave an introductory address to participants of the Centre for European Perspective Conference, which was held under the title “Alternatives to European Enlargement?”

The Slovenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken note of the Opinion by Advocate General Pikamäe regarding the jurisdiction of the EU Court of Justice in the action brought by Slovenia against Croatia concerning the infringements of EU law.

Today Slovenia launched national test blockchain infrastructure SI-Chain, which will enable testing of existing and new blockchain applications for public and private sector. Slovenia is first Member State of EU established blockchain test infrastructure, after last week's announcement of China on similar plans in the future. Within the EU framework, Slovenia will activelly participate in the development of use-cases, implemented on European Blockchain Services Infrastructure.

Madrid is hosting the 25th UN Climate Change Conference bringing together states parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to discuss efforts against climate change. Members of the Green Group (Slovenia, Iceland, Costa Rica, Singapore, Cabo Verde and the United Arab Emirates), jointly striving for an effective response to environmental challenges, called for more ambitious climate action in a Joint Ministerial Statement.

Minister Dr Miro Cerar held a working meeting with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas today to discuss bilateral cooperation and key issues within the European Union. Also today, the Trio partners, Germany, Portugal and Slovenia, submitted their draft 18-month Trio Presidency programme to the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU.

Today, the world marks International Human Rights Day, which this year celebrates the efforts of young people to engage in the promotion and protection of human rights. Slovenia strives every day to promote respect for human rights, including in its foreign policy, and today, Foreign Minister Dr Cerar and other Slovenian representatives join in various international events dedicated to this goal.

On the second day of his visit to Kosovo, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec met with members of the 40th Slovenian contingent in Peć. After an official reception with military honours, the prime minister met with commander of the multinational battlegroup Regional Command West (RC West) Daniele Pisani. The majority of the Slovenian contingent is present and established on missions in this area of KFOR’s operations.

After visiting members of the Slovenian contingent in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec spent the afternoon meeting members of the Slovenian contingent serving with KFOR in Kosovo and KFOR commander Major General Michele Risi.

Today marks the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, unanimously declared by the UN General Assembly at the initiative of Armenia in 2015. On 9 December 1948, the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the first document to have a significant impact on combating and preventing the crime of genocide. The purpose of the day is to commemorate the victims of this crime and also to raise awareness of the Convention and to prevent developments that may lead to mass atrocities.

Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec is currently on a two-day working visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. On the first day he met with members of the Slovenian contingent in Bosnia and Herzegovina, who are working as part of EUFOR’s Operation Althea and the NATO forces in Sarajevo.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Miro Cerar today took part in the Rome MED 2019 international conference – Mediterranean Dialogues as a panellist on migration management. Commitment to solidarity, multilateralism and a joint European approach is prerequisite to finding effective solutions, in which Slovenia will remain a credible partner.

During his visit to Rome, Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar met with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio. The counterparts endorsed strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation at the European and regional levels. Minister Cerar outlined the expectations of the Slovenian national minority regarding its representation in the Italian parliament and the restitution of the National Hall in Trieste.