News

Prime Minister Robert Golob and Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Robert Tajani have pledged ever closer cooperation between the two governments on migration, energy and joint efforts in the Western Balkans.

In an effort to raise the level of communication, promote respectful dialogue and eliminate hate speech, Prime Minister Robert Golob established the Strategic Council for the Prevention of Hate Speech, which held its inaugural meeting today.

With 332 million, the United States of America presents an important market with many opportunities for the Slovenian economy and tourism. It can take several years for companies to successfully penetrate the US market, and Slovenia as a country can open doors through increased promotion.

State Secretary Marko Štucin today hosted the Polish Minister for the EU, Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk in Ljubljana. In addition to bilateral relations, the talks focused on topical European and international issues.

The Government has adopted a basis for the preparation of a proposal for amendments to the Recovery and Resilience Plan to address the reduction in available funding and the objectives of the REPowerEU plan to reduce dependence on Russian energy. It will be followed by coordination with the European Commission and other stakeholders and the preparation of a proposal to adapt the plan.

At an extraordinary session of the National Assembly, Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, presented the reasons for the rejection of the resolution that would classify Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. She reiterated Slovenia’s strong support for Ukraine and emphasised that, instead of creating division and separation, all efforts should be directed towards ending Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Priority Area Coordinators (PAC) of the EU Strategy for the Danube region (EUSDR) met in Maribor. At the meeting, there were 12 EUSDR thematic teams from 14 countries of the region, representatives of the Danube Region Programme, the European Commission, the Danube Youth Council (DYC) and the secretariat of the EUSDR, the Danube Strategy Point. The event was organised by Slovenian EUSDR Presidency with the support of the Danube Strategy Point and the University of Maribor.

At today's regular session, the Government took note of the starting points, priorities and dynamics of the negotiations with the representative trade unions of the public sector. It also adopted the starting points for the adjustment of the Recovery and Resilience Plan and decided to make available EUR 50 million in SID Bank’s loans to companies affected by the energy crisis.

State Secretary for the Establishment of Dialogue with Civil Society and Coordination of Citizens’ Initiatives Maksimiljana Polak and Head of the Office of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Dejan Süč met with representatives of the Society for the Protection of Horses and Other Animals and other representatives of animal advocates.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon met with representatives of the Slovenian national minority in Italy to exchange information and views on current issues relating to the minority, ahead of the visit by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic, Antonio Tajani, to Slovenia on Friday, 17 March. The meeting was also attended by Minister for Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon handed over two Ljubljana Passenger Transport buses, which the Municipality of Ljubljana donated to Ukraine, to the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Slovenia, Andriy Taran. “Today we continue our assistance to Ukraine, this time, too, supporting the most vulnerable in the war – children and young people –, so that they can get to school more safely in these difficult circumstances.”

In an effort to adopt balanced and sustainable systemic measures, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, established the Strategic Council for Macroeconomic Issues, which held its inaugural meeting today.

At the meetings of the Government committees, the Government responded to the adopted conclusions of the National Council on the issue of the growing scope of environmentally sensitive areas of permanent grassland, included in the Development Programmes Plan for 2023-2026 a new project titled Construction of the central kitchen in the Nova Gorica General Hospital and increased the value of the project titled Logistics Centre of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ).

In the framework of the quadrilateral meeting between Slovenia, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland, Acting Director-General of the Directorate for International Law and Protection of Interests, Dr Marko Rakovec, hosted the meeting of legal advisers. This was the first meeting at the level of legal advisers in the quadrilateral format, which has been held at deputy foreign ministers level since 2011.

Prime Minister Robert Golob hosted the fifth meeting of coalition deputies and Government representatives at Brdo pri Kranju. The coalition continued the discussion on important systemic changes that it has set to implement in this term of office.

Minister Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh opened her chairmanship of the World Summit on the Information Society in Geneva, the most important global event on the impact of information and communication technologies on the development of society.

The Ministry of Finance has conducted an analysis and completed the groundwork for tax system reorganisation in order to make it more transparent, simple and balanced. We also wish to raise awareness about the need for a new social consensus regarding the reform package and the level of prosperity we are aiming for.

At today's correspondence session, the Government adopted a bill on amendments to the Employment, Self-employment and Work of Foreigners Act and will send it to the National Assembly for consideration under fast-track procedure.

On 13 March, Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob paid an official bilateral visit to Sarajevo. The Prime Minister’s visit follows the European Council’s decision in December to grant Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) candidate status for membership of the European Union. It was Slovenia, including Prime Minister Golob, which actively endeavoured to confirm the geostrategic decision of the European Council last year.

On 2 March 2023 Ambassador Barbara Sušnik presented her credentials to the to the president of Cape Verde.

The last working day of the Consular section of the Embassy of the Republic in Slovenia in Cairo before the holiday season will be Thursday, 13 April 2023.

On 12 March 2023 the conversation between the Slovenian curator and director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, Zdenka Badovinac, and the director of the Inside-out Museum in Beijing, Carol Yinghua Lu, took place online. The event was co-organized by the Embassy of Slovenia in Beijing and the Inside-out Art Museum in Beijing.

On 11 March 2023, in the conference room of the museum Inside-out in Beijing, the second of the Beijing Conversations took place, between Aleksandra Vajd, Slovenian photographer and professor of photography, and Zhou Dengyan, the photography historian on the topic of "Rethinking Photography as a Medium in the Age of Uncertainties."

The Prime Minister, Dr Robert Golob, received representatives of the Glas ljudstva network and listened to their proposals for urgent intervention in the field of health care.

We remove administrative obstacles and speed up the procedures for issuing and serving residence permits and registration certificates. We reintroduce access to Slovenian language courses for all categories of foreigners.

The Justice and Home Affairs Council spent the morning part of the session discussing the situation in the Schengen area.

Acting Director-General of the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Edvin Skrt attended an informal meeting of EU development ministers in Stockholm to discuss global health in the light of the implementation of the new EU Global Health Strategy, the situation in Ukraine, with a focus on its reconstruction, and the reform of international development banks.

At today’s session, the Government adopted a proposal for an amendment to the Foreigners Act, which allows for faster issuance of residence permits. It also began consideration of the proposal for an amendment to the Employment of Foreigners Act and suspended it, as the Economic and Social Council will consider the proposal at tomorrow's meeting before it is finally adopted. It also took note of the strike agreement between the Government and the Education, Science and Culture Trade Union and authorised Minister Papič to sign it.

State Secretary Dr Damir Črnčec was recently a guest on the State of the Alliance programme produced by the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA).

Ms Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF), met with the Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr Tetsuro Nomura. During her visit to Japan, the Minister held several meetings with representatives of different institutions, taking also a field tour of several show cases of good practices in agriculture and in fisheries.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed for an investment in a high-tech centre for the production of biosimilars.

The consultation on the EU Economic Governance Framework Reform at Brdo pri Kranju was opened by Prime Minister Robert Golob, who stressed the importance of fiscal rules for the stability of public finances and the need to adapt the rules to new challenges and reality. Fiscal rules need to be reintroduced, and flexibility and a balance between investment and the sustainability of public finances will be key.

State Secretary for the Dialogue with Civil Society and Coordination of Citizens' Initiatives Maksimiljana Polak met with Jadranka Juras, a representative of the Association for the Protection and Assistance of Animals in Need Lajka, and other representatives of animal advocates.

This year's High Security Printing EMEA™ Conference is taking place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 7 to 9 March 2023 and its award for the best ID card of the year was claimed by the Slovenian biometric identity card.

State Secretary for the Establishment of Dialogue with Civil Society and Coordination of Citizens' Initiatives Maksimiljana Polak and Head of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Dejan Süč met with representatives of the volunteer association "Tačke pomocčke" and other representatives of animal advocates.

The European Commission has given a preliminary positive assessment of the first payment request for European funding for recovery and resilience. "We have been eagerly awaiting the news that was announced today by Commissioner Gentiloni. I am very pleased that the Commission has given the green light to our first payment request for the Recovery and Resilience Facility," said the Minister of Finance Klemen Boštjančič at a press conference.

On International Women’s Day, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, set out the concept of a feminist foreign policy, which is a cross-cutting theme of the new foreign policy strategy, and announced that the Ministry intends to increase its focus on gender equality and respect for the rights and the empowerment of women and girls around the world. The Feminist Foreign Policy Strategy will be launched on the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, on 24 June.

State Secretary for National and International Security Dr. Andrej Benedejčič received today the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Colorado Dianne Primavera and the Adjutant General of the State of Colorado Laura Clellan on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of cooperation between the Slovenian Army and the Colorado National Guard.

Minister of Defence Marjan Šarec attended the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers in Stockholm, which was hosted by the Swedish capital yesterday and today in the framework of the Swedish Presidency of the EU Council.

During a visit to Dublin, State Secretary Marko Štucin held bilateral consultations with Peter Burke, Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence in the Department of Foreign Affairs of Ireland. The two officials discussed the strengthening of bilateral relations and engaged in an in-depth exchange of views on current European and international topics.

On 8 March, we celebrate one of the most important holidays, Women’s Day, which stands for courage, determination and the pursuit of solidarity and equality. It has been celebrated for over a hundred years, and marks the struggle for a world in which people can live with dignity and equality, whatever their circumstances.

At the meetings of the Government committees, the Government, among other things, agreed to the proposed amendments to the amended Scientific Research and Innovation Activities Act and to the expansion of the inscription of dry stone walling on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as well as to the modification of the baseline value of the AV Media Programmes 2022–2023 project, which is included in the current Development Programmes Plan.

Ms Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF), is participating in the formal opening of the 48th FOODEX Japan 2023, the largest international food and beverages show, jointly with a delegation of Slovenian industrial and economic operators. At the show, regarded as the leading food and beverage show in Asia, 11 Slovenian companies are presenting themselves.

A ceremony was held today at the Intellectual Property Office to name a large meeting room after the outstanding Slovenian inventor and cosmopolitan Peter Florjančič. The event was attended by his daughter and grandson, and addressed by State Secretary Dejan Židan and the Director of the Office Karin Žvokelj.

State Secretary Marko Štucin met Leo Docherty, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Europe at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, during a visit to London. They talked about further strengthening bilateral relations and exchanged views on topical European and international affairs.

he Prime Minister, Dr Robert Golob, and the Minister of Public Administration, Ms Sanja Ajanović Hovnik, met with representatives of the international company Gallup.

At the UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries in Doha, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in the round table entitled ‘Leveraging the power of science, technology and innovation for the sustainable development of least developed countries’. She stressed the importance of cooperation, solidarity and development aid to eradicate poverty and inequality. On the sidelines of the Conference, Minister Fajon held a number of bilateral talks.

As of 1 March 2023, the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection (AFSVSPP) will no longer allow the entry of pet animals from Ukraine under the simplified procedure, based on Article 32 of Regulation (EU) 576/2013 on non-commercial movements of pets.

Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in panels on solutions for an increasingly divided world and the future role of the United Nations (UN) at the Raisina Dialogue international conference in New Delhi. On the sidelines of the event, she met the Foreign Ministers of India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, South Africa and Sri Lanka.

State Secretary Marko Štucin hosted the traditional meeting between Slovenia, Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland at the level of deputy foreign ministers. Their discussions focused on the current challenges in the region, the fallout from the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Western Balkans.