News

On 3 May, Ambassador Kristina Radej completed her term of office as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan based in Tehran.

Matej Tonin, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Major General Robert Glavaš, visited Croatia at the invitation of Mario Banožić, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Croatia.

At today's session of the Government Committee for the Economy, the Government gave its consent to the Ministry of Infrastructure to assume and pay the obligations on dedicated budget items at the level of a group of budget users through the planned spending rights in the adopted state budget for 2022. At the session, the Government included the "Nature Conservation Investments" project in the Development Programme Plan. At the session of the Government Committee for State Organisation and Public Affairs, the Government included an extension and reconstruction of the Kočevje Nursing Home in the current Development Programme Plan.

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the Council of Europe Ambassador Andrej Slapničar hand over today to the Deputy Secretary General of Council of Europe Bjorn Berge the instrument of ratification of two conventions: Council of Europe Convention on counterfeiting of medical products and similar crimes involving threats to public health (Medicrime) - CETS No. 211 and Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs – CETS No. 216.

On 3 May, twenty children and the accompanying staff from the Ukrainian Luhansk orphanage arrived by bus organised by the Ukrainian Embassy in Slovenia in the village of Slavina, where they will be accommodated in the local adult education centre.

Slovenian Industrial Strategy 2021 – 2030 is the strategic document of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, that sets out a vision and goals for the development of industry and the economy for the period up to 2030.

At the end of April 2022, the Slovenian Society Simon Gregorčič from Köping, Sweden, celebrated its 50th anniversary. Köping is an industrial city with around 18,000 inhabitants 150 km west of Stockholm, where most Slovenes came in the 1960s.

Such a cheerful dance mood was last Saturday at Slovenska Pristava in Harpersfield, where last year's 60th anniversary of the existence and opening of the new Lobe Hall was celebrated at this year's traditional Pristava Night!

Stay happy and proud, Slovenska Pristava!

Below is the message by Prime Minister Janez Janša for 1 May, International Labour Day and the feast day of St Joseph the Worker

Consul General of the Republic of Slovenia Alenka Jerak helped plant pollinator-friendly plants at the St. Vitus Slovenian School in Cleveland today.

In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which puts the Ukrainian population at risk, the Slovenian government made a decision at today’s correspondence session to provide Ukraine with material assistance in the form of IP phones, computer equipment, gas generators, antennas and cables, and to do so via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan received the Special Representative for 16+1 Cooperation, Ambassador Huo Yuzhen.

At today’s session, the Government adopted the Stability Programme and the 2022 National Reform Programme. It extended the currently applicable Decree on excise duty on energy products and the validity of the Decree fixing the excise duty level for electricity.

Standing in front of the Paediatric Clinic in Ljubljana along with Miroslav Petrovec from the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology and paediatrician and infectious disease specialist Tatjana Mrvič, the Minister of Health Janez Poklukar gave a statement regarding the severe acute hepatitis of unknown origin in children.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar took part in the Raisina Dialogue 2022 conference held in New Delhi on 25–27 April, met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and held other bilateral talks.

On 26–27 April 2022, State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan took part in the ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development in New York, which highlighted the need to deliver on the central promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on poverty eradication. He also attended the High-Level Meeting of the UN General Assembly on Financing for Peacebuilding and held a number of bilateral meetings.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the state ceremony marking the Day of Uprising Against Occupation at Mala gora near Ribnica in the Dolenjska region. The Prime Minister took this opportunity to lay a wreath at the TIGR monument.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan took part, via audio-video conferencing, in the hybrid High-Level Roundtable on the Horn of Africa Drought. He announced Slovenia's contribution worth EUR 100,000 for emergency humanitarian aid to the affected people in the region, which will be channelled through the World Food Programme (WFP).

Today at 7 AM, around 3,000 polling stations for parliamentary elections opened across the country. Voters can cast their ballots until 7 PM.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan met with Minister of State for Security Policy at the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Sztáray, in Budapest. They discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries and the current situation in Ukraine.

Food waste is not just morally and ethically problematic. In the EU we discard as much as 20% of all food that has been produced to feed people, and waste food is also the third largest cause of greenhouse gases.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, spoke today with the US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken. In their talks, State Secretary Blinken and Prime Minister Janša stressed the need to continue supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity through robust security assistance. They condemned the horrific atrocities committed by Russian forces in its unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine and stressed the need to hold Moscow accountable.

The Slovenian pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale opened on 21 April 2022 with the exhibition of paintings by Marko Jakše, one of Slovenia's most acclaimed painters. The Slovenian Pavilion is once again located in the Arsenale, one of the two Biennale’s main exhibition venues. The vernissage is scheduled for 23 April, with the exhibition open until 27 November 2022.

In a month's time, on 20 May, Slovenia and the rest of the world will celebrate World Bee Day for the fifth time. Since 2022 is the European Year of Youth, the main topic of this year's celebration is youth and beekeeping. The main purpose of World Bee Day is to raise awareness among the international public about the importance of bees and other pollinators for humanity in the light of food security, the global elimination of hunger, and care for the environment and biodiversity.

The new issue of the News from Nuclear Slovenia is published.

Today, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar presented computer keyboards to the President of the Friends of Youth Association, Darja Groznik, and to the Secretary General of Caritas Slovenia, Peter Tomažič, as a symbolic gesture ahead of the Foreign Ministry’s donation of used computer equipment. “We are making a donation to two key organisations as they know best who needs the equipment most. I’m happy that the computers will go to the right hands,” declared Minister Logar.

World Earth Day, which is celebrated on 22 April, is taking place this year with an emphasis on investing in and enriching our planet. The Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning implements a range of measures to preserve the environment by investing in the planet and development opportunities. World Earth Day is intended to raise awareness and show how each of us can make an important contribution towards a more environmentally and climate friendly planet.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Multipurpose Roma centers as innovative learning environments. The project will foster flexible forms of learning; it will also support the provision of quality career guidance for students across all education levels.

The mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) completed the independent peer review of regulatory framework of nuclear and radiation safety in the Republic of Slovenia as well as the activities at the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) and the Slovenian Radiation Protection Administration (SRPA). On Thursday, 14 April 2022, the exit meeting took place, presenting the main findings of the draft report. In a couple of months, IAEA will deliver a proofread and consolidated final report.

Через війну в Україні ЄС зараз стикається з найбільшою кризою біженців з часів Другої світової війни. За останніми підрахунками, близько 4 мільйонів людей були змушені покинути Україну, більшість із них жінки та діти, які є особливо вразливою групою з точки зору торгівлі людьми.

Prime Minister Janez Janša was today a live guest on a Euronews TV programme, where he spoke with Anelise Borges about the situation in Ukraine and the European response to the crisis.

A joint press conference of the Slovenian and Polish Prime Ministers, Janez Janša and Mateusz Morawiecki, was held today to announce that Slovenia and Poland will organise the Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2022. Russia cannot host this event due to the current circumstances and its aggression against Ukraine.

Minister Jože Podgoršek handed a beehive symbolising hope for peace to the Ukrainian Ambassador to Slovenia Mykhailo Brodovych as a sign of strong support for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar attended a meeting of the Central 5 group bringing together the foreign ministers of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia. The main topics on the agenda were the current situation in Ukraine and building EU resilience.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan participated in the regular General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg. As part of the annual rule of law dialogue, the General Affairs Council reviewed the situation with regard to the rule of law in five member states and discussed the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar attended the regular EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting chaired by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. The main topics on the agenda were the Russian aggression against Ukraine and the Global Gateway strategy.

Today marks the beginning of the 12th session of the Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (OEWGA) focusing on the contribution of older persons to sustainable development and economic security. Slovenia, as a staunch advocate for regulating the rights of older persons through international law, is represented by State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan.

The Slovenian Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, and the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarachi, met today in Bled. They focused on the war in Ukraine, the gradual approach to the Pact on Migration and Asylum and the political governance of the Schengen area.

Today we visited the High School in Euclid, a town where quite a few Slovenian compatriots still live today. The reason: an agreement to carry out a number of joint projects with the students of the Urban Agriculture School Program and their instructor Josh Stephens - to mark the World Bee Day, Planting of the Honey-bee friendly plants Day and November's Honey Breakfast.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended via video conference the 7th Delphi Economic Forum, which took place in Athens. It is the flagship event and annual conference of the organisation of the same name engaging leaders from different countries committed to deliver and promote innovative ideas for sustainable and competitive growth for Europe and the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today participated in the global pledging campaign "Stand up for Ukraine" by delivering a video address, thus supporting global efforts for helping Ukraine. The Prime Minister has thus joined many other leaders, artists and citizens in the #StandUpForUkraine campaign aimed at helping refugees and internally displaced persons.

This evening, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the Sky News' The News Hour, talking to host Nick Quraishi about the efforts to stop the war in Ukraine and strengthen the security in Europe.

Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs met with Nicos Nouris, Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Cyprus, in Ljubljana today. The main topics of the discussion were the war in Ukraine and its consequences and the Pact on Migration and Asylum.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar telephoned Carlos Alberto Franco França, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Minister Logar recalled the 30th anniversary of Brazil's recognition of Slovenia and of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which will be marked this year.

On behalf of the Association of Friendship with Slovenia “Slovenia-seura” and the Embassy of Slovenia in Finland, the event in Europpasali was hosted by the President of the Association Andreja Valtanen and Ambassador Skrt.
Matej Vranič's documentary was screened, in which the director presents very diverse flora and fauna of Slovenia.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended the inauguration of the country's largest solar power plant in Prapretno near Hrastnik. On the former degraded site, 6,748 solar modules will generate more than three gigawatt hours of electricity per year. In the coming years, the plant will be expanded to a total capacity of 15 MW. In this way, a point of just energy transition is being created in Prapretno near Hrastnik.

Helsinki, 8 April 2022 - On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Slovenia and Finland, Ambassador Edvin Skrt visited the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Matti Vanhanen.

Prime Minister Janez Janša had a working dinner this evening with the British Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Sir Stuart Peach.

Prime Minister Janez Janša met today with the Saudi Minister of the Economy and Planning, Faisal Al-Ibrahim, who is on a working visit to Slovenia.

State Secretary Aleš Irgolič has attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg. Ministers exchanged views on the "Fit for 55" package, in particular on agricultural aspects of the revision of the land-use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) regulation. The European Commission reported on the situation on agricultural markets in light of the war in Ukraine and presented its communication on safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems. Under AOB items, the European Commission presented a proposal for a regulation on geographical indications for wine, spirit drinks and agricultural products, while the French Presidency provided information on the health situation and work at the Council with regard to highly pathogenic avian influenza.