News

A webinar on negotiating techniques and women’s empowerment for representatives of Venezuelan democratic forces, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was held between 14 and 17 September 2021 by the Centre for European Perspective (CEP) and the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA). The seminar participants were first addressed by Bogdan Batič, Deputy-Director for Common Foreign and Security Policy.

On Wednesday, 15 September 2021, over fifty senior representatives of EU ministries of defence, general staffs and education institutions attended the high-level Sectoral Qualification Framework for Military Officer Profession (SQF-MILOF). The conference was conducted as a hybrid event at the Permanent Representation of Slovenia to the EU following the covid-19-related protocol. Some participants attended the conference vie teleconferencing.

Under the financing agreement for the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, Slovenia has today received an advance payment of 13% of the grants allocated under the Recovery and Resilience Plan, amounting to €231 million. The first funding under the RRP will be provided for the areas of sustainable mobility, digital transformation and healthcare.

The press conference on COVID 19 updates was attended by the Minister of Health, Janez Poklukar, the Minister of Public Administration, Boštjan Koritnik, and the Director of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), Milan Krek.

Minister of the Interior and President of the Home Affairs Council, Aleš Hojs, delivered a welcome address and opened a two-day meeting of the Management Board of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in Portorož, which Slovenia is hosting as part of the Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the European Parliament Plenary Session from 13 to 16 September 2021 as the high representative of the Council of the EU in relations with the Parliament during the Slovenian Presidency. On behalf of the Council of the European Union, he assured commitment to protecting European democracies, respecting the rule of law in the EU, and making progress in the legislative process for the Fit for 55 package.

Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia and the Egmont Institute organized an expert seminar entitled "A Strategic Compass for Military Interventions" in Brussels as part of the Strategic Compass drafting process, which is intensively taking place during the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The opening speech was delivered by State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Uroš Lampret.

An informal meeting of EU hunting directors-general took place in Postojna on 14 and 15 September. Director-General of the Forestry and Hunting Directorate Robert Režonja attended the meeting on behalf of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, while the European Commission was represented by Žilvinas Ilevičius from the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety. State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Anton Harej attended the opening of the meeting.

Minister for Development and EU Cohesion Policy Zvone Černač gave opening remarks at the 9th Conference on the Evaluation of EU Cohesion Policy which was organised in Porto, Portugal. Minister Černač joined the conference via an online platform at the invitation of the European Commission in his capacity as current chair of the council consisting of EU ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy.

As part of the European Cooperation Day, Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy presented the impacts of projects implemented in the framework of the Interreg Slovenia-Croatia Cooperation Programme 2014-2020.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić in Strasbourg. He presented priorities of Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU – topics that are also at the heart of Council of Europe's activities. During the meeting, they discussed accession of EU to the European Convention of Human Rights that was envisaged in the Lisbon treaty. They also reviewed other current political and strategic directions of the Council of Europe, the oldest pan-European international organization especially in the light of Covid-19. At the same time, the meeting was excellent opportunity to assess cooperation between Council of Europe and Slovenia.

Accompanied by a delegation, Ambassador Jožef Drofenik, Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the authorised representative of the Republic of Slovenia for succession issues, attended the 20th meeting of the Joint Committee for the Distribution of Diplomatic and Consular Properties of the Former SFRY, in compliance with Annex B to the Agreement on Succession Issues, convened in Sarajevo on 13 and 14 September. At the meeting, the immovable property of the former SFRY in Rome was allocated to Slovenia.

At a press conference following a joint meeting of the governments of Slovenia and Hungary and the signing of intergovernmental agreements, the Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Zdravko Počivalšek, and the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjárto, presented specific cooperation projects and the positions of Slovenia and Hungary.

Prime Minister Janša and his ministerial delegation met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his ministerial team in Celje today.

Before the joint meeting of the Governments of the Republic of Slovenia and Hungary, the Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended a ceremony marking the opening of the 53rd International Trade Fair in Celje and addressed the participants.

Yesterday, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia visited the Savinjska region to learn about the projects and challenges of the region, and to discuss challenges and opportunities with the main actors of development in the region.

At today’s session in Abuja, Nigeria, the International Co-ordinating Council of the UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (UNESCO MAB-ICC) designated the Mura-Drava-Danube Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (TBR MDD) as the world’s first 5-country biosphere reserve. Stretching across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary and Serbia, the reserve covers a total area of 930,000 hectares extending along 700km of the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers, which makes it the largest riverine biosphere reserve in Europe.

An informal meeting of directors-general and attachés for fisheries of EU member states was held yesterday in Portorož. Director-General of the Food and Fisheries Directorate Ana Le Marechal Kolar attended the meeting on behalf of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Director-General of the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Charlina Vitcheva participated in the informal meeting on behalf of the European Commission.

Published below is the address of Prime Minister Janša to mark the occasion of the Day of Restoration of the Primorska Region to the Motherland, celebrated today.

As part of the Government visit to the Savinjska region, Minister for Development and EU Cohesion Policy Zvone Černač visited the municipalities Podčetrtek, Nazarje and Žalec. State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs also attended the visit to the Savinjska region and visited the municipalities Rogaška Slatina and Zreče.

The Minister of Digital Transformation, Mark Boris Andrijanič, was part of the Government delegation that visited the Savinjska region today.

Under the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, the Ministry of Public Administration and the European Commission are organising a high-level conference on artificial intelligence as a hybrid event on 14 and 15 September 2021 at Brdo pri Kranju. Via an online platform, all interested stakeholders worldwide striving to better understand how to live with AI and how to manage it in the future can participate in the conference.

Today, the Republic of Slovenia received notification that the European Commission has signed a financing agreement for the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The signing of the agreement is the basis for the beginning of the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which was prepared and adopted by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and endorsed by the European Commission. We can therefore expect the first funding from the Recovery and Resilience Facility by the end of the month.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan represented Foreign Minister Anže Logar on the Government's visit to the Savinja Region. He visited the Development Agency of the Savinja Region, Grand Hotel Sava Rogaška as well as the companies Roboteh, Pišek & HSF Logistics, and Nivo Eko, noting that the companies in the region have great potential for development.

A Slovenian Government delegation today visited the Savinjska region. In terms of area, the Savinjska statistical region is the fourth largest in Slovenia, and the third largest in terms of population. It comprises 31 municipalities.

On September 14, 2021, Virtual Archival Reading Room entered production environment and is now available to anyone who wishes to gain access to archival records.

Members of the Government first met for a working consultation in Podčetrtek, followed by separate programmes for the Prime Minister and ministers. During the visit, the Prime Minister and ministers met representatives of businesses, institutions, municipalities and other stakeholders in the region, which was followed by a public debate.

The Prime Minister, Janez Janša, today visited VIAL Automation d.o.o., as part of a tour of the Savinjska region. He met with the management of the company and was shown its production line.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan met with Ambassador Badr Abdel Atty, Assistant Foreign Minister of Egypt.

Between July and mid-September 2021 alone, Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy approved EU funding for the development of nearly 230 kilometers of new cycling connections across the country. The new cycling infrastructure will promote sustainable mobility and allow cyclists to enjoy in safe and comfortable rides to and between local and regional centers.

The COVID-19 update press conference was today attended by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Franc Vindišar, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Simon Zajc, and Maja Bratuša, who opened the press conference by presenting the latest epidemiological data.

Today, State Secretary Peter Geršak attended the International Investor's Conference in Bled, organised by the PanSlovenian Shareholder's Association in cooperation with Better Finance. The State Secretary gave an opening address, and then took part in a round table discussion entitled Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity in Business.

In a video address, Prime Minister Janez Janša addressed participants at the 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, taking place virtually from 13 to 15 September , as one of the keynote speakers. The main topic of the session, which will be attended by the representatives of the 53 member states of WHO's European region, is tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and setting the course for further action.

For the tenth time in a row, European Cooperation Day events are taking place across Europe under the auspices of the European Commission. On Friday, 10 September 2021, we presented the achievements and the significance of cross-border cooperation projects in the border area of Gorenjska by hiking to Zelenica.

"Culture and cultural heritage should become the humanist agenda of Europe united by European values," was the main message of the two-day international conference entitled The Right to Heritage as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development, which concluded on 12 September 2021.

On the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that hit the United States of America, Minister Anže Logar and Chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy Susan Falatko honoured the memory of nearly 3,000 innocent victims who lost their lives in a series of criminal acts orchestrated by Al-Qaeda extremists in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

Acting Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation Igor Jukič attended the extraordinary meeting of EU directors-general for humanitarian aid on the situation in Afghanistan in preparation for the high-level ministerial meeting to be held in Geneva on 13 September 2021.

Ambassador Lea Stančič, met with the President of the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova, Igor Grosu, and with the Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița on 8 September 2021.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs met today with the representatives of the Association of Municipalities of Slovenia. They discussed the implementation of municipal and regional projects in the framework of the Agreements on the Development of Regions, and the allocation of the 2014-2020 EU funding for the already-approved projects. The mayors hope that the mechanism would also be designed for the financial perspective 2021-2027. They also exchanged views regarding the ITI mechanism (Integrated Territorial Investments) and the CLLD mechanism (Community-led Local Development) as well as the future of European Cohesion Policy.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar hosted the Gold Ribbon Slovenia team, a group of children and adolescents who have survived cancer or are still battling it, raising awareness about the disease and offering support to their peers. The group’s representatives handed gold ribbons to the Minister as a symbol of childhood cancer awareness. “I will convey your message to the European house of democracy in Strasbourg next week,” said Minister Logar.

We wish to inform our visitors that following the provisions of the Decree on the Method of Meeting the Condition of Recovery, Vaccination and Testing to Cure the Spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus, only those who submit proof of meeting Recovered – Vaccinated – Tested (RVT) rule will be allowed entry to the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia.

The RVT rule is not mandatory for persons under the age of 12.

On 8 September 2021, Slovenia, the country holding the EU Council Presidency, organised a virtual event “Publication of the Fourth Report on the EU Guidelines on Promoting Compliance with IHL” in tandem with Portugal. The Report was presented in public for the first time, as recommended by the EU Political and Security Committee, with a view to raising awareness of a number of IHL activities undertaken by the EU and its member states.

The Prime Minister, Janez Janša, attended the 30th Economic Forum in Poland, entitled 'Europe in Search of Leadership'. The Economic Forum in Karpacz is the largest conference in Central and Eastern Europe. The Forum, which is traditionally held in Poland in early September, annually attracts more than 4000 guests (political, economic and social leaders) from over 60 countries in Europe, Asia and America. The purpose of the Forum is to create a favourable environment for the development of political and economic cooperation between EU Member States and their neighbours.

At tonight's closing ceremony of the 30th Economic Forum in Poland, Prime Minister Janez Janša received the Man of the Year 2020 of Central and Eastern Europe award.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan today contributed a video address to a high-level event organised by the United Nations entitled: Anticipatory Action: A Commitment to Act Ahead of Crises.

The renowned mezzo-soprano Bernarda Fink and bass baritone Marcos Fink enchanted the audience in yesterday's Songs without Borders concert at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels. They paid homage to the outstanding achievements of European, including Slovenian, and Argentine musical and poetic creativity.

An informal meeting of EU Forest Directors-General was held yesterday and today. State Secretary Aleš Irgolič attended the plenary session, which took place yesterday in Maribor. Pierre Bascou, Director at the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development, and Humberto Delgado-Rosa, Director at the Directorate-General for Environment, attended the session as representatives of the European Commission. Today, foreign delegations went on a field trip to Radlje pri Dravi and its surrounding area.

On the 8th September 2021, the Republic of Slovenia, rated A3 (stable)/A (stable)/AA- (stable) reopened its 10-year Benchmark (SLOREP 12 February 2031) by €250mn to bring the new outstanding issue to €2bn size.

As part of the government visit to the region, Minister for Development and European Cohesion Policy Zvone Černač today met with mayor of Brda Franc Muženič and mayor of Vipava Goran Kodelja to discuss the progress and benefits of local and regional projects supported by the EU in the current programming period and the projects coming down the line in the next period. State Secretary Kirbiš Rojs also took part in the government visit to the region to meet with the officials from the municipalities Idrija and Tolmin.

As part of the Government visit to the Goriška region, Prime Minister Janez Janša today visited Hidria and attended an event marking the 50th anniversary of the company. Together with dr. Iztok Seljak, the Executive Director of Hidria, he laid the foundation stone for a new high-tech centre for the development and manufacture of key components for electric motors for electric and hybrid vehicles of the future. The centre is expected to be up and running in mid-2023.