News

On the second day of the informal meeting of EU environment and climate change ministers in Slovenia, discussions addressed the new proposal of global targets for the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. The ministers also discussed the challenges of jointly strengthening pollinator protection and setting up an EU-wide pollinator monitoring framework.

Minister Dikaučič said that the existing rules cannot provide answers to all the challenges brought by artificial intelligence, which is why it is necessary to take further steps in the creation of a legal framework. The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Slovenia hosted a virtual event focusing on the effective protection of fundamental rights regarding artificial intelligence in Europe and beyond.

Slovenia hosted an informal meeting of environment and climate change ministers. For the first time, they exchanged views on the vital legislative package "Fit for 55", which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. In the afternoon, the ministers exchanged views on the COP26 International Climate Change Conference to be held in Glasgow in November.

The European Commission today published its second annual Rule of Law Report within the European Rule of Law Mechanism set up in 2020. The report aims to elevate the understanding of the founding values and promote the rule of law culture, thereby strengthening this principle in the European Union as a whole.

The Ministry of Infrastructure issued an energy permit for the JEK2 project, based on the adoption of Slovenia's Long-Term Climate Strategy and the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (NEPN), which clears the way for the implementation of administrative procedures and preparation of documentation for investment decision-making on JEK2 (the second nuclear reactor unit in Krško), providing a necessary basis for the final decision on the optimal energy scenario for the future supply of low-carbon Slovenia.

The Communication Office of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia (UKOM) has sent the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) the final version of the public service contract.

Today's press conference on the current situation regarding COVID 19 was attended by the Minister of Health, Janez Poklukar and the Director of the National Institute of Public Health, Milan Krek.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended a follow-up meeting of foreign affairs ministers of the Central 5 (C5) countries, i.e. Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Expansion of the Ormož business-economic zone. The EUR 2.22 million project will be implemented by Municipality Ormož under the Agreement on the development of the Podravje region and supported by the EU, with the contribution from the European Regional Development Fund standing at EUR 1.48 million.

At the meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council, headed by Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek, ministers discussed items on the agriculture agenda. They unanimously adopted the Council conclusions on the action plan for the development of organic agriculture, which stress the awareness of member states of the importance of organic farming in ensuring the sustainability of future European agriculture and food production. As regards the "End the Cage Age" European Citizens’ Initiative, the Council supported activities aimed at promoting animal welfare.

On 19 July 2021, Minister of Education, Science and Sport Dr Simona Kustec hosted a full-day informal meeting of ministers responsible for research at Brdo pri Kranju.

Today, the Executive Board agreed to allocate more seats in the Conference Plenary to regional and local elected representatives, as well as to social partners.

Minister of Defence Mag. Today, Matej Tonin addressed Chairpersons of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union. The event was organised within the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and the Minister addressed the topic of cyber security and the resilience of critical infrastructure.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Wastewater collection and treatment in the Lucija agglomeration – Agreement on the Development of Regions. The EUR 2.36 million wastewater infrastructure project that Municipality Piran will implement under the Agreement on the Development of the Obalno-kraška Region will be supported by the EU, with the contribution from the Cohesion Fund amounting to almost EUR 843 thousand.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Wastewater collection and treatment in the Municipality Sevnica – Agreement on the Development of Regions. The EUR 967 thousand wastewater infrastructure project which Municipality Sevnica will implement under the Agreement on the Development of the Posavje Region will be supported by the EU, with the contribution from the Cohesion Fund amounting to almost EUR 466 thousand.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar attended a virtual Conference of Presidents of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union. The meeting was organised by the National Assembly Committee on EU Affairs and the National Council Commission for International Relations and European Affairs, as part of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

Prime Minister Janez Janša and his wife Urška Bačovnik spoke about various topics in an exclusive interview for Prijatelji Radia Ognjišče (Friends of Ognjišče Radio) magazine.

Margaritis Schinas, the European Commission vice-president and Commissioner for Promoting the European Way of Life and the Prime Minister Janez Janša addressed a letter to the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach proposing that when the Slovenian team arrives in the parade of nations at the official opening ceremony of the 2020 Olympics, in additional to the Slovenian national flag, it also carries the flag of the European Union.

International Criminal Justice Day is celebrated on 17 July. On that day 23 years ago, the Rome Statute, one of the core pillars of international criminal justice, was adopted.

In accordance with Council Recommendation 2020/912 on the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU and the possible lifting of this restriction, including amendments thereto, the Republic of Slovenia allows entry into the Republic of Slovenia for non-essential travel as well. The information has been updated according to entry conditions applicable as of 15 July 2021.

An informal meeting of Defence Policy Directors took place at Bled today as part of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. In cooperation with the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Directors continued their dialogue on the Strategic Compass with a special emphasis on resilience.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, today attended the 80th extraordinary session of the National Assembly, where he provided additional explanation to his proposal to appoint Mark Boris Andrijanič as Minister without portfolio for digital transformation.

From 17 to 22 July, Ljubljana will host the International Choir festival Europa Cantat 2021, which will be held in hybrid form due to the COVID-19 pandemic – with events online and live. The festive opening of the festival will take place on Saturday, 17 July at 21 pm in Cankarjev dom with a musical spectacle directed by Matej Filipčič. The audience will be addressed by the President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor, who is also the honorary patron of the festival, and the Minister of Culture Vasko Simoniti. The event will be broadcast live by TV Slovenija 1 and ARS, Radio Slovenia third channel.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Renovation of the Bus Station in Koper. The project worth a little under EUR 2.5 million and implemented by the Urban Municipality Koper will receive a good EUR 900 thousand of Cohesion Fund support.

Prime Minister Janez Janša met today with Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, who is in Slovenia on an official visit. Mr Janša and Dr Kluge focused on issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, the vaccination strategy and the measures to limit and contain the spread of the virus.

Prime Minister Janez Janša met today with former Italian Prime Minister, multi-term European Commissioner and President of the WHO Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development Mario Monti. Mr Janša and Mr Monti discussed current affairs, especially economy and finance, and the health situation in Europe.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan held a meeting with Franck Riester, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness. In addition to a general overview of bilateral cooperation, their talks covered investment opportunities in Slovenia, nuclear energy, space, tourism, air connections, automotive industry and digitalisation. The two high officials also discussed the strategic autonomy and economic diplomacy of the European Union.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Footbridge and Bike Path – Irča vas. The project worth a little under EUR 1.76 million will be implemented by the Urban Municipality Novo mesto and will receive EUR 745 thousand of Cohesion Fund support.

During her three-day working visit to Brussels at the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), Minister Simona Kustec declared: “We will work towards the European vision of knowledge, education and research for a green and digital future.”

At today's press conference held in Ljubljana Prime Minister Janez Janša and Deputy Prime Ministers Zdravko Počivalšek and Matej Tonin discussed the current epidemiological situation and other current topics.

The Ministers of the Interior met for an informal meeting hosted by Slovenian Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs at the Brdo Congress Centre and demonstrated political will in favour of gradual progress in the formulation of the common EU Migration Policy.

At today's press conference in Ljubljana, Prime Minister Janez Janša and Deputy Prime Ministers Zdravko Počivalšek and Matej Tonin discussed the current epidemiological situation and other current topics.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan gave a speech on the Future of Transatlantic Relations – Priorities for Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, organised by the Centre for European Perspective and the European Centre for International Political Economy.

Today, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan received Hungary’s Minister of Justice Judit Varga, who is also in charge of coordination of EU affairs. Minister Varga is in Slovenia to attend the informal meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council, which is taking place on 15 and 16 July 2021 in Brdo pri Kranju.

In the meetings of the Committees of the European Parliament, competent for purports within the scope of work of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, the Minister Jože Podgoršek presented the sectoral programme and the priority tasks of the Slovenian Presidency. These fall within the scope of “Resilience, recovery and strategic autonomy of the EU”, focusing on strategic significance of food security within the EU and sustainable agriculture (care for rural areas) and forestry. In fisheries, priority tasks arise from the significance of conservation of coastal communities and of tradition of sustainable fishing.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša today took part in a video conference with the US think tank CEPA. The mission of the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) is to ensure a strong and enduring transatlantic alliance rooted in democratic values and principles with a strategic vision. Through research, analyses and programmes it provides a new insight into energy, security and defence issues.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Agglomeration 10991 Zgornja Vižinga – Municipality Radlje ob Dravi. The project worth a little under EUR 3.4 million will receive nearly EUR 871 thousand of European Regional Development Fund support and will be implemented by the Municipality Radlje ob Dravi in the frame of the Agreement on the Development of the Koroška region.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Wastewater collection and treatment in the Dravinja River basin – Municipality Zreče. The EUR 5 million project will be implemented by Municipality Zreče under the Agreement on the development of the Savinjska region and supported by the EU, with the contribution from the Cohesion Fund standing at a good EUR 1.3 million.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a grant decision for the project Measures to reduce flood risk in Kostanjevica na Krki. The project worth EUR 6.75 million will be implemented by the Slovenian Water Agency and will receive support from the Cohesion Fund in the amount of a little under EUR 2 million.

An informal meeting of EU justice ministers will take place in Brdo pri Kranju on 16 July. The central topic of the meeting will be the judicial aspects of the draft act on artificial intelligence and child-friendly justice. The discussions will be chaired by Minister Marjan Dikaučič in the capacity of the President of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council.

A political agreement with the European Parliament on the amendment of the Aarhus Regulation was reached as one of the first achievements of the Slovenian Presidency, which would not have been possible without the positive cooperation of the trio presidencies, as Germany reached an agreement at the Council, Portugal started negotiations with the European Parliament (EP) and Slovenia successfully concluded negotiations.

On the sidelines of this year’s United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), Zvone Černač, Minister without Portfolio for Development and EU Cohesion Policy, addressed the participants of an online event by underlining the relevance of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals for faster recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The side event, organised under the auspices of the European Commission and the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, was also attended by Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Amina Mohammed, European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni, and European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen.

At the meeting of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of the European Parliament, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak presented the Slovenian Presidency programme and priorities pertaining to the environment and climate change. He highlighted two key priorities – the Fit for 55 legislative package (a 55-percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030) and the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties to be held in Glasgow in November.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar presented the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency at the Committee on Constitutional Affairs and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament.

Today the European Commission unveiled the 'Fit for 55' package of climate and energy laws. The Slovenian Presidency welcomes the unveiled project, which is also a priority of the Presidency in the field of the environment and climate change. Given the importance of this legislative package, the first informal political exchange of views of the member states will already take place next week, on 20 July, at an informal meeting of environment ministers in Slovenia.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar inaugurated the flagship cultural and promotional project of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency together with David Sassoli, the President of the European Parliament, and Gitte Zschoch, the Director of the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC), in the Citizens’ Garden in Brussels. “The Slovenian Presidency is placing culture and creativity high on the European agenda,” declared Minister Logar in his introductory address.

Today, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) sent the second draft of the contract to the Slovenian Press Agency that provides for the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), a public service, as defined by the Slovenian Press Agency Act. Numerous details were coordinated at yesterday’s coordination meeting. Currently, there are two elements that have yet to be coordinated. In the Slovenian Press Agency Act, it is stated that all content created as part of a public service must be freely accessible to all under equal conditions. Irrespective of this legal provision, the STA’s director Bojan Veselinović insists on continuing to sell certain services on the free market that are part of a public service and, in doing so, is in clear violation of the law, because those paying for the service would have different access to these services than those not paying for it.

The 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva comes to an end today. At the initiative of the European Union, the Council discussed the human rights situation in Belarus, Eritrea and the Tigray region of Ethiopia. As the country presiding the Council of the EU, Slovenia presented the three initiatives that seek to improve the respective human rights situations and call on the authorities to respect their international human rights commitments.

The Government issued the Ordinance amending the Ordinance determining the conditions of entry into the Republic of Slovenia to contain and control the COVID-19 communicable disease and published it in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia.

On 13 July, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended via video conferencing the 6th Enlargement Day organised by the European Committee of Regions in cooperation with the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. He presented the Presidency’s key topics and plans to the high-level audience which included Maciej Popowski, Acting Director-General of the DG for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, and Nikola Dobroslavić, Rapporteur of the Committee of Regions for the Enlargement Package 2020.