News

At today's session, the Government adopted a new foreign policy strategy and an amendment to the Labour and Social Security Registers Act, as well as updated the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan. It also discussed an amendment to the Social Assistance Act and issued an amendment to the Decree on the compulsory health insurance service programme, capacities required to implement it and the amount of funding for services for 2024.

Prime Minister Golob: Slovenia's reputation in the international community further enhanced by hard work this year.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon inaugurated the 28th Consultation of Slovenian Diplomats at Brdo pri Kranju. In her address, the Minister highlighted Slovenia’s achievements in 2024, with a particular focus on the country’s role in the UN Security Council, the establishment of new diplomatic and consular missions to enhance partnerships, and the challenges anticipated for 2025..

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has issued an open call to citizens, legal persons or other organisations for the identification of candidates for the 2025 Golden Bee Award. The call was approved last week at a meeting of the Golden Bee Award Committee, which was appointed by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia in 2021 and chaired by the Minister Mateja Čalušić.

Prime Minister Dr. Robert Golob congratulates the new president of the Constitutional court, Dr. Rok Čeferin.

The SIChain EIPS project that is part of the Important Project of Common European Interest – Next-Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI CIS) demonstrates that Slovenians can also play a key role in Europe's digital breakthrough.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in the EU-Albania Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels, where she, on behalf of Slovenia, Austria and Spain, commended the Albanian government for the progress in the EU enlargement process achieved within a short timeframe. She underscored that this success represents an important step forward not only for Albania but also for the European Union as a whole. She welcomed Albania’s progress and the opening of negotiations on a new cluster.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in the EU-Montenegro Intergovernmental Conference, where Montenegro provisionally closed three negotiating chapters. Speaking on behalf of Slovenia, Austria and Italy, Minister Fajon commended Montenegro's progress on its European path, expressing hope that the country will sustain this momentum and become the next EU member state.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended the first meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, chaired by the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas. Ministers discussed continued support for Ukraine, the situation in Georgia and the Middle East, with a focus on Syria.

In the run-up to Christmas, Prime Minister Robert Golob visited residents of the Danica Vogrinec Nursing Home in Maribor and later met with the management of the Maribor Inter-Municipal Housing Fund.

On Thursday 19 December 2024, the Reading Room and the Information Room will be open until 12 noon.

On both Fridays, 27 December 2024 and 3 January 2025, the Archives will be closed for collective leave.

In the new episode of the government GOVSI podcast, hosted by Petra Bezjak Cirman, we delved into the world of statistics with guests Apolonija Oblak Flander, Director-General of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), and Martin Bajželj, Head of the Data Publishing and Communication Sector. They discussed the importance of statistics for everyday decision-making, societal governance, and economic development.

At today's session, the Government adopted a proposal for an amendment to the Municipal Financing Act, which provides systemic solutions for covering additional costs of municipalities and a starting point for the preparation of legislative proposals on Roma issues. It also reviewed the List of Beneficiaries of the Eighth Set of Advance Payments for the Reconstruction of Housing Due to Floods and Landslides from August 2023.

Ljubljana, 12 December 2024 – The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals to co-finance integrated energy-saving renovation of municipality-owned buildings.

On December 10, 2024, the Ambassador hosted a reception for the Slovenian community in Washington on the occasion of the 34th Day of Slovenian Independence and Unity. Photographer Alenka Slavinec organized the opening of a photography exhibition about Lipizzaner horses, whose story is inseparably connected to Operation Cowboy, which enabled some of the horses to return to Lipica.

The delegation of Slovenia, comprising the Director-General for International Law, Dr Marko Rakovec, acting as agent, alongside legal representatives Prof. Dr Vasilka Sancin and Dr Daniel Müller, appeared before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague during the hearing on the request for an advisory opinion regarding the obligations of States in respect of climate change.

State Secretary Marko Štucin hosted for political consultations the Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Albania Megi Fino, who also met separately with State Secretary Melita Gabrič. All three expressed their satisfaction with the friendly relations between the two countries.

In December, construction work on the Slovenian Centre for Large Fires in the Natural Environment was completed in Sežana to facilitate a greater number of activities and firefighting training events. This is an investment in social and economic resilience to climate-related natural disasters in Slovenia – SLO SERCID.

Today, the Council of the European Union comprising finance ministers approved an amendment to Slovenia's Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). This is a minor amendment, mainly relating to the method of implementing seven measures.

On the occasion of world Human Rights Day, Slovenia's foreign policy message – Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now – reaffirms its commitment to promoting the respect for and protection of human rights, particularly within the framework of international organisations.

Slovenia has received the remainder and the bulk of the European Union Solidarity Fund aid intended for recovery and reconstruction following the devastating floods that hit the country in August 2023. The European Commission recently transferred an additional EUR 328.4 million to Slovenia's Ministry of Finance, topping up the EUR 100 million advance payment received at the end of last year.

During her visit to Podgorica, Minister Tanja Fajon officially opened the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre, an initiative of Slovenia, France and Montenegro. She also signed the new development cooperation programme between the Slovenian and Montenegrin governments and met with senior Montenegrin officials.

The Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway, is hosting a regional expert event in Ljubljana entitled “Women in Peace and Security Efforts – Perspectives from South-Eastern Europe and Ukraine”. The event was opened by State Secretary Melita Gabrič.

The first United Nations human rights treaty – the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide – was adopted on 9 December 1948, one day before the adoption of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948.

At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Robert Golob and his partner Tina Gaber attended the inauguration of the renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris yesterday.

The Director of the Government Communication Office, Petra Bezjak Cirman, presented the challenges of identifying disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference, and the awareness-raising campaign Stop Disinformation: READ, THINK, CHECK, at the Strategic Communication in the Contemporary Security Environment training, which took place from 3 to 6 December at Jable Castle in Mengeš.

In recent days, a video with false and misleading claims about the possibility of entering Slovenia has garnered a lot of attention on the social network X.

On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed on 3 December, Prime Minister Robert Golob hosted representatives from the National Council of Disability Organisations of Slovenia (NSIOS), the Sonček – Cerebral Palsy Association of Slovenia, the Altra Society, the Poglej Society and the YHD Association for Theory and Culture of Handicap.

The Minister of Education, Vinko Logaj, attends the grand opening of renovated and new premises of the Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Ljubljana. The renovation was funded under the Recovery and Resilience Plan and with integrated budget funds.

At the Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon stressed the importance of this forum and the need to ensure the functioning of the OSCE, including stable funding. The main topic of discussion at the Malta meeting was Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.

At today's session, the Government took a number of important decisions. Among other things, it finalised the text of the draft Act Determining Additional Intervention Measures to Ensure Accessibility in Healthcare and the text of the Act Amending the Pharmacy Practice Act, and adopted amendments to the Long-Term Care Act.

Today marks an important milestone with the signing of the founding charter of ZAŠKO – the cross-border sports coordination body. This important step brings us closer to the formal implementation and government approval of this initiative, which aims to strengthen cross-border cooperation through sport.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Brussels. The discussions focused on Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as on key strategic priorities as NATO marks its 75th anniversary this year. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs met and held their first consultations with the new Secretary General, Mark Rutte.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the Vevče swimming centre project.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Development of prisoners’ competences.

At the Cairo Ministerial Conference, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon discussed the prospects for lasting solutions for Gaza and the Middle East as a whole with participants from more than 90 countries and international organisations.

Slovenian stakeholders are becoming key players in tapping the potential of the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument (I3), a ground-breaking European initiative launched in 2022 by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA).

In November, as the presidency of the UN Security Council was held by the United Kingdom, Slovenia co-sponsored two briefings, one on the denuclearisation of North Korea and the other on imminent famine in Gaza. State Secretary Marko Štucin participated in a high-level meeting on the situation in Gaza and Ukraine, where he called for the Security Council to take more decisive action on the conflicts..

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, in cooperation with the European Commission Representation in Slovenia, organised a presentation for Slovenian companies on the possibilities of their participation in the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) projects. The aim of the event was to attract more Slovenian companies to participate in WBIF projects.

Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon received in Ljubljana Alexander Schallenberg, Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, and Gordan Grlić Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia, as part of the second meeting of the so-called Trilateral.

State Secretary Marko Štucin held political consultations in Tashkent with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, Muzaffarbek Anvarbekovich. The two officials reviewed bilateral cooperation and committed to strengthening economic cooperation, in line with the 2023 economic cooperation agreement.

To mark the Mediterranean Day, a round table discussion was organised in the atrium of the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU) under the title The Power of Journalism and Music as a Means of Intercultural Dialogue«. The event was enriched with the performance of the exceptional Syrian musician Rami Basisah, whose story was presented to the international audience by Slovenian journalist Boštjan Videmšek.

In the latest, 15th episode of the GOVSI podcast, the guest is the Chief Labor Inspector, Katja Čoh Kragolnik. Host Zoran Potič discussed pressing issues surrounding workers’ rights, legislation, and the practical role of the Labor Inspectorate with her.

At today’s session, the Government of Slovenia adopted a transitional law to enable a thoughtful and socially just coal exit in the Šaleška Valley. It also determined proposals for the Passport Act and amendments to the laws on identity cards, banking, the central register of insured persons and beneficiaries of mandatory pension and disability insurance rights, and confirmed amendments to the Reconstruction Act.

The meeting of the General Affairs Council dedicated to cohesion policy was held ahead of the start of the mandate of the new European Commission. The ministers discussed ways to strengthen the key assets of cohesion policy. The Minister for Cohesion and Regional Development Dr Aleksander Jevšek underscored the importance of cohesion policy for an integrated and sustainable development and success of the European Union.

On 25 and 26 November 2024, we hosted the international conference Geographical Indications and Collective Marks: Tradition, Quality, and Identity for Sustainable Competitiveness at Congress Centre Brdo.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has launched a call for proposals to support the inclusion of graduates in business development projects in border problem areas. The aim of the call for proposals is to promote the employment of graduates in companies operating in border problem areas.

Prime Minister Dr. Robert Golob attended the Slovenian Economic Summit, organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia.

In Astana, State Secretary Marko Štucin held political consultations with Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Roman Vassilenko, focusing on the strengthening of bilateral relations and current foreign policy issues. He also met with Slovenians living and working in Kazakhstan.

State Secretary Dr Melita Gabrič attended the 10th MED Mediterranean Dialogues Conference in Rome. The conference is one of the main platforms for high-level dialogue on topical issues in the Mediterranean, the MENA region (Middle East and North Africa) and beyond.