News

GPAI is an international and multistakeholder initiative to support and guide the responsible use and development of AI, grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation and economic growth.

At today’s 18th regular session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Janez Janša answered parliamentary questions raised by Predrag Baković (SD), Nataša Sukič (Levica), Maša Kociper (SAB) and Janja Sluga (SMC).

Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the programme A Talk with the Prime Minister broadcast on Nova24TV, where he talked about a number of current affairs and answered questions from viewers.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the project “Jesenice business zone – construction of urban infrastructure, phase 2”. The project worth EUR 1,150,000 will be implemented by the municipality Jesenice and will receive EUR 628,504 of European Regional Development Fund support.

As of 15 June, crossing the Slovene-Italian border outside the checkpoints will be allowed, but only for Slovenian and Italian citizens, while for the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the ordinance will start to apply as of today.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan and Acting Secretary-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, Jožef Drofenik, took part in today’s informal online meeting of EU state secretaries and secretaries-general.

The President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor awarded the government call centre for information on the coronavirus the Apple of Inspiration Award for its significant contribution to life as normal as possible in the difficult times of dealing with the epidemic of the new virus. The president's recognition of the importance of the call centre's selfless and professional work was welcomed by all participants who helped callers with reliable and up-to-date answers. The call centre is concluding its work today.

At today's session, the Government issued the Ordinance on the manner of conducting public passenger transport in the territory of the Republic of Slovenia, the Ordinance repealing the Ordinance on the provisional conditions on carrying out sports activities and the Ordinance amending the Ordinance on the temporary restriction of the gathering of people in public spaces and areas in the Republic of Slovenia.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the project “Energy-saving renovation of the Ljubljana – Moste – Polje Home for the elderly”. The project worth a little under EUR 2 million will receive EUR 482,000 of Cohesion Fund support.

In an audio-video conference with the Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Teresa Ribeiro, and the German State Secretary, Martin Jäger, State Secretary Tone Kajzer discussed the priorities of the Trio Presidency. They were in full agreement that the Trio’s work will be strongly marked by the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming 18 months. The pandemic has revealed the importance of development cooperation in overcoming social and economic challenges in partner countries.

Persons who are permanent residents of Slovenia and are over the age of 18 will receive EUR 200 in vouchers and those under the age of 18 will receive EUR 50. Vouchers can be used in Slovenia to purchase accommodation with breakfast or only accommodation.

Persons who are permanent residents of Slovenia and are over the age of 18 will receive EUR 200 in vouchers and those under the age of 18 will receive EUR 50. Vouchers can be used in Slovenia to purchase accommodation with breakfast or only accommodation.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, today attended a meeting of the ambassadors of the EU Member States, the Western Balkan countries and Turkey, held at the European Union House in Ljubljana. As the event was organised within the framework of the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a brief introduction was delivered by the host, Boris Grigić, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the Republic of Slovenia; Prime Minister Janez Janša was the keynote speaker.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the programme “COVID19 – Additional assistive ICT technology for education process”. The programme, which falls in the framework of Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, will receive EUR 4 million of European Regional Development Fund support.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the programme A Talk with the Prime Minister on Nova24TV, in which he talked about the current topics of last week and answered questions from citizens.

Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar and Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Nikola Dimitrov held an online meeting during which they commended the excellent bilateral relations.

State Secretary Tone Kajzer participated in an informal video conference of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in the format of development ministers. The Team Europe Global Response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of play in negotiations for a new EU-ACP partnership (post-Cotonou) agreement, and the future financial architecture for sustainable development were the main items discussed.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia amended the Ordinance on imposing and implementing measures for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 at border crossings at the external border and at checkpoints at the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia. The Ordinance was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia and has been in force since 8 June 2020.

On 8 June, World Oceans Day, members of the Green Group issued a joint statement underlining the importance of measures for addressing climate change impacts on marine ecosystems and for preserving the sustainability of oceans worldwide. The Green Group – Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Iceland, Singapore, Slovenia, and the United Arab Emirates – is an informal association of small countries that, on Slovenia’s initiative, have been promoting issues related to the environment and sustainable development in foreign policy since 2009.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, today attended a commemoration at the pit under Macesnova gorica in Kočevski Rog. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the reconciliation ceremony, Prime Minister Janez Janša and the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, laid a wreath.

Ambassador Dr Andrej Benedejčič is taking part in the tenth session of the informal Structured Dialogue working group on the current and future challenges and risks to security in the OSCE area. This year’s dialogue between capitals has moved online to deal with the implications of the Covid-19 crisis on politico-military commitments of the OSCE participating States. Various strands are being examined, including military participation in efforts to curb the pandemic, armament control measures, and the emergence of new security threats and challenges in Europe.

Prior to a meeting with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio scheduled for 6 June in Ljubljana, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar met with the representatives of the Slovenian national community in Italy. The Minister Responsible for Slovenians Abroad, Helena Jaklitsch, also participated in the meeting.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the project “Construction of the Puščava business zone – phase 1”. The project worth EUR 549,000 will be implemented by the municipality Mokronog-Trebelno and will receive EUR 329,000 of European Regional Development Fund support.

Slovenia is opening its borders without restrictions to travellers from three neighbouring countries: Croatia, Hungary, and, today after midnight, also from Austria, which was added to the list by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia yesterday.

Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar participated in a video conference with members of the Slovenian Government and representatives of the OECD. The Slovenian delegation included Minister of Finance Andrej Šircelj, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health Tina Bregant and State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Mateja Ribič. The OECD delegation was headed by Secretary-General Ángel Gurría.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration mag. Peter Geršak attended an informal video conference of EU ministries responsible for telecommunications and the information society. The participants of the virtual meeting discussed digital priorities after the end of the Covid-19 epidemic, such as e.g. artificial intelligence, connectivity and data use.

Today, 5 June, Minister Aleš Hojs took part in an informal meeting of home affairs ministers via video conference.

The 70th press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19, held for the last time in Cankarjev dom, was attended by the coordinator for the provision of healthcare services in social protection institutions for the Gorenjska region and the Director of the University Clinic of Pulmonary and Allergic Diseases Golnik, Aleš Rozman, and the government spokesperson, Jelko Kacin.

Following the guidelines issued by the National Institute of Public Health and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the reading room of the Archives of RS partially re-opened its door on June 8, 2020. The reading and information office are now open to visitors according to summertime working hours. Visitors may enter the Archives only by prior appointment and after their date of arrival has been confirmed by the reading room staff.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar received a farewell call from the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Klaus Peter Riedel, at the end of his four-year term of office.

"Children are the most vulnerable members of society who have no influence on the environment in which they grow up. It is therefore our duty to pay attention to their vulnerability, to be their voice, and to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of abuse," said the Minister of Justice at the beginning of the public discussion on the draft act on the protection of children in criminal proceedings and their comprehensive treatment in a children's house.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the “Call for proposals for co-financing projects to support vulnerable groups most affected by the COVID-19 epidemic and to reduce its impacts”. The call for proposals worth EUR 1,925,000 will be implemented by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and will be fully supported by the European Social Fund.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the programme “COVID19 – Temporary unemployment compensation”. The programme worth EUR 4.6 million will be fully supported by the European Social Fund.

The speakers at the press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 were the chief epidemiologist at the National Institute of Public Health, Mario Fafangel, and the epidemiologist at the Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Flavia Riccardo.

Today, State Secretary Tone Kajzer participated in the virtual High-Level Pledging Event in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. He announced an additional pledge by Slovenia, which will be channelled through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“In the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, Slovenia is among the most successful countries in the world. The reputation of a safe and orderly state, which is able to take care of the health of its people, is the best recommendation in times like this,” said Prime Minister Janez Janša in his address to the citizens of Slovenia on the occasion of the adoption of the third anti-corona package, adding that the Government will make the best of the advantage gained with the containment of the epidemic in order to eliminate its consequences. In its most recent forecast, the European Commission assessed the measures adopted so far in Slovenia as very positive. Furthermore, owing to these measures among other things, it forecast a potentially quick recovery for Slovenia and a rebound to almost the pre-crisis level as early as next year. “We will do our utmost to achieve this,” stated the Prime Minister decidedly.

For many people in Slovenia, life almost stopped during the declared epidemic. Despite the fact that we all contributed to the good epidemiological picture, the heaviest burden was mainly carried by the health workers – those in healthcare institutions (notably Ljubljana and Maribor university medical centres, the Golnik clinic and the Celje hospital), at 16 testing entry points for the potentially infected, in elder care homes, members of the 13 medical teams designed to help the personnel in elder care homes, epidemiologists…

Yesterday, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the programme A Talk with the Prime Minister, which was broadcast on TV Slovenija 1. The Prime Minister spoke about various current issues, such as Slovenia’s efforts to fight the coronavirus epidemic, the EU’s response to the crisis, the upcoming recession and the economic recovery of Slovenia. The Prime Minister and the TV host also discussed the functioning of the coalition and the cooperation between the coalition and the opposition.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar today took part in a video conference of EU ministers of foreign affairs, which was chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. The discussion at the now fifth video conference of foreign ministers focused on relations between the EU and China, the impact of the pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region and on future relations between the EU and said region.

In today’s audio-video conversation with Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar stressed excellent bilateral relations and underlined Slovenia’s interest in further deepening economic cooperation with Norway, with both ministers noting that their countries share a number of positions relating to European and multilateral topics.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar met with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó in Dolga Vas today.

Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest of today's Pogovor o ... talk show on Radio Ognjišče, where he talked about various current topics, especially Slovenia's fight against the coronavirus and the measures adopted by the Government to contain the spread of the coronavirus and to help the people and the economy.

At the invitation of Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić and Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar today participated in an audio-video conference of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative (AII) and the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR). The ministers exchanged views and incentives regarding the role of the AII and EUSAIR, and discussed ways of successful regional cooperation in alleviating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the meeting, Minister Logar presented the programme of the Slovenian AII and EUSAIR chairmanship, which will officially be assumed on 1 June 2020.

Today, the European Commission published a renewed proposal for the EU 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework, which includes the long-awaited recovery fund. It constitutes a financial package designed to deal effectively with the consequences of the COVID crisis.

At today’s virtual Donors Conference in solidarity with Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the countries of the region facing the COVID-19 crisis, State Secretary Kajzer pledged Slovenia’s humanitarian contribution in the amount of EUR 10,000. The contribution, which is to be channelled through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is intended for Venezuelan refugees in the Brazilian cities of Boa Vista and Manaus.

On Monday, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the programme A Talk with the Prime Minister on Nova24TV.

The keynote speaker at the press conference on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 epidemic was the Chair of the Commission for Children with Special Needs of the Council of Experts of the Republic of Slovenia for General Education, psychologist Kristijan Musek Lešnik.

Slovenia declared an epidemic on 12 March 2020 due to the growing number of coronavirus infections. In order to contain the spread of infection, many countries, including Slovenia, introduced changes in their border crossing regime. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted an ordinance declaring the end of COVID-19 epidemic effective from 15 May. But since the risk of spreading COVID-19 still persists, the general and specific measures adopted pursuant to the decision on the application of measures under the Communicable Diseases Act will continue to apply based on expert opinion until 31 May 2020.

The new Ordinance on imposing and implementing measures for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 at border crossings at the external border and at checkpoints at the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia entered into force today. New exceptions from mandatory 14-day quarantine upon entry into Slovenia have been added. Also, a new checkpoint Gorjansko ‒ San Pelagio has been added on the road connection with Italy.