News

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar met with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today in Washington, which was the third bilateral meeting at the level of foreign ministers over the last year and a half. The meeting was aimed at continuing the strategic dialogue between the two countries.

The Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak attended the last meeting of the Environment Council to be held during the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Slovenian Presidency presented a report on the progress made in negotiations on the proposal for a regulation concerning batteries and waste batteries, which is an integral part of the European Green Deal. The proposals contained in the “Fit for 55” package were the main priority of the Slovenian Presidency, which strived for the greatest possible progress and a coherent approach to dealing with dossiers that are highly horizontal in nature.

The first international Golden Bee Award was awarded today in the House of the Carniolan Honey Bee. Prof. Lucas Alejandro Garibaldi from Argentina received the award. Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food and Chair of the Golden Bee Award Committee Jože Podgoršek announced the winner of the award. President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor presented the award, which was collected by a representative of the Embassy of Argentina on behalf of the award winner.

The development of rural areas requires coherent and integrated rural development approaches. Combining different European funds offers opportunities to invest in infrastructure, technology and people for resilient, inclusive and prosperous rural areas.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the "Kdo vam laže?" ["Who is telling you lies?] show on Nova24TV, in which he spoke about current domestic political issues.

Today’s press conference, dedicated to COVID-19, focused on the Vaccination Days campaign, which will take place between 19 and 23 December. Participants in the press conference included the Minister of Health Janez Poklukar, Commander of the Slovenian Civil Protection Force Srečko Šestan and the General Secretary of Red Cross Slovenia Cvetka Tomin.

On the invitation of Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt, Minister Dr Anže Logar is paying an official visit to the Kingdom of Norway. Cooperation between Slovenia and Norway is excellent, and the ministers discussed opportunities for further widening and strengthening mutual collaboration.

A regular informal political dialogue between the European Union and the Russian Federation on the EU enlargement was held today via video conferencing. The EU side was led by Political Director and Director-General Jernej Müller.

The Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Andrej Vizjak, will chair the last meeting of EU Environment and Climate Change Ministers before France takes over the European Council presidency.

Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the European Council meeting in Brussels, where EU leaders discussed the current situation regarding COVID-19, crisis management and resilience, energy prices, security and defence, migration and certain issues related to the EU's external relations. After the European Council meeting, the Prime Minister attended the Euro Summit. In accordance with the conclusions of the June 2021 Euro Summit, the state of play of the Capital Markets Union was discussed.

The Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs and the Minister of Justice Marjan Dikaučič, current Chairs of the EU Home Affairs Council and EU Justice Council respectively, attended the EU-US Justice and Home Affairs ministerial meeting in Washington on 16 December 2021. The ministerial meeting was also attended by the European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson, the Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders, a delegation of the General Secretariat of the EU Council, the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Ilkka Salmi, the Executive Director of Europol Catherine de Bolle and the President of Eurojust Ladislav Hamran.The meeting agenda was dedicated to justice and home affairs topics of shared EU and US interest.

A regular informal political dialogue between the European Union and the United States on the EU enlargement was held today via video conferencing. The EU side was led by Political Director and Director-General Jernej Müller.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Maribor riverfront redevelopment – Lent. The ERDF-supported project will foster Maribor waterfront regeneration, making the famous Lent bank and the promenade along the Drava River a vibrant urban place offering opportunities for social interaction, recreation, cultural events or just a pleasant place to sit and relax.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar met with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris today. The main purpose of his visit to France was to outline the achievements of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and to discuss future work on the key European dossiers during the upcoming French Presidency.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan attended the 29th consultations of the economic and social stakeholders of the EU and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) via video conference.

On the margins of the European Council meeting today in Brussels, Prime Minister Janez Janša signed the Joint Declaration of the European Parliament, the Council of the EU and the European Commission on the EU's legislative priorities for 2022. A resilient and reinvigorated EU will remain at the forefront of events in the year ahead.

Prime Minister Janez Janša is attending a European Council meeting in Brussels, where he and the other EU leaders will discuss the COVID-19 situation, including the emergence of new virus variants, coordination of measures, provision of vaccination and and external relations. They will also address external relations, including with Belarus and Ukraine, as well as the issue of crisis management and resilience, energy prices, security and defence, and the external aspects of migration.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs attended an evening discussion on Cohesion Policy. The on-line event was organised by the info point Europe Direct Novo mesto and the Development Centre Novo mesto. The State Secretary drew attention to the important role Cohesion Policy funds play in ensuring a balanced regional development and went on to present the priorities supported by the NextGenerationEU instrument and the entities eligible to the funding available under the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027.

The continually updated virtual exhibition "Pioneers of Slovenian Modern Architecture – Fabiani, Plečnik and Vurnik – Forms for a New Democracy" is being rounded off with an exhibition at the National Museum of Slovenia and a comprehensive monograph on the three great Slovenian architects produced by Bojana Čampa in Stane Jeršič.

Igor Jukič, Acting Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation, attended the meeting of the EU directors-general for development cooperation on Team Europe initiatives, which was held as an audio-video conference.

The Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs and the Minister of Justice Marjan Dikaučič, current Chairs of the EU Home Affairs Council and EU Justice Council respectively, will attend the EU-US Justice and Home Affairs ministerial meeting in Washington on 16 December 2021.

Today, the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša is attending the Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels, four years on since the last summit in 2017. As Belarus is not attending this year’s summit, its regime having suspended its participation in the Eastern Partnership (on 28 June 2021), there is an empty seat at the table.

Prof. Dr Borut Štrukelj from the Faculty of Pharmacy in Ljubljana was one of the speakers at the press conference on COVID-19 held today.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša addressed the Transition with Ambition conference over video link. The event was organised by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the SPIRIT Slovenia, Public Agency and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today chaired the final regular meeting of the General Affairs Council (GAC) in Brussels in the context of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council. Ministers of European affairs discussed draft conclusions for the December European Council and the coordination of the enlargement conclusions that have been unanimously confirmed, which is yet another achievement of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Acting as Minister for Development Cooperation, State Secretary Raščan addressed the participants of an important virtual event marking the launch of the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub in Latin America and the Caribbean. This is a multi-stakeholder mechanism of the “Team Europe” initiative, the aim of which is to strengthen dialogue and partnership in digitalisation to promote a human-centric digital transformation.

State Secretary Kirbiš Rojs today gave closing remarks at the webinar marking the launch of the Europe Sustainable Development Report 2021. In her speech, State Secretary called for action.

As part of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, a video conference of the Management Board of Europol started today. The participants were addressed by the Slovenian Minister of the Interior and Chair of the Home Affairs Council, Aleš Hojs.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended the 28th regular session of the National Assembly, at which his response to the question raised by Deputy Matej T. Vatovec concerning corruption and the "mafia-style" running of the country was discussed. The Prime Minister presented his position on the issue.

Today, EU fisheries ministers held the last meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels.They successfully concluded difficult negotiations on fishing quotas for next year. The Council meeting was chaired for the last time by the Slovenian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Jože Podgoršek.

Today’s press conference on COVID-19 was attended by the Minister of Health, Janez Poklukar, the National Coordinator of the Vaccination Programme at the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Dr Marta Grgič Vitek, and by the Head of the Institute of Microbiology and Immunology and the Head of the Laboratory for the Diagnosis of Viral Infections, Prof Dr Miroslav Petrovec.

At the 28th regular session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, Prime Minister Janez Janša answered parliamentary questions from Andrej Rajh (SAB) on measures related to the energy crisis, Ivan Hršak (DeSUS) on measures for the older generation, Janja Sluga (non-affiliated deputies) on the energy crisis and the Government’s response to it, and Jožef Horvat on the implementation of the coalition agreement.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan, on behalf of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, led the thirteenth meeting of the Accession Conference with Serbia at ministerial level today in Brussels. "Bringing enlargement forward has been one of the main priorities of the Slovenian Presidency," the State Secretary stressed.

On the second day of the meeting, agriculture ministers focused on the resilience of the food system and on ensuring the strength of the food supply chain. Council conclusions on a new contingency plan for ensuring food supply and security in times of crisis were approved unanimously. Ministers also discussed unfair trading practices in the food supply chain and focused on the Commission's proposal to prevent deforestation. The Council, chaired for the last time by the Slovenian Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Jože Podgoršek, also took note of the preparation of the strategic plans for the common agricultural policy.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan, on behalf of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, led the fourteenth meeting of the Accession Conference with Montenegro at ministerial level today in Brussels. As the current holder of the Presidency of the Council of the EU, Slovenia is striving to speed up the enlargement process.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the regular meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels headed by Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The ministers focused on EU-Africa relations and Central Asia – with a special emphasis on Afghanistan – and Venezuela.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan held a videoconference discussion with Téte António, President of the Council of Ministers of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and Angolan Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy approved EU funding for three cycle projects between mid-November and mid-December 2021; new bikeways in Kranj, Ptuj and Murska Sobota will be developed with the help of EU funding. The three investments are the latest in a series of projects that aim to foster sustainable mobility and provide safe and comfortable cycling routes. Over the past seven years, a total of EUR 115 million has been invested in cycling infrastructure, which resulted in the development of some 490 kilometers of bikeways across Slovenia.

"Human resource management needs to focus on a multi-generational workforce and take into account the participation of all generations. This would help to shape younger and older workers not as separate commodities but as two sides of the same coin. Today, more than ever, it is important to make this natural diversity an asset in a rapidly changing work environment," stressed Minister of Public Administration Boštjan Koritnik in his opening address at the EUPAN Directors-General Meeting, which took place online on Monday 13 December 2021.

At today's meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the ministers discussed the state of play of the revision of the Union fisheries control system. The Council Chair Jože Podgoršek briefed the ministers on important achievements of the Slovenian Presidency regarding the revision. Today, the ministers primarily focussed on the agreement on fishing quotas for 2022.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan passed the presidency baton in the field of development cooperation to his counterpart French State Secretary Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne.

Today’s press conference about the current COVID-19 situation was attended by Martina Gašperlin, Acting Chief Inspector of the Market Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia, and Marjan Maček, Head of the Financial Control Sector at the Financial Administration of Republic of Slovenia.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project COVID-19 – Arrangement of premises for Intermediate Care Department – renovation of the old department of internal medicine at the Novo mesto General Hospital. The EUR 6 million project that will be implemented by the Ministry of Health will receive a substantial contribution from the European Regional Development Fund under the React-EU initiative in the amount of. EUR 3.8 million.

As part of the government visit to the region, the Minister for Development and European Cohesion Policy today met with the officials from the municipalities of Kranjska Gora, Žirovnica and Cerklje na Gorenjskem and with the CEOs of the Public Utility Company Tabre and the NGEN company to discuss EU funding opportunities.

"Every citizen should have the possibility to actively, continuously and responsibly participate at all levels of the community, both in person and online. A progressive and inclusive approach can also help public administrations to develop better digital services that bring more added value to end users. However, the use of advanced digital technologies is only possible if citizens support digital solutions, know how to use them and recognise their value. That is why we are working to offer citizens secure, trustworthy, freely accessible and user-friendly digital services," said the Minister of Public Administration, Boštjan Koritnik, in the opening session of the conference.

Yesterday, Minister Jože Podgoršek in his capacity as Chair of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council took part in a high level stakeholder conference entitled "EU animal welfare today and tomorrow". The conference organised by the European Commission presented an opportunity for stakeholders to express their views on the Commission’s main ideas regarding the revision of the EU’s animal welfare legislation in the context of the public consultation launched by the Commission in October.

On Human Rights Day, State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan addressed the participants of a hybrid round table on the importance and promotion of women’s participation in peace and security through an EU and NATO external approach.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan conducted virtual political consultations with Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India. The two high officials confirmed the good relations between the two countries, expressing a mutual interest in strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

On Friday, December 10, 2021, at 1 pm, after more than fifty years, Slovenia finally welcomed back thirteen Slovenian feature films (picture and tone negatives), which had been on February 15, 1968 deposited for storage at the Yugoslav Cinematheque in Belgrade by the production company Triglav Film. This deposit was based on the contract signed between the Yugoslav Cinematheque and the Republic Committee for Culture of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia.

The 22nd Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols took place in Antalya, Turkey. The most important achievement of the meeting is the designation of the entire Mediterranean Sea as an emission control area for sulphur oxides. In addition to adopting the Medium-Term Strategy of the United Nations Environment Programme, the Mediterranean Action Plan for 2022–2027 and the Post-2020 Strategic Action Programme for the Conservation of Biological Diversity, the parties also designated new marine protected areas and adopted the Antalya Ministerial Declaration.