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Below is a transcript of the address by Prime Minister Janez Janša at the state ceremony on Independence and Unity Day; due to the epidemiological situation, it was only broadcast on television.

Government of the Republic of Slovenia took note of the activities regarding the draft national Recovery and Resilience Plan which was approved on 8 October 2020 and instructed the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy to submit the said proposal to the Government for approval after the European Parliament adopts the EU Regulation establishing a Recovery and Resilience Facility in February 2021.

Today’s press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 was attended by the Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, the state secretary at the Ministry for Economic Development and Technology, Simon Zajc, the deputy head of the Centre for Infectious Diseases at the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ), Nuška Čakš Jager, and the government spokesperson, Jelko Kacin.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2021.

Today, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food published an open competition for selection of an innovative, creative design and plan for a symbolic object – the ‘Zlata čebela’ / ‘Golden Honeybee’ award model. This open and anonymous competition is addressed to all the interested citizens of the Republic of Slovenia with the required skills in the realms of authorship, technical know-how and organisational competencies.

Prime Minister Janez Janša participated at the meeting of four presidents at the presidential palace today, which is traditionally organised by the President of the Republic, Borut Pahor. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Janez Janša, President of the Republic, Borut Pahor, President of the National Assembly, Igor Zorčič, and the President of the National Council, Alojz Kovšca.

Today’s press conference on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 disease was attended by Marija Magajne from the Ministry of Health, Prof. Dr Borut Štrukelj, psychologist Dr Andreja Poljanec, and the government spokesperson Jelko Kacin.

At the invitation of Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, the first meeting of foreign ministers of the three countries was held today in Trieste, and focused on the joint management of the Adriatic Sea. Bordering the same sea, Slovenia, Italy and Croatia share a vision of the Adriatic Sea as a bridge uniting the people of the region and as a source of prosperity for all.

At a session, the Government issued the Ordinance on the declaration of the COVID-19 epidemic in the territory of the Republic of Slovenia and published it in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia. By this ordinance and on the basis of the Communicable Diseases Act, an epidemic of the COVID-19 communicable disease was declared in the territory of the Republic of Slovenia. The ordinance shall enter into force on 18 December 2020 and remain in force for 30 days.

On Thursday, 17 December, in the Presidential Palace, the President of the Republic of Slovenia and Commander-in-Chief of the Slovenian Armed Forces Borut Pahor promoted Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces, Robert Glavaš, to the rank of Major General.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today addressed the participants of the 15th Slovenian Economy Summit via video. He said, among other things, that the victors of tomorrow are those who are flexible, creative, curious, and dare to think outside the established frameworks. In order to succeed, we need the know-how that is connected with digitalisation and innovation. Skills in artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, and quantum computers are necessary.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs attended an event that was part of the Zlati pogovori cycle, which takes place on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Zlati kamen event. In the virtual conversation “How to get funds for municipalities after 2020?”, State Secretary underlined that municipalities and development regions are important partners in the process of planning the use of European Cohesion Policy funds for the period 2021-2027 as well as the funds available under the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

The EU Environment Council, attended by the State Secretary at the Slovenian Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Metka Gorišek, reached an agreement on the EU Climate Act, which sets out the long-term goal of EU's carbon neutrality until 2050 at the EU level.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today held a telephone conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of the Republic of Kosovo, Meliza Haradinaj-Stublla. The ministers reviewed bilateral cooperation, especially on the economy, which has an important place in bilateral relations. They also discussed measures to stem the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate its consequences and went on to discuss current regional themes.

At its 44th regular session, the Government adopted many acts related to the COVID-19 epidemic. It therefore extended the epidemic by one month, kept the measures at border crossings, and adopted some changes on the green and red lists of countries.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today presided over the session of the Government Council for Slovenians Abroad. The Council is a consultative body of the Government, and participates in the formation and implementation of policies and strategies of the Republic of Slovenia for Slovenians abroad. The session participants thanked the Prime Minister for the meeting and for the expressed concern and interest of the Government for Slovenians abroad.

Today, the European Court of Human Rights published its ruling on Slovenia's inter-State application against Croatia with respect to the Ljubljanska banka claims against Croatian companies. The Court decided it had no jurisdiction to examine the inter-State application under Article 33 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms since Ljubljanska banka, in view of the Court, was not a "non-governmental organisation" for the purposes of Article 34 of the Convention.

Today’s press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 will be attended by the head of the Clinic for infectious diseases and fever conditions, Tatjana Lejko Zupanc, deputy head of the Centre for Infectious Diseases at the National Institute for Public Health (NIJZ), Nuška Čakš Jager, and the government spokesperson, Jelko Kacin.

The EU Ministers responible for agriculture and fisheries met yesterday and today at the last session of the EU Council of the year under the presidency of Germany. State secretary mag. Miran Mihelič attended the session for Slovenia. As is traditional for the end of the year, negotiations on fishing opportunities for the next year were at the forefront of the meeting, which are faced with additional challenges due to United Kingdom’s exit from the EU. Discussion on the proposal of a uniform voluntary marking of nutritional values on the front of packaging was also at the forefront, which resulted in the adoption of resolutions of the presidency, as well as the discussion about an all-European marking on animal well-being on foods of animal origin. During lunch, the German presidency presented to the Ministers the advancements in negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy after 2021, which, following the adoption of the General Approach of the Council, are now continuing with the European Parliament in the form of so-called trialogues.

During today's working visit to The Hague, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar met his host, Stef Blok, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The two ministers confirmed the excellent and friendly relations between their respective countries, advocating for the further strengthening of cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Prime Minister Janez Janša presided over the session of the Government Council for Slovenians in Neighbouring Countries today. He initially assessed the future of Slovenians in neighbouring countries, and continued to talk about the preservation of the Slovenian language and identity, reinforced cooperation of cultural institutions on both sides of the state border, about young people who must be a priority in all activities, and on the strategic relationship of the Republic of Slovenia in this area.

During today’s visit to The Hague, Foreign Minister Anže Logar held a meeting with the President of the International Criminal Court Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji. They highlighted the importance of constructive cooperation in fighting impunity and the crucial role of an independent judiciary.

NIJZ provided some more up-to-date information for the press conference. There are currently 20,970 confirmed coronavirus cases in Slovenia, said Ms Bratuša, the 14 day incidence is 1,006 positive cases, and the 7 day incidence is 1,477 such cases.

Prime Minister Janez Janša participated at the meeting with ambassadors of the EU member states today at Brdo pri Kranju, which was organised as an event in the framework of the German presidency of the EU Council. The Prime Minister answered the questions of the ambassadors, and talked about the recent meeting of the European Council, the challenges that await us in the following year, and the preparations for Slovenia’s presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2021.

Today in The Hague, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia Anže Logar met with Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Fernando Arias. This is the first visit of a Slovenian foreign minister to the seat of the Organisation. The talks mainly focused on an assessment of global progress in the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and a review of cooperation between Slovenia and the OPCW, particularly in the light of Slovenia’s upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2021.

Director-General for EU Affairs Barbara Sušnik today held virtual consultations with Andreas Riecken, Director General for the European Union and Economic Affairs at the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. They discussed bilateral cooperation, exchanging information on the state of play in their respective countries in relation to curbing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and on topical issues within the EU.

The Minister of Health Tomaž Gantar, Director General of the Employment Service of Slovenia Mitja Bobnar, and government spokesman Jelko Kacin, took part in today's press conference on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 epidemic.

Slovenian minister of the interior Aleš Hojs has participated at Council meeting of the EU Home Affairs ministers held via videoconference that was also the final meeting under the German presidency.

Stanka Vauh, Director of Prevalje Retirement Home, psychologist Peter Markič and Maja Bratuša, Deputy Government Spokesperson, attended today’s afternoon press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša addressed the attendees of a virtual event marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the OECD Convention (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). The state of the global economy, long-term trends, and the OECD's special contribution to "Better Policies for a Better Life" were presented at the event, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan took part in the general debate held during the nineteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). He expressed support for the independent and impartial work of the Court, commending the efforts of the international community to put an end to impunity for international crimes. He went on to underline the importance of promoting mutual trust and dialogue between all stakeholders to strengthen international peace and security.

At today’s 53rd extraordinary session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Janez Janša responded to deputies’ questions. He replied to questions regarding the suitability of social dialogue, importance of the media, dealing with the current crisis and the plans for economic recovery after the epidemic.

We are publishing the response to the petition of foreign academics, who express their concern over the state of autonomy of Slovenian academia.

On 18 November 2020, Slovenia, Israel and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) organized a virtual event “Water and Cyber security - Protection of critical water-related infrastructure”, with 22 panelists and 150 participants.

As part of Slovenian delegation, the Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek visited the Republic of Italy and the Vatican City State on Thursday and Friday. The visit to Rome included the Minister’s activities and meetings with the leading representatives of the World Food Programme of the United Nations (UN) and of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies of the Republic of Italy. On Friday, the Minister Dr Podgoršek heard Holy Mass for the Fatherland, attended the Audience with the Holy Father, and met with the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson. On conclusion of visit of the Slovenian delegation, a ceremony of lighting candles on a pine tree presented by Slovenia took place in the St. Peter’s Square.

Following the conclusion of the European Council meeting, Prime Minister Janez Janša today addressed the following items in detail in a press statement: on coordination concerning COVID-19, climate changes, fight against terrorism, EU-US relations, Turkey and the Southern Neighbourhood

A Slovenian Christmas tree, a spruce from the Kočevsko forests, has been lit up in all its beauty today in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican. The tree is decorated with handmade ethnographic ornaments. The keynote speaker at the event was Dr Anže Logar, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The press conference about the current situation regarding COVID-19 was attended by Hugon Možina, head of the emergency internal medicine service at UKC Ljubljana, Deana Potza, from the health inspectorate, and Tomaž Pečjak, deputy director-general of the police.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia Anže Logar visited the Holy See, where he had the honour of attending an audience with Pope Francis together with members of the Slovenian delegation. On the 30th anniversary of the Plebiscite on Sovereignty and Independence, Slovenia gifted a Christmas tree to stand in St Peter’s Square. By erecting the tree in the Vatican, Slovenia once again expresses gratitude to the Holy See for its unwavering support during the process of gaining independence.

Dear Ms Mijatović, May I begin by thanking you for your concern and the attention you have been devoting to the current situation regarding the Slovenian Press Agency (SPA). Just as you, I also want the current difficulties regarding the financing of the Slovenian Press Agency to be resolved as soon as possible to the benefit of the employees as well as the Agency itself.

In scope of the HIA project, funded by the European Comission and coordinated by TECOS with the help of SRIP FoF and Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, we are launching the second call for expression of interest, where we invite interested companies with relevant Industry 4.0 references to apply. This is the second of the overall three open calls within this project.

Today’s press conference on the current situation of the Covid-19 epidemic was attended by Anica Hribar, director of the Brežice general hospital, and psychologist Žarko Trušnovec.

Prime Minister Janez Janša will be participating at the European Council meeting in Brussels today. The EU leaders will discuss further harmonisation on Covid-19, climate change, the fight against terrorism, and EU relations with the USA, Turkey, and the southern neighbourhood.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša addressed, via video message, the attendees of the Global Slovenian Business: Cooperation and Development event, uniting Slovenian businessmen around the world, which has been organised by the Slovenian Global Business Network.

On the margins of his visit to Rome, Foreign Minister Anže Logar met David M. Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP). Minister Logar congratulated him on receiving the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to WFP for its efforts to combat hunger, its contribution to improving the conditions for peace in conflict zones, and for efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.

The press conference on the current Covid-19 situation was attended by the state secretary at the Ministry of Health, Marija Magajne, the state secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Mateja Ribič, and the government spokesperson, Jelko Kacin.

Below is the interview with Prime Minister Janez Janša for the Hungarian weekly Mandiner. The interview focused on the Slovenian domestic policies, Covid-19 epidemic, Slovenia’s presidency of the EU Council, on cultural Marxism, and on Hungary.

Today, we mark International Human Rights Day. It is very different from previous years. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed our lives without precedent. In fact, it goes far beyond a public health emergency. It is an economic and social crisis, as well as a human rights crisis.