News

State Secretary Raščan addressed a virtual conference on security challenges in the Balkan region, emphasising the importance of Western Balkans’ EU and NATO accession to bolster stability and improve the reform process in the countries of the region.

As Slovenia prepares to hold the Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2021, Slovenian Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs and delegation made a two-day visit to Cyprus and held talks with Cypriot Minister of the Interior Nicos Nouris and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Christodoulides, focusing on the preparations for the upcoming Slovenian Presidency.

At the virtual Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan announced Slovenia's humanitarian contribution in the amount of 60,000 euros. The contribution will be directed to efforts to provide support to Venezuelan refugees in Brazil through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in two parts, this year and next.

In view of the upcoming Slovenian EU Council Presidency, Director-General for European Union Affairs Barbara Sušnik held talks with Mārtiņš Klīve, the Director of the European Union Coordination and Policies Department of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, via videoconference.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar attended a ministerial meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Antalya.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs addressed the participants of the conference Tourism Development 4.0 hosted by the company Arctur, d.o.o. on the closure of the project Tourism 4.0 TRL 3-6. She presented the opportunities for the tourism sector under Slovenia’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP).

Director-General for European Affairs Barbara Sušnik participated in a videoconference meeting of the EU Council Presidency Trio of Slovenia, Germany and Portugal, presenting the priorities Slovenia will pursue during its Presidency.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan and State Secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister of Czechia Milena Hrdinková confirmed the excellent cooperation between Slovenia and Czechia through a videoconference. They expressed satisfaction that the two countries are working closely together in many areas, sharing many similar views on European and international issues.

Ahead of the fast-approaching Slovenian EU Council Presidency, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held talks with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Rumen Alexandrov, via videoconference. The central topic of conversation was the priorities of Slovenia's Presidency.

Today Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the National Focal Point, officially launched the implementation of the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021 in Slovenia. The online event Working together for a green, competitive and inclusive Europe was attended by around 300 participants with opening addresses delivered by State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs and Ambassador of Norway H.E. Trine Skymoen. After the launching event the applicant workshop provided the potential applicants with an overview of the calls for proposals under the programmes Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation and Education – Enhancing Human Capital.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar participated in the 16th Bratislava Forum as part of GLOBSEC. Taking place from 15 to 17 June, the Forum is one of the most prominent conferences in Central and Eastern Europe addressing current strategic issues. This year, it focused on post-pandemic recovery, both from an economic and technological point of view, as well as from the aspect of building trust and strengthening the global role of the European Union.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended the opening ceremony of the new passenger terminal at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, where he was also the main speaker. Before the ceremony, the Prime Minister met with representatives of Fraport AG – Dr Pierre Dominique Prümm, Member of the Executive Board of Fraport AG and Executive Director for Aviation and Infrastructure, Holger Schaefers, Head of Investor Committee, and Zmago Skobir, Managing Director of Fraport Slovenia –, followed by a tour of the new terminal.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs participated in an online expert consultation “Who will be eligible to the billions of EU funding?” where she presented the opportunities for companies and municipalities in the frame of Slovenia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan as well as the implementation of the 2021-2027 EU Cohesion Policy. The online consultation that was organised by the company Tiko Pro had around 700 participants.

Today marks the beginning of a two-day virtual UN International Procurement Seminar, with Slovenia participating for the second time, this time in partnership with the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Poland. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, and the public agency SPIRIT Slovenia supported Slovenia’s participation in terms of organisation and finances.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended a working meeting with G7 ambassadors following on from the recently-concluded G7 summit of the seven largest advanced economies.

Minister Jože Podgoršek has attended an informal meeting of EU agriculture and fisheries ministers. The meeting was important in view of the possible continuation of the ministerial discussion on key remaining questions about the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, taking into account that the Council of the EU, the European Commission and the European Parliament did not reach an agreement at the last meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council. The ministers have also discussed the topics of "Food systems, innovation and management of natural resources" and "Future of the Common Fisheries Policy". The meeting was important in light of the preparation for the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The press conference on the COVID-19 situation was attended byState Secretary at the Ministry of Health Franc Vindišar and State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Mateja Ribič.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan and State Secretary Arnoldas Pranckevičius at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania held talks via videoconference, discussing the upcoming Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project COVID19 – Integrated energy-saving renovation of the Hospital building of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. Total project value of EUR 50 million will be covered by the European Regional Development Fund under the React-EU initiative. The project, implemented by the Ministry of Health, is already the sixth project financed by the React-EU grants under the NextGenerationEU recovery plan.

Minister for Development and EU Cohesion Policy Zvone Černač attended today’s annual session of the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia. In his presentation to the mayors he outlined the state of play in the field of European Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 implementation and the most recent info on the 2021-2027 programming period as well as the national Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Prime Minister Janez Janša is today attending a NATO Summit in Brussels that will focus on the NATO 2030 process – a forward-looking agenda centred on adapting NATO to meet new challenges.

This year’s report on the realisation of the 2030 Agenda sustainable development goals, issued by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) under the auspices of the United Nations Organization (OZN) and the Bertelsmann Stiftung foundation and Cambridge University Press, ranks Slovenia in the 9th place out of 165 countries. Slovenia has been most effective in eradicating extreme forms of poverty, ensuring decent work and economic growth and enhancing peace, justice and strong institutions.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the call for proposals Incentives for digital transformation of SMEs (P4D React EU). A total of EUR 30 million will be available under the call for proposals that will be implemented by the Slovene Enterprise Fund. The entire amount will come from the European Regional Development Fund under the React-EU initiative. This is already the fifth investment in a series of investments under React-EU, an initiative designed to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic and prepare a green, digital and resilient post-Covid-19 recovery of the Member States’ economies.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan and Parliamentary Secretary at the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica held talks via videoconference, with the main topic covering Slovenia's upcoming EU Council Presidency and its priority tasks.

The press conference to provide updates on COVID-19 featured Director of the National Institute of Public Health Milan Krek.

As of 14 June 2021, entry into the Republic of Slovenia is possible for non-essential travel in accordance with the Council Recommendation (EU) 2020/912 on the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU and the possible lifting of such restriction, including amendments thereto.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan participated in an informal videoconference of the EU Foreign Affairs Council attended by development ministers, at which they discussed the cooperation between the European Union and middle-income countries as well as human development.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held talks with the Parliamentary Secretary within the Office of the Prime Minister of Malta, Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi. State Secretary Dovžan briefed his counterpart on the fast approaching Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

The press conference to give a Covid-19 update was attended by the Minister of Health, Janez Poklukar, and the head of the advisory group at the Ministry of Health, Dr Mateja Logar.

With the amendment to the Foreigners Act, the Republic of Slovenia transposed into national law the Directive (EU) 2016/801 on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, training, voluntary service, pupil exchange schemes or educational projects and au pairing.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Reconstruction of the section Cerknica-Bloška Polica. The EUR 3.6 million reconstruction project will be implemented by the Slovenian Infrastructure Agency under the Agreement on the development of the Primorsko-Notranjska region and will be supported by the EU with the contribution from the European Regional Development Fund standing at over EUR 2.5 million.

Before Slovenia officially assumes the EU Council Presidency, Barbara Sušnik, Director-General for European Union Affairs, held bilateral consultations via videoconference with Aniela Crețu, Special Representative for EU Affairs at the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Dr Jože Podgoršek, hosted today at Brdo the Ambassadors of the Member States of the European Union (EU). Central focus was on presentation of priority tasks of Slovenia’s Presidency of the EU Council in the sector of agriculture, forestry and food, and on principal events to be organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF) during the Presidency. Using this opportunity, the Minister presented to the Ambassadors the Traditional Slovenian Breakfast project to take place tomorrow in all the Slovenian schools and kindergartens – in the past year, on account of the epidemic, the breakfast could not be carried out, and had to be postponed.

Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak attended the last meeting of the Environment Council before the start of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Portuguese Presidency presented the 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 Council Conclusions on EU strategy on adaptation to climate change were also adopted, where the ministers welcomed the preparation of the adaptation communication in line with the Paris Agreement to be submitted to the UNFCCC. The ministers also exchanged views on the action plan on zero pollution, which sets out a vision for zero-pollution by 2050 and horizontally addresses all aspect of pollution. At the end of the meeting, Minister Vizjak presented the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency in the field of the environment.

In advance of Slovenia's approaching EU Council Presidency, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held talks with State Secretary for the European Union Affairs at the Croatian Foreign Ministry, Andreja Metelko Zgombić, via videoconference. State Secretary Dovžan briefed his counterpart on the priorities of Slovenia's Presidency in the second half of this year.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Upgrading the water supply system C – Phase 2. The project worth EUR 10.9 million will be implemented by Municipality Gornja Radgona in cooperation with Municipality Apače and Municipality Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnici under the Agreement on the development of the Pomurje region. The Cohesion Fund contribution stands at EUR 4.8 million.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Promoting vocational education and training 2021-2022. The project worth EUR 700 thousand will be implemented by the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Vocational Education and Training and will receive EUR 560 thousand of European Social Fund support.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Wastewater collection and treatment in the Drava River basin – Municipality Šentilj. The project worth a little under EUR 1.6 million will be implemented by the municipality Šentilj under the Agreement on the Development of the Podravje region and will receive EUR 553 thousand of Cohesion Fund support.

Today Prime Minister Janez Janša met with the President of the Swiss Confederation and Head of the Swiss Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, Guy Parmelin, who is currently on an official visit to Slovenia. At their meeting in Ljubljana, they primarily discussed the priorities of Slovenia’s EU Presidency and current international developments.

Prime Minister Janez Janša meet today with President of the Swiss Confederation and Minister of the Economy, Education and Research, Guy Parmelin.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held consultations with Thomas Byrne, Minister of State for European Affairs at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland, ahead of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan met with Wendy Morton, Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas at the Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, who is on a two-day visit to Slovenia.

Before the launch of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Director-General Barbara Sušnik held bilateral consultations with the Secretary General for European Union Affairs at the Cypriot Foreign Ministry, Philippa Karsera, via an audio-video link.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan took part in an online meeting with Polish Minister for European Affairs Konrad Szymański. The State Secretary briefed his counterpart on the priorities of Slovenia's EU Council Presidency, which will take place in the second half of this year. He highlighted the importance of the Union's quick economic recovery, resilience to future crises and ensuring strategic autonomy. He also mentioned the Conference on the Future of Europe, where Slovenia will play an important role as the EU presiding country.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan participated in a videoconference with Märt Volmer, Undersecretary for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia.

Prime Minister Janez Janša attended today’s opening ceremony of the Cooperative Union of Slovenia congress entitled "Na temeljih tradicije v poslovni model prihodnosti” (Developing a Business Model of the Future Based on Tradition), addressing the decision-makers in Slovenian cooperatives.

Secretary of State, Mr Aleš Irgolič, MSc, participated in the Informal Videoconference of Fisheries Ministers. The session was important as the ministers competent for fisheries conducted the discussion and confirmed the final agreement in principle on fishing possibilities in 2021, and on the deep sea fish stocks for 2021 and 2022, which had most recently been reached between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom.

The International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals Appeal Chamber unanimously rejected all grounds of appeal by Ratko Mladić, former Bosnian Serb army chief, thereby confirming the first-instance judgement. In 2017, Ratko Mladić was found guilty of genocide in Srebrenica, war crimes and crimes against humanity during the siege of Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, for which he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

On 15 June 2021 the Embassy will restart issuing Schengen visas.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Extension of the gym in the Stane Žagar Primary School – Kranj. The project worth over EUR 2.8 million will be implemented by the Urban Municipality Kranj under its Sustainable Urban Strategy and will receive a good EUR 1.1 million of European Regional Development Fund support.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the call for project proposals Supportive environment for cultural activities 2021. The funding available under the call for proposals that will be implemented by the Ministry of Culture amounts to EUR 627 thousand with the European Social Fund contributions standing at EUR 502 thousand.

Today Prime Minister Janez Janša attended a discussion at the presentation of the publication, Z lepilom na podplatih: Trideset let slovenske države. (With Glue on the Soles: Thirty Years of the Slovenian State.), on the Nova24TV channel.

Interior ministers, including Slovenia's Aleš Hojs, held a meeting in Luxembourg today. The initial exchange of views focused on the Strategy on the future of Schengen, which was presented by the European Commission last week.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan met with State Secretary for the European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain Juan González-Barba Pera to discuss the incoming Slovenian EU Council Presidency and current European topics.

In videoconference, the Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek met today with the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Sig. Stefano Patuanelli, Ing. The meeting was arranged as a forerunner of the Slovenian and Italian Ministerial Coordination Council to take place on 14. 6. 2021.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the ceremony held at Paloma to mark the completion of the investment in a new paper machine, the largest investment in the Slovenian paper industry in the past 40 years.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held consultations with the Undersecretary of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Vincenzo Amendola.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar concluded a two-day working visit to Korea today. He met with his host, Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Korea. They advocated strengthening political and economic ties between the two countries, including the opening of the Slovenian Embassy in Seoul. Minister Logar also took the opportunity to present the priorities of Slovenia’s EU Council Presidency in the second half of this year and to exchange views on current international issues.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today met with the Vice-President of the European Commission and the Commissioner for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas. Mr Janša and Mr Schinas continued the discussion they started during the visit of the Slovenian Prime Minister to Athens on 10 May 2021.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today held a videoconference with Secretary General at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, focusing on the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2021.

A press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 was held by the head of the advisory group at the Ministry of Health, Mateja Logar, and the Director of the Ljubljana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Marjana Majerič.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held a videoconference with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs of Turkey Faruk Kaymakçi. They assessed bilateral relations and exchanged views on EU-Turkey relations in the light of the incoming Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs met with Margaritis Schinas, European Commission Vice-President for Promoting the European Way of Life, today at Brdo Castle. The discussion focused on three key topics: the Pact on Migration and Asylum, the strategy for the future of Schengen and the proposal for an amendment of the Regulation establishing the Schengen Evaluation Mechanism and internal security.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion has approved EU funding for the project Arrangement of Agricultural and Business Dobrovnik – Phase 2. The project worth a good EUR 1 million will be implemented by municipality Dobrovnik under the Agreement on the development of the Pomurje region and will receive EUR 612 thousand of European Regional Development Fund support.

Today, the Slovenian Prime Minister attended the traditional Holy Mass and memorial ceremony at the Burial Ground below Kren in Kočevski Rog. Prior to the memorial ceremony, Prime Minister Janez Janša and the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, laid a wreath at the pit under Macesnova gorica in Kočevski Rog. After the ceremony, they laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Victims of the National Liberation War at Smrečje near Turjak.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša submitted the notice of resignation of the Minister of Justice, Lilijana Kozlovič, to the National Assembly in accordance with Article 261 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly.

Today, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held a meeting via videoconference with Finnish Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen. The meeting focused on the presentation of the priorities of the upcoming Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša met with the president of the Strategic Council for Digitalisation, Mark Boris Andrijanič, and the heads of working groups. They presented the course of the Council’s work thus far and welcomed good cooperation with government representatives and external stakeholders.

The Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, held a working meeting with the Italian Minister of the Interior, Luciana Lamorgese, at the Brdo Castle today. The Ministers agreed that the countries had a tradition of good cooperation in the area of home affairs. They discussed Slovenia’s preparations for the Presidency in the second half of 2021 and irregular migration.

Today, the Minister of Public Administration Boštjan Koritnik attended the EU Telecommunications Council meeting in Luxembourg, where he presented the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency in the field of digitisation. At the meeting, ministers took note of the state of play of legislative proposals on data management, cyber security, ePrivacy, roaming on mobile communications networks in the European Union (roaming) and artificial intelligence. There was also a political debate on the European Union’s digital future.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša took part in a video conference of the BusinessEurope Council of Presidents. BusinessEurope joins 40 national industry and employer's business federations from 34 European countries and represents over 20 million small, medium-sized and large companies.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held a video conference with the Minister for EU Affairs of Sweden, Hans Dahlgren. State Secretary Dovžan briefed Minister Dahlgren on the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency in the second half of this year.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan and Secretary General Jožef Drofenik hosted a regular informal meeting of secretaries-general of the EU Member States and the Secretary General of the European External Action Service.

The press conference on the current situation regarding COVID 19 was attended by the Minister of Health, Janez Poklukar, the Minister of Public Administration, Boštjan Koritnik, and the Director of the National Institute of Public Health, Milan Krek.

Director-General of the Directorate for European Union Affairs Barbara Sušnik held bilateral consultations with Jean-Louis Thill, Director-General for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Luxembourg via videoconference.

The Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, met with his Czech colleague Jan Hamáček in Prague today, as part of the preparations for Slovenia’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. He continued the working visit in Bratislava with a meeting with the Slovakian Minister Roman Mikulec.

At the invitation of Mr Guan Zhi'ou, the administrator of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration of the People’s Republic of China, Minister Podgoršek attended today by videoconference the Third Ministerial Conference of the Mechanism for the Cooperation in Forestry between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (17+1 Forestry Mechanism). 17+1 Forestry Mechanism strengthens business, scientific research and political cooperation in the field of forestry and forest-wood chains.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar had a telephone conversation today with Liechtenstein Minister of Foreign Affairs, Education and Sport Dominique Hasler.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended the formal handover of 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, lended by Hungary to Slovenia. On this occasion, a press conference took place in Ljubljana, attended by Prime Minister Janša, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Hungary Petér Szijjártó, Minister of Health Janez Poklukar, and Director of the National Institute of Public Health Milan Krek.

World Environment Day is one of the oldest of the world days designated by the United Nations and its environmental programme. This is the 47th World Environment Day, and it features an additional slogan: Reimagine, Recreate, Restore - Generation for Restoration (#GenerationRestoration). The aim is to encourage people through initiatives and best practice to help preserve the environment. "We are a generation that has to hold out our hand to nature," according to the creators of World Environment Day.

As part of the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the proclamation and defence of the independent and sovereign Republic of Slovenia, a ceremony was held today in Ig, marking the 30th anniversary of the oath taken by the first Slovenian recruits. Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the ceremony and gave the key address on this occasion. Thirty years ago, more precisely, on 2 June 1991, the first generation of military recruits serving in the Territorial Defence forces were solemnly sworn in at the training centres at Ig and Pekre near Maribor. For the first time in the history of Slovenians, recruits were performing military service in the Slovenian Armed Forces. After the ceremony and the signing of the oath, the first generation of 270 young men began their military service at a time when the Yugoslav Army was preparing an aggression against Slovenia.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the 25th annual Consultation of Slovenian Diplomats at Brdo pri Kranju, where he addressed ambassadors of the Republic of Slovenia and high representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Consultations are taking place in the last month before Slovenia will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In his address to diplomats, the Prime Minister spoke about the current situation in the world after the pandemic, the issues Slovenia has faced and is still facing, the enlargement of the European Union, the challenges that lie ahead, even during the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the future and the stabilisation of Europe.

On the second day of the 25th Consultation of Slovenian Diplomats, which was launched yesterday at Brdo pri Kranju, the core topics revolved around the future of the European Union and Europe, building the Union’s resilience following the pandemic, and its role in the changed global geopolitical situation. Heads of Slovenian diplomatic missions and consular posts, along with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were addressed by Prime Minister Janez Janša. He referred to the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international relations, and the future of the Union: “In my view, genuine debate on what Europe should look like is the greatest added value of the Conference on the Future of Europe.”

Minister Anže Logar participated in the NATO foreign affairs ministers' session via video-conference, which was carried out ahead of the NATO Summit on 14 June.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Themed route: Marof archaeological site and Kette avenue. The EUR 490,000 project is implemented by Urban Municipality Novo mesto as part of the Sustainable Urban Strategy Novo mesto 2030 and will receive support from the European Regional Development Fund in the amount of EUR 296,000.

On Monday, 31 May 2021, and Tuesday, 1 June 2021, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan participated in the virtual ministerial session of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Council titled “Shared Values: Building a Green and Inclusive Future”. The session was opened by the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, on behalf of the country holding the Presidency.

Today marks the launch of the 25th Consultation of Slovenian Diplomats at the Brdo Congress Centre, which is taking place one month before Slovenia takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In his introductory address, Foreign Minister Anže Logar, who is heading the two-day Consultation, assured the participating diplomats that Slovenia is well prepared for the Presidency. “The following months will be very challenging for all of us. The Presidency will be another test due to the limitations and uncertainties brought about by the pandemic. However, we have the knowledge, experience and confidence to accomplish this task as successfully as we did in 2008,” explained Minister Logar.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša held a working lunch with the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who is paying an official visit to Slovenia between 31 May and 1 June 2021 at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor. This is the second bilateral visit of a Portuguese president to Slovenia so far (the first such visit was in April 1999 by the then Portuguese president Jorge Sampaio).

A press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 featured the head of the vaccination advisory group, Bojana Beović.

Today, at the invitation of Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister Janez Janša and his wife, Urška Bačovnik Janša, are attending the ceremony organised by the Republic of Croatia on the occasion of their Statehood Day. On this occasion, the Prime Minister and his wife attended a concert at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša received Montenegrin Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić on a working visit. At the working meeting, the two prime ministers discussed the situation of the pandemic, which is improving in both countries, the relations between the two countries and the EU enlargement process.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today met his host and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov for a working meeting aimed at presenting the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2021, exchanging views on current international topics, and bilateral cooperation.

It was not possible to reach a political agreement with the European Parliament and the European Commission on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in a super trilogue and the meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council. The Portuguese Presidency will continue the negotiations until the end of its Presidency, aiming to reach a final agreement at June's meeting of the EU Council that will be held in Luxembourg. Minister Jože Podgoršek has attended the meeting on behalf of Slovenia. After the suspension of negotiations, Mr Podgoršek said early this morning that, even though we still have different views from the European Parliament and the Commission on some questions and final solutions, we are closer to a final agreement. "It is vital to go through a democratic process to reach important agreements, such as the agreement on the new Common Agricultural Policy. This means that opinions and specific characteristics of numerous stakeholders and Member States are included and taken into account. We obviously have to find some more political will to reach a real compromise and seek solutions that, in the end, will benefit agriculture and rural areas. I believe that the Portuguese Presidency will do everything in its power to conclude the negotiation process in June's Council. If the negotiations are not concluded by then, Slovenia will continue these complex negotiations during its Presidency of the Council of the EU."

The 2nd Session of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation between Slovenia and North Macedonia was held via videoconference today. Slovenia was represented by State Secretary Stanislav Raščan and North Macedonia by State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy, Razmena Cekić-Durović.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, via videoconference today. The meeting was convened at Slovenia’s initiative and focused on the presentation of the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

Today's press conference featured Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Janez Cigler Kralj.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Industrial-Business Zone Steklarna – TKI Hrastnik. The Municipality Hrastnik will implement the EUR 4 million project under the Agreement on the Development of the Zasavje Region. European Regional Development Fund contribution stands at nearly EUR 2.5 million.

In the month that celebrates World Bee Day, an important EU supported project that transcends municipal and state borders is being completed “House of the Carniolan Bee – Centre for Innovative Technologies (ApiLab)”