News

The United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted on 9 December 1948, was the first international human rights treaty to define the responsibility of states to prevent and punish genocide, a crime that shocked the conscience of the world at that time. One day later, on 10 December, UN Member States adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The 23rd meeting of Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean – the Barcelona Convention (Conference of Parties – COP 23), held in Portorož, has successfully concluded. The contracting parties have adopted multiple important commitments to protect the Mediterranean from the increasing effects of climate change and to reduce biodiversity and pollution in the Mediterranean. One of the highlighted focus points is the active involvement of youth in decision-making processes.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held today in Pragersko to mark the official opening of the renovated railway hub and railway station. The event featured remarks by Mayor of Slovenska Bistrica Dr Ivan Žagar, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development Dr Aleksander Jevšek, and State Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure mag. Andrej Rajh.

The reading room and information room of the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia will be open from 8 AM until 12 PM on Thursday, December 14, 2023.
We also inform you that the reading room has a new email address, namely: citalnica.ars@gov.si.

At its meeting on the 6th of December in Botswana, the Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 Convention adopted a decision to enter “Midwifery: knowledge, skills and practices” on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The nomination was proposed by Colombia, Cyprus, Germany, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Nigeria, Slovenia and Togo.

The temporary reintroduction of controls at the internal borders with Croatia and Hungary has been extended for 12 days, until 21 December 2023. Afterwards, the measure is due to be prolonged for another six months.

On 7 December 2023, the Government adopted Recommendations for advertising campaigns by ministries, bodies within ministries and government offices (hereinafter: the Recommendations). Their main purpose is to enforce the transparency of advertising practices that make use of public funds as well as the requirements for transparent and non-discriminatory allocation of advertising funds to be introduced by the European Media Freedom Act.

"When it comes to the environment, there are no borders. There is only one environment, and that is the environment of our planet. We must take action and we must act globally. You will be proud of what Slovenia is going to stand for in the next two years," Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob told the delegates gathered at the 23rd Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention – COP 23, as Slovenia takes over the Presidency.

At today's session, the Government has adopted the Energy Act Proposal and reallocated EUR 5 million for co-funding radio and television programmes at RTV Slovenija for the Italian and Hungarian ethnic communities. In addition, it has approved the National Commodity Reserves Act Proposal and extended the controls at internal borders.

“When it comes to the environment, there are no borders. There is only one environment, and it is the environment of our planet. We must take action and act globally. You will be proud of what Slovenia will advocate in the next two years,” said Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob to the delegates gathered at the 23rd Meeting of the Member Parties to the Barcelona Convention, COP 23, as Slovenia is taking over the Presidency.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Marko Štucin is attending the 22nd session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. He took part in the General Debate and held several bilateral meetings in the margins of the session. Slovenia was elected to the Bureau of the ICC Assembly of States Parties for the 2024–2026 term.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in an audio-video conference on the humanitarian activities carried out so far in Gaza, hosted by the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Catherine Colonna. Today's conference is a follow-up on the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza held in Paris on 9 November.

On the second day of the meeting of 21 contracting parties to the Barcelona Convention, which is currently ongoing in Portorož, the Delegates focused on marine spatial planning, ballast water management and inert waste disposal. Today, the countries also completed the final content harmonization of the Portorož Declaration, which will be adopted at tomorrow's ministerial meeting. The countries also support the idea of establishing a new regional climate change centre.

State Secretaries at the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Damir Črnčec and at the Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany Benedikt Zimmer signed today in Berlin a Programme Agreement between the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia and the Federal Ministry of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany on the participation of the Republic of Slovenia in the procurement of IRIS-T SLM systems in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding on the Joint Procurement of Air Defence Systems within the framework of the European Sky Defence Initiative.

The Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia (FURS) today paid the first EUR 4.5 million in advance payments to homeowners for the reconstruction of homes damaged by floods and landslides on 4 August 2023. To date, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning has advanced EUR 218.5 million for emergency rehabilitation to all municipalities that have submitted applications.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, today held a meeting with representatives of business associations and organisations.

Nominated by Slovenia, Beti Hohler was elected as a judge of the International Criminal Court at the 22nd session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute.

On the occasion of the visit of the Slovenian Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Igor Papič, to Rome, the Directorate for Economic and Public Diplomacy of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia organised an event entitled "Science and Innovations, Slovenia - Italy" at the headquarters of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) in Rome.

Prime Minister Robert Golob met today with the representatives of newspaper publishing houses Delo, Dnevnik and Večer.

The Prime Minister, Robert Golob, today met the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Ms Annalena Baerbock, who is on a working visit to Slovenia. They discussed in particular Bosnia and Herzegovina's further steps towards EU membership and the situation in the Middle East.

Around 400 representatives of Mediterranean countries have gathered in Portorož, at the 23rd meeting of member parties of the Barcelona Convention – Conference for Mediterranean Countries (COP 23 – Contracting parties) and over half of them are high-ranking representatives of 21 Mediterranean countries. The opening speech was given by State Secretary Maša Kociper, who welcomed the gathered delegates on behalf of Slovenia, as the new country of presidency over the Convention.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon hosts a visit by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. The Ministers discussed the Slovenian-German strategic partnership, the importance of EU enlargement and reforms, and current foreign policy issues, in particular the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. They also agreed on the areas in which the two countries will further strengthen cooperation.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar attended a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union in Brussels, where the main topics were the Schengen area, migration and the implications of the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East on the EU's internal security.

From tomorrow until the end of this week, Slovenia's coastal town will be hosting representatives of 21 Mediterranean countries at the 23rd Meeting of Member Parties to the Barcelona Convention, COP 23 – the Conference for the Mediterranean, taking place under the slogan "Green Transition in the Mediterranean: from decisions to actions". Here, Slovenia will take over the two-year presidency of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and Coastal Regions of the Mediterranean (the Barcelona Convention).

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Implementation of the EURES Network and the ALMA Initiative. “Young people not in education or employment are often socially excluded, which is why we need to strengthen measures for their inclusion in education and the labour market,” said Minister Jevšek on the occasion of EU funding approval.

Prime Minister Robert Golob, President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar and President of the National Assembly Urška Klakočar Zupančič hosted a traditional reception for representatives of disability organisations in Brdo pri Kranju to mark the occasion of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which is commemorated on 3 December.

On behalf of the Slovenian Government, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon today signed an agreement on the donation of EUR 1.5 million, which Slovenia will make available for humanitarian demining activities in Ukraine by the end of the year. At the signing ceremony, she emphasised that Slovenia is aware of the enormous need for demining in Ukraine and supports all efforts to put the country on the path to safe and sustainable reconstruction.

A special event was held today in Ljubljana to showcase the vast array of opportunities and possibilities cohesion policy has to offer to young people. In his opening remarks, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development Dr Aleksander Jevšek underscored that cohesion is mostly about cooperating and bringing together – countries, regions, cities, organisations, businesses, and people – young, old, and everyone in between. He said that this kind of events was important and that the ministry would continue to organise them in the future.

Last week, the Director of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia's Office for Communications (UKOM), Petra Bezjak Cirman, attended the plenary session of the Club of Venice, an association that connects public sector communicators in Europe.

Ten years ago, Slovenia became a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC).

Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a day to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with disabilities in our society.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon is visiting Skopje, where she and Deputy Prime Minister of North Macedonia for European Affairs Bojan Maricik signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Development Cooperation between Slovenia and North Macedonia for the 2023-2024 period.

Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Slovenia will host The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 2023 Global Access to Justice Roundtable that will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 6th till 8th of December 2023.

On the occasion of the approval of EU funding, Dr Aleksander Jevšek, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development, said: “The planned integrated measures to improve flood safety along the Drava, Dravinja and Polskava River will reduce flood risk in the wider area. In the long term, these measures will reduce the impact of climate change on flood risk in the area.”

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, took part in the 30th Ministerial Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Skopje, where the foreign ministers discussed the war in Ukraine and the current situation in the organisation. The council comes at a crucial time for the organisation, whose work has become very difficult, especially after the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The Slovenian delegation is attending the winter plenary session of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in Zagreb, which brings together delegates from 35 member countries, observer countries and representatives of partner international organisations.

Minister Jevšek has participated at the meeting of the EU ministers responsible for cohesion policy. The ministers have approved the conclusions on the future of cohesion policy. The conclusions will serve as a basis for the discussions and the work on the legislative framework for cohesion policy after 2027.

At today’s session, the Government laid down the text of the Draft Act Amending the Basic School Act and adopted the Action Plan to Alleviate Energy Poverty for a three-year period.

The Slovenian Intellectual Property Office and the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI) today concluded a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at supporting the innovation ecosystems of Slovenia and the four VPI countries through joint activities.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Establishing Aerial Firefighting Capacity. Dr Aleksander Jevšek, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development, said: “With the help of EU Cohesion Policy funding, Slovenia has strengthened its capacity in the field protection and disaster relief for firefighting and protection of people and property.”

Slovenia is participating in the first Global Conference on Cyber Capacity Building (GC3B) as a co-organiser of one of the panels on cyber capacity building at the regional level. The Conference is being organised to raise awareness of the importance of each country having the expertise to invest in its digital future and to encourage countries to work together to ensure a free, open and secure digital world.

On November 28, 2023, an important stride towards ensuring the safety of nuclear and radiation practices in the Republic of Slovenia was achieved as the National Assembly unanimously embraced the Resolution on nuclear and radiation safety for the forthcoming decade, spanning 2024-2033.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs will provide EUR 200,000 in humanitarian aid to the Olena Zelenska Foundation for the reconstruction of the central hospital in Izyum. The donation agreement was signed today by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Ambassador Renata Cvelbar Bek, and the Ambassador of Ukraine to Slovenia, Andriy Taran.

Minister Tanja Fajon made her first appearance at the UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East in New York. On behalf of Slovenia, which will become a non-permanent member of the Security Council on 1 January 2024, she called for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, a halt to violence, the protection of civilians, and urged the Security Council to step up its efforts to establish a lasting and just peace in the region.

The Slovenian Prime Minister, Dr Robert Golob, today attended the Slovenian Business Summit in Brdo pri Kranju. The debate focused on sustainable development, including in the context of post-flood reconstruction.

State Secretary Sanja Štiglic attends a two-day meeting of NATO and Swedish Foreign Ministers. They discussed the current international situation, which is marked by the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. Ministers exchanged views on the situation in the Western Balkans. For the first time, a NATO-Ukraine Council meeting was held in the format of foreign ministers.

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Washington, in collaboration with the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad and the American Slovenian Education Foundation (ASEF), organized a Symposium on Artificial Intelligence that highlighted the exceptional contributions of Slovenian researchers who work in the United States.

The European Commission has approved an advance payment of 100 million euros from the EU Solidarity Fund, the maximum mobilised to date, following the application for support that Slovenia submitted to Brussels after the devastating floods that took place in the country in August 2023. The advance payment will be made in the next couple of days, said the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira during a conference call with Slovenia's Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development Aleksander Jevšek.

Next week, Slovenia is hosting the 23rd Meeting of the Member Parties to the Barcelona Convention, COP 23 – the Conference for the Mediterranean, in Portorož, under the auspices of the United Nations. Slovenia is taking over the two-year Presidency of the Convention, and the programme and objectives were presented at today's press conference by H.E. Minister Ms. Alenka Bratušek.

On 28 November 2023, a cultural event with a round table discussion on "The Power of Music, Poetry and Literature as Mediums for Intercultural Dialogue" and a concert by the Jazz Oud Quartet took place at the National Museum of Contemporary History housed in the Cekin Mansion to mark the Day of the Mediterranean. The participants were first addressed by the National Coordinator for the Mediterranean at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Nina Skočajić Juvan.