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We, too, would prefer that the events that occurred in the Slovenian Press Agency had never happened. Unfortunately, they did happen, and they should serve as a reminder and warning to all so that something similar never happens again.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Agreement on the development of region: Tolmin-Modrej. The project worth EUR 3.4 million will be implemented by the Slovenian Infrastructure Agency under the Agreement on the development of the Goriška region and will receive EUR 2.1 million of European Regional Development Fund support.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Agreement on the development of region: the Drava cycling connection in the area of the Municipality Radlje ob Dravi and the Municipality Pdvelka, section Vas-Brezno. The project worth EUR 3.9 million will be implemented by the Slovenian Infrastructure Agency under the Agreement on the development of the Koroška region and will receive a good EUR 1 million of European Regional Development Fund support.

Zvone Černač, Minister competent for Development and the EU Cohesion Policy, attended the informal audio-video meeting of EU ministers responsible for cohesion policy at the invitation of the Portuguese Minister for Planning, Nelson de Souza.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Road in Zone Pobrežje (upgrading the economic-business zone). The project worth EUR 1.3 million will be implemented by the Urban Municipality of Maribor under the Agreement on the development of the Podravje region and will receive EUR 489 thousand of European Regional Development Fund support.

Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak had a meeting with European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius, the Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of the European Parliament, Pascal Canfin, and the Director-General for Transport, Energy, Environment and Education at the General Secretariat of the Council, Peter Javorčik. At the meeting, Minister Vizjak presented the programme and priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU in the area of the environment and climate.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended the informal meeting of ministers and state secretaries for European Affairs in Coimbra, Portugal. The ministers discussed the European Commission's renewed strategy for the outermost regions. As part of the meeting, an EU-wide Foresight Network has been established at the ministerial level, followed by the first “Ministers for the Future” meeting, which was centred on a debate on EU resilience and strategic autonomy.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the Manoeuvre Structure of National Protection, entitled: Manoeuvre Structure of National Protection – the Beginning of the Creation of the Slovenian Army. The ceremony, held in the National Gallery in Ljubljana, opened with an introductory address by Interior Minister Aleš Hojs, while the keynote speaker was Igor Bavčar, who served as the minister of the interior between 1990 and 1992.

Prime Minister Janez Janša had a videoconference talk today with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They discussed the state of pandemic, which is slowing down in both countries, the vaccination process as well as future challenges. Of particular importance among the latter are combating the new mutations, facilitating the logistics of vaccine distribution and implementing vaccination in less developed countries when there is a plentiful supply of vaccines, a situation which is expected towards the end of this year.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Improving supply of safe drinking water in Urban Municipality Slovenj Gradec. The EUR 4.5 million environmental infrastructure project will be implemented by Urban Municipality Slovenj Gradec under the Agreement on the development of the Koroška region and supported by the EU, with the contribution from the Cohesion Fund standing at over EUR 2.5 million.

Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs, joined by members of the delegation, attended the second meeting of the Schengen Forum through a videoconference. The aim of the meeting, convened by the European Commission, was to deepen the political and strategic debate ahead of the presentation of the strategy on the future of Schengen, which is expected to be put forward by the European Commission in early June.

Mateja Logar, head of the advisory group at the Ministry of Health, and prof. dr. Borut Štrukelj from the Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy participated at press conference on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 disease.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Agreement on the development of region - Slovenian Infrastructure Agency: Ajdovščina-Lokavec. The EUR 2.4 million cycle project that will be implemented by the Slovenian Infrastructure Agency under the Agreement on the development of the Goriška region will be supported by the EU, with the contribution from the European Regional Development Fund standing at EUR 534,000.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Agreement on the development of region: Kokrica-Brdo. The EUR 362,000 cycle project will be implemented by Urban Municipality Kranj under the Agreement on the development of the Gorenjska region and supported by the EU, with the contribution from the European Regional Development Fund standing at EUR 155,000.

Today in Luče, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the 2021 Kocbek Award ceremony. He was one of the two award recipients. Ivo Jakob, a member of the club who passed away last year and would have turned ninety this year, also received the award for climbers posthumously.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the Slovenian Army Day central ceremony, which took place at the Training Centre for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief in Ig. Slovenian Army Day is marked on 15 May. On this day in 1991, Slovenian conscripts started serving in the army only in Slovenia, at the two training centres of the then Territorial Defence. A total of 300 conscripts began their military service at the 710th Training Centre in Pekre, near Maribor, and the 510th Training Centre in Ig, near Ljubljana. Slovenian Army Day is a day for preserving the values of Slovenian military history, especially the values of efforts for independence.

"Slovenia is still a welfare state," said Romana Tomc, President of the Strategic Council, at the beginning of their 1st meeting. Everyone can feel the acts of a welfare state on their own skin, most often when they are in a difficult life situation. She stressed that it is therefore important that the system works because of, and for the people. This should be considered by all those who write new regulations and establish new institutions.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a keynote speaker at the unveiling of the memorial in Poljče, commemorating the events of over 30 years ago. In May 1991, members of the enlarged presidency and key ministers of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, commanders of the territorial defence and special police units, met in Poljče, and at the proposal of the Minister of Defence, approved the guidelines for Slovenia's defence in the event of YPA aggression. The guidelines were used as a strategic document in the war for Slovenia on 26 June 1991 during the YPA attack. In it, the Slovenian defence forces defended the homeland and defeated the aggressor, the Yugoslav Army. The event in Poljče was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Matej Tonin, MA, Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs, Director General of the Police Dr. Anton Olaj, State Secretary Bojan Pograjc, MA, and key actors of that time.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the 1st meeting of the Strategic Council on Social Policy, of which the MEP Romana Tomc is President. At the meeting, the members of the Council spoke about the goals of the Council, gave an assessment of the current situation, and presented some substantive proposals. The Council meeting was also attended by the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Janez Cigler Kralj, who addressed the participants.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Programme Operator for the programme Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation has published a Call for proposals for co-financing of projects under the programme Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in today's Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No 74/2021. Applicants with project proposals that contribute to increasing the production of energy from renewable energy sources, improving the management of sustainable mobility, implementing the principles of circular economy and improving the management of ecosystems under increasing pressure due to climate change are invited to apply for funding.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Programme Operator for the programme Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship, has published a Call for proposals for co-financing of projects under the programme Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship in today’s Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No 74/2021. Applicants with project proposals that promote institutional cooperation at all levels of formal and informal education, contribute to improving the supportive environment for disadvantaged target groups and to improving work-life balance are invited to apply for funding.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar is hosting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Principality of Andorra Maria Ubach Font on a working meeting. The visit, which takes place 20 years after the last visit of an Andorran foreign minister to Slovenia, is dedicated to strengthening bilateral cooperation and exchanging views in the light of the upcoming Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council.

In a week's time, on 20 May, Slovenia and the rest of the world will celebrate World Bee Day for the fourth time. The UN General Assembly proclaimed World Bee Day on 20 December 2017. The main purpose of World Bee Day is to raise awareness among the international public about the importance of bees and other pollinators for humanity in the light of ensuring global food security, eliminating hunger and caring for the environment and biodiversity. On the occasion of this year's World Bee Day, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) addresses the general public under the slogan Bee Engaged: Building Back Better for Bees.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the Central 5 (C5) countries, consisting of the foreign ministers of Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended an informal video conference of the EU foreign ministers together with Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani and Foreign Minister of Albania Olta Xhaçka.

Ms Ignacija Fridl Jarc, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Mr Simon Zajc, State Secretary at Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Mr Milan Krek, Director of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), and Ms Tjaša Žohar Čretnik, Director of the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food (NLZOH), participated in the press conference on the state of play of COVID-19.

Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, met with his Hungarian colleague Sandor Pinter in Budapest today. The aim of the working visit was to present priorities of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU in the area of home affairs.

The 6th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) closed today in Izola, Slovenia. This year's edition of the Forum was held under Slovenian Presidency in a hybrid format due to the epidemiological situation. At the plenary closing session wrapping up the two-day event State Secretary Monika Kirbiš Rojs and Head of Unit Macro-regions at the European Commission Jean-Pierre Halkin symbolically handed over the Presidency of EUSAIR to Albania.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan hosted Paweł Jabłoński, Deputy Minister and Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, who was also received by Foreign Minister Anže Logar.

The press conference was attended by the state secretary Jelko Kacin, who is also the coordinator of logistics of mass vaccinations against Covid-19.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved funding for the project “DRR – Kranj-Naklo-Zadraga”. The project implemented by municipality Naklo under the Agreement on the Development of the Gorenjska Region is worth EUR 379 thousand with the European Regional Development Fund contribution standing at EUR 249 thousand.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy is pleased to announce the upcoming ‘Call for proposals for co-financing of projects under the programme Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship’, a programme supported and implemented under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021. The call is to be published on 14 May 2021 in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia. The available funding under the call will amount to EUR 11.3 million. The project grant rate will be up to 100% of total eligible expenditures of a project.

Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak attended the two-day virtual ministerial meeting "12th Petersberg Climate Dialogue", hosted by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in close cooperation with the United Kingdom, which is presiding over the upcoming COP26 (Conference of the Parties, UN Climate Change Conference). The purpose of the dialogue, in which the participants were addressed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was to exchange views on the key topics of COP26.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved funding for the project “Arrangement of community and road infrastructure in Lepovče”. The project implemented by the municipality Ribnica under the Agreement on the Development of the Jugovzhodna Slovenija Region is worth EUR 388 thousand with the European Regional Development Fund contribution standing at EUR 175 thousand.

Today, Minister of the Interior, Aleš HOJS, attended the Ministerial conference in Lisbon on the Management of Migration Flows, organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council to strengthen partnerships between the EU and countries of origin and transit and promote legal migration and integration of migrants.

Today, Minister Jože Podgoršek held a meeting by video conference with the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides. They discussed Slovenia's priorities during the Presidency of the Council of the EU.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today attended a regular meeting of ministers and state secretaries for European affairs. The focus was mostly placed on preparations for a special European Council meeting, which will bring together the EU heads of state on 25 May 2021. Special attention was also devoted to climate policy discussions, the current COVID-19 pandemic situation, and EU-Russian Federation and EU-UK relations.

Minister for Development and the EU Cohesion Policy Zvone Černač addressed the participants of the 6th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) under the slogan “Along the coasts of the shared sea” via an audio-video link. The Forum is the closing event of the Slovenian Presidency of the EUSAIR Strategy which Slovenia took over in June 2020 and will close at the end of May 2021.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy is pleased to announce the upcoming ‘Call for proposals for co-financing of projects under the programme Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation’, a programme supported and implemented under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014-2021. The call is to be published on 14 May 2021 in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia. The available funding under the call will amount to over EUR 15.5 million. The project grant rate will be up to 100% of total eligible expenditures of a project.

Today, Minister Anže Logar opened the 6th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), which represents the final act of the one-year Slovenian Presidency of EUSAIR and the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative. In his address, Minister Logar explained that despite the challenges thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic, Slovenia has managed to achieve all its goals and introduce some innovations. “Only by being connected and responsible for the environment can we contribute to the green and smart development and recovery of the Union,” stressed Minister Logar.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held a series of meetings prior to tomorrow’s General Affairs Council (GAC). He met with Vice President of the European Commission Věra Jourova, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, Secretary-General of the Council Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, and some senior officials in the Commission and the General Secretariat of the Council.

After having participated today at the 6th Delphi Economic Forum, where he introduced the priorities of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU and also talked of some current issues, Prime Minister Janez Janša met with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis. After the meeting, the press releases of both prime ministers followed.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today met with President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, Secretary-General Klaus Welle, and Leader of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament Manfred Weber.

Prime Minister Janez Janša is on a working visit to Greece today. During the visit, the Prime Minister addressed the 6th Delphi Economic Forum. This is the central event and annual conference of the organisation of the same name, which brings together leaders from different countries who are committed to implementing and promoting innovative ideas for sustainable and competitive growth in Europe and the wider Eastern Mediterranean region. At this year’s conference, Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke about the future of Europe and presented the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the European Council, as well as addressing other current topics in the conversation with the moderator.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar today attended a regular meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. Ministers discussed the situation in the Western Balkans and transatlantic relations. They also held an informal video conference with the US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry.

The press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 was attended by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Health Franc Vindišar and the head of the vaccine advisory group Dr Bojana Beovič. Maja Bratuša of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented the current epidemiological picture.

Prime Minister Janez Janša, in an interview for the Spanish newspaper El Correo, spoke about his appearance in the European Parliament, where the MEP Sophie in 't Veld, ironically through the very Group that is supposedly the stronghold defending the freedom of speech, grossly censored his address; in the interview, the Prime Minister also discussed the developments in the European People's Party, as well as the communist era in Slovenia and the spread of communist ideas in Spain, and Slovenia's recent history.

Following Friday’s EU Social Summit, an informal meeting of EU leaders was held in the Portugal city of Porto today, and was also attended by Prime Minister Janez Janša. At today’s meeting, the leaders concentrated on how to best ensure an inclusive recovery, with education and skills at the heart of the EU's political action. They also focused on how to create jobs and improve their quality, and on how to combat poverty and social exclusion.

Europe Day is celebrated every year on 9 May. The date marks the anniversary of the historic Schuman Declaration of 1950, in which the then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presented a central idea to set up transnational economic cooperation in Europe. The core motive of this proposal was to create the conditions for lasting peace and enhanced cooperation in Europe. His ideas set into motion the process of European integration and a year later, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was created, the predecessor of the European Economic Community and the European Union.

An informal meeting of the members of the European Council is taking place today in Porto, where EU leaders, including Prime Minister Janez Janša, will continue the debate launched at the Social Summit, in particular on how to give political impetus to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.