News

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar accepted the invitation of the Lithuanian Minister of the Interior Agnë Bilotaitë and travelled to Lithuania for a two-day work visit.

The topic of the new podcast show is migration. Zorana Potič's guest is the executive director of the European Asylum Agency, Nina Gregori, who has been working in this field for her entire career.

Andrej Nared began his five-year term as the Director of the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia on April 5, 2024. He had served as the Acting Director of the Slovenian state archives since June 1, 2023.

Prime Minister Robert Golob expresses his unconditional support to the former President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, in his candidacy for the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade–Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues. That is why he has held in the past month numerous bilateral talks with EU leaders and senior EU representatives.

At today's session, the Government adopted, among other things, a report on the implementation of the Capital Market Development Strategy and amendments to the Decree on the measures of agri-environment-climate payments, organic farming, and payments to areas facing natural or other specific constraints laid down in the Rural Development Programme of the Republic of Slovenia 2014–2020.

On Monday we officially opened the Bologna Children's Book Fair, where Slovenia is this year's Guest of Honour. As Guest of Honour, Slovenia has a unique opportunity to showcase its creative talents, publishers, authors and illustrators at one of the world's leading platforms for children's and youth literature.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today visited Sneberje to examine the progress made to restore the houses and the levee damaged by the August floods.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the Call for proposals for the implementation of integrated support services for innovative individuals and innovative start-ups 2024-2025 (Start-up consortium) and for the project Small scale incentives via vouchers. The call for proposals and the vouchers will make a total of 21.16 million euros available for start-ups and innovative entrepreneurs.

An exhibition on the technological inventions that help us fight forest fires opens at the Kosovel House in Sežana today. Visitors can learn how firefighting equipment has evolved, see a mock-up of a Slovenian satellite that detects and monitors fires, try firefighting with 3D glasses and find out when the Karst region will be green again. The exhibition will run until 21 April and admission is free.

ALT-EDIC seeks a Director who will lead the Alliance for Language Technologies EDIC (ALT-EDIC), a European Digital Infrastructure Consortium (one of the first), aimed at developing a common European infrastructure in Language Technologies, focusing particularly on Large Language Models. It seeks to improve European competitiveness, increase the availability of European language data and uphold Europe’s linguistic diversity and cultural richness.

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia will be closed on 1 and 2 May 2024, on the occasion of International Workers' Day.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon met with representatives of the Call for Palestine petition, Dr Rudi Rizman, the first signatory, as well as Aurelio Juri, Dr Spomenka Hribar, Dr Danijel Rebolj, Dr Primož Šterbenc and Dr Maja Breznik. They exchanged views on the war in Gaza and the situation in the Middle East and the wider region.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development hosted a panel discussion on the opportunities offered by EU cohesion policy in tackling RDI challenges and needs. This was the third event of this kind; the previous two put spotlight on opportunities for young and old people.

State Secretary Dr Blaž Germšek has attended the informal meeting of agriculture ministers in Genk. The discussion focused on how to increase the EU's self-sufficiency in protein crops, while considering all three aspects of sustainability.

Prime Minister Robert Golob attended the 34th plenary session of the National Children's Parliament, which once again focused on the mental health of children and young people.

Today marks a special day: World Health Day. So let's take this opportunity to reflect upon one of our most important values – health.

The 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council unanimously adopted two resolutions on the extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and on the rights of minorities, which Slovenia had proposed/filed jointly with two groups of countries.

State Secretary Marko Štucin hosted the Deputy Minister for European Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, Marilena Raouna, for consultations. They reviewed bilateral relations and talked about Slovenia's experience in preparing for the EU Council Presidency in 2021, as well as topical European issues such as EU enlargement, the Western Balkans, EU institutional reforms and EU-Türkiye relations, including the Cyprus issue and migration.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today met with the leading representatives of the Slovenian justice system. The meeting was also attended by Andreja Katič, the Minister of Justice, and representatives of the Ministry of Public Administration.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Marko Štucin received Gabriel Hribar, President of the Unity List, the umbrella party of the Slovenian national minority in Austria, and Rudi Vouk, President of the Association of Slovenian Lawyers in Carinthia. They discussed the situation of the Slovenian minority in Austria and the petition on the inadequate implementation of minority rights.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in a two-day meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels, which focused on NATO’s 75th anniversary, preparations for the Washington Summit in July, support for Ukraine and strengthening cooperation with partners in the Indo-Pacific region. She underlined the importance of unity among allies on key strategic issues.

At today's session, the Government adopted a proposal for a new Lipica Stud Farm Act, setting the conditions for the Stud Farm's development and more efficient management, as well as the preservation of cultural heritage and its economic development. The Government also issued several Decrees concerning agriculture, which grant some of the requests from the recent protests. The Government decided to extend the mediation with the Fides trade union for one week.

On April 3 and 4, 2024, the 95th meeting of the Bureau of the Barcelona Convention was held in Ljubljana, which Slovenia hosted as the presiding country.

As part of the presentation of economic diplomacy, State Secretary Marko Štucin and representatives of the Directorate for Economic and Public Diplomacy visited the Savinja region to present to local companies how economic diplomacy can help Slovenian companies to internationalise their business.

Today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, attended the GREMO Innovation Conference, where participants discussed the development of the Slovenian automotive and mobility industry in the light of the green and digital transformation.

Prime Minister Robert Golob met today with the Mayor of the Municipality of Maribor, Saša Arsenovič.

On Friday, 29 March 2024, the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development published the first amendment of the invitation to prepare agreements for the development of regions. The agreements will serve as the basis for co-financing projects under European Cohesion Policy objectives in 12 development regions. “The agreements for the development of regions are an important form of allocating EU funding in accordance with the bottom-up principle,” said Minister Dr Aleksander Jevšek.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Raising the level of bilingual education of the Hungarian national community in Slovenia and the Slovenian national community in Hungary.

Slovenia is concluding its third month in the Security Council. During the presidency of Japan, the month was marked by the adoption of a resolution on Gaza, showcasing the leading role of the 10 elected members in peace efforts. Japan organized open debates on the working methods of the UN Security Council and the role of women in conflict prevention.

Dear Citizens, dear Slovenians at home and abroad, I sincerely wish you happy Easter holidays.

Today, Prime Minister Robert Golob visited the Department of Haematology at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, where the most complex and immunocompromised patients receive treatment. The Department of Haematology is the only tertiary institution for haematology patients in Slovenia.

Ambassador Iztok Mirošič participated in the inaugural Western Balkan Salon Roundtable, a collaborative event series hosted by the Atlantic Council and the embassies of the Western Balkan nations in Washington on March 28, 2024.

On 29 March 2004, the Republic of Slovenia became a full member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) after successfully depositing its Instrument of Accession in Washington. By joining this important political-military alliance, Slovenia achieved one of the main foreign policy and defence-military objectives it set itself at the time of its independence in 1991. This historic milestone was celebrated yesterday with a high-level meeting, panel discussions and a national ceremony at the Brdo Congress Centre.

As the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the EU approaches, in a new episode of the podcast, we hosted agricultural economist Dr Emil Erjavec. During the negotiations for EU accession, he was a member of the core negotiating team for agriculture and fisheries, the "expert engine" of the negotiations for agriculture. He is a highly popular professor at the Biotechnical Faculty and above all, a great expert in agricultural policy.

The international exercise INEX-6, prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD NEA), was completed at the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA).

Wishing to resume social dialogue, Prime Minister Robert Golob invited the union representatives sitting on the Economic and Social Council to attend a working meeting.

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Nato and the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the military organisation, an exhibition and a roundtable discussion on the importance and future of Nato were opened at the Military History Park in Pivka on 27 March. The panellists agreed that the Alliance has played an important role in maintaining peace in Europe and will continue to do so in the future.

At today's session, the Government approved proposals for new amendments to the Compulsory Motor Third-Party Liability Insurance Act and to the Market in Financial Instruments Act. It also adopted the Immigration Strategy, a draft Resolution on the long-term peaceful use of nuclear energy in Slovenia, and the Decree on detailed spatial planning rules for siting photovoltaic installations and solar collectors.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has issued two grant decisions for boosting employment, namely for the project Boosting employment – Zaposli.me+ and for the Call for proposals to co-finance social activation+ projects.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, today welcomed the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Christopher Cavoli.

Slovenia will appear as Guest of Honour at the prestigious Bologna International Book Fair next month, cementing its place on the world stage as a nation rich in imaginative children's and youth literature and with an exceptional illustration heritage.

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana will be closed on Monday 1 April (Easter Monday).

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon received an official visit from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Filip Ivanović. They confirmed their mutual interest in further strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly in the economy. They focused on Montenegro's progress towards EU accession and the current situation in the Western Balkans.

Minister Mateja Čalušić has attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, where ministers continued the discussion on the necessary measures to tackle the crisis in agriculture. The European Commission presented a new package of measures to enhance farmers' position in the agri-food chain. The ministers discussed the market situation following the invasion of Ukraine. In early afternoon, Minister Čalušić met with Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, today hosted the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Olaf Scholz, on a working visit. The meeting was aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries and exchanging views on current European and foreign policy issues.

The Government has adopted a decision on increasing the earmarked assets and capital of the Slovenian Regional Development Fund for soft lending to small and medium-sized enterprises, adopted an opinion on a draft amendment to the Pension and Disability Insurance Act, included two new projects in the current Development Programme Plan 2024–2027, and adopted several decisions on the reallocation of state budget funds.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon hosted a meeting of the foreign ministers of the informal Central 5 group, with the participation of Alexander Schallenberg, Minister of European and International Affairs of Austria, Jan Lipavský, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Péter Szijjárto, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, and Juraj Blanár Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, met today with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsolo. They addressed topical issues ranging from the upcoming European elections to the situation in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis, as well as European agricultural policy and migration.

Prime Minister's statement: "Finally some good news from New York. The UN Security Council has agreed on a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Slovenia, together with the non-permanent members of the UN Security Council, played a key role in proposing the resolution.

During her working visit to Sarajevo, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon expressed contentment with the European Council's decision to initiate accession negotiations between Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the EU. She reaffirmed Slovenia's steadfast support for BiH's reform efforts.