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The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food today presented details on the use of the Slovenian flag on agricultural products and food introduced by the new Food Act. In a world of crowded shelves and unclear labels, the use of the Slovenian flag will mark the distinction between what is merely packaged in Slovenia and what is truly created, reared, grown and processed in Slovenia.

2026 marks the final year of implementing the measures under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). Many of the measures which have been introduced in Slovenia with the support of European Recovery and Resilience Facility – NextGenerationEU funds have already been successfully completed. In this ongoing publication series entitled Together Towards the Goal, we are presenting today the results of measures to make Slovenia's forests stronger and more diverse.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has issued an open call for citizens, legal persons, and other organisations to propose candidates for the 2026 Golden Bee Award.

Slovenia welcomes the signing of the Partnership Agreement (EMPA) and the Interim Trade Agreement (ITA) between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur. These agreements are the result of over 25 years of negotiations. The two legally distinct instruments run in parallel and together establish a comprehensive framework for enhanced political, economic and sectoral cooperation between the EU and Mercosur countries.

The Government has adopted a decision declaring 19 May as Lipizzan Day in the Republic of Slovenia. The date holds special historical and cultural significance for Slovenia, as it was on 19 May 1580 that the document establishing the Lipica Stud Farm was signed – one of the most recognisable symbols of Slovenia's heritage.

At today’s meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper I), the Member States were asked to approve the final compromise text based on the agreement in principle reached at the beginning of the month following trilateral negotiations on the proposal for a regulation on forest reproductive material (FRM). As the Republic of Slovenia is critical of some of the agreed solutions, it abstained from voting.

At today’s meeting of the Deputy Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper I), the Member States were asked to approve the final compromise text based on the agreement in principle reached at the beginning of the month following trilateral negotiations on the proposal for a regulation on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques and their food and feed. The Republic of Slovenia is not in favour of the agreed solutions.

Between 5 and 7 October 2025 in Portorož, Slovenia is hosting an informal meeting of MED ministers of agriculture. Today’s conference focused on strengthening the agriculture’s resilience, promoting innovations and implementing measures at the EU level, also from the perspective of the proposals for a Common Agricultural Policy for the period after 2027. The ministers adopted a joint declaration containing key guidelines for the sustainable development of agriculture in the region.

State Secretary Maša Žagar attended the second EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council Meeting under the Danish Presidency. At the meeting, Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall proposed postponing the implementation of the Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) until the end of 2026, an initiative also supported by Slovenia.

The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in June 2022, entered into force. The Agreement entered into force after it was ratified by a two-thirds majority of WTO members and the instrument of acceptance was deposited. This milestone was reached at the ceremony on 15 September 2025 at the special meeting of the WTO General Council.

The traditional informal meeting of EU ministers responsible for agriculture concludes today in the Danish capital, with State Secretary Maša Žagar also in attendance. This session, held at the invitation of the Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Jacob Jansen, was dedicated to improving competitiveness and accelerating the green transition of the EU Agrifood Sector.

Mateja Čalušić, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, is hosting a meeting in Maribor of representatives of the member states of the extended Forest Group +, which is chaired by Slovenia this year. At the meeting, Italy and Latvia formally joined the group consisting of the founding members – Austria, Finland, Sweden, Slovenia – and France by officially signing the guidelines.

On 16 July 2025, the European Commission published a proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2028–2034, amounting to 1.26% of the EU27's GNI, or €1,985 billion. The proposal forms the basis for the start of complex negotiations among Member States

On the margins of the meeting of the EU Agricultural and Fisheries Council, a meeting of agriculture ministers of the member states of the informal MED9 Group was held and organised on the initiative of Slovenia last night. The discussion focused on sustainable risk management in agriculture. The meeting provided important guidance for the continued discussion at the informal meeting of agriculture ministers to be held in Slovenia in early October.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Mateja Čalušić met with European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen. One of the main topics of the discussion was the payment of emergency financial aid to farmers because of frost damage in 2024. The European Commission will provide Slovenia with EUR 2.9 million for this purpose.

In celebration of World Bee Day, the fifth Golden Bee Award was presented this year. The winner was announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Mateja Čalušić, and the golden award was presented by the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Dr Nataša Pirc Musar. This year, the Golden Bee was awarded to the Polish company Osima Future.

Last June, the Council of the European Union adopted a Regulation on nature restoration. The overarching objective of the Regulation is to restore at least 20% of the EU's terrestrial and marine areas by 2030 and all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning has therefore started to prepare a National Nature Restoration Plan, which will be a key document for the implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation.

During its presidency of MED9, Slovenia will focus on strengthening Europe's resilience and competitiveness, youth empowerment and capacity-building in higher education, digitalisation and culture as well as the EU enlargement and other foreign policy issues. A number of events will be organised during the Presidency, which you can follow on the dedicated MED9 website.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has issued an open call to citizens, legal persons or other organisations for the identification of candidates for the 2025 Golden Bee Award. The call was approved last week at a meeting of the Golden Bee Award Committee, which was appointed by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia in 2021 and chaired by the Minister Mateja Čalušić.

The European Commission has published in the Official Journal the Implementing Regulation entering the name of Istrski med/Istarski med (PDO) into the Register of Protected Designations of Origin and Protected Geographical Indications, thus protecting Istrski med as a joint product of both Slovenia and Croatia. The application for the protection was prepared jointly by Slovenian beekeepers from the Koper Coastal Beekeepers' Society and Croatian beekeepers from Istria.

The main international event to mark the 7th World Bee Day this year - the international forum “Bees for People, Planet and Peace” took place in Ljubljana, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The opening part of the international forum “Bees for People, Planet and Peace” was attended by the State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Ervin Kosi.

On World Bee Day, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon and Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu inaugurated an urban beehive in the garden of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs at a special ceremony and opened the international forum "Bees for People, Planet and Peace".

The Golden Bee Award was presented on World Bee Day for the fourth time. The award was presented by the President of the Republic Nataša Pirc Musar, and the winner was declared by the Minister of Agriculture Mateja Čalušić. The Golden Bee Award was presented to The Wheen Bee Foundation Limited of Australia. Many other events were organised around the world on the occasion of today's World Bee Day.

We are only a week away from the seventh World Bee Day. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food along with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) co-organise an international forum "Bees for people, planet and peace" as part of World Bee Day celebrations. It will be held on 22 and 23 May 2024 in Ljubljana.

The fourth Golden Bee Award will be presented this year. The award committee received 16 applications from 11 countries for achievements in the promotion of bees and wild pollinators.

On 20 May, Slovenia and the world will celebrate World Bee Day for the seventh time. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed World Bee Day on 20 December 2017. Its main purpose is to raise awareness among the international public about the importance of bees and other pollinators for humanity in light of food security, the global elimination of hunger and care for the environment and biodiversity.

The delegation responsible for implementing forestry policy in Montenegro started its visit to Slovenia on Monday. During its visit, the delegation met with the representatives of the Slovenian ministry responsible for forestry, the Slovenia Forest Service and the Slovenian Forestry Institute. They were shown examples of various forestry practices on the ground.

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.

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.

State Secretary Eva Knez has attended the informal meeting of EU ministers responsible for fisheries. The main topic of the informal meeting was the "Future of the EU fisheries and aquaculture". The discussion focused on the impact of external factors such as climate change, energy and input prices, and geopolitical situation. Examples of good practice in fisheries were presented.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food informs the public that the deadline for submitting applications for the Golden Bee Award expires on 15 March 2024. The topic of this year's open call is achievements in the promotion of bees and other pollinators.

The European Commission announced its withdrawal of a proposal for a regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products by 31 March 2024. Slovenia supported the proposal in principle, but repeatedly pointed out certain problematic issues during the discussion, in particular the inadequate consideration of the specificities of individual Member States.

Participants of today’s EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Agri-Fish Council) meeting discussed measures to combat crises in the agricultural sector. Slovenia was represented in the meeting by the Secretary of State, Ms. Eva Knez, who pointed out on arrival that Slovenia welcomed the European Commission’s proposals of simplifying the existing Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) rules. “The measures proposed are aimed at taking greater account of specificities of individual Member States. Today, we repeatedly proposed introducing the ad hoc financial mechanism for countries to be in a position to respond rapidly to crises in agriculture.”

On the last day of his visit to Slovenia, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu visited Slovenian Istria together with Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Mateja Čalušić. They toured the InnoRenew CoE independent research institute and a farm engaged in wine-growing, olive-growing and complementary activities.

ector-Genreal of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations QU Dongyu visited Slovenia at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar. As part of his visit to Slovenia, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Mateja Čalušić will host the Director-General today and tomorrow. Today, they visited two farms in the vicinity of Ljubljana and the Municipality of Dol pri Ljubljani.

A political agreement was reached between the EU Council and the European Parliament on Tuesday, 30 January 2024, regarding the European Commission's proposals for greater transparency in the labelling of the origin of honey blends.

EU Med Ministers and State Secretaries met today in Brussels on the initiative of the Greek Minister of Agriculture. The group consists of Mediterranean countries that are EU member states: Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. Slovenia was represented by State Secretary Eva Knez.

The discussion at the first Agriculture and Fisheries Council under the Belgian Presidency has revolved around the future of agriculture in Europe and the international trade in agricultural products, and the establishment of an EU-wide forest monitoring framework.

The National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia has appointed Mateja Čalušić as the new Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food on the proposal of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Robert Golob. Minister Čalušić has taken over from Minister of Defence Marjan Šarec who was temporarily put in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food on 13 October 2023.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has issued an open call to citizens, legal persons or other organisations for the identification of candidates for the 2024 Golden Bee Award. The call is open till 15th March 2024 and applications from Slovenia and abroad are expected. The subject of the call are projects or achievements in promotion of bees and other pollinators in the past seven years (i.e. in the period 2016–2023).

On 20 December 2017, the United Nations General Assembly in New York unanimously adopted a resolution proclaiming 20 May as World Bee Day. The aim of the initiative is to further raise awareness among the international public regarding the importance of bee preservation and to remind everyone that we heavily depend on bees and other pollinators. They are invaluable in economic, social and environmental terms.

The last Agriculture and Fisheries Council under the Spanish Presidency began on Sunday with negotiations on fishing opportunities. On the second day of the meeting, the Council considered the compromise text of the proposed regulation on new genomic techniques and discussed the labelling of the origin of honey blends. State Secretary Eva Knez participated in the second day of the meeting, in which the Council discussed the proposal for a regulation on plant protection products, took note of the situation in agricultural markets and took stock of the strategic plans of the common agricultural policy.

European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski visited Slovenia at the invitation of Minister of Defence Marjan Šarec, acting in the capacity of Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. The purpose of the visit was to present to the Commissioner the agricultural damage in the aftermath of catastrophic floods that struckSlovenia in August of this year. The Commissioner visited the affected areas to see the on-the-ground situation.

World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW), which started on 18 November with the European Antibiotic Awareness Day, takes place this week. Growing antimicrobial resistance is a threat to people, animals, plants and the environment.

The 17th Meeting of the Agriculture Ministers of the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group in South-Eastern Europe (SWG) was held in Jahorina, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Slovenia, participating as an observer, was represented at the meeting by Maša Žagar, Director-General of the Agriculture Directorate.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has chosen the theme "Water is Life, Water is Food. Leave no one behind." for this year's World Food Day on 16 October.

Plant Protection Products (PPPs) Legislative Section Session took place today in Brussels, within the framework of the Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (PAFF Committee), including Member State voting on Commission legislative proposal for decision on extension of authorisation of active substance glyphosate

At today’s Agriculture and Fisheries (Agri-Fish) Council meeting, the EU Ministers were familiarised with the damages suffered by the Slovenian agriculture, forestry and aquaculture in the aftermath of the recent floods and landslides. Ms Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, told in presentation that immediately after the extreme weather events the Ministry commenced collecting data on the damages inflicted, and preparing emergency aid measures. “In agriculture, damages have been recorded on land, facilities, machinery, deficiencies in stock of feed and seed materials, and difficulties in raw milk delivery.”

Today, a 3-day informal meeting of EU Agriculture Ministers, including Mrs Irena Šinko, the Slovenian Agriculture Minister, concluded in Cordoba/Spain. Focus of this meeting was on new technologies to stimulate transition to a more sustainable and productive model adapted to the challenges of climate change. In the margins of the meeting, Minister Šinko met with the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Janusz Wojciechowski, and presented to him the damages in agriculture in the aftermath of the catastrophic floods that affected Slovenia this August.

On Day 2 of meeting, the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council discussed agricultural issues. At the core of discussion were the conditions in agricultural markets in the aftermath of Russian aggression on Ukraine, and due to adverse climatic events, the need for certain derogations within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) due to adverse climatic events, and a call on the Commission to clarify the criteria for allocation of existing aid packages, and concerning the preparation of the third aid package.

EU agriculture and fisheries ministers today opened a two-day meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council, attended by Minister Irena Šinko. Council conclusions were adopted on a package of measures to improve the sustainability and resilience of the EU fisheries and aquaculture sector, and ministers were briefed on a proposal for a regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Irena Šinko met today with the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food.

Minister Irena Šinko attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. The presidency informed the ministers on the proposed regulation on packaging and packaging waste and the ministers discussed the situation of the market for agricultural products following the war in Ukraine. There was also a discussion on current practices related to the marketing of frozen products and the need for enhancing tools and strategies for a systemic management and response to the growing risks in agricultural markets.

The celebration of World Bee Day in Kalmthout Arboretum was co-organised by the Slovenian Embassy in Belgium with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. State Secretary Tatjana Buzeti and Ambassador Barbara Sušnik attended the event along with other guests. A bee tree was planted on the occasion.

Minister Irena Šinko attended the 2023 Golden Bee Award ceremony. Dr Nataša Pirc Musar, President of the Republic of Slovenia, presented the award to the winner. The third Golden Bee Award was awarded for research into bees and other pollinators. Among the 12 candidates, the Golden Bee Award Committee selected Dr Slobodan Davidović from Serbia.

Today, Slovenia and the world celebrate World Bee Day. The main national celebration of World Bee Day was held in Celje as part of the 20th Beekeepers' Festival. Minister Irena Šinko addressed the numerous beekeepers and other guests, highlighting the situation in the world today and the need for food security where pollinators play a very important role.

Tomorrow, the attention of all the World is going to be dedicated to honeybees and other pollinators, with an increasingly important role in seeking solutions for food security, global hunger elimination, and protection of the environment and biodiversity.

On Saturday, Slovenia and all the World will for the sixth time be celebrating the World Bee Day, proclaimed on 20 December 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly. The main purpose of the World Bee Day is to raise the awareness of global general public on the significance of bees and other pollinators for the entire human race, in the light of food security, global hunger elimination, and protection of the environment and biodiversity.

Minister Irena Šinko participated in the presentation of the results of the targeted research programme entitled The Design of the Methodology for the monitoring of wild pollinators in Slovenia. The event came ahead of World Bee Day, which will be celebrated on Saturday, 20 May, bringing bees and other pollinators into the global spotlight at the initiative of Slovenia.

Slovenia has made a significant contribution to the visibility of Slovenian beekeeping knowledge and to raising global awareness of the importance of bees by proclaiming World Bee Day.

The sixth World Bee Day will be celebrated on 20 May. The UN General Assembly proclaimed World Bee Day on 20 December 2017. Our aim is to raise awareness of the general public about the importance of bees and other pollinators for our survival on this planet.

Minister Irena Šinko has attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council to discuss agricultural topics together with her EU counterparts. An important discussion was held on the situation on agricultural markets, in particular in light of the war in Ukraine, and export limitations for Ukrainian grain imposed by some EU member states. Ministers also exchanged their experience in implementing the strategic plans for the common agricultural policy and discussed the regulative framework for the certification of carbon removals. Slovenia recalled, in the EU Council, the importance of labelling the origin of honey in light of the planned revision of the Honey Directive.

As part of the new EU legislation to be adopted on the sustainable use of plant protection products, a European Commission delegation headed by Deputy Director-General for Health and Food Safety Claire Bury visited Slovenia at the invitation of Minister Irena Šinko.

In a month's time, on 20 May, Slovenia and the world will celebrate World Bee Day for the sixth time. The United Nations 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 light of food security, the global elimination of hunger and care for the environment and biodiversity.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Irena Šinko, met with the Croatian Minister of Agriculture, Marija Vučković, at a farm in Sela pri Ratežu.

World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March each year, highlights the importance of water. The theme of this year’s World Water Day is “Accelerating Change”. Clean (drinking) water is not a commodity to be taken for granted, it is also part of a carefully planned framework of regulations and measures to ensure water conservation.

With 332 million, the United States of America presents an important market with many opportunities for the Slovenian economy and tourism. It can take several years for companies to successfully penetrate the US market, and Slovenia as a country can open doors through increased promotion.

Ms Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF), met with the Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Mr Tetsuro Nomura. During her visit to Japan, the Minister held several meetings with representatives of different institutions, taking also a field tour of several show cases of good practices in agriculture and in fisheries.

Ms Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF), is participating in the formal opening of the 48th FOODEX Japan 2023, the largest international food and beverages show, jointly with a delegation of Slovenian industrial and economic operators. At the show, regarded as the leading food and beverage show in Asia, 11 Slovenian companies are presenting themselves.

In December, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food issued an open call to individuals, legal persons or bodies governed by public law for submitting the applications for the 2023 Golden Bee Award. The Republic of Slovenia gives out the Golden Bee Award as the highest national award for the preservation and protection of bees and other pollinators. The call remains open until 1 March 2023. The topic of this year's call is research on bees and other pollinators.

State Secretary Tatjana Buzeti attended the two-day Balkan Conference on Regional Food Security in Times of Crisis in Bulgaria. The aim of the conference was to improve cooperation in the fields of agriculture and rural development.

Minister Irena Šinko participated via video link in a conference entitled "Which sustainable livestock farming and meat consumption systems should the European Union promote and preserve by 2050" at the invitation of the French Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Marc Fesneau.

Minister Irena Šinko participated in the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting. This was the first meeting taking place under the Swedish Presidency, so the programme of the Presidency for the following half year was presented in the beginning. With the support of 19 Member States, Slovenia presented the initiative to revise Council Directive on honey, in the part referring to provenance designation of honey mixtures.

Minister Irena Šinko participated in the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) – the 15th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference, titled: “Food Systems Transformation: A Worldwide Response to Multiple Crises”. The Agriculture Ministers’ Conference is attended by over 70 Ministerial Delegations from around the Globe, and representatives of the European Commission, the African Union, agricultural institutions and associations, and other international organisations. The event takes place within the International Green Week (IGW) that was opened for visitors on 20 January.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Ms. Irena Šinko, participated in the official opening ceremony of the Berlin International Green Week (IGW), taking place from 19 to 29 January 2023. At the trade fair, Slovenia is presented as a green and ecological country (ecological + local = ideal).

The results of the 10th survey of the basic food basket were published on the “Our Superfood” website on 17 January 2023. The results of the analysis show that the price of the average cheapest basket of 15 basic foods is currently at its lowest since monitoring started. Furthermore, a comparison of price trends over the last two weeks shows a decrease in meat prices.

The results of the ninth inventory of basic food products made on 3 January 2023 are published on the “Our Superfood” website. The analyses of the inventory reveal a minimal reduction in the basic food basket and in the fruit and vegetables basket. However, a comparison of price trends over the last two weeks reveals concrete price increases for meat.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Irena Šinko, and the Minister of Digital Transformation, Dr. Emilija Stojmenova Duh, met today at the second meeting with students and mentors from four faculties. They presented the progress in the project entitled The Possibilities for Digitalising Farms with Young Owners, for which the research phase has concluded.

At its correspondence meeting, the Government adopted the Decree about the animal welfare intervention of the Common Agricultural Policy Strategic Plan 2023–2027 for Slovenia in the year 2023 and the Decree on Conditionality. It also gave its consent to the Business Plan of the Agency for Radwaste Management for 2023–2024 and concluded the Contract on the implementation of the compulsory State utility service for radioactive waste management.

Five years ago today, the United Nations General Assembly declared 20 May World Bee Day. The National Council of the Republic of Slovenia organised an expert meeting entitled "There will be no bees without beekeepers" together with the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association to mark this occasion. Minister Irena Šinko attended the event. Certificates of recognition were awarded and the national champion in honey was crowned on the margins of the expert meeting.

Minister Irena Šinko and Director-General of the Food and Fisheries Directorate, Ana Le Marechal Kolar, today presented the Programme for the Implementation of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for the new financial period 2021-2027 at a press conference.

Minister Irena Šinko and state secretary dr. Darij Krajčič presented the projects of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MKGP) under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) at the press conference today.

Minister Irena Šinko has hosted her Turkish counterpart Vahit Kirişci, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Türkiye, for a two-day visit in Slovenia.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has issued an open call to citizens, legal persons or other organisations for the identification of candidates for the 2023 Golden Bee Award.

Minister Irena Šinko participated in the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting. European Commission informed the EU Ministers on implementing the new EU forest strategy for 2030, and on ensuring the availability and affordability of fertilisers. They dealt with the agricultural aspect of the proposal for a Regulation on nature restoration, on two points concerning fisheries, on energy transition of the EU fishing fleet and aquaculture, and on the algae sector development activities. In bilateral meetings, the Minister met with the European Commissioner for the Environment, Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Mr Virginijus Sinkevičius, and with Mr Peter Kullgren, the Minister for Rural Development of Sweden, which in 2023 begins the Presidency over the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

This year, the World Fisheries Day, celebrated on 21 November, is dedicated to highlighting the importance of healthy marine ecosystems and to ensuring sustainable fisheries stocks and social protection of workers in the fishing industry.

European Commission published today in the Official Journal of the European Union the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/2267 of 14 November 2022 entering a name in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications (“Meso istarskog goveda – boškarina / Meso istrskega goveda – boškarina” (PDO)).

European Commission endorsed today the Slovenian 2023-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan (SN SKP 2023–2027). This is the key agricultural policy strategic document, on which basis in the next programming period Slovenia is going to provide for long-term food security, green breakthrough, sustainable development of Slovenian agriculture, forestry, food industry, and sustainable rural development.

The Minister, Ms. Irena Šinko, participated today in the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting. The EU Ministers exchanged information on conditions in agricultural markets in particular due to the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine.

The Minister Irena Šinko, participated today in the ‘For Forests Group’ meeting. The Member State Ministers, cooperating in the Group, signed the Guidelines and principles on closer cooperation in forestry within the European Union. The meeting was held in the margins of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting.

The Naša Super Hrana website published the results of the third survey of basic food products from 10 October 2022. According to this insight into price developments in the consumer food basket, and additional analysis, products of Slovenian origin prevail at all food retailers included in the survey.

Ms Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF), participated today in the 7th meeting of the ‘Golden Bee Award’ Committee, where the central topic was the approval of the ‘2023 Golden Bee Award’ public tender dossier.

At a press conference today, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Irena Šinko, and the Acting Director-General of the Agriculture Directorate, Maša Žagar, presented the 2023–2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan for Slovenia.

Today, we celebrate World Animal Day. It is intended to raise awareness among the general public about animals as sentient beings and the necessity of caring for them responsibly and in a way that does not cause them pain, suffering and fear.

In the first half of September, the Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Agricultural Markets and Rural Development (ARSKTRP) started paying aid to the agricultural and fisheries sectors, which are facing increasing costs of production and processing due to the rising prices of fuel, electricity and intermediate goods. By 30 September, almost EUR 22.2 million of aid was paid out from the anticipated EUR 22.3 million.

Secretary of State, Ms Tatjana Buzeti, participated in the 13th OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) Rural Development Policy Conference. The 3-day Conference, “Building sustainable, resilient and thriving rural places”, organised by the Irish Government, exposed a number of burning issues, relevant to coherent rural development.

At the initiative of the United Nations General Assembly, we are celebrating the third International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. On this day, we call for rational food management.

Minister Irena Šinko attended a session of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. As part of fisheries topics, they exchanged views on fishing opportunities for the coming year, including fish stocks shared with the United Kingdom, and the annual consultations between the EU and Norway in 2023. In agricultural topics, the discussion regarding the market situation in the light of war and the state of agricultural production and logistics in Ukraine was at the forefront. The EU Council also learned about the impact of the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive on agriculture and information about the growing population of wild animals in Europe. The discussion on food labelling and the call to the Commission to supplement the assessment of the proposal for the Regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products was also important. Minister Šinko also met with the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides. They discussed the Commission’s measures to reduce the use of plant protection products and food labelling.

Prime Minister Robert Golob and Minister of Infrastructure Bojan Kumar today visited Gomilsko and Velenje, where they held talks with representatives of energy companies on ensuring energy independence in the long term and responding to the current energy crisis.

As per Directive (EU) 2015/1535, Slovenia (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food) submitted for notification to the European Commission a draft of the Rules on the Quality of Vinegar and Diluted Acetic Acid on 2 December 2020. The new draft rules were prepared due to a minor amendment referring to the vinegar standardisation. The purpose of notification (public discussion) of the technical legislation being drafted is to prevent trade obstacles in the EU territory.