News

At the invitation of Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, Minister Tanja Fajon attended the Europa-Forum Wachau, a platform for discussion on European integration, with this year's edition focusing on the Western Balkans. The event also included a meeting of the Friends of the Western Balkans group.

Secretary-General Renata Cvelbar Bek and Ambassador Alenka Suhadolnik opened the Slovenian Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City. The Secretary-General also met with Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hoang Long, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong and Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Municipal People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung.

In Vienna, State Secretary Marko Štucin participated in the meeting of Danube Foreign Ministers organised in the framework of the 13th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. He also attended a joint dinner with the “Friends of the Western Balkans” group, where participants discussed EU enlargement at a time of high security risks.

The Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development held the final meeting of the peer review on development cooperation and humanitarian aid in the Republic of Slovenia. The examiners from Denmark and Switzerland, on behalf of the Development Assistance Committee, presented the report and recommendations to Slovenia to improve the effectiveness of its development and humanitarian aid.

On Monday, June 24th, the Archive, the reading room and the information room will be closed due to a collective leave day.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today took part in the business and investment congress "Invest and Connect: Slovenian Business Pitch" in Munich as the keynote speaker. Senior representatives of the Slovenian and German Governments and more than 100 Slovenian companies attended the congress, which shows how important the Bavarian market is for Slovenia.

Today, the world observes the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict to honour the victims and stand in solidarity with the survivors of this horrific human rights violation and abuse. The United Nations General Assembly chose this day to commemorate the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008), which condemns the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war and an impediment to peacebuilding.

The temporary reintroduction of controls at Slovenia's internal borders with Croatia and Hungary have been extended for another six months, up to and including 21 December 2024. Controls will continue to be carried out in such a way as to minimise the negative impact on travellers, the environment, the economy and the local border population.

Today, the European Commission published the European Semester Spring Package. The European Union (EU) has initiated an excessive deficit procedure against seven EU Member States; Slovenia is not one of them.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Promoting the inclusion of workers whose jobs are at risk, including jobs affected by digitisation and automation - SPIN 2.0. The project will receive nearly 4.4 million euros from the European Social Fund Plus.

At today's session, the Government decided to extend the temporarily reintroduced controls at the borders with Croatia and Hungary until 21 December 2024. It also adopted amendments to the Mining Act and new amendments to the Decree on the method of determining and calculating the contribution for ensuring support for the production of electricity from high-efficiency cogeneration and renewable energy sources.

Today, Minister Han attended the business and investment congress "Invest&Connect Slovenian Business Pitch: Germany Experiences Slovenia" in Munich. He also discussed opportunities for strengthening economic cooperation with Hubert Aiwanger, Deputy Prime Minister of Bavaria and Minister for Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Get moving, start exercising. The European Social Fund Plus will support the project with nearly 2.8 million euros.

The Government adopted the first National Intellectual Property Strategy 2030 and tasked the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport to prepare an action plan to implement the Strategy in cooperation with other authorities. Thus Slovenia further recognises the role of intellectual property in fostering innovation, creativity and knowledge-sharing and the importance of its strategic management.

Prime Minister Robert Golob and European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher have signed an agreement that will see Slovenia become a full member of ESA on 1 January 2025, when the current Association Agreement expires.

The Ministers of the Interior of Croatia, Italy and Slovenia, Davor Božinović, Matteo Piantedosi and Boštjan Poklukar convened for a trilateral meeting in Gorizia.

The ministers met in the context of the General Affairs Council to discuss the link between cohesion policy and the new Strategic Agenda 2024-2029. Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira underlined that cohesion policy and Treaty objectives of promoting convergence and reducing disparities must feature prominently in the Council Strategic Agenda for the next five years as cohesion is a public good. Minister Jevšek stressed the importance of tailored, place-based approach to challenges.

Minister Tanja Fajon received the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on a working visit to Slovenia to continue the talks they started in Abu Dhabi in May, focusing on strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries.

At the Prague European Summit, State Secretary Marko Štucin stressed the importance of EU enlargement to the Western Balkans and supported the continuation of the enlargement process with Ukraine and Moldova.

In the new episode of the GOVSI podcast, host Zoran Potič interviewed two guests, one from the public sector and one from the non-governmental sector – Director of the Directorate for Nature at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning Dr Katarina Groznik Zeiler and President of the Society for Observation and Study of Birds of Slovenia (BirdLife Slovenia (DOPPS)) Dr Tanja Šumrada. The occasion for the interview was the awarding of a new national award, the Rado Smerdu Award, for contributions to the development of the profession of nature conservation and to nature conservation itself.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the Ministerial Meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) in Skopje.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar has attended the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the EU in Luxembourg.

At today's meeting, the Government adopted an amendment to the Act on the Arrangement of Certain Issues Arising from the Final Ruling of the Court of Arbitration under the Arbitration Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Government of the Republic of Croatia. It also approved a draft Aviation Act and an amendment to the Act on the Provision of Air Navigation Services, and issued the Decree on setting prices for certain petroleum products.

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia will be closed on 17 June 2024, on the occasion of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice).

On 11 June 2024, the Slovenian Government decided to allocate EUR 2.5 million to alleviate the consequences of the conflict between Israel and Hamas and to protect the Palestinian people.

On 11 June 2024, the Slovenian Government decided to allocate an additional 5 million euros in 2024 for humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Ukraine and to mitigate the impact of the war in the country on global food security.

The Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, together with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Montenegrin Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organised the first regional conference of the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre (WB3C) in Podgorica, Montenegro.

The reading room of the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia at 1 Zvezdarska Street in Ljubljana will be open from June 17th to August 30th, 2024, according to summer working hours, from Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 2 PM.

Slovenia returns from Jordan proud of the strong appreciation of its central Arab partners for Slovenia's determined efforts for peace in the Middle East, and with two humanitarian initiatives to help the Palestinian population.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon is paying an official visit to Rabat on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of diplomatic relations between Slovenia and Morocco. She and her Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, reaffirmed the excellent relations between the two countries and signed a joint declaration on further strengthening cooperation in various areas, including at the operational level in the field of irregular migration.

State Secretary Sanja Štiglic is taking part in the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin hosted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. She underlined Slovenia's support for the recovery and reconstruction process in Ukraine and reaffirmed Slovenia's readiness to work with international partners, the private sector and implementing institutions in the reconstruction of Ukraine.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence and under the auspices of the President of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, organised an international event at the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana aimed at finding solutions to strengthen the protection of civilians, who are the most numerous and tragic victims of today's complex and recurrent armed conflicts.

Today, an opening event was held at the Novo Mesto School Centre to launch the project ‘Digitalising education in primary schools, secondary schools and adult education (equipment)’. In the framework of this project, co-financed by Next Generation EU funds, 1066 educational institutions will receive various types of equipment.

Prime Minister Robert Golob began today at the international conference "Call for Action: Urgent Humanitarian Response for Gaza" in Jordan, hosted by the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, with bilateral meetings.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project e-procurement system. The European Regional Development Fund will support the project with 1.6 million euros.

Prime Minister Robert Golob welcomes today’s adoption of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a full, complete, and immediate ceasefire with the unconditional release of hostages, which represents a major diplomatic achievement.

As President of the Government Council for Slovenians in the Neighbouring Countries, Prime Minister Robert Golob convened the Council's first session of the current term. The session focused on the current situation of the autochthonous Slovenian national communities in neighbouring countries, the challenges of cross-border cooperation and the preservation of the Slovenian language

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Scholarships for specialised professions in culture. The European Social Fund Plus contribution stands at EUR 3 million.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Workshops providing training+. The European Social Fund Plus contribution stands at just under EUR 6 million.

Prime Minister Robert Golob attended the ceremony marking the opening of the newly renovated and energy-efficient nursing hospital at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana (UMCL) and toured the renovated premises. In his address, Prime Minister Golob emphasised the Government's commitment to making healthcare a priority

Prime Minister Golob today attended the annual meeting of the European Network of Science Centres & Museums (ECSITE). This is one of the world's most important meetings of global experts in the popularisation and communication of science, culture and projects related to sustainable development, research and technology.

PRESS RELEASE
Podgorica, Montenegro, 7 June 2024

This year's International Archives Day and Week are marked by the announcement of the relocation of the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia to its new building. On Thursday, June 6, the Director of the Archives of Republic of Slovenia, Dr Andrej Nared, signed the hand-over report on the completed construction and reconstruction works on the building of the former military barracks at Poljanska Street 40 in Ljubljana and officially took over the new facilities, which were designated for the state archives already 30 years ago.

Today, Prime Minister Robert Golob received Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina, who presented him with the annual report for 2023.

During a government visit to the Posavje region, State Secretary Srečko Đurov presented the current invitation to regional development councils to prepare and sign amendments to the agreements for the development of regions and the planned amendment to the programme of development incentives for border problem areas. In Bistrica ob Sotli, Brežice and Krško, he took note of individual successfully implemented projects in the region.

Today was the first day of the international conference Building Bridges across Languages: Human-Centred AI, organised by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in cooperation with the Anna Lindh Foundation. The conference brings together experts from the cultural sphere and other stakeholders who share a common vision to promote intercultural dialogue through advances in AI and translation.

At today's session, the Government adopted the proposal to increase the earmarked assets of the Slovenian Housing Fund, the starting points for drafting an act regulating the financing of the building of public rental housing and the amendments to the Decree on the compulsory health insurance service programme. It also decided that helicopter transports for emergency medical services are to be carried out as a state activity using police aircraft.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Lastovka outdoor air quality monitoring system providing air quality information and issuing air quality alerts. The Cohesion Fund will support the project with EUR 2.5 million.

The Prime Minister, Robert Golob, attended a ceremony marking the laying of the foundation stone for the repository for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste (LILRW), which is intended for the permanent disposal of waste of this type generated in the Republic of Slovenia.

At the SCCT’24 event, Slobodan Šešum, Director-General for Economic and Public Diplomacy, presented the levers of economic diplomacy to help businesses enter or operate in foreign markets to the members of the Centre of Excellence for Modern Control Technologies, representatives of the SRIP ToP and members of other SRIPs participating in the Centre of Excellence.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon handed over a note to the Palestinian ambassador, Salah Abdel-Shafi, on the diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state and the simultaneous establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Slovenia and the State of Palestine.

Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob today visited the construction of 87 new non-profit housing units in Ljubljana, financed by the Public Housing Fund of the Municipality of Ljubljana. On this occasion, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of a financing system that will provide one billion euros over the next 10 years to finance the construction of public rental housing.

Between June 3 and 4, 2024, the Commission for Relations with Slovenians Abroad and Around the World visited Washington D.C. This visit marked the final leg of a tour through Canada and the USA, which began in Ottawa and included stops in Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

On the first day of the consultations, economic advisers from diplomatic missions and consular posts visited Maribor to participate in the Slovenian Global Forum: 6th Conference on the Internationalisation of the Slovenian Economy. In the afternoon, B2B meetings were held between the advisers and representatives of companies attending the conference who had previously expressed an interest.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Support for businesses for extending working lives (ASI+). The European Social Fund Plus will support the project with nearly EUR 13 million.

On June 3rd the Embassy of Slovenia in Washington and The Wilson Center co-hosted a round table "75 years of NATO and the power of Alliance: NATO's Evolution after the 2004 enlargement, Enlargement, Resilience, Peace". The event was dedicated to the 75th anniversary of NATO and 20th anniversary of membership of Slovenia.

Prime Minister Robert Golob met today with the management of Dravske elektrarne Maribor. They discussed the energy sector, the new Open Science Data Centre and the investment in a supercomputer.

Prime Minister Robert Golob was the keynote speaker at today’s launch of the modernised Paloma factory. The event marked the completion of investments in state-of-the-art technologies totalling more than EUR 130 million, making Paloma a hub for sustainable production, high-quality products and services.

20 May 2024 is World Metrology Day, a celebration marking 149 years since the signing of the Metre Convention in Paris, France in 1875. This year's theme is 'We measure today for a sustainable tomorrow'.
UNESCO officially recognises 20 May each year as UNESCO International Day. This designation opens new avenues to promote metrology, aligning with UNESCO’s mission to construct a better world through science and education.

On the initiative of the Commission for the management of the public call for proposals for the implementation of development cooperation and humanitarian aid projects (2024–2026) and for a strategic partnership for international humanitarian aid in partner countries for the 2024–2028 term, the Ministry adopted, on 27 May, the decisions to co-finance three projects and to conclude a strategic partnership for international humanitarian aid.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has issued an award decision for the call for proposals Development and piloting of a nursing assistant traineeship programme 2024-2026. The European Social Fund Plus will provide just under EUR 358,000 for the implementation of the call for proposals.

Today, Prime Minister Robert Golob attended the 1st Green Healthcare Path conference, organised by the Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy. The Prime Minister also addressed the audience.

The 6th Conference on the internationalisation of the Slovenian economy, organised by the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport together with its partners, took place today in Maribor under a new name: the Slovenian Global Forum. Representatives of three ministries, the academia and entrepreneurs discussed the future development of the Slovenian economy in front of a packed auditorium.

It has been 20 years since the entry into force of the Agreement on Succession Issues, the first binding international legal instrument confirming the break-up of the former SFRY and the emergence of five sovereign and equal successor states on its territory. On this occasion, Minister Tanja Fajon reiterated her call to the successor states "to find the political will and wisdom to resolve the outstanding issues for the benefit of all our citizens."

May, when Mozambique held the presidency of the UN Security Council, was another month dominated by the situation in Gaza. The war in Sudan and the catastrophic humanitarian situation there, especially in Darfur, also came increasingly to the fore.

In Ulaanbaatar, State Secretary Sanja Štiglic held political consultations with the State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, Ankhbayar Nyamdorj. They agreed that the bilateral dialogue was dynamic and could be further strengthened through high-level political visits.

Minister Tanja Fajon attended an informal meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Prague to prepare for the Washington Summit in July. In her intervention, Minister Fajon stressed that "Slovenia's actions are underpinned by the values of democracy, international law and solidarity. As a responsible member of the Security Council, Slovenia is doing its utmost to contribute to peace and security in the world."

On May 22, 2024, the President of the Republic of Slovenia dr. Nataša Pirc Musar and the President of the Republic of Albania, Bajram Begaj, inaugurated the new premises of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana on Rruga ˝Skënderbej˝.

Prime Minister Robert Golob and the Ministers and Deputy Prime Ministers, Asta Vrečko and Matjaž Han, presented the achievements of the first half of the current Government's term of office. All three welcomed the Government's decision today to recognise Palestine.

At today’s session, the Government adopted the proposal on the recognition of independence and sovereignty of the State of Palestine, approved the starting points for drafting amendments to the Health Services Act, the starting points for amending tax legislation and the strategy for eliminating precarious work. It also adopted the intervention act on personnel in social care.

According to media reports, ministers from the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Council of Ministers, meeting in Sarajevo on Tuesday, rejected requests from Slovenia and several other EU member states to hold polls for the European elections in their embassies. So far, Slovenia has not received any official notification of a refusal to allow elections to be held at the Slovenian diplomatic and consular representation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today met the Slovenian men's national football team, watched their training and wished them success at the upcoming European Football Championship.

From 28 May to 1 June 2024, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is hosting a group of ten young American opinion leaders and prominent voices from politics, business, think tanks and NGOs as part of the EU-US Emerging Leaders Visitors Programme, a pilot exchange programme under the auspices of the European Commission.

"After a series of consultations over the past few days, I have decided to place on the agenda of Thursday's Government meeting a decision to forward recognition of Palestine to the National Assembly."

Today, Prime Minister Robert Golob and his delegation are paying an official visit to the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria. The purpose of the visit is to further the intensive and friendly relations between the two countries. This is the first bilateral visit since the entry into force of the agreement on economic cooperation on 20 March 2024, which aims to promote regular dialogue to enhance trade and investments.

At the regular monthly meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, ministers, including Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon, stressed the need to comply with the decisions of the relevant international courts and agreed that the EU should play a more active role in the process of strengthening the Palestinian Authority. Fajon said that the Slovenian government was working to recognise Palestine as soon as possible.

On the margins of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon attended an international conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region. She welcomed UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen's efforts to make progress on the resolution of the conflict in Syria and announced new humanitarian aid from Slovenia.

On the basis of the reverse inquiry, on May 21, 2024, a bond exchange transaction of the Republic of Slovenia was concluded. The RS66 bonds maturing in 2024 and 2025 were exchanged for RS74 bonds maturing in 2035.

Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob was today the main guest at the 19th Craft and Entrepreneurship Forum, where he took part in a discussion.

Slobodan Šešum, Director-General for Economic and Public Diplomacy, explained to business representatives from the Ljubljana, Brezovica, Dobrova - Polhov Gradec, Horjul, Ig, Škofljica and Velike Lašče municipalities how economic diplomacy can help businesses penetrate foreign markets.

At its two last sessions, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted two flood recovery programmes to repair the damage caused by the August 2023 floods, with the development incentives measures programme also being drafted. After successfully preparing and submitting the application for financial assistance from the European Union Solidarity Fund, Slovenia received the maximum possible advance payment from the EU Solidarity Fund of EUR 100 million already in December 2023.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Together for Knowledge: implementing activities in multi-purpose Roma centres.

Rok Tomšič, Head of the Department for Bilateral Economic Cooperation II at the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, attended the 18th Meeting of National Coordinators of Central and Eastern European Countries and China (the so-called 14+1 Initiative), hosted by China in Ningbo on 23-25 May.

To mark the launch of the Stop Disinformation - reREAD, reTHINK, RECHECK campaign, we're taking a closer look at this topic in a new episode of the GOVSI Podcast.

The annual meeting of the European Union Intellectual Property Network (EUIPN) took place in Ireland, and was also attended by the Director of the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office Karin Žvokelj. The first draft of the European Union Intellectual Property Office's Strategic Plan 2030 and the framework for cooperation were discussed.

The UN General Assembly adopted the resolution on the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Genocide in Srebrenica. Slovenia co-sponsored the resolution based on the international principles of recognition, remembrance and respect for the victims and survivors of genocide.

From 8 to 10 April 2024 the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, met in Greece with the President of the Hellenic Republic, Ms Katerina Sakellaropoulou. The official visit was an opportunity to further strengthen the already excellent cooperation between the two countries and to exchange views on current foreign policy issues. Slovenian President was a keynote speaker at the 9th Delphi Economic Forum opening ceremony.

At today's session, the Government adopted a draft Act on the classification of judicial and prosecutorial functions in salary grades on the basis of the Constitutional Court's decision and took note of the report on the utilisation of European Cohesion Policy funds in the 2014–2020 programming period, which had been fully absorbed.

At a ceremony held in Ljubljana on the occasion of the closure of the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the EU Cohesion Policy in the Period 2014-2020, Minister Jevšek underlined that Slovenia has been successful in using all the available EU funding for introducing improvements in infrastructure, promoting innovation and job creation in numerous regions across Slovenia.

Today, Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob attended a gala reception marking the 130th anniversary of the Novo Mesto General Hospital, where he was the keynote speaker.

When the catastrophic storm that struck much of Slovenia in August 2023 caused a widespread disaster, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) immediately provided a rapid, coordinated and efficient flow of information between field teams, the government and the population through official communication channels and close cooperation with the media. Its professionalism in this regard was recognised by the Slovenian Public Relations Association with the Prizma Award.

In mid-May, two prominent Slovenian writers visited Greece. Drago Jančar presented the Greek translation of his novel And Love Itself in Athens and at the 20th Thessaloniki International Book Fair. Dušan Šarotar presented his novel Panorama to the Greek audience in Thessaloniki.

Have you heard about the invasion of bedbugs in one of Europe’s countries? And seen a photo of Pope Francis in a white puffer jacket? Even if the news sounds credible and the photo on the screen in front of you looks completely real, these two cases are among the more well-known examples of disinformation that has been exposed.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon opened the 13th Africa Day International Conference dedicated to celebrating the international Africa Day and fostering the friendship between Slovenia and African countries, as well as between Europe and Africa. This year's event is focused on a fair green transition and on effectively tackling one of the greatest challenges of our time – the triple planetary crisis.

Today, the Prime Minister, Dr Robert Golob, signed a Letter of Intent with the Rector of the University of Primorska, Dr Klavdija Kutnar, for the development and implementation of a single master’s degree programme in medicine at the University of Primorska.

In a media statement, Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar presented Slovenia's decision to extend temporary control at the internal borders with Croatia and Hungary by six months.

On Slovenian Diplomacy Day, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon thanked the diplomats and Ministry staff for their contributions to enhancing Slovenia's visibility, prestige and strength on the global stage. The Ministry also marked the day with a special event in honour of Jožefa Puhar, the highly esteemed first female ambassador to the then Republic of Macedonia.

The joint delegation of the European Commission, led by Ms Sofia Alves, Director at the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, and the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, led by Minister Jevšek, visited the Zasavje region on the occasion of the closure of the 2014-2020 programming period.

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.

"I welcome today's announcement by the leaders of the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Ireland and the Kingdom of Norway on recognising the State of Palestine. In recent weeks, I have been in close and regular contact with them. In the coming days, I will also be in contact with many colleagues from EU Member States that have not yet recognised Palestine, in the hope that they join the recognition process in the near future.