News

At its regular session of 16 April, the Government took a new step towards the gradual easing of measures to contain the COVID-19 epidemic.

Dear citizens, dear fellow Slovenians abroad, dear Friends,

Today, after the 10th session of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Prime Minister Janez Janša said that the government took note of the reports from all five working groups that prepared proposals for the second anti-corona legislative package.

Today, retired Archbishop of Ljubljana Alojz Uran passed away at the age of 76.

Today Prime Minister Janez Janša visited the University Medical Centre Maribor, which provides secondary and tertiary healthcare in the Maribor, Pesnica, Ruše, Ormož, Lenart, Ptuj and Slovenska Bistrica areas, including some subspecialty services for the needs of north-eastern Slovenia and the Koroška region.

In a video conference today the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša and the President of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia (FVG) autonomous region, Massimilano Fedriga, exchanged information on the current situation regarding COVID-19 and the measures adopted by Slovenia and the FVG region to combat the epidemic.

Prime Minister Janez Janša pointed out today on Twitter, in connection to the easing of measures adopted by the Government to contain and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, that Japan, which appeared to have contained the epidemic in the first wave, declared a state of emergency again today. “Let me state once again that easing lockdown measures is possible only if we cumulatively meet certain conditions that I mentioned on Tuesday and that are respected in all the countries which have been successful in the fight against the coronavirus.

In his statement to the press today, Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke about the situation in Slovenia at the time of the COVID-19 epidemic and the gradual resumption of economic activities.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia Janez Janša visited the University Medical Centre Ljubljana where he took note of the situation and what adjustments the medical centre had implemented to control the COVID-19 disease. The Prime Minister visited the temporary emergency unit, the pediatric intensive care unit and was informed about the current situation in the Department of Infectious Diseases.

During the last days, Foreign Minister Logar led a coordinated diplomatic action aimed at reopening the Holmec border crossing. As part of the fight against the spread of the novel coronavirus, the Republic of Austria has decided to close down the border crossing.

The Government is also drafting a second anti-corona package, the purpose of which will be in particular to resolve the issue of liquidity in the Slovenian economy, and a third package in which the legislator will outline the exit strategy for the period following the end of the epidemic.

Following a political crisis in Slovenia, at the session of the National Assembly on 3 March 2020, Janez Janša was elected as the 14th President of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. We interviewed him on the health emergency in Europe, the respnses of the European Union and the migrant crisis.

Austria has put in place new restrictions on the border with Slovenia. As of 2 April 2020, the checkpoints (former BCPs) at Holmec, Jurij, Šentilj (that is on the main road) and Korensko sedlo will close down. Nine border points will continue to remain open on the Slovenian-Austrian border.

At yesterday's regular session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the text of the act proposal on the intervention measures to stem and mitigate the consequences of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) communicable disease epidemic for citizens and the economy. The act proposal was presented at today's press conference by Prime Minister Janez Janša, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Aleksandra Pivec, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Počivalšek, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Matej Tonin and Minister of Finance Andrej Šircelj.

At its 8th regular session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the text of the Act on the intervention measures to mitigate the consequences of the communicable disease SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) for citizens and the economy and submitted it to the National Assembly for consideration and adoption under an emergency procedure, in accordance with Article 143 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Ordinance on the temporary general prohibition of movement and public gathering in public places and areas in the Republic of Slovenia and the prohibition of movement outside the municipality of permanent or temporary residence, to be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia. The Ordinance will enter into force on 30 March 2020 at 00.00 and will remain in force until revoked.

At today's session, the Government adopted the proposal for an act on the intervention measures to mitigate the consequences of the communicable disease SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) for citizens and the economy, known as the #PKP1 #antiCorona legislative package. One of the measures adopted by the Government to contain and control the new coronavirus epidemic was the Ordinance on mandatory disinfection of multi-dwelling buildings. The Government also adopted amendments to the Ordinance on the temporary prohibition of offering and selling goods and services to consumers in the Republic of Slovenia, which dictates that purchases from 8.00 to 10.00 can only be made by vulnerable groups (e.g. persons with disabilities, pensioners, pregnant women). Pensioners can carry out their purchases only in this period.

A video conference of the European Council, called by European Council President Charles Michel, was held today. The heads of state and government and leaders of EU institutions discussed the situation and measures relating to the COVID-19 epidemic. Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša also participated in the video conference.

A special meeting of four presidents, including the President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor, Prime Minister Janez Janša, President of the National Assembly Igor Zorčič, and the President of the National Council Alojz Kovšca, was held today. The four presidents discussed the operation of political institutions during the coronavirus crisis, their cooperation, and their joint efforts to achieve political unity in order to take concerted action. In their discussions, they focused especially on making various decisions that need to be effective, democratic, and protected by all democratic standards.

In a joint letter addressed to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, nine leaders of EU Member States, i.e. Belgium, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Slovenia, called for action to establish a joint European debt instrument with regard to the fight against the new coronavirus. They stressed that the emergency situation and the coronavirus crisis, which affected all Member States, require coordinated and unified action that is undertaken in the spirit of solidarity and with an intensity corresponding to the scope of the challenge.

The Government has issued the Ordinance on the conditions of entry into the Republic of Slovenia from the Republic of Austria to contain and manage communicable diseases, which will be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia.

At today's press conference, Prime Minister Janez Janša, Minister of Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Počivalšek, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Aleksandra Pivec, Minister of Finance Andrej Šircelj and Expert Advisory Group Coordinator Matej Lahovnik presented a package of measures to help the population and the economy, the so-called anti-corona package discussed at the Government’s evening session yesterday.

On Sunday, 22 March 2020, Prime Minister Janez Janša visited the Municipality of Grosuplje, where he met with Mayor Dr Peter Verlič, Director of Municipal Administration Dušan Hočevar, Commander of Municipal Civil Protection Headquarters of the Municipality of Grosuplje Tomaž Rigler, Director of Grosuplje Health Care Center Štefka Zaviršek and Head of Warden Service of 5G Joint Municipal Administration Mihael Prelc.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša took note of the situation in the Metlika Nursing Home, where several staff members and residents were infected with the new coronavirus some time ago. He thanked those responsible for their responsiveness and cooperation and assured that the Crisis Staff and the Government were doing everything they could to minimise the spread of the virus in Slovenia.

On Sunday, March 22, 2020, at 6.24 am, the national earthquake monitoring network recorded a magnitude 5.1 earthquake near Zagreb (Croatia), 115 km east of Ljubljana. The main earthquake was followed by several aftershocks. The strongest of them was at 7.01 am with a magnitude of 4.4.

It has been ten days since Slovenia declared an epidemic on 12 March under Article 7 of the Communicable Diseases Act due to an increase in the number of coronavirus infections. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia, led by Janez Janša, was appointed on 13 March, and ever since has been taking a number of measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. After taking the most urgent steps to slow down and contain the coronavirus epidemic, the Government is stepping up the preparation of the first comprehensive legislative package to help the population and the economy.

Having carried out the most urgent steps to slow down and contain the coronavirus epidemic, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia is stepping up the preparation of the first extensive legislation package to help the population and the economy.

Prime Minister Janez Janša paid a visit to the Šmarje pri Jelšah municipality this afternoon, where he met with the mayor of the municipality, Matija Čakš, and the members of the municipal civil protection headquarters.

The Government has adopted the Ordinance on temporary measures in healthcare to contain and manage the COVID-19 epidemic

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has issued the Ordinance on the temporary prohibition of public gathering at public meetings and public events and other events in public places in the Republic of Slovenia, which is to be published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia.

Dear citizens,
From the very beginning, ever since our declaring of independence and the war, Slovenia has never faced a more serious crisis.

In order to mitigate the consequences of the epidemic, the Government adopted the proposal for the Act on the Intervention Measure of Deferred Payment of Borrowers’ Liabilities, which allows borrowers not able to settle their loan agreement liabilities due to the negative effects of the epidemic to defer repayment for 12 months.

At its meeting by correspondence, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia has issued the Ordinance on the conditions of entry into the Republic of Slovenia from the Italian Republic to prevent the spread of communicable diseases and the amendment to the Ordinance on the temporary prohibition of offering and selling goods and services to consumers in the Republic of Slovenia.

An extraordinary video conference of the European Council or, more precisely, of the EU heads of state and government, including Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Janša, was held today due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In today’s statement made after the National Security Council session, Prime Minister Janez Janša announced that in the coming days the Government will enhance the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

In the light of adopting measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, a meeting of the National Security Council convened by Prime Minister Janez Janša was held today. The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, ministers and the representatives of opposition parties also attended the meeting.

Bojana Beovič, the Head of the Expert Group that provides support to the Crisis Staff of the Republic of Slovenia for the containment and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, said that, according to the latest data, there were 253 confirmed coronavirus cases in Slovenia by 2 p.m. today.

At its meeting by correspondence today, the Government adopted the Proposal for the Act on temporary measures regarding judicial, administrative and other public law-related matters to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

In today’s telephone conversation with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Janez Janša discussed the European Union measures necessary to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The Government adopted the ordinance on a temporary ban on the sale of goods and services to consumers in the Republic of Slovenia, issued the Ordinance on the allocation of doctors without licences, and revoked the validity of the Order on prohibiting the sale of protective equipment.

In accordance with the agreement at the session of the Crisis Staff of the Republic of Slovenia for the containment and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted an Ordinance on temporary ban and restrictions on public transport of passengers in the Republic of Slovenia. The Ordinance temporarily bans public transport of passengers in the Republic of Slovenia for the purpose of containing and controlling the COVID-19 epidemic. The Orinance enters into force on March 16, 2020 at 00.00.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša addressed the mayors of Slovenian municipalities, calling on them to become involved as quickly as possible in helping with the organisation of at-home childcare. In addition, he also informed the heads of healthcare and care institutions of this and asked them to provide the mayors with a list of urgent needs as soon as possible.

The crisis unit of the Republic of Slovenia to contain and manage the COVID-19 epidemic that was appointed yesterday met at its first session chaired by Prime Minister Janez Janša. The unit discussed the situation in the international environment, particularly in immediate neighbouring countries, and current developments in Slovenia. The members of the unit held a thorough discussion and agreed to implement several concrete measures to contain the epidemic. Furthermore, Jelko Kacin was appointed the official speaker of the crisis unit.

The expert team providing assistance to the crisis unit to contain and manage the COVID-19 epidemic proposed to change the diagnostics method that is based on the number of severely ill people. Prime Minister Janez Janša emphasised that this method would enable a more realistic adoption of measures and plans for the allocation of essential resources.

At today’s press conference, given together with Minister of Health Tomaž Gantar and Dr Bojana Beovič, the Head of the Expert Group that provides support to Slovenia’s Crisis Staff for the containment and control of the COVID-19 epidemic, Prime Minister Janez Janša talked about how the Government had decided to change the way the spread of the new coronavirus is monitored.

At today's session, the Government set up a Crisis Management Headquarters of the Republic of Slovenia in order to contain and manage the COVID-19 epidemic. The Government also discussed measures to contain the epidemic.
At the proposal of the Prime Minister, they also appointed Deputy Prime Minister, and Dr Božo Predalič was appointed Secretary General of the Government. They also set up a State Organisation and Public Affairs Committee of the Republic of Slovenia, Economic Committee of the Republic of Slovenia as well as an Administrative Affairs and Appointment Committee of the Republic of Slovenia. Several state secretaries have also been appointed.

Given the epidemiological situation, we have now entered the second phase. We must limit social contact to the greatest possible extent to stem the spread of coronavirus infections in the most effective way and to keep the health system operational. There is no ban on freight traffic from Italy to Slovenia for the transport of postal items, protective equipment and medical supplies, medicines and philanthropic assistance. The border with Italy can also be crossed by freight shipments whose ultimate destination is Slovenia.

In view of the growing number of coronavirus infections, Slovenia declared today an epidemic in accordance with Article 7 of the Contageous Diseases Act. The Order Declaring an Epidemic entered into force at 6 p.m. At the same time, the national emergency response plan was activated. There are currently 96 coronavirus cases in Slovenia.

Prime Minister Marjan Šarec today said that Slovenia would declare an epidemic pursuant to Article 7 of the Contagious Diseases Act due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases. The Civil Protection Service of the Republic of Slovenia, which is already participating, will be activated; it will be able to perform its tasks more effectively on the basis of the order issued by the Minister of Health. The Government also adopted a decision to temporarily close kindergartens and schools.

The Minister of Health, Aleš Šabeder, announced that the Order on the conditions of entry into the Republic of Slovenia from the Italian Republic to prevent the spread of infectious disease entered into force at 6 p.m. today.