News

Prime Minister Robert Golob today met with Enrico Letta, the President of the Jacques Delors Institute and former President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic.

Today, the Minister for Slovenians in Neighbouring Countries and Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon and the Minister for Cohesion and Regional Development Aleksander Jevšek attended the signing ceremony of the Letter of Intent to establish the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC) Kras-Carso, which took place at the Regional Palace in Trieste, Italy.

State Secretary Sanja Štiglic hosted the Deputy Foreign Minister of Vietnam, Le Thi Thu Hang, for political consultations in Ljubljana. The fifth round of consultations coincides with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Deputy Foreign Minister Thu Hang also paid a courtesy call on the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Public employee training for obtaining competencies of the future.

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies' "Open Academy" Slovene language courses are still open for registration until 11 March, 2024 at 23:59.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon is hosting representatives of the Israeli organisation Women Wage Peace, Manuela Rotstein and Enam Odeh, and the founder of the Palestinian organisation Women of the Sun, Reem Hajajreh. The two organisations have been nominated for the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for their joint work.

Elementary school students will enter a slightly renovated school in the fall. As the latest GOVSI podcast guest, State Secretary from the Ministry of Education, Janja Zupančič, emphasizes, the school is a living community that must adapt to what is happening in the environment. The recently adopted amendment to the Act on Elementary School is one of the responses to these adjustments.

A trilateral meeting between the Intellectual Property Office, the Portuguese Industrial Property Institute and the Latvian Patent Office concluded yesterday. The purpose of the meeting was to sign memorandums of understanding and to share knowledge and good practices, in particular in the areas of non-agri geographical indications, copyright and patenting.

At today's session, the Government adopted the Draft Resolution on the National Programme for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Violence against Women and amended the Articles of Association of the Slovenian Sovereign Holding.

Please be advised that the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Brussels and the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to the European Union Brussels are moving to a new location at Rue Joseph II 14, 1000 Brussels.

A meeting of the Development Council of the Western Slovenia cohesion region was held in Koper. The Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development, Dr Aleksander Jevšek, presented the state of play of European Cohesion Policy implementation. He highlighted the drafting of the Regional Development Agreement for which approximately EUR 460 million is available under the 2021-2027 programming period.

On the initiative of the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia and the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport, a second consultation on the possibilities for Slovenian companies to be involved in international supply chains for the construction and maintenance of nuclear power plants was held in Krško.

In recent weeks, some Slovenian and foreign media have published fake news that the Republic of Slovenia was involved in sending 155 mm grenades purchased in India to Ukraine.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the Call for proposals to co-finance multigenerational centres+’ projects.

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 Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, and the Minister of Health, Valentina Prevolnik Rupel, attended the opening of the Centre for the Treatment of Infertility and Biomedically-Assisted Fertilisation at the Postojna Hospital for Women's Diseases and Obstetrics.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar attended the meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels. The main topics of the meeting were the situation in the schengen area, the evaluation of the mandate of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the external aspect of migration.

State Secretary Marko Štucin participated in the third Antalya Diplomacy Forum on 1–3 March 2024, held under the theme "Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil". In his address to the panel, he stressed that to successfully meet global challenges head on, especially in diplomacy, we need to be able to talk and seek consensus. He also held several bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Forum.

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob today attended the main Civil Protection Day ceremony at Brdo pri Kranju.

The Council of Europe marked the second anniversary of the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić, President of the Parliamentary Assembly Theodoros Rousopoulos, Chairman of the Committee of Deputy Ministers and Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein Domenik Wanger, and Permanent Representative of Ukraine Borys Tarasyuk addressed the attendees.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals Incentives for innovative start-ups in 2024.

State Secretary for European Affairs in the Prime Minister’s Office Igor Mally received the Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs János Bóka in Ljubljana.

The second month of our membership in the UN Security Council has come to an end. This month, under the Presidency of Guyana, was marked by the second anniversary of war in Ukraine and the dire situation in Gaza.

State Secretary for International Affairs and National and International Security Vojko Volk paid a productive working visit to Washington D.C. During his time there, he had the privilege of meeting with Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O'Brien, and Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, Michele Sison.

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.

At today's session, the Government issued an ordinance on the provision of medical services during a strike, which sets out the medical services that doctors must provide during the strike by the Fides trade union. The Government also took note of the Spring Forecast of Economic Trends 2024 and adopted an amendment to the draft Matura Examination Act.

State Secretary Marko Štucin hosted the Hungarian Minister for European Union Affairs, Dr János Bóka. They discussed current European issues, with a particular focus on Hungary's preparations for the EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2024 and EU enlargement.

The construction of the Vinjan viaduct, which is the third and also the last viaduct on the route of the second railway track between Koper and Divača, has been completed. Prime Minister Robert Golob and Minister of Infrastructure Alenka Bratušek attended the ceremony. They both gave assurances that another track would be built next to the second track.

The Prime Minister Robert Golob today attended the ceremonial opening of the Vinjan viaduct, the third and last viaduct on the route of the new Koper–Divača railway line.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project National platform – Centre for Creativity.

At the government committee meetings, the Government took note of the list of beneficiaries to receive the fourth tranche of advance payments for the reconstruction of housing damaged by floods and landslides in August 2023. A total of 731 beneficiaries will receive advance payments amounting to €2,389,214.42.

Between 27th February and 1st of March, the Center for European Perspective, in collaboration with the U.S. State Department, organized the 24th training session as part of the European Digital Diplomacy Exchange (EDDE) project. The training focused on strengthening digital strategic communication.

On 21 February 2024, a new chapter in diplomatic relations between Slovenia and Albania was opened with the official opening of the Slovenian Consulate in Duress, headed by Honorary Consul Genci Likoskëndaj. The ceremony was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, local authorities, business, media, artists and many distinguished guests.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, acting as the Managing Authority for the Interreg Programme Slovenia-Hungary, organized a signing ceremony for the European Regional Development Fund subsidy contracts for small-scale projects approved in the frame of the first open call submission deadline. The ceremony, which took place on Friday, 23 February 2024, was held in Nagyrécse, Hungary.

Today, the UN Security Council convened a briefing on food insecurity in Gaza, requested by Slovenia, Algeria, Guyana and Switzerland. The meeting followed a white note of 22 February, sent by OCHA to Council members on food security risks in Gaza.

On Saturday, February 24th 2024 Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United States Iztok Mirošič joined the rally organized by Ukranian diaspora in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the 2nd anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion to Ukraine.

At the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Robert Golob yesterday in Paris attended a meeting of European leaders and senior representatives of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Norway.

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.”

Ambassador Berta Mrak presented her credentials to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Maria Pejčinović Burić, and thus assumed her duties as Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe.

The 55th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) opened in Geneva and will run until 5 April 2024. Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in the high-level segment of the session with a video message, presenting Slovenia's views on the current situation of human rights around the world and the session’s priority themes.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar met his Spanish counterpart Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez in Madrid. The two ministers discussed topical issues in the areas of migration, Schengen, combating people smuggling and the further increase of the police cooperation.

With the evening of chansons and cabaret, performed by two talented Slovenian artists, Sabina Gruden, mezzo-soprano, and Rebeka Dobravec, piano, in the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, the Embassy of Slovenia in Athens marked Prešeren Day, a national holiday, celebrated every year on 8 February.

At today's session, the Government adopted the first measures aimed at protecting the public health system. These measures will be particularly important after 1 March, when the withdrawal of overtime consents by doctors who decided to take this step during the Fides strike will take effect.

The Slovenian community in Australia has reason to rejoice. After losing its regular weekly programme, which had been on the air ever since 1975, on SBS national radio in April last year, Slovenian will be heard on the Australian airwaves again – in Sydney and soon also in Melbourne.

Two years of brutal violence, destruction, suffering, impoverishment of the innocent Ukrainian population, total disregard for the principles of international law and, above all, defiance of the UN Charter by the Russian aggressor, are behind us.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on the second anniversary of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Minister Tanja Fajon stressed that the war in Ukraine has led to the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II. She added that we must all – without exception – respect international humanitarian law and human rights law at all times.

Below we publish a statement by Prime Minister Golob.

Slovenia presented its intervention at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in the context of the request for advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, initiated by the UN General Assembly in December 2022. Slovenia’s main arguments are the right of Palestinians to self-determination and the obligations of Israel as an occupying force.

On the Slovenian cultural holiday, Prešeren Day, an unforgettable presentation of the book "Bojan Adamič in Albania" took place at the Tirana Opera and Ballet Theatre. The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana organised this event in cooperation with the Albanian Centre for Books and Reading, the Ministry of Culture of Albania and the Albanian Academy of Sciences.

Today, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia sent material aid intended for Gaza to Jordan from Ljubljana's Jože Pučnik Airport. “This is Slovenia's first direct aid to the people of Gaza,” said Prime Minister Golob.