News

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan attended the virtual event "Inclusive and Resilient Digital Transition: A New Chapter for the AU-EU Relations?" at which he stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between the African Union and the European Union in this field.

At today's meeting of the Telecommunications Council, chaired by the Minister of Public Administration, Boštjan Koritnik, the EU ministers unanimously endorsed a general approach on the NIS2 directive, which will make a major contribution to improving the EU’s resilience and cyber incident response capacities. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Digital Transformation, Mark Boris Andrijanič, who chaired the Council's policy debate on "Digital rights and principles" in the context of Europe's Digital Decade 2030.

Today, the Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the Central European Initiative (CEI) summit in Budva via an audio-video link, hosted by the Prime Minister of Montenegro Zdravko Krivokapić.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the 28th Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Stockholm, at which the foreign ministers discussed conflicts and current crises in the region, stressing the importance of an effective OSCE approach in implementing the concept of comprehensive security.

From 1 to 3 December 2021, the Congress Centre Brdo pri Kranju is hosting the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs.

At the last meeting of the Working Party on Staff Regulations under the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, delegates discussed two regular annual reports, namely on the budget and financial expenditure for employees of the EU institutions and the employment of contract staff in the EU institutions. The working party was led by Peter Pogačar, Director General of the Public Sector Directorate, and his colleagues.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs and State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture dr. Ignacija Fridl Jarc today attended the conference of the Center for Creativity as special guests to deliver introductory remarks on the occasion of the launch of the call for proposals Promotion of cultural and creative industries – Centre for Creativity 2022. The call for proposals will receive ERDF co-financing.

On 30 November 2021, more than 150 experts and entrepreneurs participated in a webinar titled SMEs & Defence Initiatives: Unlocking Opportunities & Overcoming Challenges (SMEs), organized under the auspices of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU by the European Defence Agency (EDA), the Slovenian Business & Research Association (SBRA) and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia.

Prime Minister Janez Janša and Minister of Agriculture Dr Jože Podgoršek today met with representatives of non-governmental organisations in the field of agriculture and food.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended a meeting of foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Alliance in Riga on 30 November and 1 December 2021.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša, together with the President of the Republic Borut Pahor and the President of the National Assembly Igor Zorčič, attended a special celebration event marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. On this occasion which is celebrated on 3 December, the three presidents traditionally hold a reception for representatives of disability organisations every year.

The press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 was attended by Robert Carotta, Coordinator for COVID-19 Hospital Beds at the Ministry of Health, Tjaša Žohar Čretnik, Director of the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food, Patricija Furlan Fon, Acting Chief Inspector of the Infrastructure Inspectorate, and Maja Bratuša.

Negotiators from the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a new law to promote the availability of data and build a trustworthy environment to facilitate its use for research and the creation of innovative new services and products.

This statement has been co-signed by Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

At the first ministerial conference on digital transformation, representatives of the Three Seas initiative countries agreed on the need to chart an ambitious path for economic development and competitiveness. They are convinced that this will only be possible through increased investment in digitalisation and closer cooperation in the region.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today held a video conference call with Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg. The two interlocutors assessed the state of the Covid-19 epidemic and exchanged information and experiences with anti-pandemic measures and their effects.

On the 70th anniversary of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), State Secretary Stanislav Raščan took part in a hybrid meeting of the IOM Council in Geneva via videolink. The high-level panel focussed on the impact of COVID-19 on borders, migration and mobility.

On 26 November, the European Commission organised, jointly with France, Germany, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Norwegian Refugee Council, a virtual event on International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

At the meeting of ministers responsible for culture, audiovisual and media in Brussels, which was chaired by the Slovenian culture minister, Vasko Simoniti, the Slovenian Presidency's commitment to a better tomorrow – for a green, sustainable, culturally diverse and resilient European Union – was reaffirmed with the approval of conclusions and discussions.

Minister of Health, Janez Poklukar, the head of the regional unit of the Maribor National Institute of Public Health, Zoran Simonovič, professor Borut Štrukelj from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Ljubljana and Maja Bratuša held a press briefing on the current situation regarding Covid-19 disease.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan gave a speech at Brdo pri Kranju at the Ministerial Conference of the Three Seas Initiative on digital transformation.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EUR 627,000 from the Cohesion Fund for the project Deep energy renovation of Building 14 in the Baron Andrej Čehovin Barracks. The project is the latest in a series of projects aiming to improve energy efficiency in the public sector with the help of EU funding. In the current programming period, over EUR 107 million have been dedicated to energy renovation of public buildings.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar participated at the 6th ministerial meeting of the Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the EU-Southern Neighbourhood Ministerial Meeting in Barcelona. In his speeches, Minister Logar emphasised Slovenia’s Mediterranean character and called for closer cooperation in the region.

The Prime Minister Janez Janša and the Minister of Health Janez Poklukar today met with representatives of young doctors; The State Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, Jelka Godec, also attended the meeting. The discussion with the young doctors was followed by a meeting with Konrad Kuštrin, president of the FIDES healthcare trade union. The meetings were devoted to discussions on the situation in the healthcare sector and the functioning of healthcare given the COVID-19 situation.

Within the UNIDO international development cooperation project "Development of Innovation Ecosystem and Support Infrastructure" we hosted a study delegation of experts from the Agency for Innovation and Start - up of the institutional environment from Azerbaijan. The aim of the visit was to gain experience in Slovenia and exchange of good practices.

All UK citizens and their family members residing in the Republic of Slovenia are invited to apply in due time for a new biometric temporary residence permit or for an exchange with a new biometric permanent residence permit.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan took part in the opening session of the 31st Conference International Archives Day and the 15th International Archival School.

The Minister of Culture Vasko Simoniti will chair a meeting of ministers of culture, audiovisual affairs and the media in Brussels on 30 November. Agenda of the meeting includes adoptions of the decisions on high-quality architecture and the New European Bauhaus initiative, as well as European audiovisual and media content. Several other discussions and presentations are also on the agenda.

The Retrospective of Slovenian Film opens on Thursday, 2 December, at 19:00 in Brussels. Between 2 and 22 December 2021, ten feature-length classics from the Slovenian film treasury – from the silent beginnings to present day productions – will be shown on the big screen of the Royal Belgian Film Archive in Brussels. The retrospective will open with a showing of the first Slovenian silent feature-length film In the Kingdom of Goldenhorn (V kraljestvu Zlatoroga) accompanied by live original music.

On this day, on 28 November, we are celebrating the first Mediterranean Day, which was declared in 2020 at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Union for the Mediterranean. “It is my wish that the Mediterranean becomes a region of security and stability, progress and prosperity that will ensure a bright future for all of its young people,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar on Mediterranean Day.

The Slovenian Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Andrej Vizjak, chaired the virtual informal meeting of ministers responsible for urban development. With the adoption of the Ljubljana Agreement, the ministers supported further implementation of the Urban Agenda for the EU. Slovenia's initiative to involve small and medium-sized cities more in cooperation and the policy-making processes, alongside large cities was therefore successful.

On 25 and 26 November 2021, the thirteenth Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM) summit was held in virtual form. The key theme of this summit of the leaders of European and Asian member states was the promotion of effective multilateralism for common growth and a collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prime Minister attended the event in his capacity as President of the EU Council and Coordinator for the European Group.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan met with Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, with whom he exchanged views on the forthcoming Eastern Partnership Summit and discussed bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today held a long telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the situation in the EU's Eastern Neighbourhood, the situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, the EU's united stance on migrant pressure and the build-up of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.

From 23 to 25 November, Minister Anže Logar attended the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg as Slovenia's high representative for relations between the Council and the Parliament.

State Secretary Kirbiš Rojs today participated in the Vanguard Initiative Annual Political Meeting. The Vanguard Initiative is a network of over 30 European regions that made a political commitment to use their smart specialisation strategies to advance technological developments and stimulate industrial modernisation through interregional collaboration.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EUR 11 million from European Regional Development Fund for the project Drafting documents for the construction of the highway for section 2 of Third Development Axis – North from junction Velenje South to junction Slovenj Gradec South. The investment is the latest in a series of investments supported by EU funding that aim to connect Slovenia.

Slovenian Minister for Education, Science and Sport, Simona Kustec, will present the Ljubljana Declaration on Gender Equality in Research and Innovation at the Competitiveness Council meeting in Brussels on Friday, 26 November.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EUR 1.67 million from European Regional Development Fund for the project Arrangement of the city centre – the Rozmanova ulica Street and the Prešernov trg Square. The project is the latest in a series of projects which use EU funding for promoting efficient use of space in urban areas.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the show "Pogovor o" (Talk about) on Radio Ognjišče, moderated by Marta Jerebič and Tanja Dominko. The interview focused on the COVID-19 epidemic, the current work of the Government, relations within the coalition and the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

The press conference on the current situation with COVID-19 was attended by State Secretary at the Ministry of Health, mag. Franc Vindišar, and Martina Gašperlin, acting director of the Market Inspectorate.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša hosted a working lunch with the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, followed by a joint press conference.

At the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Croatia, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan attended the ministerial meeting of the Adriatic Charter under the Croatian Chairmanship. This regional initiative is uniting the Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, and North Macedonia) and the United States of America, with the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia participating as observers.

This conference concludes the Three Presidencies for Climate (Three4Climate) project. Climate activities took place in towns and schools in Germany, Portugal and Slovenia to support the Trio Presidency under the motto "Think European – Act Local".

“Empowered young people are the key to strong democracy, responsible politics, the protection of human rights and building resilience,” stressed Minister Logar in his opening address of the 5th Eastern Partnership Youth Forum. The Forum entitled “Youth participation in democratic processes” took place from 23 to 24 November 2021.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs was invited by the Director of the Bank Association of Slovenia to attend an online event Slovenian Bankers’ Day to discuss the role of banks in the post-pandemic economic recovery. She outlined priority intervention areas identified in the national Recovery and Resilience Plan and for the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027.

Accompanied by the representatives of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Minister Mark Boris Andrijanič visited the Pomurje region. As part of his visit, the Minister met with secondary school students of computer science and the management of the Murska Sobota Secondary Vocational and Technical School. He became acquainted with the activities of the Pomurje Technology Park and examined the production of the high-tech VIRS company.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia today visited the region of Pomurje, which consists of the municipalities of Apače, Beltinci, Cankova, Črenšovci, Dobrovnik, Gornja Radgona, Gornji Petrovci, Grad, Hodoš, Kobilje, Križevci, Kuzma, Lendava, Ljutomer, Moravske Toplice, Murska Sobota, Odranci, Puconci, Radenci, Razkrižje, Rogašovci, Sveti Jurij ob Ščavnici, Šalovci, Tišina, Turnišče, Velika Polana and Veržej.

On completion of today's visit to the Pomurje region, the government members attended a public forum and answered questions posed by mayors, businessmen and other development actors in the region.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan chaired today’s regular session of the General Affairs Council in Brussels. The discussion focused on the preparations for the December European Council meeting, the rule of law in five member states, with the cases considered in alphabetical order, and EU enlargement. Ministers and state secretaries for European affairs also took note of the state of EU-UK relations and the European Commission’s work programme for the next year.