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Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the “Call for proposals for co-financing projects to support vulnerable groups most affected by the COVID-19 epidemic and to reduce its impacts”. The call for proposals worth EUR 1,925,000 will be implemented by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and will be fully supported by the European Social Fund.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the programme “COVID19 – Temporary unemployment compensation”. The programme worth EUR 4.6 million will be fully supported by the European Social Fund.

The speakers at the press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 were the chief epidemiologist at the National Institute of Public Health, Mario Fafangel, and the epidemiologist at the Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Flavia Riccardo.

Today, State Secretary Tone Kajzer participated in the virtual High-Level Pledging Event in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. He announced an additional pledge by Slovenia, which will be channelled through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“In the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, Slovenia is among the most successful countries in the world. The reputation of a safe and orderly state, which is able to take care of the health of its people, is the best recommendation in times like this,” said Prime Minister Janez Janša in his address to the citizens of Slovenia on the occasion of the adoption of the third anti-corona package, adding that the Government will make the best of the advantage gained with the containment of the epidemic in order to eliminate its consequences. In its most recent forecast, the European Commission assessed the measures adopted so far in Slovenia as very positive. Furthermore, owing to these measures among other things, it forecast a potentially quick recovery for Slovenia and a rebound to almost the pre-crisis level as early as next year. “We will do our utmost to achieve this,” stated the Prime Minister decidedly.

For many people in Slovenia, life almost stopped during the declared epidemic. Despite the fact that we all contributed to the good epidemiological picture, the heaviest burden was mainly carried by the health workers – those in healthcare institutions (notably Ljubljana and Maribor university medical centres, the Golnik clinic and the Celje hospital), at 16 testing entry points for the potentially infected, in elder care homes, members of the 13 medical teams designed to help the personnel in elder care homes, epidemiologists…

Yesterday, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the programme A Talk with the Prime Minister, which was broadcast on TV Slovenija 1. The Prime Minister spoke about various current issues, such as Slovenia’s efforts to fight the coronavirus epidemic, the EU’s response to the crisis, the upcoming recession and the economic recovery of Slovenia. The Prime Minister and the TV host also discussed the functioning of the coalition and the cooperation between the coalition and the opposition.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar today took part in a video conference of EU ministers of foreign affairs, which was chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. The discussion at the now fifth video conference of foreign ministers focused on relations between the EU and China, the impact of the pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region and on future relations between the EU and said region.

In today’s audio-video conversation with Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar stressed excellent bilateral relations and underlined Slovenia’s interest in further deepening economic cooperation with Norway, with both ministers noting that their countries share a number of positions relating to European and multilateral topics.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar met with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó in Dolga Vas today.

Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest of today's Pogovor o ... talk show on Radio Ognjišče, where he talked about various current topics, especially Slovenia's fight against the coronavirus and the measures adopted by the Government to contain the spread of the coronavirus and to help the people and the economy.

At the invitation of Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić and Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar today participated in an audio-video conference of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative (AII) and the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR). The ministers exchanged views and incentives regarding the role of the AII and EUSAIR, and discussed ways of successful regional cooperation in alleviating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the meeting, Minister Logar presented the programme of the Slovenian AII and EUSAIR chairmanship, which will officially be assumed on 1 June 2020.

Today, the European Commission published a renewed proposal for the EU 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework, which includes the long-awaited recovery fund. It constitutes a financial package designed to deal effectively with the consequences of the COVID crisis.

At today’s virtual Donors Conference in solidarity with Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the countries of the region facing the COVID-19 crisis, State Secretary Kajzer pledged Slovenia’s humanitarian contribution in the amount of EUR 10,000. The contribution, which is to be channelled through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is intended for Venezuelan refugees in the Brazilian cities of Boa Vista and Manaus.

On Monday, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the programme A Talk with the Prime Minister on Nova24TV.

The keynote speaker at the press conference on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 epidemic was the Chair of the Commission for Children with Special Needs of the Council of Experts of the Republic of Slovenia for General Education, psychologist Kristijan Musek Lešnik.

Slovenia declared an epidemic on 12 March 2020 due to the growing number of coronavirus infections. In order to contain the spread of infection, many countries, including Slovenia, introduced changes in their border crossing regime. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted an ordinance declaring the end of COVID-19 epidemic effective from 15 May. But since the risk of spreading COVID-19 still persists, the general and specific measures adopted pursuant to the decision on the application of measures under the Communicable Diseases Act will continue to apply based on expert opinion until 31 May 2020.

The new Ordinance on imposing and implementing measures for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 at border crossings at the external border and at checkpoints at the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia entered into force today. New exceptions from mandatory 14-day quarantine upon entry into Slovenia have been added. Also, a new checkpoint Gorjansko ‒ San Pelagio has been added on the road connection with Italy.

At today’s 17th session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Janez Janša answered parliamentary questions raised by Jani Möderndorfer (LMŠ), Jani Prednik (SD), Violeta Tomić (Levica) and mag. Marko Pogačnik (SDS).

The speakers at the press conference on the current situation in relation to the COVID-19 epidemic were the Director of the National Education Institute, Vinko Logaj and the head of the Communicable Disease Centre of the National Institute of Public Health, Mario Fafangel

A press conference was held on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 epidemic, which was attended by Minister of Justice Lilijana Kozlovič and the government spokesperson Jelko Kacin.

Today, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar met with Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Dr Gordan Grlić Radman at the Dragonja border crossing.

Prime Minister Janez Janša was the guest of last week’s BBC NEWS WORLD programme, where he talked about the government’s plans to revive the tourism industry and other issues concerning tourism after Slovenia, as the first country in Europe to do so, declared the end of the coronavirus epidemic.

To mark Slovenia’s UN membership, Slovenian Diplomacy Day is celebrated on 22 May, as on this day Slovenia entered the global diplomatic arena, relatively soon after that joining the EU and NATO, and later the OECD. In the second half of 2021, the country will hold its second EU Council presidency.

Twenty-eight years ago, on this day, Slovenia joined the United Nations, which was a watershed in efforts for international recognition of the newly emerged state; it became a full-fledged partner in multilateral forums within the universal Organisation. To mark the occasion, this day is celebrated as Slovenian Diplomacy Day.

Yesterday, World Bee Day was celebrated around the world for the third year. The main event was the international conference organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations (Apimondia) and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and with the support of the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. In the afternoon, a formal session of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association was held at its headquarters to mark World Bee Day.

Due to the officially announced Coronavirus disease COVID-19 epidemic and the recommendations of the competent authorities, we inform you that the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia will be closed for all visitors and users from March 13, 2020 until further notice.

At the press conference on the current situation related to the COVID-19 epidemic, the speakers were the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning. Andrej Vizjak, Mojca Matičič, a doctor at the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana and a professional mentor for students at the government call centre, and Government spokesperson Jelko Kacin.

At the invitation of Ambassador Boris Grigić of Croatia, which is currently holding the Council presidency, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar was a guest at a meeting of Heads of Mission of EU Member States accredited to the Republic of Slovenia.

At a press conference on the current situation with respect to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Zdravko Počivalšek, and the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Janez Cigler Kralj, and the Minister of Finance, Andrej Šircelj, presented the third package of measures to mitigate the consequences of the epidemic.

A formal session of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association was held at its headquarters to mark the third World Bee Day in Slovenia. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, only a small number of participants gathered at this beekeeping event, which had initially been planned to take place in Dolenjske Toplice. The participants were representatives of beekeepers, local communities, diplomats and others involved in the World Bee Day project. Minister of Agriculture Aleksandra Pivec also attended the event. In her address, she highlighted the importance of beekeeping and the role of the state in supporting this important sector.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke to Slovenia’s citizens on the adoption of the third coronavirus stimulus package.

Foreign Ministers exchanged information on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in their countries and in the international community.

The Minister of Finance M.Sc. Andrej Šircelj On the basis of the third paragraph of Article 40 of the Slovenian Sovereign Holding Act, on 10 April 2020 issued a Decision on the appointment and tasks of the Expert Commission for the preparation of the candidate proposal for the members of the Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) Supervisory Board. The Expert Commission carried out the procedure of obtaining and evaluating candidates, but was unable to submit s sufficient number of suitable candidates to the Minister of Finance. The expert commission therefore publishes an open public call for additional candidates. The candidate selection process is underway due to the expiration of the term of office of two members of the SSH Supervisory Board on July 16, 2020.

The third international celebration of World Bee Day was held virtually due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The international conference was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations (Apimondia) and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and with the support of the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. The aim of the conference, entitled "Bee Engaged", was to highlight the importance of the engagement and actions of every person for the preservation of bees and other pollinators.

On World Bee Day, members of the Green Group issued a joint statement attesting to their commitment to protect bees and their natural environment. The Green Group – Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Iceland, Singapore, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates – is an informal association of small countries that, on Slovenia’s initiative, have been promoting issues related to the environment and sustainable development in foreign policy since 2009.

At today's session, the Government concluded their consideration of the proposal for the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Mitigate and Remedy the Consequences of the COVID-19 Epidemic for Citizens and the Economy.

Prime Minister Janez Janša assessed the Franco-German proposal on the establishment of a 500 billion euro recovery fund to restart the EU economy following the COVID-19 pandemic as "a good step forward". The fund would be financed by EU borrowing on the markets and would be used to fund the sectors and regions of the EU that were most affected by the pandemic.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar participated in an audio-video conference of foreign ministers of the Western Balkans – North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Serbia, foreign ministers of the EU countries bordering the region – Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Slovenia, and high representatives of the European Union.

"Children, pupils and students successfully returned to kindergartens and schools yesterday, thanks to the principals and the teachers who thoroughly prepared for the return and made all the necessary arrangements to successfully carry out classes. Students and parents were also very understanding and prepared for a smooth implementation of the education process in schools," stressed the Minister of Education, Science and Sport at today's press conference in her first evaluation of kindergartens and schools reopening yesterday. Schools are reporting good cooperation with local communities and smooth operation of school transport.

At the invitation of his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar today participated in a video conference on lifting restrictive measures at state borders to ease tourist travel. Other participants included the foreign ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain, the major holiday destinations for German tourists.

Today marks the centenary of the birth of Karol Józef Wojtyła in Poland, later Pope St. John Paul II. He entered history as a remarkable personality and leader, staunchly supporting freedom, justice and peace.

Borders will be gradually reopened, and the amended ordinance gives the state a discretion to refuse entry to EU citizens who do not have temporary or permanent residence in Slovenia and show clear signs of infection or disease, said the Government's spokesperson, Jelko Kacin, at today's press conference. The Government has amended the Ordinance on imposing and implementing measures for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 at border crossings at the external border and at checkpoints at the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia, which was adopted on 14 May 2020.

Slovenian minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs and Croatian minister of the Interior Davor Božinovič met in Ormož, Slovenia, on 16 May 2020. They discussed the current situation regarding the COVID-19 epidemic, particularly regarding options of crossing the Slovenian-Croatian state border and issues related to illegal migrations.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar today took part in a video conference of EU ministers of foreign affairs, which was led by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. The central topic of the fourth video conference of foreign ministers was the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the regions of North Africa and the wider Middle East. Minister Logar was pleased to inform his European colleagues that, as of today, Slovenia has declared an official end to its COVID-19 epidemic as a result of good epidemiological results.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan represented Slovenia at the virtual meeting of CEI Heads of Government on behalf of Prime Minister Janez Janša and Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar, who had previously scheduled commitments. The 31st CEI Summit focused on a debate about the situation, measures, and regional cooperation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted an ordinance declaring the end of COVID-19 epidemic effective from 15 May, based on a joint assessment by healthcare professionals and the Government Slovenia is thus the first country in Europe to take this step. Since the risk of spreading COVID-19 still persists, the general and specific measures adopted pursuant to the decision on the application of measures under the Communicable Diseases Act will continue to apply based on expert opinion until 31 May 2020.

After the tourist market came to a full stop due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Slovenian Tourist Board (STO) responded with a motivational campaign for the domestic market entitled THE TIME IS NOW. My Slovenia. The Government Communication Office (UKOM) is a partner in this campaign. Together with the STO and other partners, we invite Slovenians to discover more or less hidden parts of Slovenia, to spend a short or long holiday in Slovenia, and, above all, to strengthen pride in our country through our joint efforts.

Today the Minister without portfolio, competent for development and the EU cohesion policy, Zvone Černač, visited Žužemberk, Ivančna Gorica and Grosuplje. The Minister and the mayors discussed the topical issues regarding EU Cohesion Policy implementation and visited projects co-financed by European Cohesion Policy funds.

This morning, Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen over the phone. Their discussion was very substantive and constructive. They talked about the proposals for the next EU budget and the recovery fund in response to the coronavirus epidemic.