News

The Government Office for Slovenians Abroad is proud and pleased to present a musical greeting from Slovenians living abroad on the occasion of Slovenian Statehood Day.

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tehran will be closed on 25 June 2024, Slovenia's Statehood Day.

From 17 to 19 June, 2024, the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration hosted the National Technical Workshop on Cybersecurity, bringing together cybersecurity professionals from various fields of cybersecurity and nuclear safety.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals Problem-based learning for students in the workplace: the economy, the non-economic and non-profit sectors in local/regional environment 2024-2027.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended bilateral consultations in Vienna. He met with Karoline Edtstadler, Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution, and Nikolaus Marschik, Secretary General for Foreign Affairs at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.

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.