As part of the Slovenian delegation visiting the Expo 2020 in Dubai, State Secretary Anton Harej attended the presentation of the Slovenian wood industry.

Minister Jože Podgoršek attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels. It was the first Council meeting under the French Presidency. The meeting focused on the presentation of the French Presidency's programme in agriculture, food safety, fisheries and forestry, the presentation of the Commission's Communication on sustainable carbon cycles, the situation on agricultural markets and trade-related issues.

On Tuesday, 11 January 2022, the European Commission published draft guidelines and regulations to govern state aid in agriculture, forestry and fisheries for 2023–2027. It also invited all interested parties to submit to it, as part of a public consultation, their comments on these proposals by 13 March 2022.

At an online press conference, the Slovenian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Jože Podgoršek, presented the main activities in agriculture, forestry and fisheries during Slovenia's EU Council Presidency. As the key achievements he highlighted the adoption of legislative acts of the common agricultural policy, the adoption of the Council conclusions on the new forest strategy and negotiations on fishing quotas for the year 2022.

The Council has approved an agreement between the EU and the UK on fishing opportunities for 2022, paving the way for EU fishermen and women to exercise their fishing rights in the Atlantic and the North Sea. The decision determines fishing rights for around 100 shared fish stocks in EU and UK waters, including the total allowable catch (TAC) limit for each species.

The first international Golden Bee Award was awarded today in the House of the Carniolan Honey Bee. Prof. Lucas Alejandro Garibaldi from Argentina received the award. Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food and Chair of the Golden Bee Award Committee Jože Podgoršek announced the winner of the award. President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor presented the award, which was collected by a representative of the Embassy of Argentina on behalf of the award winner.

The development of rural areas requires coherent and integrated rural development approaches. Combining different European funds offers opportunities to invest in infrastructure, technology and people for resilient, inclusive and prosperous rural areas.

Today, EU fisheries ministers held the last meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels.They successfully concluded difficult negotiations on fishing quotas for next year. The Council meeting was chaired for the last time by the Slovenian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Jože Podgoršek.

On the second day of the meeting, agriculture ministers focused on the resilience of the food system and on ensuring the strength of the food supply chain. Council conclusions on a new contingency plan for ensuring food supply and security in times of crisis were approved unanimously. Ministers also discussed unfair trading practices in the food supply chain and focused on the Commission's proposal to prevent deforestation. The Council, chaired for the last time by the Slovenian Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Jože Podgoršek, also took note of the preparation of the strategic plans for the common agricultural policy.

At today's meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the ministers discussed the state of play of the revision of the Union fisheries control system. The Council Chair Jože Podgoršek briefed the ministers on important achievements of the Slovenian Presidency regarding the revision. Today, the ministers primarily focussed on the agreement on fishing quotas for 2022.

Yesterday, Minister Jože Podgoršek in his capacity as Chair of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council took part in a high level stakeholder conference entitled "EU animal welfare today and tomorrow". The conference organised by the European Commission presented an opportunity for stakeholders to express their views on the Commission’s main ideas regarding the revision of the EU’s animal welfare legislation in the context of the public consultation launched by the Commission in October.

Minister dr. Jože Podgoršek assumed the presidency role at the Council for Agriculture and Fisheries at the French assembly for the rural areas yesterday, an interest grouping that unites representatives of local authorities, parliament members, academics and researchers. The central focus of the meeting was on the development of the rural areas for the further development of the common European agricultural policy. It was on this occasion that he gave Joël Giraud, minister of rural affairs, the beehive as the symbol of the Slovenian countryside.

European Forest Week will be marked next week (22 – 28 November 2021). The week, which was first marked in 2008, offers a unique opportunity to raise the profile of the forestry sector and impact on Europe-wide and global debates on forests. The week is jointly organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The theme of this year's European Forest Week is The Future of Forests.

Minister Jože Podgoršek took part in an interparliamentary meeting of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) via video link. The participants were also addressed by the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development Norbert Lins and the European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski. The event focused on the drafting of strategic plans for a reform of the common agricultural policy in the Member States.

On the Day of Quality Schemes event organised by the Beekeepers' Association of Slovenia, Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek attended a press conference at which, in addition to quality schemes, the main topics were the Consortium of European Protected Slovenian Products which was established this year, the Slovenian Food Day, Traditional Slovenian Breakfast, a competition for young beekeepers and a nation-wide campaign to plant honey plants.

Today, the EU ministers responsible for agriculture and fisheries met in Brussels. They focused on forests and their importance in the transition to a green, climate-neutral and competitive circular bioeconomy. They also addressed the findings from the EU Pollinator Week in September and took note of the situation on the agricultural markets. They also discussed the management of large carnivores and the state of play in the negotiations on fishing opportunities with the United Kingdom.

The ProWine 2021 international fair has opened its doors in Shanghai. Fourteen Slovenian winemakers are featured at the fair under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food and in cooperation with Chinese representatives. The fair, which will run for three days, is one of the most important business fairs in the field of winemaking in the Asian market.

As part of the Council presidency, Branko Ravnik, Director-General of the Agriculture Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, hosted via video conference an informal meeting of directors-general responsible for national strategic plans for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In the light of the CAP reform, which will be introduced in 2023 on the basis of the national CAP Strategic Plans, the meeting revolved around the challenges and opportunities faced by Member States in relation to green architecture, in particular the new eco-scheme.

Minister Jože Podgoršek began his two-day visit to Dubai today with a tour of the Sustainable City. He visited the EXPO 2020 world’s fair, where he was first received at the Slovenian pavilion, which greets visitors at the very entrance to the exhibition venue.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Jože Podgoršek attended the Farm to Fork international conference via video conference. The event, which is taking place on 14 and 15 October, is organised by the European Commission. The two-day conference will be devoted to the wider aspects of the strategy and sustainable food systems, which include all stakeholders in the food chain.