For healthy drinking water, greater environmental protection and improved flood safety. Water must be treated with respect in every part of the water cycle. That is why the amended Water Act, which will unfortunately be the subject of a referendum, limits activities affecting waterside land and completely prohibits the construction of private and potentially dangerous buildings near water. Contrary to certain interpretations, the Act's stricter rules provide greater protection of waterside land and ensure the necessary funds for watercourse maintenance and flood control.

The Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Andrej Vizjak, addressed the participants of the two-day informal online meeting of the Climate Change Working Group. The purpose of the event was to present the work programme of the Working Group on International Environmental Issues in the area of climate change in the second half of 2021. Important items on the agenda included climate change adaptation, strengthening climate finance and finalising the Paris Rulebook.

Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak attended the last meeting of the Environment Council before the start of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Portuguese Presidency presented the report on the progress made in negotiations on the proposal for a regulation concerning batteries and waste batteries, which is an integral part of the European Green Deal. The Council Conclusions on EU strategy on adaptation to climate change were also adopted, where the ministers welcomed the preparation of the adaptation communication in line with the Paris Agreement to be submitted to the UNFCCC. The ministers also exchanged views on the action plan on zero pollution, which sets out a vision for zero-pollution by 2050 and horizontally addresses all aspect of pollution. At the end of the meeting, Minister Vizjak presented the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency in the field of the environment.

World Environment Day is one of the oldest of the world days designated by the United Nations and its environmental programme. This is the 47th World Environment Day, and it features an additional slogan: Reimagine, Recreate, Restore - Generation for Restoration (#GenerationRestoration). The aim is to encourage people through initiatives and best practice to help preserve the environment. "We are a generation that has to hold out our hand to nature," according to the creators of World Environment Day.

Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak had a meeting with European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius, the Chair of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety of the European Parliament, Pascal Canfin, and the Director-General for Transport, Energy, Environment and Education at the General Secretariat of the Council, Peter Javorčik. At the meeting, Minister Vizjak presented the programme and priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU in the area of the environment and climate.

Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak attended the two-day virtual ministerial meeting "12th Petersberg Climate Dialogue", hosted by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in close cooperation with the United Kingdom, which is presiding over the upcoming COP26 (Conference of the Parties, UN Climate Change Conference). The purpose of the dialogue, in which the participants were addressed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was to exchange views on the key topics of COP26.

The Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Andrej Vizjak, attended the informal videoconference of the EU environment ministers under the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU. The ministers discussed the challenges related to water management in the light of adaptation to climate change. The meeting focused on exchanging good practices and experience in tackling the challenges of water scarcity and droughts, and on improving water management at all levels.

The Slovenian Government adopted the Decree on Packaging and Packaging Waste Handling, which is an implementing regulation based on the amendment to the Environmental Protection Act. The objective of this Decree is to ensure a high level of environment protection, the prevention and reduction of any impact of packaging and packaging waste on the environment, and to ensure the operations of the internal market, prevent obstacles to trade and distortion and restriction of competition.

The European macro-regional strategy EUSAIR is based on four thematic pillars, and Slovenia, on its behalf the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with key partners (Public Agency for Promotion of Entrepreneurship and Developing Projects of Municipality of Izola and the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy) is chairing the strategy until the end of May this year – The main topic of the presidency is “green integration” as Slovenia, together with Bosnia and Herzegovina, coordinates the environmental quality pillar, which aims to improve the quality of life on the coast by the common sea – The 6th Annual EUSAIR Forum in May will be organized in a hybrid or fully virtual format, but still rich in content.

The State Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Dr Metka Gorišek, met with the Polish Ambassador to Slovenia, H.E. Dr Krzysztof Olendzki.

Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak attended an on-line informal conference of EU environmental ministers, which held an exchange of views on the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, which was published by the European Commission in February. Ministers also debated the role of the Recovery and Resilience Plans for a Green Transition in conjunction with the European Semester and held a political debate on the Commission's proposal for a regulation concerning batteries and waste batteries, following the goals of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan. The afternoon part of the session was attended by State Secretary Metka Gorišek, PhD.

The Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Andrej Vizjak, received on a courtesy visit H. E. Tiffany Sadler, Ambassador of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Slovenia.

At the end of 2013, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 3 March as UN World Wildlife Day. It has thus become the world’s most important annual event dedicated to wildlife and plant species. This year, World Wildlife Day will be celebrated under the theme "Forests and Livelihoods: Sustaining People and Plane"’.

The Fifth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) is taking place in Nairobi, which, as the highest global environmental body, sets priorities for global environmental policy and international environmental law. Due to the pandemic, the assembly will be held in two parts. The first part will be held in the form of a virtual meeting on 22 and 23 February 2021 and the second part is expected to take place as a physical meeting in February 2022 in Kenya. Andrej Vizjak, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, delivered a video address at the assembly.

The EU Environment Council, attended by the State Secretary at the Slovenian Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Metka Gorišek, reached an agreement on the EU Climate Act, which sets out the long-term goal of EU's carbon neutrality until 2050 at the EU level.

The Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Andrej Vizjak, attended the informal videoconference of the EU environment ministers, the first under the German presidency, held yesterday and today. On the first day of the meeting the ministers continued the discussion on the green recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic and held an interactive discussion on the role of digitalisation in environmental protection and climate change, in which Mr Vizjak chaired one of the panels.

On the basis of the Intervention Act on removing barriers for the implementation of important investments to restart the economy after the COVID-19 epidemic, the Government has determined the list of important investments (the Intervention Act) that can be further expanded.

On 22 April the world marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Earth Day draws our attention to the vulnerability and uniqueness of the planet on which we live. The Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning contributes to the protection of the environment through active engagement and multiple projects. Let us take this moment to reassess our habits and create new ones that are better for our planet.

Slovenia joined the joint initiative of 16 EU Member States for greening the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Green Deal (Green Deal) is central to the European economic recovery.