The Naša Super Hrana website published the results of the third survey of basic food products from 10 October 2022. According to this insight into price developments in the consumer food basket, and additional analysis, products of Slovenian origin prevail at all food retailers included in the survey.

The purpose of the Decree on the criteria to define and assess the number of households in energy poverty is to contribute to a high-quality planning and implementing of energy and social policy in the field of energy poverty.

At today’s meeting by correspondence, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the amended Organisation and Financing of Education Act and the amended Public Sector Salary System Act.

The Government and public sector unions signed the Agreement regulating measures relating to salaries and other labour costs in the public sector for 2022 and 2023. The Agreement will increase salaries and meals allowance of public sector employees, including the adjustment of annual holiday pay for those working in salary grade 50 and below.

The Government adopted the Decree on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. The Decree governs individual objectives and measures for certain plastic products and waste generated from these products.

At the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, the ministers of justice discussed current activities regarding war crimes in Ukraine. Minister Dr Dominika Švarc Pipan condemned Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, especially the attacks on civilians.

At today’s session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the draft act on emergency actions to contain the spread and mitigate the consequences of the infectious COVID-19 disease in healthcare and submitted it to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia to be discussed in an urgent procedure. After the Government’s session, Minister of Health Danijel Bešič Loredan stated that the draft act "sets the legal bases for COVID-19 to become an endemic disease by spring."

Slovenian Press Agency journalist Luka Tetičkovič spoke to Slovenian Defence Minister Marjan Šarec about the defence budget, investments in the defence sector, the manning levels in the Slovenian Armed Forces, and the planned changes in the protection and disaster relief system. We are hereby providing a summary of the interview, published by the Slovenian Press Agency on Wednesday, 12 October.

At today’s meeting, the Government adopted a proposal for the Act on Healthcare Emergency Measures to Contain the Spread of the Covid-19 Communicable Disease and Mitigate its Consequences, and issued a Decree on the criteria for determining and assessing the number of households in energy poverty. The Government also took note of the proposal for the Agreement on measures relating to salaries and other labour costs in the public sector for 2022 and 2023.

Marjan Šarec, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, attended the meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence in Brussels. The war in Ukraine, strengthening the deterrence and defence of the Alliance, investing in defence and incentives to increase stocks of military equipment and industrial capacities were at the forefront of the ministers’ discussions. On the margins of the meeting, Minister Šarec signed a declaration on strengthening bilateral cooperation with Christine Lambrecht, the German Federal Minister of Defence.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today attended, as a guest of honour, the 26th meeting of businessmen from the Primorska region, which was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Primorska at the Vila Vipolže venue in Dobrovo.

The European Commission today published its annual report on the enlargement strategy and progress of candidate countries and potential candidate countries for membership of the European Union. In addition to the strategy, the so-called enlargement package summarises the annual progress of the six Western Balkans countries and Turkey and makes recommendations for the way forward. For Slovenia, the package is particularly important in the part concerning the granting of candidate status to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which Slovenia has been advocating since the European Council meeting last June. Today, the European Commission has made a recommendation on granting the candidate status to this country, which is expected to be decided by EU Member States in December.

As part of the enlargement package, the European Commission today issued a recommendation that Bosnia and Herzegovina be awarded EU candidate status but will have to meet additional requirements before making further steps on the path to the Union. This is the same formula that the Commission has already applied in the case of Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the recommendation as an important step towards the granting of EU candidate status. In the next stage, this will be decided on by the EU heads of state and government at the European Council.

The Government included the renovation of a section of the Ljubljana - Šiška Retirement Home into the applicable Plan of Development Programmes for the 2022–2025 period.

Ms Irena Šinko, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF), participated today in the 7th meeting of the ‘Golden Bee Award’ Committee, where the central topic was the approval of the ‘2023 Golden Bee Award’ public tender dossier.

Within the framework of the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the meeting of Directors-General for the Environment is taking place in Prague, which is also attended by mag. Tanja Bolte, the Acting Director-General of the Environment Directorate. The event is intended to start an international discussion on the environment and be a platform for an exchange of views regarding the recent legislative initiative of the European Commission about nature restoration and harmonisation of plans.

Today on 11 October 2022, Matej Arčon, Minister for Slovenians Abroad, visited the Primorska Technology Park (PTP) in Vrtojba and held a meeting with its Director, mag. Tanja Kožuh. Minister Arčon was accompanied by State Secretary Vesna Humar.

A panel discussion was held in Ig Training Centre (ICZR Ig), Slovenia, on 11th October 2022 as part of the planned project activities within the European Project Safe and Equal in EMErgencies – “SEE ME”.

The European Defence Agency and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia are organising a two-day thematic workshop of the Consultation Forum for Sustainable Energy in the Defence and Security Sector at Grand Hotel Union in Ljubljana. The participants were welcomed by State Secretary for Defence, Dr Damir Črnčec.

On the occasion of today’s World Mental Health Day, the Ministry of Health organised an expert meeting, 'Day of Mental Health', at the Brdo Congress Centre. In the initial part of the meeting, the attendees were addressed by the Minister of Health, Danijel Bešič Loredan, and the Human Rights Ombudsman, Peter Svetina, who presented the challenges of mental health.