Today, Sanja Ajanović Hovnik, head of the Government negotiating team and the Minister of Public Administration, and the heads of negotiating teams of representative public sector unions, Branimir Štrukelj and Jakob Počivavšek, initialled the agreement after several negotiating sessions.

The EU Competitiveness Council met today in Brussels, attended by State Secretary Matevž Frangež on behalf of Matjaž Han, the Minister of Economic Development and Technology. The meeting took place in the light of the exacerbated energy crisis and the Member States displayed a great degree of unity in all key decisions. The ministers supported the proposal of the new crisis instrument to protect the internal market.

As per the Partnership Agreement with the European Commission and the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the EU Cohesion Policy in the 2021–2027 Period that was confirmed yesterday, Slovenia will earmark a proportion of funds for the activities implemented by the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief.

In March 2022, the successor states of the former Social Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) signed the joint sale contract and in September 2022, the closing documents for the sale of the real estate of the former SFRY Mission to the United Nations. Slovenia will receive EUR 7.3 million from the sale of the property at 854 Fifth Avenue, New York, which is 14 per cent of the total purchase price.

At today's session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia approved the European Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027. This is a document that, together with the Partnership Agreement - signed in Ljubljana today by Minister Dr. Aleksander Jevšek and European Commissioner Elisa Ferreira - represents the basis for drawing down European funds within the financial perspective 2021-2027, which expires in 2029.

Minister for Development and European Cohesion Policy, dr. Alexander Jevšek, and European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, signed a partnership agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the European Commission in Ljubljana. With the approval and signing of the agreement, Slovenia has opened the way to EUR 3.26 billion of European funds in the future programme period.

In the article, the Washington Post journalist Michael Birnbaum describes the actions of firefighters, members of the rescue forces and the Slovenian Armed Forces during the big fire in July that raged in the Goriska Karst.

At the initiative of the United Nations General Assembly, we are celebrating the third International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. On this day, we call for rational food management.

Minister Irena Šinko attended a session of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council. As part of fisheries topics, they exchanged views on fishing opportunities for the coming year, including fish stocks shared with the United Kingdom, and the annual consultations between the EU and Norway in 2023. In agricultural topics, the discussion regarding the market situation in the light of war and the state of agricultural production and logistics in Ukraine was at the forefront. The EU Council also learned about the impact of the revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive on agriculture and information about the growing population of wild animals in Europe. The discussion on food labelling and the call to the Commission to supplement the assessment of the proposal for the Regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products was also important. Minister Šinko also met with the EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides. They discussed the Commission’s measures to reduce the use of plant protection products and food labelling.

Minister Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh is attending the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is taking place in Bucharest. More than 3,000 representatives from 160 ITU Member States at the level of ministers, regulators of information and communication technologies, academic institutions and private companies are attending the conference.

The visit focused on the discussions relating to Slovenia’s assistance and cooperation within North Macedonia’s accession process to the EU in the field of judicial reforms.

At the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the first session of the Working Group for Local Self-Government took place, consisting of the leadership representatives of all three representative municipal associations in addition to Dr Aleksander Jevšek, the Minister of Development and European Cohesion Policy, and Sanja Ajanović Hovnik, the Minister of Public Administration. The main topic of today’s session was the preparation of strategic documents for drawing European funds in the 2021–2027 period.

On the 20th of September 2022, the Republic of Slovenia, rated A3 (stable)/A (stable)/AA- (stable) reopened its 2.250% March 2032 (Mar-32) by €500mn. The new issue size totalled €3.83bn after reopening.

The 7th edition of the Mediterranean Coast and Macro-regional Strategies Week under this year's slogan "Healthy seas for a safer future" was officially opened in Izola on Tuesday. The attendees were addressed by Ambassador Ksenija Škrilec, Acting Director-General for EU Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia.

On the day of the official opening of the 77th UNGA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a briefing for representatives of embassies based in Ljubljana. State Secretary Samuel Žbogar presented Slovenia’s priorities for the UNGA and plans related to participation in the General Debate, which will take place in New York from 20 to 26 September 2022.

The 51st regular session of the Human Rights Council opens today in Geneva. Slovenia will actively participate in the discussions and negotiations on the initiatives and will also table a resolution on a global agenda for human rights education on behalf of its regional group. Together with Argentina and Brazil, Slovenia will also propose extending the mandate of the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health Mr Danijel Bešič Loredan was on a working visit to Finland on 29 and 30 August 2022. At a core of his discussions was the Finnish healthcare reform, legislation and system solutions in healthcare, as well as digitalisation of the Finnish healthcare system. On this occasion, Minister Bešič Loredan met with his host, Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services Mr Aki Lindén.

The 17th Bled Strategic Forum, entitled "The Rule of Power or the Power of Rules?", opened today with addresses by its host, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tanja Fajon, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The discussions at this year's Forum will centre on the consequences of the war in Ukraine, the crisis of multilateralism, climate change and the green agenda, and digitisation and the fight against disinformation.

Minister Irena Šinko attended the meeting of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council. The attendees exchanged opinions on the new draft Regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products presented by the European Commission. Moreover, they discussed the agricultural market situation in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the initiative to update the EU legislation on animal transport, and confirmed the Council’s decisions with regard to the new EU strategy for the sustainable development of aquaculture. The Ministers familiarised themselves with the situation of the EU member states in preparations for the implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy and strategic plans.

The Ministry of Justice welcomes the first judgement of conviction of the Slovenian courts in which the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) acted as the prosecutor.