The Slovenian government put forward the draft state budgets for 2020 and 2021. The draft budgets follow the fiscal rule that requires medium-term balance of general government revenues and expenditures without borrowing. Total state budget expenditures of EUR 10.35 billion are planned in the next year, which is 1.9% higher than set out in the revised budget for 2019, while revenues are planned to rise by 4.5% to just under EUR 10.82 billion.

At today’s session the Slovenian government put forward the draft state budgets for 2020 and 2021. The draft budgets follow the fiscal rule that requires medium-term balance of general government revenues and expenditures without borrowing. Total state budget expenditures of EUR 10.35 billion are planned in the next year, which is 1.9% higher than set out in the revised budget for 2019, while revenues are planned to rise by 4.5% to just under EUR 10.82 billion.

Andrej Benedejčič, Ambassador-at-Large for arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation, attended in Vienna a session of the informal Structured Dialogue working group on the current and future challenges and risks to security in the OSCE area. This meeting, held in capital format, focused on measures to increase transparency and on hybrid threats, above all on strengthening resilience and raising awareness about the dangers hybrid threats pose in the contemporary security environment.

State Secretary Simona Leskovar and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Andrew Winternitz advocated further strengthening of friendly and allied relations between Slovenia and the US, underlining the need for a strong Transatlantic partnership, and they went on to exchange views on current international developments.

An eight-member delegation of the Slovenian Government, led by Slovenian Minister of Economy Zdravko Počivalšek, is attending a working meeting in Berlin at the invitation of German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Peter Altmaier.

The two counterparts confirmed positive bilateral relations between Slovenia and India, and they identified a number of opportunities for enhanced cooperation in various fields, from business and tourism to culture, science and sports.

Today, 13 September 2019, the Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar hosted the Austrian Federal Minister of the Interior Wolfgang Peschorn. The two ministers discussed internal border controls and migration.

Today the 52nd MOS Trade Fair in Celje hosted the 9th Economic Diplomacy Day. The event was attended by ambassadors and economic advisers from countries accredited to Slovenia, and by representatives of Slovenian companies. The participants were addressed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Miro Cerar, MOS Board Member Nina Ermenc Pangerl and Minister of Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Počivalšek. This year the MOS partner country is Montenegro.

Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar met Ombudsman Peter Svetina today for a working meeting. Given the human rights focus of Slovenia’s foreign policy, the two institutions have developed excellent cooperation. The Minister assured the Ombudsman that numerous international activities in this area will also continue after Slovenia’s membership and last year’s presidency of the UN Human Rights Council. He went on to mention that Slovenia is currently preparing for the third UPR cycle, planned for 12 November in Geneva.

The first year of the current government’s term of office is ending with stable and strong public support. Since we follow the vision of Prime Minister Marjan Šarec that “our main duty is to work for the people”, increased trust in the work of the government team comes as no surprise. On the anniversary of the election of the government, we are aware of the responsibility that such support entails, and we are once again committed to working in the interest of Slovenia and all of its inhabitants.

On the last day of her visit to Canada, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Aleksandra Pivec attended Slovenia's promotional event presenting Slovenian businesses to potential business partners and the media. Ms Pivec met today with the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the Province of Ontario, Ernie Hardman, and representatives of Slovenians living in Canada.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Aleksandra Pivec spent the second day of her Canadian visit in Ottawa. Ms Pivec met with Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Chris Forbes at the Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food. She also attended the ceremonial handover of a photograph featuring the image of a bee to the Canadian Museum of Nature and visited a research institution – an experimental farm.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for ERDF, ESF and Cohesion Fund, has issued a grant decision for the Integrated Territorial Investment ‘’ITI Velenje cycle network – west’’. The project funding amounts to a total of EUR 2.6 million, of which nearly EUR 1.4 million comes from ERDF.

As part of Slovenian prime minister Marjan Šarec’s official visit to Russia, a reception was held this evening for Slovenian and Russian business leaders. It was attended by the prime minister, foreign minister Dr Miro Cerar, minister of economic development and technology Zdravko Počivalšek, and minister of labour, family, social affairs and equal opportunities Ksenija Klampfer. The Russian Federation was represented at the event by Russian minister of digital development, communications and mass media Konstantin Noskov.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Miro Cerar met Russian Minister for Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Konstantin Noskov today as part of Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec’s official visit to Russia. As co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Slovenian-Russian Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, which held its last session at Bled on 14 June, Ministers Cerar and Noskov noted that progress has been achieved in numerous joint projects. They reaffirmed that economic cooperation between their two countries was rewarded today with the signing of two business agreements between a Slovenian company and two Russian companies, paving the way for cooperation on third markets. 　

During his official visit, Slovenian prime minister Marjan Šarec unveiled a memorial to Slovenian victims of both world wars on the territory of today’s Russian Federation alongside Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Aleksandra Pivec has begun her visit to Canada today. On the first day of her visit, Ms Pivec attended the Apimondia International Apicultural Congress that also featured a Slovenian Day. This year, Slovenia has its own exhibition area at the Apimondia Congress where it is represented by the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Slovenian Beekeeper’s Association (SBA), and by the institutions and companies associated with beekeeping. The Slovenian Agriculture Minister also met with the representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of the Province of Quebec Sylvain Lacombe with whom she discussed cooperation between the two countries and the areas and products that are of interest to consumers in the two countries.

Slovenian Prime Minister Marjan Šarec is on an official visit to Russia on 10 and 11 September 2019, at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Janez Lenarčič, the Slovenian EU commissioner-designate, has been assigned the portfolio of crisis management in the next European Commission, as President-elect Ursula von der Leyen announced the distribution of posts.

Ambassador Iztok Mirošič took part in the debate titled “Crisis or the end of the international system as we know it”, which addressed the transition from multilateralism to a multipolar or even a new bipolar international system, including the return of geopolitics to the Western Balkans. Therefore, underlined Ambassador Mirošič, the EU enlargement process is exceptionally important