Andreja Katič
Andreja Katič was born on 22 December 1969 in Slovenj Gradec. She lives in Velenje with her family.
She graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Maribor in 1996 with a thesis on immissions investigating the relationship between the law of property and the law of obligations and the definition of legal protection within.
After her studies, she worked at the Urban Municipality of Velenje where she served as director of municipal administration between 1998 and August 2014.
She participated in the work of the Association of Urban Municipalities of Slovenia and the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia heading the Committee on Legal and Legislative Affairs and the Commission for Regionalisation for many years. In 2006, she received the Bronze Award of the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia for her outstanding achievements in promoting the development of local self-government and making the role of the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia more visible.
Ms Katič was a member of the Management Board of the University of Maribor and a member of the Council of the Velenje Community Health Centre for four years. She was also a member of the Council of the Velenje Public Library for several years. For many years, she led the association of directors of Slovenian municipal administrations. She was a member of the Monitoring Committee of the Operational Programme for Strengthening of Regional Development Potentials and of the Monitoring Committee of the Operational Programme for Environmental and Transport Infrastructure Development as the representative of Slovenian municipalities. Ms Katič also presided over the Assembly of the Velenje Public Utility Company chaired the Supervisory Board of Elektro Maribor, electricity distribution company.
In 2014, Ms Katič was elected Member of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia and served as Vice-President of the National Assembly until her appointment as Minister of Defence. In 2018, she was appointed Minister of Justice and remained in office until the handover following the Prime Minister's resignation and formation of a new government. She resumed work at the Urban Municipality of Velenje. Ms Katič was appointed President of the SAŠA Regional Development Council in 2020.
Ms Katič has been actively involved in the social life of the local community throughout her career. Among other things, she worked as the children's rights commissioner under the Unicef-led initiative Velenje – Child Friendly City and participated in the Improvement of Citizen Safety Panel, whose efforts culminated in the naming of Velenje as the safest Slovenian city in 2013.
Ms Katič gives priority to protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, especially in the field of gender equality. She chairs Women's Forum, a political organisation that aims to improve the situation of girls and women by working together with non-governmental organisations and other bodies.
Ms Katič is a major advocate of a healthy living environment and animals. She headed the expert commission on civilian oversight of the planned co-incineration project in the Šaleška dolina valley.
As the President of the Velenje Association for the Values of the National Liberation Movement of Slovenia and Vice-President of the Council which acts as the highest consultative and advisory body to the Bureau of the Union of Associations for the Values of the National Liberation Movement of Slovenia she is dedicated to keeping the memory of World War II alive and upholding the values on which a new united Europe emerged after the horrors of the war.