Today in the European Parliament, Prime Minister Janez Janša presented the six-month programme and the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2021. This traditional presentation of priorities is held at the beginning of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The presentation took place at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg after which the Slovenian Prime Minister attended a press conference together with President of the European Parliament David Sassoli and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz held a video conference meeting. They assessed bilateral relations and exchanged views on the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Kosovo from the perspective of the second Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, stressing the importance of maintaining a credible European perspective for the Western Balkan countries, thereby further contributing to the stabilisation of the region.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today held talks via a video conference with Serbian Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović. They gave a positive assessment of the development of bilateral relations, focusing on further EU enlargement, which is one of the key priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

Today in the European Parliament, Prime Minister Janez Janša presented the six-month programme and the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2021. The presentation of priorities is customary and takes place at the start of every presidency of the Council of the European Union. Prime Minister Janša presented the Slovenian Presidency’s priorities at a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. After the presentation, he attended a press conference together with President of the European Parliament David Sassoli and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Prime Minister Janez Janša addressed the European Parliament and presented the six-month programme of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union including the Presidency’s priorities in the second part of 2021. It was a traditional presentation of priorities at the beginning of the presidency of the Council of the European Union. The presentation took place at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan attended the high-level event "Development in Transition: Dialogues to chart new paths for Latin America and the Caribbean", via video conference, where participants discussed possibilities for creating new models for sustainable and inclusive recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean.

On Friday, 2 July 2021, the Commission approved the proposed amendment to the Operational Programme (OP), version 6.0. The amended OP now accommodates the thematic areas or contents that will be the first to receive support from the React-EU initiative.

At today's 24th regular session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Janez Janša answered questions raised by the deputies Jerca Korče (LMŠ), Jani Prednik (SD) and Anja Bah Žibert (SDS) on the epidemiological situation following the announcement of the end of the COVID-19 epidemic and future measures, the anticipated new wave of the COVID-19 epidemic and the budget deficit.

State Secretary Dovžan outlined the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro Đorđe Radulović at a video conference meeting. They also focused on resilience, the discussion on the future of Europe, and enlargement of the Union.

Today, at the webinar organized by the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations in Belgium, Minister of Defence Matej Tonin, MSc, presented the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council in the defence and security sector.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended the meeting of the Committee on European Affairs at the invitation of the presiding Lithuanian Committee on European Affairs and the Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs Arnoldas Pranckevičius, presenting the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency and devoting particular attention to post-pandemic resilience and recovery.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended a commemoration in Ivančna Gorica to mark both the first mass for Slovenian soldiers and the 30th anniversary of the independent and democratic Republic of Slovenia. On this occasion, the Prime Minister attended the Mass for the Homeland, co-led by the Ljubljana Archbishop and Metropolitan, Msgr Stanislav Zore, and delivered a speech at the commemoration.

In line with the tradition of the presiding countries, Slovenia has hosted correspondents from Brussels accredited at the EU institutions at the beginning of its presidency. The correspondents spoke to the highest representatives of the Government about the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency, and had an opportunity to experience Slovenia as a boutique, sustainable and safe tourist destination.

Minister for Development and EU Cohesion Policy Zvone Černač attended the ceremony marking the start of the construction works for the Prapretno solar power plant. Minister Černač together with the Minister responsible for infrastructure Jernej Vrtovec, the CEO of the Holding slovenske elektrarne Viktor Vračar, Ph. D. and the mayor of the municipality Hrastnik Marko Funkl pressed the button that marked the start of the construction works. ‘Pressing the button has a simple and yet a strong message: Green future is in our hands,’ stressed Minister Černač.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs attended the main ceremony to mark the municipal holiday of Benedikt and addressed the residents of the municipality. She congratulated them on this occasion and underlined that the Government will continue to focus the available EU funding on reducing development disparities between Slovenia’s regions.

State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs attended the presentation of the project My Europe, My Future at Brdo pri Kranju, where a documentary-feature film on the topic of a Healthy, Green and Sustainable Europe was premiered.

The launch of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency is accompanied by the opening of the Europe Readr digital platform, its leading cultural and promotional project. The selection of books in the virtual library that will be available free of charge will bring readers closer to the current social issues and encourage them to reflect on, and discuss, the world we want to live in. A number of accompanying events will be organised around the world, along with the creation of public spaces for reading and exchanging ideas, all the way from Paris and Helsinki to Washington and Bangkok. The formal opening of the platform will take place on 7 July in the Lighthouse Park in Izola.

To ensure a safety distance (at least 1 meter), the archive reading room can be visited by up to 10 users at a time.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the projects Agreement on the development of region Ptuj-Markovci-Gorišnica, Agreement on the development of region Ptuj-Juršinci, Development of cycling infrastructure in Trbovlje, Agreement on the development of region Regional cycling route Novo mesto-Straža, Agreement on the development of region Destrnik-Ptuj, Cycling connection between Radlje ob Dravi and Vas, Agreement on the development of region Kungota-Maribor and Agreement on the development of region Regional cycling route Črnomelj-Kanižarica. The total value of all projects amounts to EUR 17.7 million. The projects will be supported by the EU, with EUR 8.3 million coming from the European Regional Development Fund.

The premiere of the Waterman ballet marked the start of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The ballet staged on Bled Island and choreographed by internationally renowned choreographer Edward Clug was attended by representatives of the Slovenian Government and members of the College of Commissioners.