"Slovenia is still a welfare state," said Romana Tomc, President of the Strategic Council, at the beginning of their 1st meeting. Everyone can feel the acts of a welfare state on their own skin, most often when they are in a difficult life situation. She stressed that it is therefore important that the system works because of, and for the people. This should be considered by all those who write new regulations and establish new institutions.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a keynote speaker at the unveiling of the memorial in Poljče, commemorating the events of over 30 years ago. In May 1991, members of the enlarged presidency and key ministers of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, commanders of the territorial defence and special police units, met in Poljče, and at the proposal of the Minister of Defence, approved the guidelines for Slovenia's defence in the event of YPA aggression. The guidelines were used as a strategic document in the war for Slovenia on 26 June 1991 during the YPA attack. In it, the Slovenian defence forces defended the homeland and defeated the aggressor, the Yugoslav Army. The event in Poljče was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Matej Tonin, MA, Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs, Director General of the Police Dr. Anton Olaj, State Secretary Bojan Pograjc, MA, and key actors of that time.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the 1st meeting of the Strategic Council on Social Policy, of which the MEP Romana Tomc is President. At the meeting, the members of the Council spoke about the goals of the Council, gave an assessment of the current situation, and presented some substantive proposals. The Council meeting was also attended by the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Janez Cigler Kralj, who addressed the participants.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Programme Operator for the programme Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation has published a Call for proposals for co-financing of projects under the programme Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in today's Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No 74/2021. Applicants with project proposals that contribute to increasing the production of energy from renewable energy sources, improving the management of sustainable mobility, implementing the principles of circular economy and improving the management of ecosystems under increasing pressure due to climate change are invited to apply for funding.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Programme Operator for the programme Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship, has published a Call for proposals for co-financing of projects under the programme Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship in today’s Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No 74/2021. Applicants with project proposals that promote institutional cooperation at all levels of formal and informal education, contribute to improving the supportive environment for disadvantaged target groups and to improving work-life balance are invited to apply for funding.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar is hosting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Principality of Andorra Maria Ubach Font on a working meeting. The visit, which takes place 20 years after the last visit of an Andorran foreign minister to Slovenia, is dedicated to strengthening bilateral cooperation and exchanging views in the light of the upcoming Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council.

In a week's time, on 20 May, Slovenia and the rest of the world will celebrate World Bee Day for the fourth time. The UN General Assembly proclaimed World Bee Day on 20 December 2017. The main purpose of World Bee Day is to raise awareness among the international public about the importance of bees and other pollinators for humanity in the light of ensuring global food security, eliminating hunger and caring for the environment and biodiversity. On the occasion of this year's World Bee Day, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) addresses the general public under the slogan Bee Engaged: Building Back Better for Bees.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the meeting of the ministers of foreign affairs of the Central 5 (C5) countries, consisting of the foreign ministers of Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended an informal video conference of the EU foreign ministers together with Foreign Minister of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani and Foreign Minister of Albania Olta Xhaçka.

Ms Ignacija Fridl Jarc, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Mr Simon Zajc, State Secretary at Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Mr Milan Krek, Director of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), and Ms Tjaša Žohar Čretnik, Director of the National Laboratory of Health, Environment and Food (NLZOH), participated in the press conference on the state of play of COVID-19.

Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, met with his Hungarian colleague Sandor Pinter in Budapest today. The aim of the working visit was to present priorities of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU in the area of home affairs.

The 6th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) closed today in Izola, Slovenia. This year's edition of the Forum was held under Slovenian Presidency in a hybrid format due to the epidemiological situation. At the plenary closing session wrapping up the two-day event State Secretary Monika Kirbiš Rojs and Head of Unit Macro-regions at the European Commission Jean-Pierre Halkin symbolically handed over the Presidency of EUSAIR to Albania.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan hosted Paweł Jabłoński, Deputy Minister and Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, who was also received by Foreign Minister Anže Logar.

The press conference was attended by the state secretary Jelko Kacin, who is also the coordinator of logistics of mass vaccinations against Covid-19.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved funding for the project “DRR – Kranj-Naklo-Zadraga”. The project implemented by municipality Naklo under the Agreement on the Development of the Gorenjska Region is worth EUR 379 thousand with the European Regional Development Fund contribution standing at EUR 249 thousand.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy is pleased to announce the upcoming ‘Call for proposals for co-financing of projects under the programme Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship’, a programme supported and implemented under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021. The call is to be published on 14 May 2021 in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia. The available funding under the call will amount to EUR 11.3 million. The project grant rate will be up to 100% of total eligible expenditures of a project.

Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Andrej Vizjak attended the two-day virtual ministerial meeting "12th Petersberg Climate Dialogue", hosted by the German Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in close cooperation with the United Kingdom, which is presiding over the upcoming COP26 (Conference of the Parties, UN Climate Change Conference). The purpose of the dialogue, in which the participants were addressed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was to exchange views on the key topics of COP26.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved funding for the project “Arrangement of community and road infrastructure in Lepovče”. The project implemented by the municipality Ribnica under the Agreement on the Development of the Jugovzhodna Slovenija Region is worth EUR 388 thousand with the European Regional Development Fund contribution standing at EUR 175 thousand.

Today, Minister of the Interior, Aleš HOJS, attended the Ministerial conference in Lisbon on the Management of Migration Flows, organised by the Portuguese Presidency of the EU Council to strengthen partnerships between the EU and countries of origin and transit and promote legal migration and integration of migrants.

Today, Minister Jože Podgoršek held a meeting by video conference with the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides. They discussed Slovenia's priorities during the Presidency of the Council of the EU.