State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today attended a regular meeting of ministers and state secretaries for European affairs. The focus was mostly placed on preparations for a special European Council meeting, which will bring together the EU heads of state on 25 May 2021. Special attention was also devoted to climate policy discussions, the current COVID-19 pandemic situation, and EU-Russian Federation and EU-UK relations.

Minister for Development and the EU Cohesion Policy Zvone Černač addressed the participants of the 6th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) under the slogan “Along the coasts of the shared sea” via an audio-video link. The Forum is the closing event of the Slovenian Presidency of the EUSAIR Strategy which Slovenia took over in June 2020 and will close at the end of May 2021.

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 Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation’, a programme supported and implemented under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 and the EEA 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 over EUR 15.5 million. The project grant rate will be up to 100% of total eligible expenditures of a project.

Today, Minister Anže Logar opened the 6th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR), which represents the final act of the one-year Slovenian Presidency of EUSAIR and the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative. In his address, Minister Logar explained that despite the challenges thrown up by the COVID-19 pandemic, Slovenia has managed to achieve all its goals and introduce some innovations. “Only by being connected and responsible for the environment can we contribute to the green and smart development and recovery of the Union,” stressed Minister Logar.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held a series of meetings prior to tomorrow’s General Affairs Council (GAC). He met with Vice President of the European Commission Věra Jourova, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, Secretary-General of the Council Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, and some senior officials in the Commission and the General Secretariat of the Council.

After having participated today at the 6th Delphi Economic Forum, where he introduced the priorities of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU and also talked of some current issues, Prime Minister Janez Janša met with his Greek counterpart Kyriakos Mitsotakis. After the meeting, the press releases of both prime ministers followed.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today met with President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, Secretary-General Klaus Welle, and Leader of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament Manfred Weber.

Prime Minister Janez Janša is on a working visit to Greece today. During the visit, the Prime Minister addressed the 6th Delphi Economic Forum. This is the central event and annual conference of the organisation of the same name, which brings together leaders from different countries who are committed to implementing and promoting innovative ideas for sustainable and competitive growth in Europe and the wider Eastern Mediterranean region. At this year’s conference, Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke about the future of Europe and presented the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the European Council, as well as addressing other current topics in the conversation with the moderator.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar today attended a regular meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council. Ministers discussed the situation in the Western Balkans and transatlantic relations. They also held an informal video conference with the US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry.

The press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 was attended by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Health Franc Vindišar and the head of the vaccine advisory group Dr Bojana Beovič. Maja Bratuša of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented the current epidemiological picture.

Prime Minister Janez Janša, in an interview for the Spanish newspaper El Correo, spoke about his appearance in the European Parliament, where the MEP Sophie in 't Veld, ironically through the very Group that is supposedly the stronghold defending the freedom of speech, grossly censored his address; in the interview, the Prime Minister also discussed the developments in the European People's Party, as well as the communist era in Slovenia and the spread of communist ideas in Spain, and Slovenia's recent history.

Following Friday’s EU Social Summit, an informal meeting of EU leaders was held in the Portugal city of Porto today, and was also attended by Prime Minister Janez Janša. At today’s meeting, the leaders concentrated on how to best ensure an inclusive recovery, with education and skills at the heart of the EU's political action. They also focused on how to create jobs and improve their quality, and on how to combat poverty and social exclusion.

Europe Day is celebrated every year on 9 May. The date marks the anniversary of the historic Schuman Declaration of 1950, in which the then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presented a central idea to set up transnational economic cooperation in Europe. The core motive of this proposal was to create the conditions for lasting peace and enhanced cooperation in Europe. His ideas set into motion the process of European integration and a year later, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was created, the predecessor of the European Economic Community and the European Union.

An informal meeting of the members of the European Council is taking place today in Porto, where EU leaders, including Prime Minister Janez Janša, will continue the debate launched at the Social Summit, in particular on how to give political impetus to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the Porto Social Summit, a high-level conference organised by the Portuguese presidency.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Agreement on the development of region – Cycling network Turnišče-Dobrovnik-Lendava. The EUR 477,000 cycle project that will be jointly implemented by municipalities Dobrovnik and Turnišče under the Agreement on the development of the Pomurje region will be supported by the EU, with the contribution from the European Regional Development Fund standing at EUR 305,000.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Agreement on the development of region – Cycling connection between Lendava, Dobrovnik and Kobilje. The EUR 1.2 million cycle project that will be implemented jointly by municipalities Lendava, Dobrovnik and Kobilje under the Agreement on the development of the Pomurje region will be supported by the EU, with the contribution from the European Regional Development Fund standing at EUR 490,000.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Cycling connection between school centre and industrial zone Muta and the settlements Muta, Vuzenica and Gortina. The EUR 1,1 million cycle project that will be implemented by the Slovenian Infrastructure Agency under the Agreement on the development of the Koroška region will be supported by the EU, with the contribution from the European Regional Development Fund standing at EUR 482,000.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar paid a visit to Austrian Carinthia on Friday, 7 May 2021. As part of the visit, he met with Governor of Carinthia Peter Kaiser and separately with the Mayor and Vice Mayor of Klagenfurt, Christian Scheider and Lojze Dolinar, respectively.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project “Arrangement of the small business zone – Phase 4”. The project worth EUR 600 thousand will be implemented by the municipality Markovci in the framework of the Agreement on the Development of the Podravje Region and will receive EUR 259 thousand of European Regional Development Fund support.