Participants of today’s EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Agri-Fish Council) meeting discussed measures to combat crises in the agricultural sector. Slovenia was represented in the meeting by the Secretary of State, Ms. Eva Knez, who pointed out on arrival that Slovenia welcomed the European Commission’s proposals of simplifying the existing Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) rules. “The measures proposed are aimed at taking greater account of specificities of individual Member States. Today, we repeatedly proposed introducing the ad hoc financial mechanism for countries to be in a position to respond rapidly to crises in agriculture.”

Ambassador Berta Mrak presented her credentials to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Maria Pejčinović Burić, and thus assumed her duties as Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe.

The 55th regular session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) opened in Geneva and will run until 5 April 2024. Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon participated in the high-level segment of the session with a video message, presenting Slovenia's views on the current situation of human rights around the world and the session’s priority themes.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar met his Spanish counterpart Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez in Madrid. The two ministers discussed topical issues in the areas of migration, Schengen, combating people smuggling and the further increase of the police cooperation.

With the evening of chansons and cabaret, performed by two talented Slovenian artists, Sabina Gruden, mezzo-soprano, and Rebeka Dobravec, piano, in the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus, the Embassy of Slovenia in Athens marked Prešeren Day, a national holiday, celebrated every year on 8 February.

At today's session, the Government adopted the first measures aimed at protecting the public health system. These measures will be particularly important after 1 March, when the withdrawal of overtime consents by doctors who decided to take this step during the Fides strike will take effect.

The Slovenian community in Australia has reason to rejoice. After losing its regular weekly programme, which had been on the air ever since 1975, on SBS national radio in April last year, Slovenian will be heard on the Australian airwaves again – in Sydney and soon also in Melbourne.

Two years of brutal violence, destruction, suffering, impoverishment of the innocent Ukrainian population, total disregard for the principles of international law and, above all, defiance of the UN Charter by the Russian aggressor, are behind us.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on the second anniversary of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Minister Tanja Fajon stressed that the war in Ukraine has led to the largest humanitarian crisis in Europe since World War II. She added that we must all – without exception – respect international humanitarian law and human rights law at all times.

Below we publish a statement by Prime Minister Golob.

Slovenia presented its intervention at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in the context of the request for advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, initiated by the UN General Assembly in December 2022. Slovenia’s main arguments are the right of Palestinians to self-determination and the obligations of Israel as an occupying force.

On the Slovenian cultural holiday, Prešeren Day, an unforgettable presentation of the book "Bojan Adamič in Albania" took place at the Tirana Opera and Ballet Theatre. The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana organised this event in cooperation with the Albanian Centre for Books and Reading, the Ministry of Culture of Albania and the Albanian Academy of Sciences.

Today, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia sent material aid intended for Gaza to Jordan from Ljubljana's Jože Pučnik Airport. “This is Slovenia's first direct aid to the people of Gaza,” said Prime Minister Golob.

At today's regular session, the Slovenian Government adopted a decision on a financial contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in the amount of EUR 500,000.

At today's session, the Government adopted the draft Acts amending the Excise Duty Act, the Investment Promotion Act and the Minor Offences Act. It also set out the text of the draft Act on Judicial Protection Procedure for Former Holders of Qualified Liabilities of Banks and adopted amendments to the Decree on setting prices for certain petroleum products.

The kick-off conference of the EUSAIR governance support projects was held in Zagreb today. The conference was attended by the ministers for cohesion from Slovenia and Croatia Aleksander Jevšek and Šime Erlić. The ministers highlighted the importance of cooperation among the countries in the Adriatic and Ionian Region and talked about the strategic cross-border project on flood risk management in Slovenia and Croatia.

At today's meeting, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob and President Nataša Pirc Musar exchanged views on current foreign policy developments.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today met with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

At the government committee meetings, the Government adopted, among other things, a response to the Draft Recommendation on the state of play in the fight against corruption, approved some budgetary transfers and added a new project to the current Development Programme Plan 2024–2027.

Minister Tanja Fajon hosted the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, whom she has met on several occasions, most recently in Amman in November 2023. They signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Political Cooperation between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries and devoted a large part of their talks to the current situation in the Middle East.