The plenary part of the 68th Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which will take place until 21 October 2022, this year under Slovenia's chairmanship, has started. High-level participants, including a number of delegates from the Contracting Governments and representatives of non-governmental delegations, were addressed by State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Samuel Žbogar, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Uroš Brežan, and Mayor of the Municipality of Piran Đenjo Zadković.

On 18 October this year, European Anti-Trafficking Day, the National Working Group on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings focuses on raising awareness about the exposure to trafficking in human beings of people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The Minister Irena Šinko, participated today in the ‘For Forests Group’ meeting. The Member State Ministers, cooperating in the Group, signed the Guidelines and principles on closer cooperation in forestry within the European Union. The meeting was held in the margins of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting.

The Minister of Defence of the Republic of North Macedonia, Slavjanka Petrovska, is paying a two-day official visit to Slovenia at the invitation of the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, Marjan Šarec. Her visit is a continuation of the meetings at the highest political levels between the two friendly countries, and an opportunity to further strengthen the cooperation between Slovenia and the Republic of North Macedonia in the field of defence and military affairs.

At the upcoming Cleveland Sister Cities Conference 2022 (October 18-20), Ljubljana, a long-time partner of Cleveland, will present itself during several events.

Today we started setting up the exhibition about Plecnik´s Ljubljana.

Klemen Boštjančič, the finance minister, has attended the annual meeting of the IMF and World Bank Group, which took place from 11 to 15 October 2022 in Washington. The primary focus of the discussions was on developments in the global economy and on the international financial markets, the consequences of the war in Ukraine, the food and energy crisis, and possible responses.

Prime Minister Robert Golob addressed attendants at the official opening of Intra Lighting's new factory today, 14 October 2022. The company, which is active in sixty-five countries worldwide, has moved from Mirna to its new premises in Šempeter pri Gorici. The construction of the new, sophisticated factory followed the policy for green transformation that is friendly both to the environment and the community.

Following the adoption of the Healthcare Emergency Measures Act in the summer, a rulebook and two additional decrees to help stabilise the healthcare system and shorten waiting times are due to be published today.

At today's correspondence session, the Government adopted an opinion on the request for a reconsideration of the amendments to the Family Code and proposes that the National Assembly adopt the law in the reconsideration. It also concluded that the proposer's request to suspend two articles of the Decree amending the Decree on Packaging and Packaging Waste Handling is unfounded.

Uroš Brežan, minister of the environment and spatial planning, today made a field visit to Vintgar Gorge together with the mayor of Gorje, and also met the mayors and other representatives of the municipalities of Bled, Bohinj, Jesenice, Kranjska Gora, Bovec and Kobarid, and those responsible for managing natural resources in Triglav National Park (TNP).

Interior minister Tatjana Bobnar attended the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg.

The ministry has received the final report on research into the minimum cost of living. Before determining the size of the adjustment to the minimum wage, and drawing up the basis for raising the minimum basic income, we will coordinate with the government and the social partners. The latter were today briefed on the report within the framework of the Economic and Social Council.

The Naša Super Hrana website published the results of the third survey of basic food products from 10 October 2022. According to this insight into price developments in the consumer food basket, and additional analysis, products of Slovenian origin prevail at all food retailers included in the survey.

The purpose of the Decree on the criteria to define and assess the number of households in energy poverty is to contribute to a high-quality planning and implementing of energy and social policy in the field of energy poverty.

At today’s meeting by correspondence, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the amended Organisation and Financing of Education Act and the amended Public Sector Salary System Act.

The Government and public sector unions signed the Agreement regulating measures relating to salaries and other labour costs in the public sector for 2022 and 2023. The Agreement will increase salaries and meals allowance of public sector employees, including the adjustment of annual holiday pay for those working in salary grade 50 and below.

The Government adopted the Decree on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment. The Decree governs individual objectives and measures for certain plastic products and waste generated from these products.

At the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, the ministers of justice discussed current activities regarding war crimes in Ukraine. Minister Dr Dominika Švarc Pipan condemned Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, especially the attacks on civilians.

At today’s session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the draft act on emergency actions to contain the spread and mitigate the consequences of the infectious COVID-19 disease in healthcare and submitted it to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia to be discussed in an urgent procedure. After the Government’s session, Minister of Health Danijel Bešič Loredan stated that the draft act "sets the legal bases for COVID-19 to become an endemic disease by spring."

Slovenian Press Agency journalist Luka Tetičkovič spoke to Slovenian Defence Minister Marjan Šarec about the defence budget, investments in the defence sector, the manning levels in the Slovenian Armed Forces, and the planned changes in the protection and disaster relief system. We are hereby providing a summary of the interview, published by the Slovenian Press Agency on Wednesday, 12 October.