News

With the new episode of the GOVSI Podcast, we are counting down the last days until the Olympic Games in Paris. In the studio, we hosted the president of the Olympic Committee of Slovenia, Franjo Bobinac. Petra Bezjak Cirman, director of the Office of Communications of the Republic of Slovenia, spoke with him.

In the new episode of the GOVSI podcast, host Zoran Potič interviewed two guests, one from the public sector and one from the non-governmental sector – Director of the Directorate for Nature at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning Dr Katarina Groznik Zeiler and President of the Society for Observation and Study of Birds of Slovenia (BirdLife Slovenia (DOPPS)) Dr Tanja Šumrada. The occasion for the interview was the awarding of a new national award, the Rado Smerdu Award, for contributions to the development of the profession of nature conservation and to nature conservation itself.

To mark the launch of the Stop Disinformation - reREAD, reTHINK, RECHECK campaign, we're taking a closer look at this topic in a new episode of the GOVSI Podcast.

When the catastrophic storm that struck much of Slovenia in August 2023 caused a widespread disaster, the Government Communication Office (UKOM) immediately provided a rapid, coordinated and efficient flow of information between field teams, the government and the population through official communication channels and close cooperation with the media. Its professionalism in this regard was recognised by the Slovenian Public Relations Association with the Prizma Award.

Have you heard about the invasion of bedbugs in one of Europe’s countries? And seen a photo of Pope Francis in a white puffer jacket? Even if the news sounds credible and the photo on the screen in front of you looks completely real, these two cases are among the more well-known examples of disinformation that has been exposed.

The guest of the new episode of the GOVSI podcast is Romano Prodi. We invited him to talk to host Nataša Čepar on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the EU. They also discussed relations between Slovenia and Italy and current events in world politics.

In Celje, young people celebrated the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the European Union (EU). Ahead of Europe Day, children from kindergartens and schools in the Celje region, as part of the European Village project, presented EU member states and countries on the path to EU membership at stands on the Main Square. Additionally, awards were presented at the Celje Cultural Center for the best works by students who participated in the Europe in School competition.

On May 4, before the Europe Day, the European institutions opened their doors to visitors, who were able to visit long and complex corridors of the institutions and learn about everything the EU does for its citizens. The member states also presented themselves: Slovenia presented to around 10,000 visitors with its potica pastry and excellent athletes, who are true ambassadors of the Slovenian way of life.

In late April, Brdo pri Kranju hosted a gathering of communications professionals from various EU member states, candidate countries, and European institutions. The event was organized jointly by the Government Communication Office and the Club of Venice. Participants delved into two key themes: tackling disinformation and the communication challenges posed by the EU's expansion into the Western Balkans.

The topic of the new podcast show is migration. Zorana Potič's guest is the executive director of the European Asylum Agency, Nina Gregori, who has been working in this field for her entire career.

As the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the EU approaches, in a new episode of the podcast, we hosted agricultural economist Dr Emil Erjavec. During the negotiations for EU accession, he was a member of the core negotiating team for agriculture and fisheries, the "expert engine" of the negotiations for agriculture. He is a highly popular professor at the Biotechnical Faculty and above all, a great expert in agricultural policy.

On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Nato and the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the military organisation, an exhibition and a roundtable discussion on the importance and future of Nato were opened at the Military History Park in Pivka on 27 March. The panellists agreed that the Alliance has played an important role in maintaining peace in Europe and will continue to do so in the future.

The Russian Defence Ministry claims, in a statement posted on Telegram, that there are five Slovenians among foreign mercenaries fighting in Ukraine.

Elementary school students will enter a slightly renovated school in the fall. As the latest GOVSI podcast guest, State Secretary from the Ministry of Education, Janja Zupančič, emphasizes, the school is a living community that must adapt to what is happening in the environment. The recently adopted amendment to the Act on Elementary School is one of the responses to these adjustments.

Between 27th February and 1st of March, the Center for European Perspective, in collaboration with the U.S. State Department, organized the 24th training session as part of the European Digital Diplomacy Exchange (EDDE) project. The training focused on strengthening digital strategic communication.

The guest of the 2nd episode of the GOVSI government podcast is Dr Janez Potočnik: during the preparations for Slovenia's accession to the EU, he was the head of the EU Accession Negotiating Group, then European Commissioner for two terms, and today he is a member and co-chair of the UN's International Panel on Resources. The discussion was moderated by Petra Bezjak Cirman, Director of the Government Communications Office.

In the first episode of the GOVSI podcast, host Boštjan Lajovic hosts Tanja Fajon, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, and Marjan Šarc, Minister of Defence.

The first governmental podcast, entitled “GOVSI podcast”, is being prepared by the Government Communication Office of the Republic of Slovenia (UKOM). This is a (video) podcast of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia by means of which we will broaden the conventional methods of informing and communicating with the public and thereby enhance the transparency of the Government’s operations.

On May 1, 2024, Slovenia will mark the 20th anniversary of its accession to the European Union, coinciding with the largest EU enlargement in history. In collaboration with institutions such as the National Assembly, the Office of the President of the Republic, and the representations of the European Commission and the European Parliament in Slovenia, the government has curated a comprehensive program of activities.

"I am pleased that today we signed a contract with the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), which will provide sufficient resources for the provision of this public service in 2024," said Petra Bezjak Cirman, Director of the Government Communication Office, at the signing ceremony.