On Friday, 12 June, Standard & Poor's credit rating agency confirmed the AA- credit rating (stable outlook) for the Republic of Slovenia.

Slovenia is a land of forests as they cover 58.2% of our country. In terms of forest cover, Slovenia ranks third in the European Union, after Sweden and Finland.

Slovenians are hard-working and motivated people. Work is an important value and we strive to be good at what we do. We see creativity as a source of encouragement for the development of society, and it comes as no surprise that the Slovenian business environment is based on the following approach: green, creative and smart.

This week Slovenia is holding its 21st National Volunteer Week. The purpose of the event is to celebrate volunteering, thank the volunteers and voluntary organisations for their work, and invite individuals to learn about volunteering opportunities and donate their time for the good of their community.

It has been two years since the UN General Assembly proclaimed 20 May as World Bee Day on the initiative brought forward by Slovenia.

Like many other countries around the globe, Slovenia has been fighting to contain the growth of new coronavirus cases. The government's measures have been effective and our country has been one of the most successful in its fight against the epidemic.

In March 2020, the Slovenian competence centre for recycling of plastic materials Interseroh Plastics Research & Development was awarded international accreditation of laboratory standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017, becoming the only accredited research institution in Europe to be specialised in the research and development of recycling and recovery of plastic waste materials into innovative materials used in production.

The Park of Military History Pivka, the Lipica Stud Farm and the Škocjan Caves Park started marketing their sights together four years ago. This entailed offering visitors ticket discounts that have now increased from 15 to 25 per cent. The directors of all three public institutes said that the integration has already proved to be very successful.

On Wednesday, the government considerably eased the restrictions adopted during the epidemic. This will be followed by a 14-day observation period, and any further wider easing measures will reappear on the agenda in early June.

On May 8, a new season of Restaurants on the Edge series was announced on Netflix. Starting May 8, Netflix’s 182 million subscribers in 190 countries around the world will be able to watch the first part of the series showing the natural, cultural and gastronomic features of Slovenia for 47 minutes.

The May Declaration was a political statement drawn up by Slovenian opposition political parties in 1989 in which they demanded a sovereign state of the Slovenian nation. The declaration was read out by Tone Pavček at a mass protest gathering at Kongresni trg in Ljubljana on 8 May 1989.

New York-based media company Vox ranked Slovenia among the overlooked success stories in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, along with Vietnam, Iceland, Jordan and Greece. All these countries have implemented similar measures that have so far helped to curb the pandemic.

On Wednesday, experts presented the first analytical assessments of the national study on the spread of COVID-19 in Slovenia.

The Government aims to introduce uniform criteria for cyber security in state institutions as the existing ones are fragmented and not sufficiently specific. The rolling out of the fifth generation technology (5G) is, in the opinion of the Government, primarily an issue of national security.

As of Thursday, 30 April 2020, the Government is lifting the general prohibition of movement outside the municipality of permanent or temporary residence, while on Monday, 4 May 2020, several economic activities will gradually resume, provided that the instructions of the medical profession are respected. "However, mass events will most likely remain prohibited until a COVID-19 vaccine or medicine is discovered and widely used," said Prime Minister Janez Janša.

In Slovenia, as in many countries around the world, 1st May marks the International Labour Day. This holiday is associated with the old tradition of lighting bonfires in Slovenia.

One month after its establishment, the International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI), which operates under the auspices of UNESCO, is fully operational.

29 April is dedicated to dance. Did you know that a Slovenian is responsible for International Dance Day? In 1982, the ballet legend Dr Henrik Neubauer convinced the UNESCO International Theatre Institute to declare the birthday of the ballet reformer Jean-Georges Noverre (29 April 1727–19 October 1810) as International Dance Day.

Within a national campaign for the promotion of the Slovenian economy, SPIRIT Slovenia - Public Agency has selected 19 new ambassadors whose sustainable and innovative solutions will increase the visibility of Slovenia as a technologically developed and green country. The new ambassadors include Akrapovič, Pipistrel, Alpina and Elan.

Slovenia joined the initiative of the EU Member States for greening the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.