On 22 May, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs traditionally celebrates Slovenian Diplomacy Day. The event is dedicated to the diplomats who have shaped the diplomatic service with great commitment, an occasion to remember one of our colleagues who excelled in their work. This year, we remember Ida Močivnik. A valued ambassador, she stood out for her principled stance and the highest professional and ethical standards.

On 20 May, we celebrate, for the sixth year, the World Bee Day, which was declared by the UN General Assembly on 20 December 2017, at the initiative of Slovenia. By marking the World Bee Day, we draw attention to bees’ paramount importance for our survival on this planet.

Remarkable Slovenian chef Ana Roš was featured in the renowned New York Times, in a series “Transforming Spaces” about women driving change in sometimes unexpected places.

On Saturday, Slovenia and all the World will for the sixth time be celebrating the World Bee Day, proclaimed on 20 December 2017 by the United Nations General Assembly. The main purpose of the World Bee Day is to raise the awareness of global general public on the significance of bees and other pollinators for the entire human race, in the light of food security, global hunger elimination, and protection of the environment and biodiversity.

At today's session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the text of the proposal to initiate the procedure for amending Articles 160, 161 and 162 of the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia and allocated an additional EUR 2.8 million for the organisation and hosting of the European Youth Olympic Festival 2023 in Maribor.

At the invitation of the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, Marjan Šarec, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Albania, Niko Peleshi, paid an official visit to Slovenia. After being received with military honours in front of the Ministry of Defence, Minister Šarec and Minister Peleshi first had a private conversation, followed by official talks between the two delegations.

The annual meeting of the International Trademark Association (INTA) is held in Singapore and attended by the delegation of the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office. The delegation also attended an event organised by the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore, where the Directors of the Slovenian and Singaporean IP Offices exchanged good practices in the field of intellectual property.

The Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob met with Dr Simona Gerenčer, Secretary General of the Deafblind Association of Slovenia DLAN.

State Secretary Marko Štucin opened the thematic conference "Towards Knowledge-Society and Professions of the Future" in Brdo pri Kranju, held within the scope of the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) lasting until October 2023.

Minister Tanja Fajon received Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina Staša Košarac during his working visit to Slovenia. Their talks focused on bilateral relations.

Members of the Animal Protection Working Group, which is organised under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s Office, met with representatives of the Psi in Mi Institute, a centre for modern dog parenting.

This year, Slovenian Bee diplomacy is entering a new phase with projects primarily supporting social and environmental resilience. In cooperation with local partners, Slovenian diplomatic missions and consular posts will again carry out more than 30 projects around the world. The two most important celebrations will take place in Rome and New York.

This year's theme for the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, "Together always: united in diversity", reminds us that all people, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity, are born free and are equal in dignity and rights.

Minister Tanja Fajon was in Koper today for talks with the Mayor of Koper, Aleš Bržan, and the management of the Port of Koper. The visit took place just a few days ahead of her departure for Vietnam (21–23 May) in the company of a ten-strong business delegation that includes the Port of Koper, and for Indonesia. She will also visit the Republic of Korea in June.

State Secretary Samuel Žbogar hosted Pablo Anselmo Tettamanti, Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship of the Argentine Republic, for bilateral political consultations. Their talks focused on strengthening political and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Under the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), the first meeting of the Strategy's National Coordinators took place today, bringing together for the first time delegations from all 14 EUSDR Member States and members of the Danube Youth Council (DYC).

Minister Irena Šinko participated in the presentation of the results of the targeted research programme entitled The Design of the Methodology for the monitoring of wild pollinators in Slovenia. The event came ahead of World Bee Day, which will be celebrated on Saturday, 20 May, bringing bees and other pollinators into the global spotlight at the initiative of Slovenia.

On behalf of the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport, State Secretary mag. Dejan Židan participated for the first time in the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council meeting, of which the agenda for the first day includes content in the field of sports.

At the opening of the MLA diplomatic conference, Minister of Justice dr Dominika Švarc Pipan emphasised that states and the international community are responsible for establishing interstate mechanisms for the investigation and prosecution of international crimes, and drew attention to the protection of children in these proceedings. During the conference, representatives of the Ministry of Justice are to actively participate in the negotiation process.

In the spring forecast published today, the European Commission has enhanced the economic growth forecast for Slovenia. This year, it is expected to reach 1.2 per cent, and 2.2 per cent in 2024. The enhanced forecast is an encouraging signal; we are also pleased that currently there is no fear of a recession in Europe.