The Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Matjaž Han, accompanied by Slovenian business representatives, is on a working visit to North Macedonia today and tomorrow. The minister, who met the Macedonian Minister of Economy, Kreshnik Bekteshi, called for the further strengthening of economic cooperation between the two countries.

On 13 December, the Nuclear Safety Administration hosted the annual meeting with a delegation from the Croatian Directorate for Civil Protection as part of the implementation of the bilateral agreement on the Early Exchange of Information in the Event of Radiological Danger.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of relations between Slovenia and Japan on December 15 2022 Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tokyo organised a poetry recital for Slovenians and friends of Slovenia in memory of the life and work of Father Dr Vladimir Kos.

At the session of the Government Committee on the Economy, the Government reallocated the funds from the state budget and increased the dedicated assets and capital of the Eco Fund.

State Secretary Marko Štucin attended the regular meeting of the General Affairs Council in Brussels on the preparations for the European Council meeting and the conclusions on enlargement and stabilisation and association process.

The "Standing with the Ukrainian People" conference in Paris, bringing together high and senior representatives of 70 states and international organisations, was held on 13 December. At the conference organised by France, Slovenia was represented by Ambassador Metka Ipavic.

Today, Prime Minister, Dr Robert Golob, addressed the Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Within the framework of the "This is Europe" debate, the Prime Minister participated at the plenary session of the Parliament and focused on three key fields in his speech, i.e. the energy crisis and green transition, the importance of the rule of law and the geostrategic action of the EU.

On Tuesday, 13 December 2022, the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tokyo organised a working honey breakfast entitled "Bee x Education". The main topic was the importance of educating beekeepers, educating the general public about bees and apitourism.

The European Commission yesterday approved Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027 that Slovenia officially submitted to Brussels at the end of October.

The Minister of Economic Development Matjaž Han and the Minister for Slovenians Abroad Matej Arčon signed an agreement with representatives of Slovenian organisations in neighbouring countries concerning the foundation of an Economic Coordinating Body of Slovenians in neighbouring countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon took part in the regular meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, chaired by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell. The meeting focused on the Russian aggression against Ukraine and on the situation in Iran. A meeting of the EU-Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers was held in the morning in advance of the Council meeting.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon hosted the second high-level event of the Digital for Development (D4D) Hub for Latin America and the Caribbean in Brussels. In her opening address, the Minister underlined the need to strengthen partnership and cooperation on AI.

On 5 December 2022, Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob hosted for the first time the President of the European Council Charles Michel. The Government Communication Office took care of the media logistics.

Granny’s Sexual Life has taken the title for best short at the European Film Awards held in Reykjavik, Iceland. “The European Film Award is proof that Slovenia has the very best creative talent in film. It shows that Slovenian cinema belongs to the elite of European cinema,” said Dr Asta Vrečko, the culture minister, in her congratulations to the makers of the film.

The increasing social hardship and uncertain economic conditions caused by high energy prices have made it necessary to pass a new law whose stipulations include emergency measures to reduce import dependency in energy supplies, price controls, and windfall taxes on electricity producers.

On International Human Rights Day, 10 December 2022, Slovenia launched the Our Rights project in Japan. Ambassador Blanka Jamnišek, responsible for the project, participated in the Youth Forum organised by Soka Gakkai International, shared her experience about the project and conducted training for 40 teachers on the use of tools to teach children about their rights. Prior to the Forum, she was interviewed by the pupils and students from SGI schools for the newspaper Seikyo Shimbun.

Rating agencies S&P and DBRS Morningstar confirmed Slovenia’s credit rating yesterday. S&P confirmed the AA- rating with a stable outlook, while DBRS Morningstar confirmed the A (high) rating, again with a stable outlook. Considering that in recent months rating agencies have downgraded the outlooks for some European countries, the confirmation of the outlook and ratings for Slovenia is proof that it is a solid and trustworthy country.

Prime Minister Dr Robert Golob attended the ninth summit of national leaders of the EU-MED9 grouping, held in Alicante, Spain, on Friday, 9 December.

Minister Fajon took part in the 10th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), themed: "Three Continents, Three Oceans, a Common Destiny: Let's Build a Resilient and Sustainable OACPS". On the margins of the Summit, she held numerous bilateral meetings.

State Secretary Marko Štucin held bilateral consultations in Stockholm with Swedish Minister for EU Affairs Jessika Roswall. They discussed the priorities of the Swedish EU Council Presidency, current European and international topics and EU enlargement to the Western Balkans.