Interior ministers, including Slovenia's Aleš Hojs, held a meeting in Luxembourg today. The initial exchange of views focused on the Strategy on the future of Schengen, which was presented by the European Commission last week.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan met with State Secretary for the European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain Juan González-Barba Pera to discuss the incoming Slovenian EU Council Presidency and current European topics.

In videoconference, the Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek met today with the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Sig. Stefano Patuanelli, Ing. The meeting was arranged as a forerunner of the Slovenian and Italian Ministerial Coordination Council to take place on 14. 6. 2021.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the ceremony held at Paloma to mark the completion of the investment in a new paper machine, the largest investment in the Slovenian paper industry in the past 40 years.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held consultations with the Undersecretary of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Vincenzo Amendola.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar concluded a two-day working visit to Korea today. He met with his host, Chung Eui-yong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Korea. They advocated strengthening political and economic ties between the two countries, including the opening of the Slovenian Embassy in Seoul. Minister Logar also took the opportunity to present the priorities of Slovenia’s EU Council Presidency in the second half of this year and to exchange views on current international issues.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today met with the Vice-President of the European Commission and the Commissioner for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas. Mr Janša and Mr Schinas continued the discussion they started during the visit of the Slovenian Prime Minister to Athens on 10 May 2021.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today held a videoconference with Secretary General at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, focusing on the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2021.

A press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 was held by the head of the advisory group at the Ministry of Health, Mateja Logar, and the Director of the Ljubljana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Marjana Majerič.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held a videoconference with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director for EU Affairs of Turkey Faruk Kaymakçi. They assessed bilateral relations and exchanged views on EU-Turkey relations in the light of the incoming Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs met with Margaritis Schinas, European Commission Vice-President for Promoting the European Way of Life, today at Brdo Castle. The discussion focused on three key topics: the Pact on Migration and Asylum, the strategy for the future of Schengen and the proposal for an amendment of the Regulation establishing the Schengen Evaluation Mechanism and internal security.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion has approved EU funding for the project Arrangement of Agricultural and Business Dobrovnik – Phase 2. The project worth a good EUR 1 million will be implemented by municipality Dobrovnik under the Agreement on the development of the Pomurje region and will receive EUR 612 thousand of European Regional Development Fund support.

Today, the Slovenian Prime Minister attended the traditional Holy Mass and memorial ceremony at the Burial Ground below Kren in Kočevski Rog. Prior to the memorial ceremony, Prime Minister Janez Janša and the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, laid a wreath at the pit under Macesnova gorica in Kočevski Rog. After the ceremony, they laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Victims of the National Liberation War at Smrečje near Turjak.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša submitted the notice of resignation of the Minister of Justice, Lilijana Kozlovič, to the National Assembly in accordance with Article 261 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly.

Today, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held a meeting via videoconference with Finnish Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen. The meeting focused on the presentation of the priorities of the upcoming Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša met with the president of the Strategic Council for Digitalisation, Mark Boris Andrijanič, and the heads of working groups. They presented the course of the Council’s work thus far and welcomed good cooperation with government representatives and external stakeholders.

The Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, held a working meeting with the Italian Minister of the Interior, Luciana Lamorgese, at the Brdo Castle today. The Ministers agreed that the countries had a tradition of good cooperation in the area of home affairs. They discussed Slovenia’s preparations for the Presidency in the second half of 2021 and irregular migration.

Today, the Minister of Public Administration Boštjan Koritnik attended the EU Telecommunications Council meeting in Luxembourg, where he presented the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency in the field of digitisation. At the meeting, ministers took note of the state of play of legislative proposals on data management, cyber security, ePrivacy, roaming on mobile communications networks in the European Union (roaming) and artificial intelligence. There was also a political debate on the European Union’s digital future.

A month before the beginning of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, Slovenia has unveiled its presidency's slogan and logo. The visual identity of the Slovenian Presidency reflects its guiding principle, priorities and objectives under the slogan "Together. Resilient. Europe."