Today, a videoconference of EU and Western Balkans leaders took place which was co-chaired by President of the European Council Charles Michel, Croatian prime minister Andrej Plenković and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Zvonko Černač, Minister without portfolio, competent for development and the EU cohesion policy, and State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs visited Slovenska Bistrica. They met with the Mayor dr. Ivan Žagar and discussed the topical issues regarding the implementation of European Cohesion Policy, by also visiting projects that are being implemented with the help of EU funding.

We, the Ministers of South Africa, Sweden, Argentina, Australia, Albania, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cabo Verde, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Fiji, France, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Italy, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, are honored to issue this joint statement on behalf of the people and governments of 58 countries: Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mexico, Moldova, Montenegro, Namibia, Netherlands, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Ukraine and Uruguay.

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.

Today, the Minister of Public Administration Boštjan Koritnik attended an informal video conference of ministers responsible for telecommunications and the information society. At the virtual meeting, ministers discussed the possibilities of monitoring the spread of COVID-19 infections through mobile technology and the importance of digitalisation for the exit from the epidemic and the recovery of the EU.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar participated at today's virtual pledging event hosted by the European Commission as part of a unified global response to the Covid-19 outbreak. On behalf of Slovenia, Minister Logar pledged EUR 13,760,000 for finding a cure and vaccine, and improving diagnostics to combat the disease.

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.

Published below is the statement of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Mr Janez Janša, on 1 May, the International Labour Day, and the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

Head physician Dr. Mirko Černič established himself in the world of medicine as a physician, organizer, scientist, professor and a publicist. His greatest achievement, though, was the first purposely built sanatorium in Maribor, whose construction he himself planned and financed. Ninety years have passed since the opening of the sanatorium.

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.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has today considered the plan to gradually ease the restrictive measures imposed as a result of the coronavirus epidemic.

At today’s session, the Government adopted a plan to gradually ease the lockdown measures introduced due to the coronavirus epidemic and lifted the prohibition of movement outside the municipality of permanent or temporary residence.

In a videoconference call, Ministers Logar and Maas confirmed excellent relations between Slovenia and Germany and their shared positions on a number of important international issues. This was Minister Logar’s introductory visit to Berlin, which took place virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Minister Logar stressed the importance of political and economic ties with Germany, Slovenia’s most important foreign trade partner. He welcomed the strategic partnership between the two countries and expressed support for the activities aimed at implementing the 2019-21 working programme.

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.

At the outset, Minister Logar expressed solidarity and sympathy over the Covid-19 victims in the US.

The Slovenian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State called for further strengthening of friendly ties between the two allies and stressed the importance of close transatlantic partnership in dealing with the current pandemic. They addressed a number of topical international issues.