Today, we mark World Humanitarian Day under the slogan ‘Real Life Heroes’. With the COVID-19 pandemic posing a grave challenge to all humanitarian operations, this year’s humanitarian day is dedicated to promoting solidarity and cooperation during severe crises.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a grant decision for the project “Wastewater discharge and treatment in the municipality of Koper and Ankaran”. The project worth EUR 15.8 million will receive Cohesion Fund support in the amount of EUR 7.3 million.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended an informal video-conference meeting of the European Council. At the meeting, the members of the European Council exchanged views on the developments in Belarus and took note of incidents in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The #OstaniZdrav (#StayHealthy) mobile app is now available to Android OS users in Google Play. At the press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19, the mobile app was presented by Minister of Public Administration Boštjan Koritnik, while Government spokesman, Ambassador Jelko Kacin spoke about controlling the spread of coronavirus, particularly in the light of the situation in Croatia.

The Slovene Enterprise Fund has published a call for proposals »Financial support for the digital transformation of SMEs (P4D-C19)". The total amount of funds available under the call for proposals is EUR 15 million which is contributed by the European Regional Development Fund.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at Ljubljana Airport and they held a brief bilateral meeting.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Aleksandra Pivec, today attended the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels (AGRIFISH). On the margins of the meeting, the Ministers of Agriculture of Germany, Portugal and Slovenia made a joint declaration in which they presented the programme of work of the future Trio Presidency regarding agriculture, fisheries and forestry.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Aleksandra Pivec, today attended the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels (AGRIFISH). At the meeting, the ministers were briefed on the report on progress in consideration of the CAP reform legislative package beyond 2020 and continued to discuss the CAP reform, focusing on green architecture, the farm to fork strategy and a new implementation model.

Today, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dr. Anže Logar and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed a Joint Declaration on 5G Security.

Today, on 13 August 2020, Prime Minister Janez Janša hosts the United States Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. The purpose of the visit is to reaffirm and foster close relations of friendship, partnership and alliance between Slovenia and the United States, review cooperation between the countries in all key areas of common interest and identify opportunities for enhancing mutual cooperation. During the talks, some topical international issues were also discussed. In the margins of the talks, the Joint Declaration of Slovenia and the United States on 5G Security was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Anže Logar, and Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

Mateja Logar from the Infectious Diseases Clinic of the Ljubljana University Medical Centre, and Slovenian Government spokesman, Ambassador Jelko Kacin, took part in a press conference on the status of the COVID-19 disease. The two spoke about the various forms of support treatment, and encouraged those who have recovered from COVID-19 to give blood. Recovering patients may in the coming months be susceptible to various other health issues, even younger patients who recovered from COVID-19 relatively easily.

At today's correspondence session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia decided to earmark EUR 200,000 for emergency humanitarian aid to Lebanon and to send an expert to help coordinate international assistance in Lebanon within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

The Slovenian Government has allocated, through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Caritas Internationalis, a contribution of EUR 200,000 for the people of Beirut. In addition, as part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Slovenia today deployed to Beirut a logistics expert, who is part of the EU Civil Protection Team.

On the basis of an expert assessment, the Slovenian Government decided that the restrictions under the Ordinance on the temporary general restriction or prohibition of the gathering of people in the Republic of Slovenia would continue to remain in force. The Czech Republic, Malta, Switzerland, and certain Spanish administrative units, i.e. the Balearic Islands, Cantabria, and Castile and León, were removed from the green list, whereas Belgium was added to the red list.

At today's correspondence meeting, the Government decided that the Ordinance on temporary measures in implementing compulsory health insurance to control and manage the COVID-19 epidemic would cease to be in force. It also adopted the consolidated balance sheet of the state and municipalities which in 2019 increased by 2.8% or EUR 1.36 billion.

US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo will be visiting Slovenia next week. The purpose of the visit is to intensify the high-level relations, which have stalled during the past few years, and to deepen the close friendly relations between the two allies and partner states, Slovenia and the USA. Another aim of the visit is to enhance the high-level bilateral political dialogue and strengthen cooperation in business and other areas.

On 6 August 2020, some changes to the lists of countries were introduced. Among other, the Slovenian Government decided to take the Czech Republic, Malta, Switzerland and some administrative units of Spain off the green list (entry without a quarantine) and to add Belgium to the red list (14-day quarantine).

On behalf of the Slovenian government, Prime Minister Janez Janša sent a cable of condolences to the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Hassan Diab, expressing his shock at the loss of lives and offered support and help after the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut on Tuesday, 4 August 2020, in late afternoon hours.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issues a grant decision for the project “Construction of secondary circuit of wastewater discharge in the Vuzenica industrial zone”. The project worth EUR 319,000 will be realised by the municipality of Vuzenica and will receive European Regional Development Fund support in the amount of EUR 236,000.

In 2018 the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia purchased a small, but extremely interesting collection of archival material, which is believed to have been preserved at the Vransko Manor. Although the collection includes no more than eight pieces - all of them written on parchment and paper - the records themselves actually span over a longer period of time between 1239 and 1831. The most interesting and most revealing record about the Müller-Hörnstein family is a charter which was written as a proof of ancestry (the so-called Ahnenprobe) in Vienna in 1806.