Today, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan held a telephone conversation with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Qin Gang. They reaffirmed the positive bilateral relations and advocated for closer cooperation during the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2021.

Based on the decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, members of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) have been cooperating with the Police in the broad protection of the national border since 18 February 2016.
Around 150 of SAF members are currently involved in the aforementioned tasks daily, and in almost five years, the SAF has assigned members to these tasks on 150,000 occasions. In addition to members working in mixed patrols with the Police, the SAF also provides independent observation posts, a helicopter, and drones to observe the border area, as well as engineers arranging patrol routes and maintaining temporary technical barriers.
SAF members have been participating in the above-mentioned efforts based on the operations and tactical plan regulating the cooperation between the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Police in broad protection of the national border. Its purpose is to ensure the stability and national security of all inhabitants of Slovenia, and it determines the forms of work of police officers and soldiers in protecting the border and preventing illegal migration. In line with the basic guidelines from the operations and tactical plan, the protection of the national border is led, directed and supervised by the Police. Police procedures are conducted by police officers, while soldiers who take part in border-protection activities in accordance with military tactics, techniques and procedures, are commanded by military commanders.
Based on the decision of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, the SAF has continuously been supporting the Ministry of the Interior in resolving the illegal-migration situation since 19 October 2015.

Today’s daily press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 was attended by Neda Hudopisk, Head of the National Institute of Public Health Ravne na Koroškem unit, Aleš Rozman Director of the Golnik University Clinic for Lung Diseases and Allergy and Borut Štrukelj, full professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy in Ljubljana.

On the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and as part of the preparations for Slovenia's presidency of the Council of the EU, State Secretary Dovžan today held a virtual meeting with Slovenian members of the European Economic and Social Committee. In his introductory address, he outlined the envisaged priority tasks of the Slovenian presidency in the second half of this year.

This afternoon, Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek held a remote meeting with Mr Janusz Wojciechowski, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. They primarily discussed topics to be in the forefront during Slovenia’s EU Council Presidency in the field of agriculture and forestry. The interlocutors discussed the difficult situation in the pig meat sector, also within the context of Slovenia’s call for action launched at the January videoconference of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers. The Minister informed the Commissioner of the progress made in preparing the National Strategic Plan.

Today’s press conference on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 disease was attended by Matej Lahovnik, coordinator of the expert advisory group, which is preparing the package of anti-corona relief, director of DSO Vojnik Breda Božnik, and psychologist Eva Kovač.

A press conference on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 virus was held by state secretary at the Ministry of Health Marija Magajne and Director of the National Institute of Public Health Milan Krek.

Writer, playwright and essayist Drago Jančar is the most translated and awarded Slovenian author. Four Kresnik Awards for his novels, the Prešeren Prize for his oeuvre, the Herder Prize and the Austrian State Prize for European Literature are only some of the accolades he has earned. He draws inspiration from history and life in all its nuances. His books remind us of what happens when a national border turns into a frontline overnight.

Gustav Tönnies, founder of one of the most enterprising and successful families in the territory of the 19th century Slovenia, was a successful businessman, who took good advantage of the opportunities offered by the expansion of major infrastructural projects in the second half of the 19th century. His sons carried on his work, but were after the disintegration of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy faced with new problems and challenges arising from newly created states. The Archives of the Republic of Slovenia keeps extensive probate records of Gustav Tönnies, which contain as many as 54 documents, including several property inventories.

Prime Minister Janez Janša nominated the missionary Pedro Opeka and his humanitarian organisation, Akamasoa, which operates on the outskirts of Antananarivo in Madagascar, for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize.

Prime Minister Janez Janša published a message on his Facebook page regarding the number of enrolment places in public schools and faculties financed by taxpayers’ money. It is one of the most important strategic decisions in every country.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today spoke with his Hungarian, Slovakian, and Israeli colleagues on the phone.

“The Slovenian Government had already adopted a roadmap to ease or tighten measures at the beginning of December, given that we were already in the second wave of infections, and this plan was revised at the beginning of January according to the situation that developed.

Today, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan hosted Karoline Edtstadler, Austrian Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution at the Federal Chancellery. Slovenia and Austria share similar views on EU issues and are partners in regional initiatives. Minister Edtstadler was also received by Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar.

A working level meeting for senior officials of the Slovenian, Croatian, and Italian foreign ministries took place today. It focused on cooperation on economic development, connectivity, and comprehensive protection of the northern Adriatic region prior to the declaration of the exclusive economic zones by both Croatia and Italy.

The new Executive Director of the European Labour Authority (ELA), Cosmin Boiangiu, paid a visit to Slovenia on 29 January 2021 as part of his tour of EU Member States. He was received by State Secretary Gašper Dovžan when he paid a courtesy visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition to the promotion of the European Labour Authority, the visit is also aimed at establishing sound foundations for cooperation and at enhancing relations with the competent labour authorities in Slovenia, with which the ELA would like to cooperate more closely in the future. The Executive Director also met with the Minister of Labour, Family and Social Affairs.

Slovenia has marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Wednesday with a series of events, including the laying of wreaths, exhibitions and the traditional reading of the names of Slovenian Holocaust victims.

Prime Minister Janez Janša participated at the January session of the Managers’ Association of Slovenia. The broad event represents a symbolic start to the new economic year, which is why it is full of optimism, new ideas, drive, and expectations. Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke with the executive director of the Association on aiding the economy with anti-corona packages, on the national recovery and resilience plan, and on other topics which are significant for the Slovenian economy.

Today the Slovenian Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, and his delegation attended an informal video conference of the EU Home Affairs Ministers. The Portuguese Presidency included three discussion topics on the conference agenda: the next steps in the EU migration and asylum policy, the current state and future of the Schengen area, and the future of Europol.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has extended the reopening of kindergartens and schools for students of the first three grades of primary school in the following red regions: the Gorenjska, Koroška, Osrednjeslovenska, Podravska, Pomurska and Savinjska regions. In these regions, from Tuesday, 2 February 2021, childcare for pre-school children and classes for students of the first three grades of primary school will continue to take place on school premises, said Minister Simona Kustec, presenting the Government's decision.