On the fourth day of her Middle East and Gulf tour, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar. The main topic of the talks was the Middle East, including the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.

State Secretary Matevž Frangež today presented the starting points of a Slovenian startup strategy at the Podim Conference – one of the most important technology and startup events in Europe. The goal of the strategy, which was created in cooperation with active stakeholders of the ecosystem, is to make Slovenia one of the most attractive environments for startup companies by 2030.

Today, Prime Minister Robert Golob attended a meeting titled 'Good Practices in Monitoring the Effective Workload of Doctors'. At a working meeting organised by the Ministry of Health, representatives of hospitals presented examples of good practice from the project on monitoring the effective workload of doctors.

At the Informal Ministerial Meeting of the Visegrad Group and seven other member states of the European Union, which took place in Prague, Czech Republic, Ministers responsible for Cohesion signed a Joint Declaration on the future of Cohesion Policy beyond 2027. The Joint Declaration emphasizes the need for strengthening Cohesion Policy and for the Policy to remain the EU’s main investment policy with the aim of reducing development disparities between EU member states and regions.

The last working day of the Consular section of the Embassy of the Republic in Slovenia in Cairo before the closure will be Thursday, 30 May 2024.

On the third day of her visit to the Middle East and the Gulf, Minister Tanja Fajon met with Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates. The main topics of discussion were the strengthening of bilateral cooperation and developments in the Middle East. At the request of Sheikh Zayed, Minister Fajon gave an assessment of the situation in the Western Balkans. She also visited the Abrahamic Family House.

We are only a week away from the seventh World Bee Day. The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food along with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) co-organise an international forum "Bees for people, planet and peace" as part of World Bee Day celebrations. It will be held on 22 and 23 May 2024 in Ljubljana.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today participated as a keynote speaker in the ceremony marking the completion of the Maribor-Šentilj-Slovenian state border railway upgrade project.

The guest of the new episode of the GOVSI podcast is Romano Prodi. We invited him to talk to host Nataša Čepar on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the EU. They also discussed relations between Slovenia and Italy and current events in world politics.

In the second part of her visit to the Middle East and the Gulf, Minister Tanja Fajon visited Egypt. She and her Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, agreed that every effort must be made to bring Israel and Hamas back to the negotiating table. On the first day, the Minister visited the Red Crescent logistics depot and a hospital in Arish, North Sinai, and later travelled to the Rafah Border Crossing.

The Prime Minister, Robert Golob, today received representatives of the European Disability Forum (EDF) and the Slovenian National Disability Council (NSIOS). The meeting was held within the framework of the EDF General Assembly, which took place in Ljubljana from 10 to 12 May 2024 in co-organisation with NSIOS.

At today's correspondence session, the government adopted an opinion on the proposal to temporarily suspend the Ordinance related to the petition to review the constitutionality of the Ordinance calling a consultative referendum on regulating the right to assistance in the voluntary termination of life.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Educational activities for people serving a prison sentence.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's EU membership and Europe Day, Minister Fajon hosted a debate with Slovenians who were active in the pre-accession process and later worked in the EU institutions. In a relaxed discussion, the Minister and her guests exchanged views on Slovenia and the Union underscoring the importance of citizens casting their votes in the upcoming European elections.

Prime Minister Robert Golob attended today's state ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the European Union, which was held in Nova Gorica. The ceremony took place on Europe Day, which commemorates the signing of the Schuman Declaration and the beginning of European integration.

At today’s session, the Government reached the decision to start the procedure for the recognition of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state. It also adopted the framework to erect a monument commemorating Slovenia’s independence in Trg Republike in Ljubljana and approved the proposal for a new State Assets Management Strategy. The procedure for drafting the 2025 and 2026 budgets was initiated.

Today, in the National Gallery, the Minister of Culture, Dr Asta Vrečko, presented a charter to the representatives of the Chamber of Nursing and Midwifery Services of Slovenia – the Nurses and Midwives Association of Slovenia – and the Natural Beginnings Association on the occasion of the inscription of midwifery on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In Celje, young people celebrated the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's accession to the European Union (EU). Ahead of Europe Day, children from kindergartens and schools in the Celje region, as part of the European Village project, presented EU member states and countries on the path to EU membership at stands on the Main Square. Additionally, awards were presented at the Celje Cultural Center for the best works by students who participated in the Europe in School competition.

Minister Dr Aleksander Jevšek attended the opening of a photographic exhibition depicting the historical development of the museum and a panel discussion regarding the exhibition at the Park of Military History in Pivka. In his opening address, the Minister underlined that today, 20 years after the concept idea of establishing the museum, it has become one of the most visited museums in Slovenia and it is a success story also in terms of EU funds use.

The Minister of the Interior, Boštjan Poklukar, visited Malta, where he met with the Maltese Minister for Home Affairs, Security and Employment, Byron Camilleri, and the Executive Director of the European Union Asylum Agency, Nina Gregori.