According to the Austrian security authorities, the border crossing point Svečina – Berghausen was reopened today at midnight, while the old border crossing point Šentilj (on the main road) - Spielfeld (Bundesstrasse) was reopened today at noon.

On 22 April the world marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Earth Day draws our attention to the vulnerability and uniqueness of the planet on which we live. The Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning contributes to the protection of the environment through active engagement and multiple projects. Let us take this moment to reassess our habits and create new ones that are better for our planet.

This year's Earth Day focuses on actions to combat climate change. Climate change represents one of the biggest challenges to the future of humanity and the life-support systems that make our world habitable.

At today's session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia considered the proposed Act Amending the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy (the ZIUZEOP) or the 'first anti-corona package', and the proposed Act on Providing Additional Liquidity to the Economy to Mitigate the Consequences of the COVID-19 Epidemic or the 'second anti-corona package'.2]

The police established a temporary border crossing point (BCP) at Predel on the Slovenian-Croatian border in accordance with the State Border Control Act.

Slovenia joined the joint initiative of 16 EU Member States for greening the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. The European Green Deal (Green Deal) is central to the European economic recovery.

At today's session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia considered the proposed Act Amending the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy (the ZIUZEOP) or 'the first anti-corona package', and the proposed Act on Providing Additional Liquidity to the Economy to Mitigate the Consequences of the COVID-19 Epidemic or 'the second anti-corona package'.

In exactly a month’s time, on 20 May, Slovenia and the rest of the world will celebrate World Bee Day for the third time. The UN General Assembly proclaimed World Bee Day on 20 December 2017 as a result of cooperation between the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, as the initiator, and the Republic of Slovenia. The main purpose of World Bee Day is to raise awareness among the global public about the importance of bees and other pollinators for humanity, bearing in mind food security, global elimination of hunger, and care for the environment and biodiversity.

On 20 April 2020, at the Ministry of Defence, Brigadier General Robert Glavaš assumed the post of Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces.

At its regular session of 16 April, the Government took a new step towards the gradual easing of measures to contain the COVID-19 epidemic.

The Minister of Finance M.Sc. Andrej Šircelj on the basis of the third paragraph of Article 40 of the Slovenian Sovereign Holding Act, issued a Decision on the appointment and tasks of the Expert Commission for the preparation of the candidate proposal for the members of the Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) Supervisory Board, which will carry out the process of obtaining and evaluating candidates and prepare for the Minister for Finance the proposal of the relevant candidates. The candidate selection process is underway due to the expiration of the term of office of two members of the SSH Supervisory Board on July 16, 2020.

On Wednesday, 15 April 2020, Minister of Public Administration Boštjan Koritnik held a videoconference with Zoran Stančič, Head of the European Commission Representation in Slovenia. They discussed cooperation between the Ministry of Public Administration and the Representation in the field of digitalization of public administration and measures to deal with the Covid-19 epidemic. They agreed that the cooperation is constructive and will continue in the future. The head of the representative office, Zoran Stančič, also praised the operation of e-Government during the epidemic.

In recent days, there was substantial reporting on Slovenia in the foreign press, inviting readers to daydream about the country in these unusual times and plan a visit sometime in the future or to rekindle pleasant memories of Slovenia.

Forbes magazine has recognised Slovenia as a true artificial intelligence powerhouse.

Slovenia declared an epidemic on 12 March 2020 due to the growing number of coronavirus infections. In order to contain the spread of infection, many countries, including Slovenia, introduced changes in their border crossing regime.

Ljubljanske Mlekarne, Slovenia's largest dairy, has dispatched the first shipment of its iconic Planica ice cream to China, part of a total of 43 tonnes planned to be exported there this year.

Major Slovenian textile companies and smaller textile workshops have joined forces to focus on the production of protective masks in response to market needs.

The book entitled "With Valvasor at the Table – Nutrition Culture in Carniola in the Second Half of the 17th Century" written by dr. Janez Bogataj was selected as one of the top three books in its respective category and received the prestigious Best in the World 2020 award.

Dear citizens, dear fellow Slovenians abroad, dear Friends,