"I welcome today's announcement by the leaders of the Kingdom of Spain, the Republic of Ireland and the Kingdom of Norway on recognising the State of Palestine. In recent weeks, I have been in close and regular contact with them. In the coming days, I will also be in contact with many colleagues from EU Member States that have not yet recognised Palestine, in the hope that they join the recognition process in the near future.

On World Bee Day, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon and Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Qu Dongyu inaugurated an urban beehive in the garden of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs at a special ceremony and opened the international forum "Bees for People, Planet and Peace".

Prime Minister Robert Golob meet with Qu Donyu, Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). The two speakers discussed the global food crisis and food security, especially in war zones.

At the invitation of President Jakov Milatović, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, was on an official visit to Montenegro. The Slovenian President was received with military honours by her host, and their talks today focused on Montenegro's efforts on the path towards the European Union and the importance of the earliest possible integration of the Western Balkan countries into Euro-Atlantic integration for the stability of the region.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for two calls for proposals. The Just Transition Fund makes a total of EUR 77,740,000 available for both calls, i.e., Call for proposals for promoting investments for the economic restructuring of the Zasavska and Savinjsko-Šaleška coal regions and Call for proposals for co-financing the projects of economic and business infrastructure development in the Savinjsko-Šaleška coal region.

State Secretary Marko Štucin held political consultations in Riga, where he and Andris Pelšs, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, confirmed the good and friendly bilateral relations between Slovenia and Latvia.

The Golden Bee Award was presented on World Bee Day for the fourth time. The award was presented by the President of the Republic Nataša Pirc Musar, and the winner was declared by the Minister of Agriculture Mateja Čalušić. The Golden Bee Award was presented to The Wheen Bee Foundation Limited of Australia. Many other events were organised around the world on the occasion of today's World Bee Day.

The European Commission adopted a decision to increase short stay Schengen visa (visa type C) fees worldwide by 12 per cent. The increase will apply worldwide as of 11 June 2024.

Maja Brkan presented the Annual Report of the Court of Justice of the European Union for 2023 to Prime Minister Robert Golob and outlined the key challenges for the period ahead.

In the coming days, we are celebrating a series of European, global, and international days that remind us each year of our relationship with nature and the importance of preserving nature for future generations – World Bee Day on 20 May, European Natura 2000 Day on 21 May, International Day of Biological Diversity on 22 May and European Day of Parks on 24 May.

Danijel Levičar, State Secretary for the National Nuclear Programme, today took part in a debate on the role of nuclear energy in the green transition, which took place as part of the international SEEnergy conference in Celje.

In Strasbourg, Minister Tanja Fajon attended the 133rd Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which focused on Ukraine, reviewed progress in implementing the decisions of the Fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government and adopted the first international instrument on artificial intelligence and human rights. She also represented Slovenia at the Commemorative Ceremony of the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals to finance the establishment, maintenance and management of a public informing and alerting system, including the transmission of warning notifications.

This year, the theme of the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia is “No one left behind: Equality, freedom and justice for all”, which highlights the need for equality and respect for all people, regardless of their circumstances. As stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights".

Did you know that the population of Slovenia has increased by 6 percent since 2004, when we joined the EU? And that in mid-2019, the number of men surpassed the number of women for the first time? Since then, Slovenia has been one of the few EU member states where men outnumber women. The other countries with this demographic characteristic are Sweden, Luxembourg, and Malta.

Today we celebrated the 20th anniversary of Slovenia's membership in Europol at the Police Academy in Tacen.

Today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) published its decision on the applications of three Slovenian fishermen against the Republic of Croatia. Slovenia intervened in the case to ensure legal aid for its citizens.

This year's Slovenian Regional Days, themed Demography, Human Resources, Regional Development, is held in Novo mesto. Demography, human resources and regional development are the key elements that shape the future of any region. The event looks into the various aspects of the three areas and their impact on the overall development of Slovenian regions.

Between 7 and 8 May 2024, the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA) hosted the annual meeting of European Association of Competent Authorities for Safe Transport of Radioactive Material in Slovenia (EACA) for the first time since joining this European association of competent authorities for safe transport of radioactive material.