Today Prime Minister Janez Janša visited the University Medical Centre Maribor, which provides secondary and tertiary healthcare in the Maribor, Pesnica, Ruše, Ormož, Lenart, Ptuj and Slovenska Bistrica areas, including some subspecialty services for the needs of north-eastern Slovenia and the Koroška region.

At today’s Eurogroup video conference, EU Ministers of Finance agreed on short-term measures to mitigate the effect of the coronavirus pandemic. During the crisis, all euro area Member States will be able to access the resources within the newly established Pandemic Crisis Support, which will be based on the existing precautionary credit line of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). A temporary European instrument to support national safety nets – called SURE, and EIB guarantee schemes will also be created. Fiscal and state-aid rules are relaxed, and the work on mid-term measures continues as well.

In a video conference today the Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša and the President of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia (FVG) autonomous region, Massimilano Fedriga, exchanged information on the current situation regarding COVID-19 and the measures adopted by Slovenia and the FVG region to combat the epidemic.

Prime Minister Janez Janša pointed out today on Twitter, in connection to the easing of measures adopted by the Government to contain and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, that Japan, which appeared to have contained the epidemic in the first wave, declared a state of emergency again today. “Let me state once again that easing lockdown measures is possible only if we cumulatively meet certain conditions that I mentioned on Tuesday and that are respected in all the countries which have been successful in the fight against the coronavirus.

The emergence of a novel coronavirus, its rapid spread and subsequent declaration of a pandemic have posed a common challenge to the employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs both in internal and foreign service: Covid-19.

At the outbreak of the pandemic, the Slovenian authorities advised against all travel and repeatedly called on Slovenian citizens to postpone their travel plans. This also applies to the coming Easter season.

State Secretary Tone Kajzer attended an informal meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in the format of development cooperation ministers via an audio/video conference. The ministers discussed the EU’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and upheld a joint approach to assist partner countries termed ‘Team Europe’. The main goal is to ensure emergency assistance to partner countries, particularly the most vulnerable countries in Africa, the European neighbourhood and the Western Balkans, and at the same time to strengthen the EU’s role and increase the visibility of its development and humanitarian aid.

Thirty years have passed since the first multiparty elections were held in Slovenia. They were won by Demos, a coalition of new parties, which then formed the government.

The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards culinary event honoured the cookbook Cook Eat Slovenia with not one, but two awards.

In his statement to the press today, Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke about the situation in Slovenia at the time of the COVID-19 epidemic and the gradual resumption of economic activities.

On the 7th of April 2020, the Republic of Slovenia successfully returned to the markets with a triple-tranche transaction, consisting of a €1.15bn Mar-23 tap, a new €1bn 10yr (Jul-30) issuance and a €100m Aug-45 tap.

The company Ocean Orchids from Dobrovnik has started growing vegetables on a trial basis. Ocean Orchids is a ten-year-old company with forty employees located in the extreme northeast of Slovenia that cultivates 2 million orchids every year.

This year, World Health Day puts nurses and midwives at the forefront and the importance of community support for them. In recent months, nurses and other healthcare professionals have been on the frontline to care for those falling ill with COVID-19.

The Holmec border crossing reopened on 6 April and it will remain open every day from 5.00 to 8.00 and from 15.00 to 18.00.

A call centre has been operating ever since the declaration of the coronavirus pandemic in Slovenia to provide the public with reliable and up-to-date information on the new coronavirus. Information is available at the toll-free telephone number 080 1404 (+38614787550 for calls from abroad) every day between 8:00 and 20:00.

Upon their arrival from abroad, all healthy persons are required to remain in quarantine due to a possible infection with the new coronavirus. Persons with signs of COVID-19 infection must be isolated.

The Government Communication Office manages the national brand ‘I feel Slovenia’, which represents our country both at home and around the world. Promotional events, campaigns, presentations and performances of Slovenia were commonplace until recently. Due to the current events, we have postponed our planned promotional events, but this does not mean you cannot feel Slovenia in a different way.

The Organization for European Cooperation and Development (OECD), in partnership with the European Union and the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration, has completed a joint project to review, analyse and propose improvements for public procurement in Slovenia.

The Republic of Slovenia, rated Baa1 (positive) / AA- (stable) / A (stable), has mandated Barclays, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole CIB, Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan to lead manage a multi-tranche transaction consisting of a new 10-year SLOREP benchmark due 15 July 2030 and a reopening of the 0.200% notes due 31 March 2023 (ISINSI0002103974). A reopening of the 3.125% notes due 7 August 2045 (ISIN SI0002103552) will be considered subject to reverse interest from investors. All tranches will be Regulation “S” transactions in dematerialized registered form. The deal is expected to be launched in the near future, subject to market conditions. Relevant stabilization regulations apply. Manufacturer target market (MIFID II product governance) are eligible and professional counterparties (all distribution channels) and also retail investors (all distribution channels).

Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia Janez Janša visited the University Medical Centre Ljubljana where he took note of the situation and what adjustments the medical centre had implemented to control the COVID-19 disease. The Prime Minister visited the temporary emergency unit, the pediatric intensive care unit and was informed about the current situation in the Department of Infectious Diseases.