Last year Slovenia imported 82,600 regular and 16,400 electric bicycles. Bicycles were used on 204,000 daily trips, most of the time the purpose was leisure. Most residents of Slovenia with the same first/family name combination as Slovenian cyclists in this year’s Tour de France are Matej Mohorič.

Peter Baroš, until recently the general secretary of SIGIC, the Slovenian Music Information Centre, and a former advisor for the musical arts at the Ministry of Culture, is now joining the team the team of the Minister of Culture Dr Asta Vrečko as an advisor.

Prime Minister Robert Golob and his team of ministers gathered in the national assembly to listen to President Volodymyr Zelensky's address as a sign of their support for and solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

On Monday 4 July, it was 10 years since researchers at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) presented to the public the results of an experiment at the Large Hadron Collider pointing to the existence of the Higgs boson. The Jožef Stefan Institute (IJS) also participated in the discovery of this elementary particle and marked the tenth anniversary of this landmark discovery with an event whose honorary patron was Slovenian President Borut Pahor.

At the 50th session of the UN Human Rights Council from 13 June to 8 July 2022, the discussion focused, as is customary for June, on the rights of women and girls and on discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation and gender identity. In the light of the extremely worrying situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, the EU requested that an urgent debate on this topic be held during the session.

Today, the Ministry of the Interior held the first meeting of the Consultative Body on Migration, which was entitled 'A Safe, Solidarity-based and Inclusive Society'. It was attended by representatives of state authorities, NGOs, international organisations and civil society working in the area of migration.

Mihael Kelemina, an art historian and expert in the work of NGOs and freelancers in the culture sector, is joining the team of the Minister of Culture Dr Asta Vrečko as an advisor.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon paid her first visit to neighbouring Croatia. As well as spending time with her host, Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlić Radman, she also met with Croatian President Zoran Milanović and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

The Minister for Digital Transformation, Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh, met with the Human Rights Ombudsman, Peter Svetina. The Ombudsman presented the “Annual Report of Human Rights for 2021”, while the Minister presented the relevant digitalisation topics, such as electronic communications and information society.

Minister of the Interior, Tatjana Bobnar met with Nina Gregori, the Executive Director of the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA), in Ljubljana today.

The 109th Tour de France started in the Danish capital on July 1. On the sidelines of this major cycling event, Slovenia presented itself to the visitors as a country of outstanding cycling competitors and a green, sustainable tourist destination, as well as the host of "L'Etape Slovenia" - the official Tour de France event - which will take place in Slovenia in September.

At today’s session of the Government Committee for State Organisation and Public Affairs, the Government became acquainted with the joint report on volunteering in the Republic of Slovenia for 2020. The Government also adopted a report on the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of Non-Governmental Organisations and Volunteering until 2023 for the period from 2018 to the end of 2020. The Government included in the current Plan of Development Programmes of the Republic of Slovenia 2022-2025 the purchase of business premises for the needs of the judicial authorities in Novo Mesto in the total amount of EUR 855,545.

Vojko Volk, State Secretary for International Affairs at the Office of the Prime Minister, attended, together with President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani-Sadriuhe, a round table on the future of the Western Balkans, held under the auspices of the Centre for European Future and the Bled Strategic Forum.

Acting Director-General Ksenija Škrilec and Salvador Rueda, Director General for Integration and Coordination of General Affairs of the European Union at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Spain, held a videoconference consultation on topical European and regional issues. Their discussion also served as preparation for the planned future meetings of the informal EUMED Group, to be hosted by Spain.

According to preliminary data, the state budget recorded revenue of approximately EUR 6.4 billion in the first half of this year, an increase of EUR 968 million or 18% compared to the same period last year. Expenditure, on the other hand, amounted to EUR 6.5 billion, down EUR 849 million or 11.6% compared to the same period last year. The budget deficit in the first half of the year amounted to EUR 128 million.

Marko Sraka, a doctor of archaeology, is joining the team of the Minister of Culture Dr Asta Vrečko as an advisor

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the call for proposals Work integrated learning for students to gain practical experience and knowledge 2022/2023. The call for proposals will promote flexible forms of learning and support career orientation.

Long-time journalist Dejan Štamfelj joins the team of the Minister of Culture Dr Asta Vrečko as a public relations advisor.

The presentation of the 2022 Economic Survey of Slovenia, prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), took place on Monday at Brdo pri Kranju. The Economic Survey provides a comprehensive picture of the macroeconomic situation in Slovenia, with special attention paid to the topical issue of the digitalisation of society and the economy.

At the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), we recently presented the second issue of our Newsletter. This time we present you an additional, special edition entitled OECD 365, which contains interviews with Directors of the OECD Directorates.