News

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama at a working meeting.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the project “Co-financing of operating costs for companies in tourism and hospitality sector during the COVID-19 epidemic”. The project worth EUR 10 million will be implemented by the public agency SPIRIT and will receive over EUR 7.2 million of European Regional Development Fund support.

At its correspondence session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia issued the Ordinance of imposing and implementing measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic at border crossing points at the external border and inspection posts within national borders of the Republic of Slovenia and published it in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia.

Slovenia and Ukraine held virtual consultations on cybersecurity. The Slovenian delegation was led by State Secretary Tone Kajzer, and the Ukrainian side was headed by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vasyl Bodnar.

Today’s press conference on the current situation regarding the coronavirus was attended by Minister of Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Počivalšek, Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Janez Cigler Kralj, Minister of Education, Science and Sport Simona Kustec, Acting Director-General of the Public Health Directorate at the Ministry of Health Vesna-Kerstin Petrič, and Government spokesman Jelko Kacin.

Early this morning, the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council reached agreement on the general approach to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform beyond 2020 legislative package. This is an important achievement as the agreement facilitates opening the negotiations with the European Parliament. On behalf of Slovenia, the meeting was attended by the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Dr Jože Podgoršek, who earmarked the compromise as extremely important achievement within the EU for the entire agricultural sector. “It is most important that we, the ministers, have come to an agreement that facilitates the continuation of the demanding CAP reform process and its subsequent timely implementation. In negotiations, Slovenia succeeded in ensuring the essential elements for the development of agriculture in Slovenia, while simultaneously following the environmental protection guidelines. Particular attention has been on small farmers in terms of reducing the administrative burdens.” At the meeting that commenced on Monday, the ministers discussed certain other topics in agriculture and fisheries.

What is the future that we want? Are we on the right track to reach it? What must be done to overcome the differences?

At today's press conference Prime Minister Janez Janša presented an overall assessment of the situation after adoption of some additional measures for the containment of the coronavirus in the last days. "We believe that we are able to cope with the situation and this is mainly because we are now dealing with the virus as it is. Namely as a threat which is symmetrical and does not select by any other criteria than those applicable to the virus," the Prime Minister began his address.

Prime Minister Janez Janša held a videoconference today with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Their discussions focused on the serious spread of the coronavirus.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar concluded his three-day visit to the Baltic countries in the Republic of Lithuania, where he met with his host, Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius. The foreign ministers discussed opportunities for further strengthening cooperation between the two countries, both on the European and multilateral level. They also found time to touch on the challenges the EU is facing in coordinating measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. Also high on the agenda were the latest developments in Belarus and in this context, Minister Logar met Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Vilnius.

The press conference on the current Covid-19 situation was attended by the Head of the intensive care unit at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, Matjaž Jereb, and the government spokesman, Ambassador Jelko Kacin.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan took part in the Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), which was held as a virtual event based in Zagreb. He stressed the importance of good governance of macro-regional strategies and a more visible role of the European Commission.

The Government and the Ministers have adopted additional measures to contain the COVID-19 epidemic. Minister of Health Tomaž Gantar presented the work of the Ministry of Health, while Minister of Education Simona Kustec presented the Ordinance on temporary restrictions for sport activities.

Slovenian Minister of Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Počivalšek, Head of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at the Ljubljana University Medical Centre Dr Tatjana Lejko Zupanc and government spokesman Jelko Kacin spoke today at a press conference about the current situation regarding Covid-19.

In October 2020, during Germany’s Chairmanship, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) – on the basis of prolonged discussions and proposals put forth by experts on Roma issues – adopted a non-legally binding working definition of antigypsyism. The definition was prepared with the participation of Slovenian experts, members of the Slovenian delegation to IHRA, and the Roma community in Slovenia. The text of the working definition is provided below.

Head of the expert group for the containment and control of the COVID-19 epidemic at the Ministry of Health Bojana Beović said that around 1% of the population is infected, i.e. 20,000 people, which is more than the official number of 7,103 active cases.

The Government has issued an Ordinance on the temporary partial restriction of movement and the restriction or prohibition of public gatherings in order to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections, and published it in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia.

On Sunday, 2637 coronavirus tests were conducted and 537 new cases were confirmed, which is a 20.4% positivity rate. A total of 289 patients with COVID-19 are currently in hospital, of whom 55 are in intensive care units. Two persons died. On Sunday, Slovenia reached a 14-day incidence of 339 cases per 100,000 population.

An epidemic has been declared throughout Slovenian territory as of today. At the correspondence session on 18 October 2020, the Government adopted the Order on the Declaration of a COVID-19 Epidemic based on the Communicable Diseases Act.

Prime Minister Janez Janša posted on Twitter that an epidemic has been declared for the whole of Slovenia for 30 days, as of Monday. He posted this message on Sunday evening when a section of the Government, together with the advisory group of the Ministry of Health, discussed the current situation.

Address of the Prime Minister Janez Janša to the people of Slovenia.

Today, Foreign Minister Anže Logar held meetings in Trieste and Gorizia with representatives of the Slovenian minority in Italy. This was his first official visit to the Slovenian minority in Italy, after he briefly met with Slovenians in Italy at the ceremony on the return of the National Hall into Slovenian hands on 13 July.

Today, at the conclusion of the European Council meeting, Prime Minister Janez Janša, in his statement to the press, spoke of today’s agenda, which included Brexit negotiations, the assessment of the epidemiologic situation, discussions on climate change, EU relations with Africa, and the main conclusions reached by European leaders

On 15 October, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan and Ambassador of Mongolia Gankhuurai Battungalag signed the Visa Waiver Agreement for holders of diplomatic and service passports, the first agreement signed between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic relations.

In 2007, the European Commission declared 18 October to be the EU Anti-Trafficking Day. This year, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia will use this day to raise awareness of human trafficking and the prevention of this phenomenon.

In 2007, the European Commission declared 18 October to be the EU Anti-Trafficking Day. This year, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia will use this day to raise awareness of human trafficking and the prevention of this phenomenon.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša is attending a European Council meeting in Brussels. Yesterday's agenda for the leaders of the EU Member States primarily included topics related to relations with the UK and Brexit negotiations. The leaders assessed the epidemiologic situation and also discussed climate change, while today's focus will be on other aspects of foreign policy, particularly on EU relations with Africa.

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Ljubljana, Msgr Stanislav Zore, infectious disease and intensive care specialist Tomaž Vovko, and the government spokesperson Jelko Kacin spoke about the current situation regarding COVID-19.

Yesterday, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan met with Ambassador Zef Mazi, chief Albanian negotiator for accession to the EU, State Minister and member of the Albanian Government. State Secretary Dovžan expressed support for Albania's rapprochement with the European Union and welcomed the EU's decision to open accession negotiations with Albania.

On his working visit to Slovakia, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar met with Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic Ivan Korčok today. The ministers principally focused on the measures being taken by Slovenia and Slovakia to limit the spread of COVID-19, agreeing that it was paramount to coordinate these measures to successfully curb the epidemic and relaunch the European economy.

Today, the Minister of Public Administration Boštjan Koritnik attended an informal meeting of ministers of EU Member States responsible for telecommunications and digitalisation. The meeting took the form of a video conference.

Today, Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša is attending a regular European Council meeting in Brussels. EU leaders will discuss the epidemiological situation, relations with the United Kingdom, climate change and relations with Africa.

On Wednesday in the evening session, the government took several measures to contain the spread of the disease COVID -19. The measures were presented at today’s press conference by the Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Mr Zdravko Počivalšek, the Minister of Education Science and Sport, Ms Simona Kustec, the Minister of the Interior, Mr Aleš Hojs, the State Secretary, Ms Tina Bregant, and the Government Spokesperson, Mr Jelko Kacin.

At today’s session that started at 17:00 in Brdo pri Kranju, the Government examined and adopted new measures from the third phase of the orange package. After the session, Prime Minister Janez Janša made a press statement in Ljubljana.

Head of the intensive care unit at the Clinic for Infectious Diseases Matjaž Jereb, acting director of the Health Care Directorate at the Ministry of Health Marija Magajne, and government spokesperson Jelko Kacin took part in the press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 in Slovenia.

Prime Minister Janez Janša participated in the opening ceremony marking the start of the construction of the 2 x 400 kV Cirkovce–Pince transmission line. The ceremony was held in a marquee on the lawn next to Sternthal Mansion in Kidričevo, where the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia addressed the participants.

On his working visit to the Czech Republic, Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his host, Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček, talked about the importance of coordinating measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 and facilitate European economic recovery. They also discussed the strengthening of regional cooperation.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a grant decision for the project “Wastewater discharge and treatment in the Kolpa river basin – Municipality Črnomelj”. Total project funding amounts to nearly EUR 3.6 million of which a little less than EUR 1.6 million is Cohesion Fund contribution. Cohesion Fund support has recently also been awarded to Municipality Metlika for wastewater discharge and treatment in the Kolpa river basin.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended today’s General Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg. The Council discussed preparations for the European Council meeting to be held at the weekend in Brussels. Ministers took note of the state of play in the EU-UK negotiations. They also held a general debate on the first annual report on the situation regarding the rule of law in the EU and endorsed recommendations for COVID-19 coordination

On the 13th of October 2020, the Republic of Slovenia successfully priced a new €1bn 30 year issuance, shortly after receiving a credit rating update from Moody’s.

Slovenian minister of the interior Aleš Hojs has met with Austrian colleague Karl Nehammer. The bilateral meeting is a confirmation of exceptionally good cooperation between the countries and their police forces.

The Republic of Slovenia announces the cash tender results of the Euro denominated notes of the tender that expired on 12 October 2020. January 2021 Notes and April 2021 Notes were accepted in the amount of EUR 98,130,000 and EUR 74,850,000, respectively.

The Government spokesperson Jelko Kacin spoke about the current situation regarding COVID-19 at the press conference.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended a meeting of the highest representatives of all three branches of government on the topic of "The principle of the separation of powers: (self)restriction, mutual supervision and mutual cooperation" at the Presidential Palace in Ljubljana.

Minister for Development and EU Cohesion Policy Zvone Černač today met with mayors from the Obsotelje, Kozjansko and Haloze regions to take stock of the progress made in the implementation of 2014-2020 projects and discuss the preparations for the 2021-2027 programming period.

A Update on the Republic of Slovenia Tender Offer and a potential launch of a new 30 year Republic of Slovenia bond

Mateja Logar, infectologist from the Clinic for Infectious Diseases, and Jelko Kacin, the Government spokesperson, provided the latest information on the COVID-19 situation in Slovenia.

Today marks 100 years of the Carinthian referendum, after which the southern part of Carinthia and the Slovenian population living there became part of the Republic of Austria. On this anniversary, the two countries are drawing attention to the elements of their shared history and, inevitably, also to the current situation and expectations of the Slovenian ethnic minority in the provinces of Carinthia and Styria about improving their regulatory and material position in accordance with the obligations of the Republic of Austria under international law. These obligations are set out in Article 7 of the 1955 State Treaty on the Establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria, which guarantees the Slovenian ethnic minority the right to education in its mother tongue, the right to use Slovenian as an official language, and the right to Slovenian or bilingual topographical inscriptions in administrative and judicial districts with Slovenian and mixed populations. It also guarantees the Slovenian ethnic minority the right to participate in cultural, administrative and judicial institutions on equal terms with other Austrian nationals. In 2011, considerable progress was made with the agreement on the erection of 168 bilingual inscriptions. The atmosphere in Carinthia has improved and the majority and the minority groups have coexisted side by side. Nevertheless, certain commitments remain unfulfilled.

Today marks 100 years of the Carinthian plebiscite by which the southern part of Carinthia, together with the Slovenian population living there, was to become an integral part of the Republic of Austria. This anniversary opens up an opportunity for both nations to reflect upon the past and lift the historical burdens.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša gave an opening speech at the third Skills Summit entitled Skills Strategies for a World in Recovery. This years' summit, organised by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is held virtually and hosted by Slovenia. The Prime Minister greeted the participants in a video address. In addition to Mr Janša, Deputy Secretary-General of the OECD, Ulrik Vestergaard Knudsen, also spoke at the opening of the event, which was attended by the Minister of Education, Simona Kustec, the Minister of Labour, Janez Cigler Kralj, the Minister of Health, Tomaž Gantar, and the Minister of Public Administration, Boštjan Koritnik.

Ministers and senior officials of international organizations responsible for skills, including education, employment, the economy, technology, innovation and other, met at the Skills Summit 2020, this time hosted by Slovenia and held in Brdo pri Kranju. The 2020 Skills Summit was held as a virtual event.

Deana Potza from the Health Inspectorate and government spokesman Jelko Kacin provided the latest information on the COVID-19 situation in Slovenia.

At today’s correspondence session, the Slovenian government adopted an Ordinance on the temporary limitation or prohibition of public gatherings in the Republic of Slovenia, and the prohibition on the transport of certain types of goods and products during public gatherings. At the same session, the government also confirmed the draft national recovery and resilience plan.

Today, 8 October 2020, Slovenian Foreign Ministry State Secretary Tone Kajzer held talks with Virginia Gamba, United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

At today’s session Government of the Republic of Slovenia took note of and approved draft National Recovery and Resilience Plan that shall serve as the basis for drawing on the funding available under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). Slovenia is eligible to EUR 5.2 billion of which EUR 1.6 billion is available as grants and EUR 3.6 billion as loans.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its pleasure on the news of the appointment of Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to Canada Dr Melita Gabrič as the new Head of the European Union Delegation in Ottawa. The appointment will be formally confirmed once the receiving state issues an agrément. It is the most prominent appointment of a Slovenian official in the European diplomacy during the sixteen years of Slovenian EU membership.

Minister Hojs has participated in the videoconference summit of the Council of Ministers of the interior.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia concluded its first visit to the Carinthia region with a talk with the mayors and actors of development in the region.

Today, 7 October 2020, State Secretary Tone Kajzer represented Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar on a visit of the Slovenian Government to the Koroška region.

In the framework of the Government visit to the Koroška region Zvone Černač, Minister for Development and EU Cohesion Policy, met with the representatives of the Koroška region municipalities, namely the municipality of Vuzenica, Ravne na Koroškem Prevalje, Črna na Koroškem and Mežica. In Mežica Minister Černač and Minister for Economic Development and Technology, Zdravko Počivalšek, opened the access road the Museum Peca Underground. At the end of the regional visit Minister Černač attended the public Government gathering.

Today, the Government started visiting Slovenian regions to learn first-hand about the problems and challenges encountered by these regions and so draft suitable measures and solutions. The Government first visited the Koroška region.

The Director of the University Clinic of Respiratory and Allergic Diseases Golnik, Aleš Rozman, and the Government spokesperson, Jelko Kacin, shed light on the current epidemiological situation in Slovenia – a record-breaking 356 positive cases were recorded yesterday.

Today, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia is visiting Carinthia. Following the visit to Gašper trženje d.o.o. in Radlje ob Dravi, Prime Minister Janez Janša gave a brief statement for Carinthia television, highlighting the importance of the government's visits to individual regions. "It's one thing just to be stationed in Ljubljana studying documentation and papers, and another when you experience the subject of decision-making in the real lives of people - this way, you are making the right decisions."

Yesterday, the European Commission published the Enlargement Package for the Western Balkan countries and Turkey, which provides an overview and assessment of the situation across key areas of the necessary reform progress, with recommendations for further rapprochement with the EU.

At today’s press conference, Prime Minister Janez Janša made an in-depth presentation of the coronavirus situation in Europe and Slovenia and the Government plant for measures in the second wave of the coronavirus.

Today, State Secretary Tone Kajzer held an online call with Dr Kirsten Dunlop, Chief Executive Officer of the Climate Knowledge and Innovation Community (EIT Climate-KIC) supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology funded by the European Commission.

Today, State Secretary Tone Kajzer attended the annual high-level meeting of the OECD Development Centre Governing Board held in a virtual format. The aim of the meeting was to share experience between member countries and international organisations of the steps taken to mitigate the COVID-19 impact. During the discussion, the participants outlined the Centre’s programme for the following two years.

On Monday, 5 October 2020, at 14:00, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the 45th extraordinary session of the National Assembly where he presented the 2021–2022 Budget Memorandum, the Draft Amending Budget for 2021 and the Draft Budget for 2022.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša met the leadership of the Slovenian Federation of Pensioners’ Associations (ZDUS), i.e. its President Janez Sušnik and Vice-Presidents Vera Pečnik and Jožica Puhar.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a grant decision for the call for proposals “Research and development projects to remedy the consequences of COVID-19”. The funding available under the said call for proposals amounts to EUR 5 million of which EUR 4 million is European Regional Development Fund contribution.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša presented a proposed act on the National Demographic Fund to the members of the Economic and Social Council.

The Republic of Slovenia (the Issuer), rated A3 (stable) / AA- (stable) / A (stable), has mandated Barclays Bank PLC, BNP Paribas, Commerzbank, Goldman Sachs International Bank, J.P. Morgan and UniCredit as Joint Dealer Managers for a Tender Offer for the Issuer’s outstanding January 2021 and April 2021 EUR securities. Additionally, the Republic will consider a Euro-denominated Reg S transaction in dematerialised registered form, subject to market conditions and the results of the concurrent Tender Offer. Relevant stabilisation (including FCA/ICMA) applies. Target Market: Manufacturer target market (MIFID II product governance) are eligible counterparties and professional investors (all distribution channels) and also retail investors (all distribution channels).

The Government spokesperson Jelko Kacin presented the epidemiological situation in the country, and Tatjana Lejko Zupanc, the Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases, spoke about the situation at the Department.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended a round table entitled Responsible Citizen – Successful Nation. The round table, co-organised by the Civil Initiative Prebudimo Slovenijo (Wake up, Slovenia) and the Social Academy, was held at St Stanislav's Institution in Šentvid, Ljubljana.

On 2 October 2020, Moody's Investors Service, a global rating agency, upgraded the credit rating of the Republic of Slovenia by one notch to a A3 and ascribed to it a stable outlook.

Prime Minister Janez Janša attended an extraordinary meeting of the European Council in Brussels, at which they discussed the single market, digital transformation, issues relating to Belarus and the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

The epidemiological situation in the country was presented by Jelko Kacin, Government spokesman for COVID-19, while the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Janez Ciglar Kralj, summed up the conditions in homes for the elderly.

On the first day of the summit in Brussels, EU Member State leaders reached an agreement on defining relations with Turkey and sanctions against the Belarus regime. At the press conference, the president of the European Council Charles Michel announced that the leaders agreed on a “double strategy,” “a two-tier approach” which opens a possibility for dialogue, but at the same time firmly protects European values and solidarity.

Today and tomorrow, Prime Minister Janez Janša is attending an extraordinary European Council meeting in Brussels. On the agenda for this meeting is a discussion on the single market, industrial policy and digital transformation, as well as external relations, especially with Turkey and China. The summit will also provide an opportunity to review the situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Assembly today received the Prime Minister's proposal for the dismissal of Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Aleksandra Pivec.

In the European Commission's report on Rule of Law, Slovenia ranks among the most developed members of the OECD countries in terms of transparency, as it has introduced several measures to prevent corruption in the field of public procurement.

On September 30, 2020 the »2019 Annual Report on Radiation and Nuclear Safety in the Republic of Slovenia« was presented to the Slovenian National Assembly. That was the last stage of its consideration. The report was approved by the Government of Slovenia in July and discussed in the National Council (the upper chamber of the Slovenian Parliament) in September of the same year.

The Government spokesperson Jelko Kacin provided the latest information on the COVID-19 situation in Slovenia.

Slovenia welcomes the activities of the European Commission related to the launch of the rule of law mechanism as a prevention tool aimed at strengthening the common understanding of the fundamental values and promoting the culture of the rule of law thereby consolidating the application of this principle throughout the EU as a whole.

During the REHA meeting in Portorož on September 29, 2020, the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia received an award for its good practice and policy in employing people with disabilities in 2019. The Archives also received the title Disability-Friendly Employer.

In the afternoon, Prime Minister Janez Janša met Slovenian President Borut Pahor, President of the National Assembly Igor Zorčič and President of the National Council Alojz Kovšca.

Members of the Monitoring Committee (MC) of the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the European Cohesion Policy in the Period 2014-2020 (OP 2014-2020) met for the 7th regular meeting in Brdo pri Kranju. Most of them participated in the meeting via video conferencing. The meeting was opened by Zvone Černač, minister for Development and Cohesion Policy who updated the participants on the progress concerning the preparation of the national recovery and resilience plan and the 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy programmes.

This morning, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the AmCham Business Breakfast, which was held in Union Hall at Grand Hotel Union in Ljubljana.

At the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal Augusto Santos Silva, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar paid an official visit to the Portuguese Republic today. Slovenia and Portugal maintain close and friendly ties and are partner EU Member States as well as NATO allies. In 2021, the countries will be holding successive presidencies of the Council of the EU for the second time, for which intensive preparations are already under way.

Today, on 29 September, State Secretary Tone Kajzer participated in an informal video conference of the European Union Foreign Affairs Council in the format of development ministers, focusing on relations with Africa, the state of play of EU-ACP Post-Cotonou negotiations and the situation in Belarus.

Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on A Talk with the Prime Minister broadcast on Nova24TV. He talked about the epidemiological situation in the country and the measures taken to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the fifth anti-corona legislative package, the Government's international activities, the EU funding secured by Slovenia, the Demographic Fund and current political topics.

Minister without portfolio, responsible for Strategic Projects and Cohesion Zvone Černač has participated in a high-level videoconference on Implementation and strategic orientations of future Cohesion Policy instruments. The videoconference was held under the auspices of the German Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, spoke about two ordinances adopted by the Government over the weekend. The Government spokesperson, Jelko Kacin, presented the epidemiological data.

Today, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan received the State Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Ambassador Nathan A. Sales. During their discussions, the State Secretary underlined Slovenia’s commitment to counter-terrorism within the scope of the European Union, with particular focus on the challenges posed by the misuse of new technologies.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of the promulgation of amendments XCVI, XCVII and XCVIII to the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia. The keynote speakers at the ceremony, which took place at the Crystal Hall of the Presidential Palace in Ljubljana, were Dr Ludvik Toplak, President of the Socio-political Chamber of the Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia at the time, and Borut Pahor, President of the Republic of Slovenia.

At the invitation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Poland, Mr Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski, the Minister, Dr Aleksandra Pivec, participated in the meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Visegrád Group, extended to include Slovenia, Estonia, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania (hereinafter referred to as V4+7 VG) that took place in Poznań, Poland.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a funding decision for the project Wastewater collection and treatment in the Kolpa River basin – Municipality of Metlika. The project with a total budget of EUR 952,000 will receive a contribution from the Cohesion Fund in the amount of nearly EUR 336,000. The project will be implemented by the Municipality of Metlika.

On 25 September 2020 at the 27th Days of Slovenian Public Administration organised by the Faculty of Administration of the University of Ljubljana, the winner of the competition for best improvement in public administration entitled »The Shift Forward 2020« was announced. The title went to the Government Communication Office for their Model of the central call centre for public information and raising awareness in the event of an epidemic.

Today, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation Arancha González Laya received Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar on an official visit to the Kingdom of Spain. Slovenia and Spain are two friendly countries and allies, sharing similar views within the EU and NATO but also concern over numerous international issues.

The Government has been briefed on the Assessment of the epidemiological situation in the EU Member States, the Schengen Area countries, the Balkan countries and the selected third countries, the Assessment of the epidemiological situation in countries and the European Commission's recommendation Re-open EU, and the definition of the criterion for a worsening epidemiological situation and the epidemiological trends in the cumulative 14-day incidence per 100,000 people prepared by the National Institute of Public Health. The Government has assessed the expert justification of the restrictions laid down in the Ordinance on imposing and implementing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at the external border crossings and at control points at the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia and decided that these restrictions will continue to apply.