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Today, Dr Marko Rakovec, Acting Director General of the Directorate for International Law and Protection of Interests at the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Slovenia, and Sigrid Berka, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the Republic of Slovenia, signed the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Slovenia and the Federal Government of the Republic of Austria on new border documents for border sectors I to VII on the common border, prepared by the Permanent Slovenian-Austrian Border Commission.

Below is the press release following the videoconference of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa and Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša.

Thirteen newly confirmed infections in Slovenia are more the result of less intensive testing over the weekend than the possible emergence of a new wave of the epidemic, said government spokesperson Jelko Kacin and head of the Communicable Disease Centre at the National Institute of Public Health Mario Fafangel at today's press conference. The government spokesperson added that no significant worsening of the situation was expected, but that the existing measures should continue to be followed: cough etiquette, hand washing and wearing masks indoors when it is not possible to maintain a 1.5-metre physical distance.

Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on A Talk with the Prime Minister broadcast on Nova24TV, where he talked about a potential second wave of the epidemic, international events, including the presidency of the Council of the EU, the upcoming Slovenian Statehood Day and other topical issues the viewers asked about.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar met with the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio. Today’s was the second meeting the pair have held in the last two weeks. He also met with the Italian Minister for European Affairs, Vincenzo Amendola.

Ljubljana, 22 June 2020 – Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for the ERDF, the ESF and the Cohesion Fund, has issued a funding decision for the project Ensuring flood protection in the Drava river basin - Ptujska Drava river. The EUR 15 million flood protection project will receive a contribution from the European Regional Development Fund amounting to over EUR 11.4 million. The project will be carried out by the Slovenian Water Agency.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the project “Drainage and treatment of wastewater in the Upper Sava River basin – Municipality of Jesenice”. The project worth EUR 2.4 million will be implemented by the Municipality Jesenice and will receive EUR 829,000 of Cohesion Fund support.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar hosted the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg. Today’s was the first bilateral meeting between the ministers, while they already met in person on 16 June in Vienna at the multilateral meeting of foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Slovenia, which was hosted by Austria. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they held frequent telephone conversations, sometimes even several times per day, if necessary.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša received the Doyen of the Diplomatic Corps in Slovenia, the Apostolic Nuncio to Slovenia, Archbishop Jean-Marie Speich. In their talks, they affirmed the importance of relations between the Republic of Slovenia and the Holy See, also in the light of two upcoming commemorations – the thirtieth anniversary of the Holy See’s recognition of Slovenia (2022) and the twentieth anniversary of the Agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the Holy See on Legal Issues (2021).

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the project “Economic and business zone Zagorje”. The project worth a little under EUR 990,000 will be implemented by the Municipality Zagorje ob Savi and will receive EUR 608,000 of European Regional Development Fund support.

Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar and Minister of Economic Development and Technology Zdravko Počivalšek chaired the Internationalisation Council session.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the project “Wastewater collection and treatment in the Dravinja River basin – municipality Slovenska Bistrica”. The project worth over EUR 13 million will be implemented by the municipality Slovenska Bistrica and will receive EUR 5.9 million of European Regional Development Fund support.

Today Prime Minister Janez Janša attended an informal video-conference meeting of the European Council. At the meeting, the heads of government were briefed on the progress of the negotiations on future relations between the EU and the United Kingdom. The main topic of discussion was the new proposal for the multiannual financial framework and recovery instrument prepared by the European Commission. At the meeting the participants held a first exchange of views.

"Despite the increased number of coronavirus infections in recent days, we cannot yet talk about the second wave of the epidemic, but we are preparing for it," said Minister Gantar yesterday, emphasising Slovenia's commitment to controlling the epidemic.

Prime Minister Janez Janša attended a video conference of the leaders of the EU Member States and six Eastern Partnership countries (Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia).

Today's press conference on the current COVID-19 situation was attended by the Minister of Health, Tomaž Gantar, the Minister of the Interior, Aleš Hojs, the Director of the National Institute of Public Health, Milan Krek, and the Government's spokesperson, Jelko Kacin.

On the basis of the Intervention Act on removing barriers for the implementation of important investments to restart the economy after the COVID-19 epidemic, the Government has determined the list of important investments (the Intervention Act) that can be further expanded.

Minister for Development, Strategic Projects and Cohesion Zvonko Černač met today with mayors from the Posavje region. They discussed progress in the implementation of 2014-2020 projects and preparation of the programming period beyond 2020.

In today's virtual meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar underlined the positive bilateral cooperation between the two countries and Slovenia’s interest in strengthening the economic ties. The two ministers commended the cooperation in multilateral structures.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the “Call for proposals to co-finance vocational training of educational staff in short-cycle higher education and educators in non-formal education programmes for adults in the period 2020-2022”. The call for proposals is worth EUR 1,248,000 and will be implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport. European Social Fund contribution amounts to EUR 1 million.

Prime Minister Janez Janša has warned of the imminence of a possible second wave of the coronavirus epidemic.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended a dynamic demonstration of the Leap 2020 military exercise at the Ivan Cankar barracks. After the exercise, he addressed the participants.

Today, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan participated in an informal video conference of ministers for European affairs, focused on preparations for the forthcoming video conference of the EU Heads of State and on the recovery package.

On the occasion of the political endorsement of the next the 18-month programme of the Council, prepared by the future German, Portuguese and Slovenian Presidencies and the High Representative, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Council, the Trio partners declared:

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša met with the ambassadors of the Visegrad Four, which is currently chaired by the Czech Republic. At the meeting, they exchanged views on key challenges facing EU Member States and the most important regional issues.

Minister for Development, Strategic Projects and Cohesion Projects Zvonko Černač and State Secretary Monika Kirbiš Rojs attended an informal videoconference of EU Cohesion Ministers for a policy debate on the role of Cohesion Policy in the economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.

GPAI is an international and multistakeholder initiative to support and guide the responsible use and development of AI, grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation and economic growth.

At today’s 18th regular session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Janez Janša answered parliamentary questions raised by Predrag Baković (SD), Nataša Sukič (Levica), Maša Kociper (SAB) and Janja Sluga (SMC).

Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the programme A Talk with the Prime Minister broadcast on Nova24TV, where he talked about a number of current affairs and answered questions from viewers.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the project “Jesenice business zone – construction of urban infrastructure, phase 2”. The project worth EUR 1,150,000 will be implemented by the municipality Jesenice and will receive EUR 628,504 of European Regional Development Fund support.

As of 15 June, crossing the Slovene-Italian border outside the checkpoints will be allowed, but only for Slovenian and Italian citizens, while for the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the ordinance will start to apply as of today.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan and Acting Secretary-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia, Jožef Drofenik, took part in today’s informal online meeting of EU state secretaries and secretaries-general.

The President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor awarded the government call centre for information on the coronavirus the Apple of Inspiration Award for its significant contribution to life as normal as possible in the difficult times of dealing with the epidemic of the new virus. The president's recognition of the importance of the call centre's selfless and professional work was welcomed by all participants who helped callers with reliable and up-to-date answers. The call centre is concluding its work today.

At today's session, the Government issued the Ordinance on the manner of conducting public passenger transport in the territory of the Republic of Slovenia, the Ordinance repealing the Ordinance on the provisional conditions on carrying out sports activities and the Ordinance amending the Ordinance on the temporary restriction of the gathering of people in public spaces and areas in the Republic of Slovenia.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the project “Energy-saving renovation of the Ljubljana – Moste – Polje Home for the elderly”. The project worth a little under EUR 2 million will receive EUR 482,000 of Cohesion Fund support.

In an audio-video conference with the Portuguese Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Teresa Ribeiro, and the German State Secretary, Martin Jäger, State Secretary Tone Kajzer discussed the priorities of the Trio Presidency. They were in full agreement that the Trio’s work will be strongly marked by the COVID-19 pandemic in the coming 18 months. The pandemic has revealed the importance of development cooperation in overcoming social and economic challenges in partner countries.

Persons who are permanent residents of Slovenia and are over the age of 18 will receive EUR 200 in vouchers and those under the age of 18 will receive EUR 50. Vouchers can be used in Slovenia to purchase accommodation with breakfast or only accommodation.

Persons who are permanent residents of Slovenia and are over the age of 18 will receive EUR 200 in vouchers and those under the age of 18 will receive EUR 50. Vouchers can be used in Slovenia to purchase accommodation with breakfast or only accommodation.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, today attended a meeting of the ambassadors of the EU Member States, the Western Balkan countries and Turkey, held at the European Union House in Ljubljana. As the event was organised within the framework of the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, a brief introduction was delivered by the host, Boris Grigić, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the Republic of Slovenia; Prime Minister Janez Janša was the keynote speaker.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the programme “COVID19 – Additional assistive ICT technology for education process”. The programme, which falls in the framework of Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, will receive EUR 4 million of European Regional Development Fund support.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the programme A Talk with the Prime Minister on Nova24TV, in which he talked about the current topics of last week and answered questions from citizens.

Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar and Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Nikola Dimitrov held an online meeting during which they commended the excellent bilateral relations.

State Secretary Tone Kajzer participated in an informal video conference of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in the format of development ministers. The Team Europe Global Response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of play in negotiations for a new EU-ACP partnership (post-Cotonou) agreement, and the future financial architecture for sustainable development were the main items discussed.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia amended the Ordinance on imposing and implementing measures for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 at border crossings at the external border and at checkpoints at the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia. The Ordinance was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia and has been in force since 8 June 2020.

On 8 June, World Oceans Day, members of the Green Group issued a joint statement underlining the importance of measures for addressing climate change impacts on marine ecosystems and for preserving the sustainability of oceans worldwide. The Green Group – Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Iceland, Singapore, Slovenia, and the United Arab Emirates – is an informal association of small countries that, on Slovenia’s initiative, have been promoting issues related to the environment and sustainable development in foreign policy since 2009.

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, today attended a commemoration at the pit under Macesnova gorica in Kočevski Rog. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the reconciliation ceremony, Prime Minister Janez Janša and the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, laid a wreath.

Ambassador Dr Andrej Benedejčič is taking part in the tenth session of the informal Structured Dialogue working group on the current and future challenges and risks to security in the OSCE area. This year’s dialogue between capitals has moved online to deal with the implications of the Covid-19 crisis on politico-military commitments of the OSCE participating States. Various strands are being examined, including military participation in efforts to curb the pandemic, armament control measures, and the emergence of new security threats and challenges in Europe.

Prior to a meeting with Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi Di Maio scheduled for 6 June in Ljubljana, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar met with the representatives of the Slovenian national community in Italy. The Minister Responsible for Slovenians Abroad, Helena Jaklitsch, also participated in the meeting.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the project “Construction of the Puščava business zone – phase 1”. The project worth EUR 549,000 will be implemented by the municipality Mokronog-Trebelno and will receive EUR 329,000 of European Regional Development Fund support.

Slovenia is opening its borders without restrictions to travellers from three neighbouring countries: Croatia, Hungary, and, today after midnight, also from Austria, which was added to the list by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia yesterday.

Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar participated in a video conference with members of the Slovenian Government and representatives of the OECD. The Slovenian delegation included Minister of Finance Andrej Šircelj, State Secretary at the Ministry of Health Tina Bregant and State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Mateja Ribič. The OECD delegation was headed by Secretary-General Ángel Gurría.

State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration mag. Peter Geršak attended an informal video conference of EU ministries responsible for telecommunications and the information society. The participants of the virtual meeting discussed digital priorities after the end of the Covid-19 epidemic, such as e.g. artificial intelligence, connectivity and data use.

Today, 5 June, Minister Aleš Hojs took part in an informal meeting of home affairs ministers via video conference.

The 70th press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19, held for the last time in Cankarjev dom, was attended by the coordinator for the provision of healthcare services in social protection institutions for the Gorenjska region and the Director of the University Clinic of Pulmonary and Allergic Diseases Golnik, Aleš Rozman, and the government spokesperson, Jelko Kacin.

Following the guidelines issued by the National Institute of Public Health and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia, the reading room of the Archives of RS partially re-opened its door on June 8, 2020. The reading and information office are now open to visitors according to summertime working hours. Visitors may enter the Archives only by prior appointment and after their date of arrival has been confirmed by the reading room staff.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar received a farewell call from the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, Klaus Peter Riedel, at the end of his four-year term of office.

"Children are the most vulnerable members of society who have no influence on the environment in which they grow up. It is therefore our duty to pay attention to their vulnerability, to be their voice, and to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of abuse," said the Minister of Justice at the beginning of the public discussion on the draft act on the protection of children in criminal proceedings and their comprehensive treatment in a children's house.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the “Call for proposals for co-financing projects to support vulnerable groups most affected by the COVID-19 epidemic and to reduce its impacts”. The call for proposals worth EUR 1,925,000 will be implemented by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities and will be fully supported by the European Social Fund.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a financial support decision for the programme “COVID19 – Temporary unemployment compensation”. The programme worth EUR 4.6 million will be fully supported by the European Social Fund.

The speakers at the press conference on the current situation regarding COVID-19 were the chief epidemiologist at the National Institute of Public Health, Mario Fafangel, and the epidemiologist at the Italian Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Flavia Riccardo.

Today, State Secretary Tone Kajzer participated in the virtual High-Level Pledging Event in response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. He announced an additional pledge by Slovenia, which will be channelled through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“In the fight against the coronavirus epidemic, Slovenia is among the most successful countries in the world. The reputation of a safe and orderly state, which is able to take care of the health of its people, is the best recommendation in times like this,” said Prime Minister Janez Janša in his address to the citizens of Slovenia on the occasion of the adoption of the third anti-corona package, adding that the Government will make the best of the advantage gained with the containment of the epidemic in order to eliminate its consequences. In its most recent forecast, the European Commission assessed the measures adopted so far in Slovenia as very positive. Furthermore, owing to these measures among other things, it forecast a potentially quick recovery for Slovenia and a rebound to almost the pre-crisis level as early as next year. “We will do our utmost to achieve this,” stated the Prime Minister decidedly.

For many people in Slovenia, life almost stopped during the declared epidemic. Despite the fact that we all contributed to the good epidemiological picture, the heaviest burden was mainly carried by the health workers – those in healthcare institutions (notably Ljubljana and Maribor university medical centres, the Golnik clinic and the Celje hospital), at 16 testing entry points for the potentially infected, in elder care homes, members of the 13 medical teams designed to help the personnel in elder care homes, epidemiologists…

Yesterday, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the programme A Talk with the Prime Minister, which was broadcast on TV Slovenija 1. The Prime Minister spoke about various current issues, such as Slovenia’s efforts to fight the coronavirus epidemic, the EU’s response to the crisis, the upcoming recession and the economic recovery of Slovenia. The Prime Minister and the TV host also discussed the functioning of the coalition and the cooperation between the coalition and the opposition.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar today took part in a video conference of EU ministers of foreign affairs, which was chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. The discussion at the now fifth video conference of foreign ministers focused on relations between the EU and China, the impact of the pandemic in the Asia-Pacific region and on future relations between the EU and said region.

In today’s audio-video conversation with Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Marie Eriksen Søreide, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar stressed excellent bilateral relations and underlined Slovenia’s interest in further deepening economic cooperation with Norway, with both ministers noting that their countries share a number of positions relating to European and multilateral topics.

Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar met with Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó in Dolga Vas today.

Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest of today's Pogovor o ... talk show on Radio Ognjišče, where he talked about various current topics, especially Slovenia's fight against the coronavirus and the measures adopted by the Government to contain the spread of the coronavirus and to help the people and the economy.

At the invitation of Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić and Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar today participated in an audio-video conference of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative (AII) and the EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR). The ministers exchanged views and incentives regarding the role of the AII and EUSAIR, and discussed ways of successful regional cooperation in alleviating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the meeting, Minister Logar presented the programme of the Slovenian AII and EUSAIR chairmanship, which will officially be assumed on 1 June 2020.

Today, the European Commission published a renewed proposal for the EU 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework, which includes the long-awaited recovery fund. It constitutes a financial package designed to deal effectively with the consequences of the COVID crisis.

At today’s virtual Donors Conference in solidarity with Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the countries of the region facing the COVID-19 crisis, State Secretary Kajzer pledged Slovenia’s humanitarian contribution in the amount of EUR 10,000. The contribution, which is to be channelled through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is intended for Venezuelan refugees in the Brazilian cities of Boa Vista and Manaus.

On Monday, Prime Minister Janez Janša was a guest on the programme A Talk with the Prime Minister on Nova24TV.

The keynote speaker at the press conference on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 epidemic was the Chair of the Commission for Children with Special Needs of the Council of Experts of the Republic of Slovenia for General Education, psychologist Kristijan Musek Lešnik.

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. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted an ordinance declaring the end of COVID-19 epidemic effective from 15 May. But since the risk of spreading COVID-19 still persists, the general and specific measures adopted pursuant to the decision on the application of measures under the Communicable Diseases Act will continue to apply based on expert opinion until 31 May 2020.

The new Ordinance on imposing and implementing measures for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19 at border crossings at the external border and at checkpoints at the internal borders of the Republic of Slovenia entered into force today. New exceptions from mandatory 14-day quarantine upon entry into Slovenia have been added. Also, a new checkpoint Gorjansko ‒ San Pelagio has been added on the road connection with Italy.

At today’s 17th session of the National Assembly, Prime Minister Janez Janša answered parliamentary questions raised by Jani Möderndorfer (LMŠ), Jani Prednik (SD), Violeta Tomić (Levica) and mag. Marko Pogačnik (SDS).

The speakers at the press conference on the current situation in relation to the COVID-19 epidemic were the Director of the National Education Institute, Vinko Logaj and the head of the Communicable Disease Centre of the National Institute of Public Health, Mario Fafangel

A press conference was held on the current situation regarding the COVID-19 epidemic, which was attended by Minister of Justice Lilijana Kozlovič and the government spokesperson Jelko Kacin.

Today, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar met with Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Dr Gordan Grlić Radman at the Dragonja border crossing.

Prime Minister Janez Janša was the guest of last week’s BBC NEWS WORLD programme, where he talked about the government’s plans to revive the tourism industry and other issues concerning tourism after Slovenia, as the first country in Europe to do so, declared the end of the coronavirus epidemic.

To mark Slovenia’s UN membership, Slovenian Diplomacy Day is celebrated on 22 May, as on this day Slovenia entered the global diplomatic arena, relatively soon after that joining the EU and NATO, and later the OECD. In the second half of 2021, the country will hold its second EU Council presidency.

Twenty-eight years ago, on this day, Slovenia joined the United Nations, which was a watershed in efforts for international recognition of the newly emerged state; it became a full-fledged partner in multilateral forums within the universal Organisation. To mark the occasion, this day is celebrated as Slovenian Diplomacy Day.

Yesterday, World Bee Day was celebrated around the world for the third year. The main event was the international conference organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations (Apimondia) and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and with the support of the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. In the afternoon, a formal session of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association was held at its headquarters to mark World Bee Day.

Due to the officially announced Coronavirus disease COVID-19 epidemic and the recommendations of the competent authorities, we inform you that the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia will be closed for all visitors and users from March 13, 2020 until further notice.

At the press conference on the current situation related to the COVID-19 epidemic, the speakers were the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning. Andrej Vizjak, Mojca Matičič, a doctor at the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana and a professional mentor for students at the government call centre, and Government spokesperson Jelko Kacin.

At the invitation of Ambassador Boris Grigić of Croatia, which is currently holding the Council presidency, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar was a guest at a meeting of Heads of Mission of EU Member States accredited to the Republic of Slovenia.

At a press conference on the current situation with respect to the COVID-19 epidemic, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Technology, Zdravko Počivalšek, and the Minister of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, Janez Cigler Kralj, and the Minister of Finance, Andrej Šircelj, presented the third package of measures to mitigate the consequences of the epidemic.

A formal session of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association was held at its headquarters to mark the third World Bee Day in Slovenia. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, only a small number of participants gathered at this beekeeping event, which had initially been planned to take place in Dolenjske Toplice. The participants were representatives of beekeepers, local communities, diplomats and others involved in the World Bee Day project. Minister of Agriculture Aleksandra Pivec also attended the event. In her address, she highlighted the importance of beekeeping and the role of the state in supporting this important sector.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke to Slovenia’s citizens on the adoption of the third coronavirus stimulus package.

Foreign Ministers exchanged information on the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in their countries and in the international community.

The Minister of Finance M.Sc. Andrej Šircelj On the basis of the third paragraph of Article 40 of the Slovenian Sovereign Holding Act, on 10 April 2020 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. The Expert Commission carried out the procedure of obtaining and evaluating candidates, but was unable to submit s sufficient number of suitable candidates to the Minister of Finance. The expert commission therefore publishes an open public call for additional 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.

The third international celebration of World Bee Day was held virtually due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The international conference was organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the International Federation of Beekeepers' Associations (Apimondia) and the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and with the support of the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food. The aim of the conference, entitled "Bee Engaged", was to highlight the importance of the engagement and actions of every person for the preservation of bees and other pollinators.

On World Bee Day, members of the Green Group issued a joint statement attesting to their commitment to protect bees and their natural environment. The Green Group – Cabo Verde, Costa Rica, Iceland, Singapore, Slovenia and the United Arab Emirates – is an informal association of small countries that, on Slovenia’s initiative, have been promoting issues related to the environment and sustainable development in foreign policy since 2009.

At today's session, the Government concluded their consideration of the proposal for the Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Mitigate and Remedy the Consequences of the COVID-19 Epidemic for Citizens and the Economy.

Prime Minister Janez Janša assessed the Franco-German proposal on the establishment of a 500 billion euro recovery fund to restart the EU economy following the COVID-19 pandemic as "a good step forward". The fund would be financed by EU borrowing on the markets and would be used to fund the sectors and regions of the EU that were most affected by the pandemic.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar participated in an audio-video conference of foreign ministers of the Western Balkans – North Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Serbia, foreign ministers of the EU countries bordering the region – Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, and Slovenia, and high representatives of the European Union.

"Children, pupils and students successfully returned to kindergartens and schools yesterday, thanks to the principals and the teachers who thoroughly prepared for the return and made all the necessary arrangements to successfully carry out classes. Students and parents were also very understanding and prepared for a smooth implementation of the education process in schools," stressed the Minister of Education, Science and Sport at today's press conference in her first evaluation of kindergartens and schools reopening yesterday. Schools are reporting good cooperation with local communities and smooth operation of school transport.

At the invitation of his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, Foreign Minister Dr Anže Logar today participated in a video conference on lifting restrictive measures at state borders to ease tourist travel. Other participants included the foreign ministers of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain, the major holiday destinations for German tourists.

Today marks the centenary of the birth of Karol Józef Wojtyła in Poland, later Pope St. John Paul II. He entered history as a remarkable personality and leader, staunchly supporting freedom, justice and peace.