News

Minister of the Environment, Climate and Energy, Bojan Kumer today met with the European European Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, Wopke Hoekstra. The visit was an opportunity for an in-depth discussion about the new European Commission's priorities in the areas of clean transition, climate policies, and sustainable EU growth and
the Clean Industry Deal and upcoming legislative initiatives, among which the revision of the European Climate Law, announced by the Commission in the first quarter of this year, stands out.

Prime Minister Robert Golob visited the National Institute of Chemistry, where he was briefed on the Institute's activities and its prospects for further development. The presentation of the Centre for the Technologies of Gene and Cell Therapy (CTGCT) was at the forefront.

Ministry of Digital Transformation and Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
Slovenia joins the countries that will play a key role in the future of AI in Europe. Under the EU's latest initiative, Slovenia will host one of six new AI factories, backed by a high-performance supercomputer. This is a strategic step towards the development of a state-of-the-art computing infrastructure that will strengthen research, innovation and digital sovereignty of Slovenia and Europe.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon concluded a two-day official visit to Manila, the first visit by a Slovenian foreign minister to the country. On the second day, she was received by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. She also addressed the participants of the Slovenia-Philippines Business Forum and held a lecture and discussion with the students of the Far Eastern University.

The European Commission has today officially announced that Slovenia has achieved the highest possible score in the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking Call for Proposals. This success is due to the high quality of Slovenia's proposal and the expertise of the experienced team behind it.

Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon is on a two-day official visit to Manila with nearly 40 representatives of Slovenian companies and institutions. The first day was marked by the strengthening of political cooperation between the two countries, including the opening of the Slovenian Embassy in Manila, and the establishment of intergovernmental cooperation in the field of employment.

On the occasion of Slovenia's success in the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking's European call for proposals for a supercomputer and an artificial intelligence factory, we would like to present a statement by Prime Minister Robert Golob:

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals to strengthen social dialogue. The aim of the call is to strengthen the capacity of the social partners to cooperate more effectively in the design and implementation of policies in the fields of labour market, lifelong learning and improving the working environment.

Ambassador Dr Andrej Benedejčič, Permanent Representative of Slovenia to NATO, took part in the visit of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) to KFOR, the NATO-led mission in Kosovo, and the NATO Advisory and Liaison Team (NALT), on 11 March 2025.

During its presidency of MED9, Slovenia will focus on strengthening Europe's resilience and competitiveness, youth empowerment and capacity-building in higher education, digitalisation and culture as well as the EU enlargement and other foreign policy issues. A number of events will be organised during the Presidency, which you can follow on the dedicated MED9 website.

In the latest episode of the government’s GOVSI podcast, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Mateja Čalušić sheds light on the key challenges and opportunities facing Slovenian agriculture, as well as the country’s strategy for the future of food supply.

Slovenia welcomes the decision by Arab countries to adopt a comprehensive plan for Gaza’s reconstruction at the extraordinary Arab summit in Cairo on 4th March 2025. This important step demonstrates a strong and unified Arab commitment, with genuine Arab ownership of the process and a clear focus on safeguarding the Palestinian people’s inalienable rights, including the right to self-determination, to their land, and ultimately to statehood.

On March 6th, 2025 Ambassador Iztok Mirošič and Congressman Paul Gosar met for a meeting, where they discussed about possibilities in strengthening the economic bilateral cooperation between Slovenia and USA & Arizona.

Prime Minister Robert Golob is attending a special European Council meeting in Brussels devoted to strengthening European defence and ensuring a lasting peace in Ukraine.

The Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Copenhagen is seeking to recruit two professionals for the following positions:

1. Public Diplomacy Coordinator
2. Communication Officer and Events Coordinator

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs organised the National Consultation on EU Macro-Regional Strategies, which was held at Brdo pri Kranju and brought together representatives from ministries and other stakeholders involved in the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region (EUSALP), the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), and the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region (EUSAIR).

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Robert Golob, today took part in the conference on the subject of “Science is – science can”, which was held at the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar attended the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Brussels.

At today’s session, the Government adopted amendments to the Scientific Research and Innovation Activity Act, which provides for additional funding for science, and the proposal for the Act Regulating the Partial Reimbursement of Wage Compensation for Reduced Working Hours. It also took note of the guidelines for the drafting of calls for tenders for the allocation of public funds under the Programme of measures to promote entrepreneurship and competitiveness.

On Tuesday, March 4th, 2025 President of the Commission for Relations with Slovenes Abroad, Suzana Lep Šimenko, held an online meeting for the representatives of Slovenian associations from various U.S. states. The Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia to the United States also joined the meeting.

How do global crises affect young people's lives? How can their resilience and creativity contribute to a better world? The European Network for Occupational Safety and Health Education and Training is organising a special video competition addressing these very questions in the context of EXPO 2025, the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, from 13 April to 13 October 2025.

A seminar on business opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) was held at the Centre of Excellence in Finance, organised by the Ministry of Finance in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, as part of the LAC 2025 Days, the public agency SPIRIT and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Model of early vocational and occupational rehabilitation on the process of returning to work in terms of health (ZPZR-2).

Slovenia is gravely concerned about the decision to completely block humanitarian aid access to Gaza. This could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe, severely affecting the civilian population already suffering from the conflict. Such actions are in clear violation of international law, particularly international humanitarian law and human rights law.

The 42nd Slovenian Week Against Cancer is taking place under the slogan: "A new breeze in the fight against cancer – developing the LUKA and PETER programmes". The event, organised by the Association of Slovenian Cancer Societies in cooperation with the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, the Ministry of Health, and the National Cancer Control Programme, brought together experts to discuss future cancer screening programmes.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the Libertas cultural hub project.

Under this year's theme "Wildlife Conservation Finance: Investing in People and Planet", World Wildlife Day (WWD) 2025 highlights the urgent need for innovative and sustainable financial solutions to preserve the planet's biodiversity and secure a prosperous future for both wildlife and humanity.

The Archivalia of the Month March 2025 with the title Donate to Winter Help is published in the Online Column Archivalia of the Month.

In February, the UN Security Council was chaired by China, which organised an open debate on multilateralism. Among other things, the Security Council discussed Syria and other issues relating to the Middle East, the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ukraine.

At today's session, the Government adopted a draft amendment to the Confiscation of Assets of Illicit Origin Act, the Decree on the compulsory health insurance service programmes, the capacities required for their implementation and the amount of funding for 2025. It also adopted measures to speed up the absorption of EU funds.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has approved measures to improve the absorption of the funds available under Slovenia’s EU Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027. The Government also approved amendments to the Programme and issued a supplemented decree regarding Cohesion Policy implementation. The draft measures were prepared by the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, together with the other line ministries.

Ambassador Iztok Mirošič met with Congressman Pete Sessions of Texas in D.C. on February 24, 2025. They discussed the strengthening of the bilateral relations between Slovenia and United States of America, and agreed to work closely together to advance them.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the project Integrated improvement of the Savska cesta Road.

Prime Minister Robert Golob met with the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanović. This was Milanović’s first visit abroad since the start of his second term. The Prime Minister and the President confirmed that bilateral relations between the two countries were excellent and exchanged views on current international topics.

On the second day of the high-level segment of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC 58), the Permanent Mission of Slovenia to the United Nations in Geneva hosted a high-level side event titled: “Implementing Foreign Policy Goals with A Human Rights Lens: Advancing Equality through Multilateralism”.

Prime Minister Robert Golob attended the Golden Ambassador for Children with Cancer Award ceremony, organised by the Zlata Pentljica Institute. The Golden Ambassador Award is a token of appreciation for individuals and organisations that contribute with their acts of kindness to the mission of helping children with cancer.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today attended, via a web lnk, the "Defence and Security Strategy of Unity" Summit, convened by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the third anniversary of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

On 19 February 2025, a joint traffic control under the auspices of the European Labour Authority (ELA) took place at the Tarvisio - Ugovizza rest area, led by the Italian traffic police and involving control authorities from Slovenia, Croatia and Austria. The focus was on monitoring mobile workers, checking postings, working time, rest periods and pay.

"After three years of blatant violations of international law, Russian aggression must come to an end. A ceasefire must be achieved, along with adequate security guarantees for Ukraine. Slovenia remains committed to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and both Ukraine and EU Member States must engage in negotiations," emphasised the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon, on the third anniversary of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the projects Development of Slovenj Gradec Sports Park, Urban Culture Centre and Langer Villa. The projects that follow urban strategies of respective urban municipalities will receive EUR 9.5 million from the European Regional Development Fund.

Together with the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF), a discussion was organised on strategic foresight and the document of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs entitled Niches and excellence in Slovenian diplomacy 2030/2040. The document is the result of months of work on the strategic foresight project, in which diplomats and external experts have envisaged four possible scenarios for future developments.

At today's session, the Government adopted a proposal for a new Public Employees Act, aimed at enhancing the competence and independence of public employees. It also approved the proposal for the Public Office Holders Act, which sets out the requirements for holding office and the rights of public office holders in state bodies and self-governing local communities.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals Promotion of R&D programmes (TRL 3-6). The call seeks to strengthen collaboration between the research sector and businesses, while fostering innovation in Slovenia. The call is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, its contribution standing at over EUR 31 million.

Prime Minister Robert Golob today took part in an informal meeting of a group of states organised by French President Emmanuel Macron.

In winter, even in seemingly fine weather, snow and ice can form on the roof of a semi-trailer, the cab of a truck or the roof of a bus. A little rain or high humidity during the day and low temperatures at night are enough to cause this.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals that aims to co-finance the network of multi-purpose Roma centres. The call makes a total of EUR 5.5 million available, with over EUR 4.4 million coming from the European Social Fund Plus.

After the successful first retail issue last year, the Ministry of Finance is preparing for the second issue of retail bonds. This is a part of the Ministry’s continued efforts to develop the capital market, disperse the savings of retail investors and improve financial literacy.

Minister Dr Aleksander Jevšek held his first meeting with the newly appointed Commissioner for Cohesion and Reform, Raffaele Fitto. The meeting, which took place in Brussels, focused on the future of Cohesion Policy and measures to improve EU funds absorption.

At the invitation of the Polish Presidency, State Secretary Marko Štucin attended an informal meeting of European affairs ministers in Warsaw. The members of the General Affairs Council discussed the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework, the impact of hybrid threats on the enlargement process and the strengthening of Europe's civilian and military preparedness.

On February 13, 2025 Ambassador Mirošič joined as a guest speaker at the webinar 'From Washington to Ljubljana: How Trump's New Policies Will Reshape Business & Opportunity' hosted by the American-Slovenian Club.