News

Today Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the ceremony traditionally held for the Slovenian-American Friendship and Alliance Day.

Barbara Sušnik, Director-General for EU Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conducted regular consultations with József Magyar, Deputy State Secretary for the Development of European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, via a video conference.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar travelled to Copenhagen on an official visit to meet with Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod. The visit was aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Slovenia and Denmark, reviewing the implementation of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency priorities, and discussing topical international issues and measures to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 25 August, the Deputy Minister of Defence of the Czech Republic Mr Vladimír Müller, accompanied by Mr Uroš Lampret, the State Secretary of the SVN MOD, paid a visit to the NATO MW COE.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar met a delegation of US senators visiting Slovenia for a working dinner. The delegation is led by Senator Richard Shelby from the State of Alabama, the current vice chair of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

Slovenian representative Marjan Osvald was elected Deputy Director General of the International Bureau of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) for the period 2022–2025 at today's elections within the framework of the 27th World Postal Congress in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

Today, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan met with Dutch Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita van den Ende. The main topic of conversation was the strengthening of cooperation between Slovenia and the Netherlands in areas of common interest. In her role as Director General for European Cooperation, Deputy Minister van den Ende also held separate talks with the Director General for EU Affairs Barbara Sušnik and met with the State Secretary in the Office of the Slovenian Prime Minister Igor Senčar.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today hosted Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Evarist Bartolo on an official visit to Slovenia. The visit was aimed at deepening political and economic relations and strengthening cooperation at both the European and multilateral level between the two countries, discussing Slovenia’s potential participation in the group of Mediterranean countries, and exchanging views on other topical international issues. Their talks focused on the future of the European Union and the challenges facing the Slovenian EU Council Presidency, particularly in migration and the EU's economic recovery.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša met with Governor of Lower Austria Johanna Mikl-Leitner at a working lunch. The two discussed the COVID-19 situation on both sides of the border and the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

This year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia is participating for the first time as one of the partners of World Water Week, which is taking place from 23 to 27 August 2021 in Stockholm. At today’s High Level Panel on water diplomacy “Water Diplomacy: Navigating a Resilient Future”, Acting Director-General for Multilateral Affairs and Development Cooperation Igor Jukič underlined that discussion on water in the international community requires a comprehensive, cross-sectoral, multidisciplinary, and multistakeholder approach.

Minister Anže Logar met with Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah today. Their talks centred on bilateral cooperation, the situation in Palestine and current events in the region, the European Union's cooperation with Palestine and the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Today in Ljubljana, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the international conference entitled “Illusive Reconciliation: Transitional Processes in Central and Eastern Europe in a Comparative Perspective”, organised by the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Study Centre for National Reconciliation in cooperation with the Platform of European Memory and Conscience.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar met with the Israeli Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid in Jerusalem today. They discussed bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries, which has deepened and expanded into new areas in the last year. The high officials also touched upon the resilience and effective response of the international community to various crises. The talks also focused on current events in the region, EU-Israel relations and the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

In light of the chaotic situation in Afghanistan that has been going on in recent days, Europe has been intensively preparing for a potential new wave of migrants. Janez Janša, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, currently holding the presidency of the Council of the EU, wrote on social media that the European Union would not be opening European "humanitarian" or migration corridors for Afghanistan.

The Covid-19 update press conference was attended by the Minister of Health, Janez Poklukar, State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, Damir Orehovec, and Maja Bratuša, who opened the press conference by presenting the latest epidemiological data.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Industrial Business Zone Zalog with the Industrijska cesta road. The project implemented by Urban Municipality Ljubljana under the Agreement of the Development of the Osrednjeslovenska Region is worth EUR 5.2 million with European Regional Development Fund contribution standing at EUR 2.4 million.

Minister Anže Logar today hosted a working visit by Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic of Austria Alexander Schallenberg. The counterparts agreed that Slovenia and Austria hold a regular partnership dialogue on all bilateral, European, and international issues. The Austrian minister was accompanied by Governor of Styria Hermann Schützenhöfer.

Two weeks after deploying two firefighting teams to North Macedonia who successfully helped put out large wildfires, Slovenia today conveyed firefighting equipment to the area: firefighting backpacks, chainsaws, and fire beaters. State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Stanislav Raščan attended the dispatch at the Roje National Logistics Centre.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Preparation of the documents for stage 2 of the Third Development Axis – South, the section from the Maline access point to the international border crossing Metlika and the Črnomelj South access point. The EUR 8 million project will be implemented by the Motorway Company of the Republic of Slovenia (DARS) in the frame of the Agreement on the Development of the Jugovzhodna Slovenija Region with the European Regional Development Fund contribution standing at nearly EUR 2.2 million.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke with President of the European Council Charles Michel over the phone. They discussed the latest developments and the situation in Afghanistan, the future activities of the EU Council in the light of the changing geopolitical situation, the future of Europe and the Bled Strategic Forum, as well as the agenda of the forthcoming EU-Western Balkans Summit.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan received Ambassador of Mongolia Battungalag Gankhuurai on a farewell visit at the end of her term of office at the Embassy in Vienna accredited to Slovenia.

The human race against the climate crisis clock is the theme of this year’s World Humanitarian Day, which is being marked today. To save our planet from the devastating and lasting effect of climate change, this year’s humanitarian day is dedicated to raising public awareness about humanitarian workers and their efforts aimed at alleviating the effects of climate change and about the victims who lost everything as a consequence.

Today, the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU organised an extraordinary videoconference meeting of interior ministers within the framework of the Council's crisis response mechanism (IPCR), which was chaired by Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs. The ministers expressed solidarity with the affected states - Latvia, Lithuania and Poland - and supported additional assistance to the member states at this section of the external EU border.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar today attended an extraordinary meeting of EU foreign ministers on the latest developments in Afghanistan via video conference. The focus was placed on the EU’s coordination in evacuating European citizens and local Afghan staff who supported member states and the EU during their activities in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Janez Janša and Minister of Finance Andrej Šircelj today met with members of the Fiscal Council. On behalf of the Fiscal Council, the meeting was attended by the President of the Fiscal Council, Dr Davorin Kračun, two members of the Fiscal Council, Alenka Jerkič and Tomaž Perše, and the head of the Fiscal Council's Analysis Service, Aleš Delakorda. The discussion focused on the public finance situation and economic policy both in Slovenia and the European Union.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Arrangement of sustainable mobility in the city centre of Urban Municipality Slovenj Gradec. The project worth EUR 1.5 million will be implemented by the Urban Municipality Slovenj Gradec and will receive EU support with the contribution from the Cohesion Fund standing at EUR 633 thousand.

Prekmurje in the heart

"Again I hear the song amid the plains", says a line in the poem by Feri Lainšček, which we read in the middle of the wonderful Prekmurje landscape which is so special, dreamlike and beautiful. A landscape that makes the poet's soul sing and sets his heart to play. It is not only the poet who feels this way but also all the people of Prekmurje, who were cut off from the Slovenian homeland for nearly 900 years. Given this historical fact it is almost unbelievable that throughout those nine long centuries, and under the influence of other nations they preserved the Slovenian language, Slovenian culture and the ideas of a unified state and of Slovenian identity. That they have stood up and remained Slovenians.

Prime Minister Janez Janša and his wife Urška Bačovnik Janša today attended the main ceremony to mark the Day of the Unification of Prekmurje Slovenes with the Mother Nation, which took place in the castle courtyard in Beltinci.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša visited the Žale Cemetery in Ljubljana and laid a wreath at the tomb of Dr Andrej Bajuk, former prime minister, minister, and the president of the Nova Slovenija political party, marking the 10th anniversary of his death.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša and his Croatian counterpart Andrej Plenković spoke on the phone about foreign policy issues. They discussed measures to protect the EU's external borders against the rising wave of illegal migrations, the need for rapid expansion of the Schengen zone, the situation in Afghanistan, and the preparations for the Bled Strategic Forum 2021.

Slovenia is introducing the Passenger Locator Form for passengers travelling by airplane and ship on 16 August to facilitate contact tracing. Every passenger will be asked to fill out his or her own form, including passengers travelling together as a family or in a group. Passengers in transit, who will remain in the airport's transit area (unless they should decide to leave the airport area for whatever reason) and airplane or ship crewmembers will not be asked to fill out the form.

The Minister of Digital Transformation, Mark Boris Andrijanič, today attended the opening of the travelling mobile classroom named Simbioza Mobiln@. It is the latest acquisition that will bring, through modern digital educational initiatives, the use of ICT tools closer to senior citizens who want to learn how to use computers and smartphones.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan attended the introductory part of the first virtual European archival symposium entitled Digital Transformation in Archival Science. Dieter Schlenker, Director of the Historical Archives of the European Union, Peter Pavel Klasinc, Head of Archival Sciences Alma Mater Europea, and Bojan Cvelfar from the Archives of the Republic of Slovenia also took part in the introductory part of the meeting.

All passengers entering Slovenia by aircraft or cruise ship will have to fill out a Digital Passenger Locator Form (electronic PLF form - dPLF) from 16 August 2021 before entering the country.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Revitalising part of the coastal area between the outfall of the Badaševica and Žusterna. The project worth EUR 4.5 million will be implemented by Urban Municipality Koper under the Sustainable Urban Strategy of Koper and will receive EU support with the contribution from the European Regional Development Fund standing at EUR 616 thousand.

Yesterday, in an audio-video conference, the Minister of Digital Transformation Mark Boris Andrijanič met with the Microsoft's regional representatives for services from Central and Eastern Europe. The topic of the conversation was the search for solutions in the field of improving digital skills in the Republic of Slovenia and the use of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence. These will make it possible to simplify the user experience of citizens in the near future.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan held a video conference with the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Carmen Moreno.

The following is an interview with Prime Minister Janez Janša for the Polish news agency PAP. In the interview, the Prime Minister spoke about the situation in the judiciary, the fact that he was a political prisoner twice, the second time during democracy, the reform of judicial legislation, the need for self-reflection of the judiciary, respect for EU law and the future of the EU.

Japan-Slovenia Relations

Call for Designs Japan - Slovenia 30th Anniversary Logo

Acting as Minister for Development Cooperation, State Secretary Dr. Stanislav Raščan held a telephone conversation with Martin Jäger, the German State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

State Secretary Dr. Raščan addressed young people at the 94th International Session of the European Youth Parliament organised by the European Youth Parliament of Slovenia and taking place in Slovenia for the first time between 31 July and 8 August 2021.

On March 7, 1946, members of the Inter-Allied Boundary Commission arrived to Trieste to compile a report and to suggest the drawing of the state border between Yugoslavia and Italy. On March 11, 1946, the commission received the representatives of the Regional National Liberation Committee for the Slovenian Littoral and Trieste and was presented with their memorandum. The memorandum consisted of three parts, all aimed to justify the necessity for the entire Julian March and Trieste to be assigned to Yugoslavia.

The Government Information Security Office, which succeeded the Information Security Administration of the Republic of Slovenia, was established on 20 July 2021 and became operational on 31 July 2021. The Government Information Security Office is the competent national authority in the field of information and cyber security.

State Secretary Dr. Stanislav Raščan attended on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the 105th commemoration at the Russian Chapel below the Vršič Pass.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has issued an open call to citizens, legal persons or other organisations for identification of the candidates for the 2021 Golden Bee Award.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today received Vice-President of the French National Assembly Laëtitia Saint-Paul, who is visiting Slovenia together with Sabine Thillaye, the Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the French National Assembly.

Minister of Education, Science and Sport Simona Kustec attended the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Tokyo as Slovenia's representative and the chair of the EU Sport Council.

Today in Brussels, EU finance ministers approved the second batch of national recovery and resilience plans, including Slovenia’s. Minister without portfolio responsible for development and EU cohesion policy Zvonko Černač remarked that there is not much time to realise the investments and reforms, so it will be essential that stakeholders cooperate well and make compromises.

Today The Slovenian Minister of Education, Science and Sport dr. Kustec spoke to the Sankei Newspaper in Tokyo.