News

The Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Development and European Cohesion Policy, the Managing Authority for the European Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund, has issued the decision on financial support for the “Interpretation of Biodiversity and Heritage of Pile Dwellings in the Ljubljana Marshes” project. The European Regional Development Fund will contribute nearly 1.3 million euros to the project, which overall will cost just under 2.3 million euros.

To mark the 101st anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth, celebrated today, Political Director/ Director-General for Common Foreign and Security Policy Matej Marn attended the opening of the African Cultural Centre in Ljubljana. The African Cultural Centre was established in the framework of the African Village Institute. In addition to holding cultural events, the centre’s purpose is informal awareness raising of the importance of a multicultural society and respectful intercultural communication.

State Secretary Božič attended the General Affairs Council today, which took note of the foreseen course of negotiations on the new EU budget until the end of the year and of the Finnish Presidency’s priorities. Implementation of the new strategic agenda and the situation regarding the rule of law in the European Union were also discussed.

The Foreign Ministry participates in this year’s MetalDays festival taking place between 21 and 27 July in Tolmin, where it displays in an interactive way key sustainable development messages included in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Agenda 2030).

Yesterday, 17 July 2019, the Minister of the Interior Boštjan Poklukar met with the Minister of the Interior of the Italian Republic Matteo Salvini on the margins of the Informal JHA Council Meeting. The main topic of their discussion was migration.

The Government confirms Janez Lenarčič as candidate for European commissioner from Slovenia and adopts a strategy with regard to migrations.

On 16 July, the President of the Republic of Slovenia signed a decree on the appointment of Gregor Presker as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to Montenegro.

On 12 July, the President of the Republic of Slovenia signed a decree on the appointment of Alain Brian Bergant as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to the Argentine Republic.

On 12 July, the President of the Republic of Slovenia signed a decree on the appointment of Andrej Slapničar as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia – Head of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

On 12 July, the President of the Republic of Slovenia signed a decree on the appointment of Metka Ipavic as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to the French Republic.

On 12 July, the President of the Republic of Slovenia signed a decree on the appointment of Dr Erik Kopač as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia – Head of the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to NATO in Brussels.

On 12 July, the President of the Republic of Slovenia signed a decree on the appointment of Matjaž Longar as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to the Hellenic Republic.

On 12 July, the President of the Republic of Slovenia signed a decree on the appointment of Barbara Žvokelj as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary – Head of Permanent Representation of the Republic of Slovenia to the United Nations, OSCE and other International Organisations in Vienna.

On 12 July, the President of the Republic of Slovenia signed a decree on the appointment of Tomaž Kunstelj as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to the Italian Republic.

On 12 July, the President of the Republic of Slovenia signed a decree on the appointment of Andreja Purkart Martinez as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Slovenia to the State of Israel.

Today marks the 21th anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, which established the permanent International Criminal Court (ICC), a body which has the power to prosecute perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and aggression. On this occasion, Slovenia renews its call on all States that have not yet done so to ratify the Rome Statute as a matter of priority, and to cooperate fully with the Court, thereby ensuring accountability for the most heinous crimes.

The rule of law, sustainable development and security, and the Western Balkans are the priority areas outlined at today’s ministerial conference in Brdo pri Kranju by the ministers at the invitation of the Prime Minister.

State Secretary Dobran Božič hosted a farewell lunch at Brdo pri Kranju in honour of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Bart Twaalhoven.

In the second week of July, a team of experts from the OECD and the European Commission arrived in Slovenia to proceed with the public procurement review project.

Minister Dr Miro Cerar attended the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting in Brussels on Iran, Iraq, the Central African Republic and external aspects of migration. The ministers had an informal lunch with Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicu Popescu.

Today was the last day of the 41st meeting of the UN Human Rights Council. At this meeting, Slovenia actively participated in discussions involving not only the rights of women and elderly people, but also rights in relation to climate change and the fight against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

This year’s report on the realisation of the 2030 Agenda sustainable development goals ranks Slovenia in 12th place out of 162 countries.

Minister za zunanje zadeve dr. Miro Cerar se je danes sešel s palestinskim ministrom za zunanje zadeve in razseljene osebe dr. Riadom Malkijem, ki se v Ljubljani mudi na delovnem obisku. Reden dialog s palestinskimi sogovorniki je za Slovenijo dragocen za celovito razumevanje dogajanja v bližnjevzhodni regiji in razmer v Palestini.

Prime Minister Marjan Šarec has attended the gala opening of its new paint plant by the Canadian–Austrian firm Magna in Orehova vas in the municipality of Hoče–Slivnica. In his address before the symbolic launch of the facilities (production has actually been in trial operation since March), the Prime Minister emphasised the importance of the success of the investment project and expressed hope for further successful cooperation and business.

In agreement with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Ministry of Public Administration hosted a multilateral meeting on the 8th and 9th of July to coordinate the use of the radio spectrum for FM radio. The meeting was chaired by Ms Ilham Ghazi, the Head of the Broadcasting Services at the Radiocommunication Bureau of the ITU, and attended by representatives of Italy, France, Switzerland, Croatia, Malta and Slovenia.

The Republic of Slovenia, rated Baa1 (Positive – Moody’s) / AA- (Stable – S&P) / A- (Stable – Fitch), successfully reopened its existing 10-year Slovenian Government bond due 14th March 2029 for an additional EUR 350 million.

Following the inspection of the situation along the border with the Republic of Croatia in the Ilirska Bistrica municipality, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec continued his visit in the municipalities of Kostel and Črnomelj. He was joined by the Mayors of both municipalities and their delegations.

An oral hearing was scheduled this afternoon at the EU Court of Justice on the admissibility of an action that Slovenia filed against Croatia for breaches of EU law resulting from its repudiation of the Arbitral Award. Two years after the Final Award was rendered, Slovenia stands firmly on its position. In accordance with Article 7 of the Arbitration Agreement, the Final Award of the Arbitral Tribunal of 29 June 2017 is binding on both parties and constitutes a definitive settlement of the border dispute.

Dobran Božič, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended the ministerial meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEEPC) held in Sarajevo on 7 and 8 July. A Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) annual meeting was organised on the margins of the ministerial meeting.

At the invitation of the Japanese government, State Secretary Simona Leskovar attended the 24th International Conference for Women in Business. The conference Scale Up was held in Tokyo on 7 July 2019. State Secretary Leskovar was one of the keynote speakers at the conference and one of the panellists at the roundtable on global policies. As a part of her visit, the state secretary met senior representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Cabinet Office of the prime minister as well as the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Prime Minister Marjan Šarec, together with the Minister of the Interior, Boštjan Poklukar and Director General of the Police, Tatjana Bobnar, LLM reviews the situation on the border with the Republic of Croatia in the Municipality of Ilirska Bistrica. He also had a meeting with police officers, members of the Slovenian Armed Forces and the Croatian police operating along the border.

The Republic of Slovenia, acting through the Ministry of Finance (the "Issuer"), rated Baa1 (Positive) by Moody’s, AA- (Stable) by S&P, A- (Stable) by Fitch, has mandated Goldman Sachs International Bank, Jefferies and J.P. Morgan to joint lead manage an increase of its outstanding 1.1875% notes due 14 March 2029 (ISIN: SI0002103842). The transaction, in Reg S, dematerialised registered form, is expected to be launched in the near future, subject to market conditions.

The Minister of Public Administration, Rudi Medved, and the Acting Director-General of the Information Society Directorate at the Ministry of Public Administration, Marjan Turk, addressed the issue of the harmonisation of radio spectrum use in the border areas with Italy at today's press conference.

Slovenian prime minister Marjan Šarec has taken part in the 6th summit of the heads of government of the countries of the Berlin Process in Poznań. The aim of the Berlin Process meetings is to ensure that EU expansion to the Western Balkans continues in accordance with the European agenda: to bring the region closer to European and global corridors via infrastructure, energy and economic projects and, at the same time, to keep up the pressure on the countries of the region to maintain a positive reform dynamic and continue to resolve outstanding issues.

State Secretary Dobran Božič attended the traditional meeting of the Quadrilaterale (Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Slovenia) at the level of deputy foreign ministers. This year's meeting took place between 4 and 5 July and was hosted by Austria. The participants exchanged views on cooperation within the Quadrilaterale and on current European and international issues.

Foreign Minister Miro Cerar is attending the Berlin Process’s ministerial session in Poznań, which focuses on the regional cooperation of the Western Balkan countries in security, economic cooperation and transport connectivity, while encouraging youth and enhancing civil society.

The 19th Meeting of authorised representatives for the distribution of diplomatic and consular properties of the former SFRY in compliance with Annex B to the Agreement on Succession Issues continued on Tuesday and Wednesday in Belgrade. Slovenia was represented by Ambassador Damjan Bergant, Secretary General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At the Tartu Call for a Healthy Lifestyle seminar organised by the European Commission, the Kuhnapato project was rated among the best practice in Europe in the area of health and sustainability.

On a working visit to Paris, foreign minister Miro Cerar and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian signed a new action plan for strategic partnership between their two countries for the 2019 to 2022 period.

Slovenians from neighbouring countries and from around the world embarked on the traditional visit to the homeland on Wednesday for the start of the Welcome Home event. The main part of the event will take place on Saturday in Radovljica, but the meeting opened on Wednesday with football matches in Brdo pri Kranju.

At today’s session the government adopted an itemisation of budget expenditure by individual budget spending unit. In line with the approved fiscal framework, the ceiling on state budget expenditure was set at EUR 10.45 billion for 2020 and EUR 10.46 billion for 2021. The government is drafting the budget with welfare and stability in mind, but will also take account of the fiscal rule.

Minister for Development, Strategic Projects and Cohesion Dr. Iztok Purič gave opening remarks at today’s conference Systemic Design for Circular Policy-making, an interregional dissemination event organised by the Retrace project partner from Slovenia, Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy. The event marked the closing stage of the project which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Interreg Europe Programme.

Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar is paying an official one-day visit to Paris today, where he will meet French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and OECD Secretary-General Ángel Gurría, with whom he will discuss the challenges of modern-day societies, which are driven by digital transformation, climate change, artificial intelligence, education, ageing of the population and the impact on the labour market.

Foreign Minister Dr Miro Cerar and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian signed the new French–Slovenian Strategic Partnership Action Plan for 2019–2022 in Paris today. Minister Cerar is paying a working visit to France at the invitation of his French counterpart.

State Secretary Simona Leskovar participated in a ministerial meeting of the Ukraine Reform Conference, hosted by the Canadian and Ukrainian governments. She commended the progress achieved by Ukraine and called for further efforts in implementing necessary reforms, desired and indeed demanded by the Ukrainian people, and assured Slovenia’s support to this end.

At the opening ceremony of the new production line of Renault’s model BJA (the fifth generation of the Clio), Prime Minister Marjan Šarec honoured the official start of serial production of the aforementioned vehicle at Revoz in Novo Mesto with an address. The Slovenian Government has provided Revoz with a financial incentive amounting to EUR 6 million for the implementation of this project.

Slovenia is in 16th place among the 28 EU member states in the EU's Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), being above the average only in digital public services (14th). Slovenia performs particularly well in the access to open data and eHealth services, where it ranks sixth.

Austria, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden attach the utmost importance to the preservation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), signed by Iran and unanimously endorsed by the UN Security Council, as a key instrument for the non-proliferation regime and a major contribution to stability in the region.

Two years after the entry into force of the arbitral award, the Slovenian government’s position remains unchanged. Pursuant to Article 7 of the Arbitration Agreement, the award of the Arbitral Tribunal (29 June 2017) is binding on both countries and constitutes a definitive settlement of the border dispute.

Prime Minister Marjan Šarec is on an official visit to the Vatican today. This morning he had a private audience with Pope Francis. He also had a meeting with Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.