In today's Official Journal, the European Commission published the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/656 of 21 April 2021 entering a name in the register of Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (Slovenska potica), thereby protecting Slovenska potica as a traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG). The protection under the traditional speciality guaranteed does not limit the production of Slovenska potica to a specific area. It can be produced anywhere, provided that the producer holds a certificate of compliance of the production with the specification of Slovenska potica.

At the invitation of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Poland, Mr Grzegorz Puda, Minister Jože Podgoršek (in the first part) and State Secretary Aleš Irgolič (in the second part) have attended the meeting of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Visegrad Group extended to Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania (V4+4), which was held by videoconference. The Ministers have discussed the challenges and opportunities for agricultural holdings in light of the Farm to Fork Strategy and exchanged experience in the preparation of strategic plans for the Common Agricultural Policy.

The 8th Forest Europe Ministerial Conference, which was held over two days by videoconference, concluded today. State Secretary Anton Harej attended the conference yesterday and Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek attended the conference today. The conference was devoted to the adaptation of forests to climate change and sustainable forest management. The participants adopted a declaration on "The Future we want; The Forests we need" and a resolution on "Adapting pan-European Forests to Climate Change".

Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek and European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, met today in the late afternoon by videoconference. The Minister has presented to the European Commissioner the Slovenian priorities in fisheries and forestry during the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek addressed this morning via videoconference the participants of the online conference on the development potential in agriculture entitled "AgriTech – Discover the potential of Slovenia and Japan in agriculture". The event was organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tokyo, SPIRIT Slovenia Public Agency, and Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

EU Ministers responsible for agriculture and fisheries met yesterday and today at the EU Council meeting held in Brussels. The main items on the agenda were agriculture and fisheries. Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek attended the meeting on behalf of Slovenia. The Minister also met with Italian and French agricultural ministers in the framework of the meeting.

Out of 19 applicants from nine countries, the European Landowners' Organization (ELO) awards Mr Zvone Černelič from Slovenia for his outstanding contribution to the development of agricultural practice protecting the soil and the environment. This is the first time in 15 years that a Slovenian project has won this prestigious award.

The Slovenian project, aiming to restore forests damaged by natural disasters and involving forest owners and Slovenia Forest Service as the main beneficiaries of the funds, was named as one of the 20 finalists out of 125 projects submitted for the European competition Rural Inspiration Awards 2021.

Today we celebrate the World Consumer Rights Day. The following text presents consumer rights that fall under the remit of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, and the Administration for Food Safety, Veterinary Sector and Plant Protection (a body within the Ministry).

Today, the EU Ministers competent for fisheries met on the second current year’s meeting of the EU Council under the Portuguese Presidency, which took place in the audio-visual form. This time, the Agenda included topics on fisheries. On exit of the United Kingdom from the EU, the Ministers familiarised themselves with the state of play of bilateral consultations between the EU and the UK on fishing opportunities for 2021 and on deep-sea fish stocks for 2021 and 2022. Slovenia was represented by the acting Directress General of the MAFF Food and Fisheries Directorate, Ms Ana Le Marechal Kolar.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MAFF) is intensively preparing the 2023–2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan. The preliminary draft of the Strategic Plan was prepared in last December and includes the needs identified, proposals for interventions, defined funds, and the output and result indicators.

This afternoon, Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek held a remote meeting with Mr Janusz Wojciechowski, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. They primarily discussed topics to be in the forefront during Slovenia’s EU Council Presidency in the field of agriculture and forestry. The interlocutors discussed the difficult situation in the pig meat sector, also within the context of Slovenia’s call for action launched at the January videoconference of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers. The Minister informed the Commissioner of the progress made in preparing the National Strategic Plan.

Today, the EU Ministers competent for agriculture, and fisheries met on the first EU Council meeting this year under the Portuguese Presidency, which took place in the audio-visual form. On behalf of Slovenia, the meeting was attended by the Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek. In the introduction, Portugal presented the work programme in agriculture and fisheries in the following half year.

Minister Jože Podgoršek today attended the 13th Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Conference at the Global Forum For Food And Agriculture (GFFA). The GFFA, which began on Monday and concluded with today’s ministerial conference, features a series of political and professional events, discussions and meetings that take place every year on the fringes of the Green Week fair. The ministerial conference welcomed almost 100 agriculture ministers and their deputies from around the world along with the highest representatives of all major international institutions and international NGOs. The forum was hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture with the central topic of "How to Feed the World in Times of Pandemics and Climate Change?"

Today the Prime Minister Janez Janša and Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, Jože Podgoršek, held a meeting in Ljubljana with representatives of the Slovenian Chamber of Agriculture and Forestry.

Today, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food published an open competition for selection of an innovative, creative design and plan for a symbolic object – the ‘Zlata čebela’ / ‘Golden Honeybee’ award model. This open and anonymous competition is addressed to all the interested citizens of the Republic of Slovenia with the required skills in the realms of authorship, technical know-how and organisational competencies.

The EU Ministers responible for agriculture and fisheries met yesterday and today at the last session of the EU Council of the year under the presidency of Germany. State secretary mag. Miran Mihelič attended the session for Slovenia. As is traditional for the end of the year, negotiations on fishing opportunities for the next year were at the forefront of the meeting, which are faced with additional challenges due to United Kingdom’s exit from the EU. Discussion on the proposal of a uniform voluntary marking of nutritional values on the front of packaging was also at the forefront, which resulted in the adoption of resolutions of the presidency, as well as the discussion about an all-European marking on animal well-being on foods of animal origin. During lunch, the German presidency presented to the Ministers the advancements in negotiations on the Common Agricultural Policy after 2021, which, following the adoption of the General Approach of the Council, are now continuing with the European Parliament in the form of so-called trialogues.

As part of Slovenian delegation, the Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek visited the Republic of Italy and the Vatican City State on Thursday and Friday. The visit to Rome included the Minister’s activities and meetings with the leading representatives of the World Food Programme of the United Nations (UN) and of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies of the Republic of Italy. On Friday, the Minister Dr Podgoršek heard Holy Mass for the Fatherland, attended the Audience with the Holy Father, and met with the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson. On conclusion of visit of the Slovenian delegation, a ceremony of lighting candles on a pine tree presented by Slovenia took place in the St. Peter’s Square.

Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek participated today in the 14th annual meeting of the Ministers for Agriculture from South East Europe (SEE) that took place in the form of an audio-visual conference. The meeting was organised by the Secretariat of the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group (SWG) in South East Europe (RRD SWG), and by the Republic of Serbia that had taken over the one-year presidency over this Working Group. The meeting was attended by the ministers and their deputies from the Western Balkans countries, by the high representatives of the European Commission, international organisations and observer countries, and by Slovenia among the latter ones.

Minister Dr Jože Podgoršek participated today in an informal videoconference of EU Ministers for Agriculture and Fisheries. On the Agenda, the Ministers had agricultural as well as forestry issues. In focus was the discussion on the state of play in agricultural markets due to Covid-19 pandemic, on food loss and waste, African Swine Fever (ASF), on the common position on the EU Forest Strategy, and on preparations for the United Nations Food Systems Summit 2021, one of the greatest international events to take place during Slovenia’s 2021 EU Council Presidency.