State Secretary Gašper Dovžan presented the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU at a virtual event hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union. The Brussels-based business association traditionally organises such events when an EU member state assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

During today's video conference call, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan and Deputy Prime Minister for European Affairs of North Macedonia Nikola Dimitrov assessed the development of bilateral relations as very positive. Against the backdrop of the recent Slovenian EU Council Presidency take-over, the pair discussed the European perspective of North Macedonia.

Acting Director-General Igor Jukič held consultations with the French Director-General for Global Affairs, Culture, Education and International Development, Michel Miraillet, via video conference.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora of Kosovo Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz held a video conference meeting. They assessed bilateral relations and exchanged views on the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Kosovo from the perspective of the second Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, stressing the importance of maintaining a credible European perspective for the Western Balkan countries, thereby further contributing to the stabilisation of the region.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan today held talks via a video conference with Serbian Minister of European Integration Jadranka Joksimović. They gave a positive assessment of the development of bilateral relations, focusing on further EU enlargement, which is one of the key priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan attended the high-level event "Development in Transition: Dialogues to chart new paths for Latin America and the Caribbean", via video conference, where participants discussed possibilities for creating new models for sustainable and inclusive recovery in Latin America and the Caribbean.

State Secretary Dovžan outlined the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro Đorđe Radulović at a video conference meeting. They also focused on resilience, the discussion on the future of Europe, and enlargement of the Union.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended the meeting of the Committee on European Affairs at the invitation of the presiding Lithuanian Committee on European Affairs and the Deputy Foreign Minister for European Affairs Arnoldas Pranckevičius, presenting the priorities of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency and devoting particular attention to post-pandemic resilience and recovery.

The launch of the Slovenian EU Council Presidency is accompanied by the opening of the Europe Readr digital platform, its leading cultural and promotional project. The selection of books in the virtual library that will be available free of charge will bring readers closer to the current social issues and encourage them to reflect on, and discuss, the world we want to live in. A number of accompanying events will be organised around the world, along with the creation of public spaces for reading and exchanging ideas, all the way from Paris and Helsinki to Washington and Bangkok. The formal opening of the platform will take place on 7 July in the Lighthouse Park in Izola.

In the context of the visit of the College of European Commissioners, Foreign Minister Anže Logar met with Vice-President of the European Commission and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, Neighbourhood and Enlargement Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarčič and Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen. He presented the priorities in the field of foreign policy during the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, stressing that Slovenia would strive to strengthen the Union's resilience and to achieve a stronger role of the Union in global relations.

At the invitation of the German Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Svenja Schulze, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan attended the Water Dialogues for Results virtual conference in Bonn. The conference is part of a formal preparatory event for the United Nations (UN) Conference on the Water Action Decade scheduled for March 2023 in New York. This will be only the second conference in the history of the UN dedicated exclusively to water.

On the eve of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan took part in a meeting of the co-chairs of the Conference on the Future of Europe. He will co-chair the Executive Board of the Conference on the Future of Europe during the Slovenian Presidency.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended the meeting of the Bureau of the Committee of the Regions before the beginning of Slovenia’s EU Council Presidency.

Foreign Minister Anže Logar attended the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS, which was established in 2014. The meeting was hosted by Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Luigi di Maio and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan attended the international conference of the Africa Europe Foundation Forum via video conference. He participated in a panel entitled The Health Alliance of Africa and Europe: Pandemic Resilience and the Future of Healthcare. The participants discussed the health alliance in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan received Dumitru Socolan, State Secretary at the Moldovan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration.

On 24 and 25 June, political and security consultations between Slovenia and the USA were held at the State Department in Washington. They were conducted by Jernej Müller, Director-General of the Directorate for Common Foreign and Security Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Maureen Cormack, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

Minister Anže Logar’s message to the employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 30th anniversary of Slovenia’s statehood

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar is hosting Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Augusto Santos Silva on an official visit. For the first time in fourteen years, Portugal’s foreign minister is paying a visit to Slovenia. “The recent visit to Slovenia by President de Sousa confirmed the excellent bilateral and friendly relations between the two countries and their intensive cooperation in the Trio Presidency”, emphasised Minister Logar. The visit by Minister Santos Silva provides an opportunity to review the Portuguese Presidency’s achievements and to take up the presidency baton.

One week before Slovenia officially takes the helm of the European Union, Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar outlined the priorities and objectives of the Slovenian Presidency, which comes at a crucial moment, when the European Union is adopting important packages on green and digital renewal and building its resilience. “The Presidency is an opportunity to strengthen integration within the EU and within its institutions, and to steer development towards an innovative and creative community based on sustainable development," stressed Minister Logar.