News

At the invitation of France, which is currently chairing the Council of the EU, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended the informal meeting of ministers and state secretaries for European affairs in Arles, France. The ministers and state secretaries focused on the crisis in Ukraine, the state of the rule of law in the EU and the Conference on the Future of Europe.

Prime Minister Janez Janša yesterday attended a working dinner in Paris hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The discussion at dinner centred around the situation in the Sahel, which included an informal exchange of views on further engagement of EU member states whose armed force are deployed in Mali and the Sahel.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar met with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris today. The main purpose of his visit to France was to outline the achievements of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and to discuss future work on the key European dossiers during the upcoming French Presidency.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan passed the presidency baton in the field of development cooperation to his counterpart French State Secretary Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne.

From 23 to 25 November, Minister Anže Logar attended the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg as Slovenia's high representative for relations between the Council and the Parliament.

Today, the Slovenian Minister of Public Administration, Boštjan Koritnik, attended a ministerial meeting of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) in Paris. Based on the guidelines harmonised at the meeting, the GPAI is seeking to contribute to the responsible development, use and management of human-centred AI systems.

Op-Ed by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia Dr Anže Logar, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Heiko Maas, Minister of State and for Foreign Affairs of the Portuguese Republic Dr Augusto Santos Silva and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian.

On Saturday 23 October, the second Conference Plenary meeting took place in the European Parliament in Strasbourg to discuss citizens’ contributions.

From 18 to 21 October, Minister Anže Logar attended the European Parliament plenary session as Slovenia's high representative for the relations between the Council and the Parliament.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the European Parliament Plenary Session from 6 to 7 October 2021 as the high representative of the Council of the EU in relations with the Parliament during the Slovenian Presidency.

“Democracy, values, rights, responsibilities, and the rule of law are the foundations of the European Union, the base on which it stands,” said Gašper Dovžan, State Secretary and Co-Chair of the Executive Board of the Conference on the Future of Europe, ahead of the beginning of the second European Citizens' Panel in Strasbourg today.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended the European Parliament Plenary Session from 13 to 16 September 2021 as the high representative of the Council of the EU in relations with the Parliament during the Slovenian Presidency. On behalf of the Council of the European Union, he assured commitment to protecting European democracies, respecting the rule of law in the EU, and making progress in the legislative process for the Fit for 55 package.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan received Alexandre Adam, Europe Adviser at the Private Office of the President of the French Republic, today. Their discussion focused on the continuation of enhanced strategic cooperation between Slovenia and France in the context of their successive presidencies of the Council of the EU.

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.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan held a meeting with Franck Riester, French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness. In addition to a general overview of bilateral cooperation, their talks covered investment opportunities in Slovenia, nuclear energy, space, tourism, air connections, automotive industry and digitalisation. The two high officials also discussed the strategic autonomy and economic diplomacy of the European Union.

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.

Foreign Minister Logar visited Paris and met with his host, French Foreign Minister Le Drian, with whom he exchanged views on the priorities of the Slovenian EU Presidency. Minister Logar also met with French National Assembly Vice-President Laëtitia Saint-Paul. They confirmed the excellent relations, pointing out that this year marks the 10th anniversary of the conclusion of the strategic partnership, which significantly stimulated bilateral relations and put them at the highest level. In addition to membership of the European Union and NATO, Slovenia and France also share Alpine and Mediterranean identities.

Today, directors for economic diplomacy at the foreign ministries of Slovenia and France held bilateral economic consultations. The meeting took place in a virtual format. The delegations reviewed the economic cooperation between the two countries, discussed opportunities for closer collaboration in a range of respective areas, and took stock of both countries’ positions on key EU topics.

Director-General for EU Affairs Barbara Sušnik held bilateral consultations via video conference with David Cvach, Director for European Affairs at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša paid a working visit to Paris at the invitation of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron. This visit will contribute significantly to the deepening of the dialogue with the French Republic at the highest political level.