From 17th to 19th May, Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration hosted an international cyber security exercise in nuclear facilities – KiVA2022, which represents the interface between nuclear safety, security, emergency preparedness and cyber security.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan took part in the regular General Affairs Council session in Brussels. The state secretaries and ministers focused on the preparations for the special meeting of the European Council scheduled for 30 and 31 May 2022. They also exchanged views on how to follow up on the proposals of the Conference on the Future of Europe and continued the Article 7(1) TEU procedure relating to the hearing held by the Council on the values of the Union in Hungary.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked Slovenian Diplomacy Day, which is celebrated every year on 22 May, the anniversary of Slovenia’s admission to the United Nations.

This year’s Forest Week (23–29 May 2022) focuses on forest care, which is the main tool guiding forest development as the foundation of diligent forest management. All properly maintained forests have a diligent owner and professional forester. Contemporary forest care takes into account conventional forest care principles, is geared towards the streamlining of measures, subjecting a portion of the forest stands to natural regeneration, and closely adapts to natural and social circumstances and to forest management objectives in an environment with an unstable climate.

On May 21, a big event took place at the Right Queen Colonies farm in Spencer, Ohio, where the Consulate General celebrated all three Slovenian projects, which have been successfully implemented in Ohio and other US states for the past 3 years already: World Bee Day, Planting Honey-bee Friendly Plants Day, and Traditional Healthy Honey Breakfast .
Around 200 visitors were able to attend an educational workshop on beekeeping, see a bee farm and many other domestic animals, honey and wax products, taste honey dishes, learn about Amish life, and the younger visitors could attend children's program with games, bee workshops and ride in the Amish carriage. There was even a “World Bee Day” cake available!

International Geneva celebrates bees today to raise global awareness on the crucial role of bees and pollination for food security, the elimination of hunger and and biodiversity. This is the fifth time that World Bee Day is celebrated in Geneva after it was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2017 at Slovenia’s initiative with support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

European Commission has approved the proposed amendments to Slovenia’s Operational Programme 2014-2020. The approval comes after 18 months of joint activities of the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy (GODC) and line ministries related to the programming of the funding from the React-EU initiative.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the call for proposals Provision of telecare services for patients with chronic diseases.

The second Golden Bee Award was awarded today on World Bee Day. Boštjan Noč, President of the Slovenian Beekeepers' Association, received the award. Alojz Kovšča, President of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia, presented the award at the ceremony attended by Jože Podgoršek, Minister and Chair of the Golden Bee Award Committee, and Urška Klakočar Zupančič, President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia. Numerous events were held around the world to celebrate today's World Bee Day.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan addressed via video link the participants of the festivities on World Bee Day in Ghana organised by the Ghana Beekeepers Association. He stressed the vital role of bees in ensuring food security and the value of expert exchanges between Slovenia and Ghana for the protection of bees.

The Embassy in Copenhagen, in cooperation with the European Environment Agency, organized a "Bee Engaged" awareness event on the occasion of this year's World Bee Day. The discussion took place at the headquarters of the European Environment Agency and was also available online.

State Secretary Dr Stanislav Raščan took part in the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in its development configuration. The ministers discussed the global implications of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, with special focus on food security, on refugee issues with the guest, United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, on a coordinated approach in multilateral forums and on the new financial architecture for development.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar took part at the 132nd session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe organized by Italian Presidency in Turin. At the heart of the discussion was Council of Europe's response to the Russian aggression against Ukraine. Russian Federation was expelled from the Council of Europe on 16th of March 2022.

Today marks the fifth World Bee Day, declared by the UN General Assembly on Slovenia’s initiative on 20 December 2017. In this European Year of Youth, World Bee Day is dedicated to the future of beekeeping and the role of young people in raising awareness of its importance.

We will be celebrating three very important nature-related events in the upcoming days – the European Natura 2000 Day (21 May), the International Day for Biological Diversity (22 May), and the European Day of Parks (24 May). Slovenia is one of the most biodiverse countries in Europe. This is also witnessed by the fact that our country has the largest share of Natura 2000 areas among all the EU member states, comprising approx. 37 per cent of the country’s area. We are making great efforts of preserving nature in Slovenia in our secured areas, which comprise 14 per cent of Slovenia’s area.

On 18 May 2022, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the Research Infrastructure Roadmap 2030 (NRRI 2030). NRRI 2030 is an implementation document of the Resolution on Research and Innovation Strategy of Slovenia 2030 (ReZrIS30) revising all field segments, i.e. priority international projects as well as national priority areas within research infrastructures. This will be followed by a presentation and definitions of links with the Smart Specialisation Strategy and a presentation of different ways of funding research infrastructures.

On Friday, Slovenia and the entire world will, for the fifth time, commemorate World Bee Day, a celebration declared by the United Nations General Assembly (UN) on 20 December 2017. The main purpose of World Bee Day is to raise the awareness of the global public about the importance of bees and other pollinators for humanity in light of food security, global eradication of hunger and care for the environment and biodiversity.

The Minister of Defence Matej Tonin today attended a session of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels composed of the defence ministers of the European Union. The session was intended for discussion on the implementation of the Strategic Compass, with an emphasis on the future operations and missions of the Common Security and Defence Policy and the military aggression against Ukraine.

Members of the Monitoring Committee for the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the European Cohesion Policy in the Period 2014-2021 (OP) today met in 9th regular session at Brdo pri Kranju.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan took part in the Adriatic and Ionian Council/EUSAIR Ministerial Meeting in Tirana, hosted by the Albanian AII Chairmanship/EUSAIR Presidency in the framework of the 7th EUSAIR Annual Forum. The Meeting was chaired by Megi Fino, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Albania.