Today, Minister of Public Administration Boštjan Koritnik attended the meeting of Ministers of the Informal Network of Public Administrations of the EU Member States (EUPAN) in Lisbon. He appeared as a keynote speaker on the panel discussing skills, leadership and mobility in public administration.

State Secretary Stanislav Raščan held a videoconference call with Colm Brophy, the Minister of State for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora at the Department of Foreign Affairs of Ireland. The pair discussed development cooperation, including the priorities of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, now just a matter of days away.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Wastewater collection and treatment in Ljubljanica River basin – Municipality Brezovica – Agreement on the development of region. The nearly EUR 11 million environmental infrastructure project will be implemented by Municipality Brezovica under the Agreement on the development of the Osrednjeslovenska region and supported by the EU, with the contribution from the Cohesion Fund amounting to EUR 3.7 million.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has approved EU funding for the project Senior day care centre – Planina. The EUR 1 million project will be implemented by Urban Municipality Kranj under the Agreement on the development of the Gorenjska region and supported by the EU, with the contribution from the European Regional Development Fund standing at EUR 280,000.

Prime Minister Janez Janša spoke today on Televizija Slovenija about the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence, preparations for the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU and other current political issues.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended a ceremony marking the end of the BOR Operation, at which he delivered a welcome address, and the keynote speaker was Stane Praprotnik, a member of the National Emergency Coordination Group, which led the country's defence against the Yugoslav People's Army. In front of the memorial to the fallen police officers in the war for Slovenia, the Prime Minister laid a wreath in the Tacen Memorial Park together with the key actors of the time: Igor Bavčar, Brigadier General Anton Krkovič and Dimitrij Rupel.

On the eve of the meeting of the General Affairs Council, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan held talks with the Dutch representative in the General Affairs Council and Foreign Minister, Sigrid Kaag.
He also visited the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Auditors with headquarters in Luxembourg.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anže Logar attended a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg on Belarus, Iraq and Latin America. The Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tihanovska joined the ministers for an informal breakfast before the Council meeting, presenting the current situation and expectations following the activities undertaken by the European Union aimed at the democratisation of Belarus.

The Republic of Slovenia - Global Investor Call with ESG investors

The 47th Regular Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council begins in Geneva and is to take place from 21 June to 13 July 2021. As regards the topics in the focus of the Session, Slovenia will be particularly interested in gender equality and the empowerment of women, human rights and the environment, the impact of new technologies on the enjoyment of human rights, and the human rights situation in individual countries.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša gave an interview for the Indian television. He spoke about Slovenia's preparation for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the priorities during the presidency, the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic, the importance of vaccination in creating a 'new normal', the importance of integration between democratic and sovereign countries and the role of India in this process, the attitude towards China and the atmosphere in Slovenia after the end of the epidemic.

Today, State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended the first plenary session of the Conference on the Future of Europe in the European Parliament in Strasbourg via videoconference. In his address, he emphasised that the Conference must strive to raise awareness of the historical achievements and the importance of the integration process in Europe. "It simply should not be taken for granted. It is the foundation of our coexistence and peace, security, and prosperity. Therefore, we must spread this awareness, especially among young people," stressed State Secretary Dovžan.

Prime Minister Janez Janša today, at the invitation of Mayor Ivan Žagar, attended the municipal ceremony in Slovenska Bistrica to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Slovenia's independence and the seizing of the military storage facility in Zgornja Ložnica, where he also delivered a keynote address. As part of the ceremony, the busts of Dr Jože Pučnik and Ivan Pučnik made by the sculptor and restorer Viktor Gojkovič were unveiled in the park near the municipal building.

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.

State Secretary Gašper Dovžan attended the Quadrilateral meeting between Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Slovenia, this time in Vaduz, at the invitation of Director of the Office of Foreign Affairs Martin Frick. Slovenia, Liechtenstein, Austria and Switzerland share closely aligned values, face numerous challenges and promote a common approach in a demanding international environment.

Today, on 18 June 2021, Minister Andrej Šircelj attended the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting in Luxembourg. Ministers took stock in particular on recovery and resilience plans, economic recovery in the European Union, the European Semester and value-added tax.

State Secretary Raščan addressed a virtual conference on security challenges in the Balkan region, emphasising the importance of Western Balkans’ EU and NATO accession to bolster stability and improve the reform process in the countries of the region.

As Slovenia prepares to hold the Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2021, Slovenian Minister of the Interior Aleš Hojs and delegation made a two-day visit to Cyprus and held talks with Cypriot Minister of the Interior Nicos Nouris and Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikos Christodoulides, focusing on the preparations for the upcoming Slovenian Presidency.

At the virtual Conference in Solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants, State Secretary Stanislav Raščan announced Slovenia's humanitarian contribution in the amount of 60,000 euros. The contribution will be directed to efforts to provide support to Venezuelan refugees in Brazil through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in two parts, this year and next.

In view of the upcoming Slovenian EU Council Presidency, Director-General for European Union Affairs Barbara Sušnik held talks with Mārtiņš Klīve, the Director of the European Union Coordination and Policies Department of the Latvian Foreign Ministry, via videoconference.