Prime Minister Janez Janša today attended the 32nd session of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia. The prime minister outlined the government’s position on the EU’s 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework and the recovery package.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivered her first State of the European Union speech at the European Parliament, in which she highlighted the current situation and laid out the concrete plans of the European Commission for the following 12 months. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the priorities and messages set out by the Head of the EU Commission in her address to the Plenary.

At the site of the old Frischauf Lodge at Okrešelj, a foundation stone was laid today for a new lodge. With a design based on local, natural materials, the basic construction work is scheduled for completion this year to make the building ready for winter, with completion of the new lodge expected by 2022. The ceremonial laying of the foundation stone was attended by Prime Minister Janez Janša, who also gave a speech.

A press conference on the current Covid-19 situation was held jointly by Robert Smrdelj, mayor of Pivka, Jelko Kacin, the government spokesperson, and Adolf Lukanovič, a retired doctor who spent two months in a coma on a ventilator at the Infection Clinic in Ljubljana with Covid-19.

Firms will have to adapt in a number of ways to the risks of infection. In today’s press conference about the current Covid-19 situation, Urška Blaznik, who is responsible for public health at work organisations at the National Institute of Public Health, emphasised that all the general preventive measures also apply at firms. These include the use of masks and hand sanitiser, social distancing, and also the highly recommended daily measurement of body temperature on arrival at work.

At Brdo pri Kranju, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar hosted today the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of the Republic Austria Alexander Schallenberg, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Tomáš Petříček and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic Ivan Korčok. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Péter Szijjárto excused his absence, as he was to attend the signature of the agreement on the normalisation of relations between Israel and UAE at the White House. The unofficial Central 5 initiative of foreign ministers was launched during the new coronavirus disease outbreak in spring to better coordinate containment measures. The third meeting reaffirmed the commitment of ministers to deepen the cooperation and ties among neighbouring countries and in the Central European region, including in other areas of common interest.

The Day of the Return of Primorska to its Homeland is a holiday that unites not only the people of Primorska region, but also the entire Slovenian nation. We are celebrating the survival of a nation that has been put to many difficult tests throughout history. Today's holiday is a holiday of love of our homeland, or as the Slovenian cross-border writer Boris Pahor wrote: "Despite all the ascents of the human mind, despite the acquisitions of the human spirit with which we rise above ethnic boundaries, the national community is still the most noble homeland of the human heart".

The firth traditional Mediterranean Coast and Macro-regional Strategies Week, organised by Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy (GODC) together with Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, Municipality of Izola and numerous other partners, will be marked by various events focusing on Slovenia’s international cooperation in three European macro-regional strategies, namely the Adriatic-Ionian, Alpine and Danube.

Today, 15 September, marks the International Day of Democracy, which recalls the importance of democratic values and fundamental elements of democratic governance. It also provides an opportunity to review the state of democracy in the world, as the COVID-19 pandemic has put to the test the important acquisitions of our civilisation, which include democracy and its values.

A record 2758 tests were conducted yesterday, with 108 new infections confirmed, said official spokesman Jelko Kacin at the beginning of today’s press conference.

Today, Prime Minister Janez Janša met with the representatives of the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia (the MRAS).

Condé Nast Traveler, a world-renowned luxury travel magazine dedicated to top experiences for the most demanding travellers, has published its list of the best holiday destinations for 2021. This time Slovenia ranked highest, followed by Yorkshire in England and Melides in Portugal. Placing Slovenia at the very top of such a list is further proof of the quality, uniqueness and reliability of its tourism products and services.

Slovenian Government has submitted the Report on the Implementation of EU Cohesion Policy for the Investment for Growth and Jobs Goal in the Second Quarter of 2020 to the National Assembly.

A record number of tests (as many as 2,560) and a record number of infections marked yesterday – 79 coronavirus infections were confirmed.

Before the upcoming meeting of the European Council, Prime Minister Janez Janša took part in a videoconference with Charles Michel, president of the European Council, and Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany and current holder of the presidency of the Council of the EU, discussing the tensions in the eastern Mediterranean and relations with China.

Today, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Anže Logar held his first press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, six months after he took office. He outlined the achievements, goals and vision of Slovenia’s foreign policy, which is seeking to put Slovenia back on the international map as a reliable partner within the EU and a credible member of international organisations while pursuing Slovenia's interests. Minister Logar stressed that Slovenia will follow the Foreign Policy Strategy adopted in 2015 and build “a safe, successful and globally respected” state.

Government speaker Jelko Kacin presented the epidemiological situation in Slovenia and in neighbouring Italian regions at a press conference on COVID-19.

Today, the Prime Minister of Slovenia, Janez Janša, hosted a working visit by the Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Sebastian Kurz, in Ljubljana. The main subjects of talks related to the COVID situation; the interlocutors also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and current European issues. The relations between Slovenia and Austria are considered to be excellent.

Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued a grant decision for the programme “Mobility of students from socially-disadvantaged areas for 2019, University of Primorska”. The said programme is one of the several initiatives through which the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport each academic year supports the mobility of students of Slovene universities.

Prime Minister Janez Janša and his wife, Urška Bačovnik Janša, attended a ceremony today at Pristava nad Stično in honour of the 30th anniversary of an event at which the key players in the formation of the defence and security system adopted and formalised the strategic documents that served as the basis for the final phase of the organisation of a joint military and police organisation (the National Defence Manoeuvring Structures, or MSNZ), on which the barely independent Slovenia based its effective and successful armed resistance against the aggression of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JLA). In those documents, the JLA was for the first time clearly defined as a potential aggressor, or a clear and present danger to Slovenian independence.