133rd regular session of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia

SLOVENIA, December 18 - On the first day of the 28th Consultation of Slovenian Diplomats, the Slovenian Government adopted the new Foreign Policy Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia, which outlines the guidelines for implementing and achieving foreign policy objectives. The new strategy is founded on the principles of inclusiveness, accountability, security, solidarity and knowledge. It is a modern, transparent and long-term oriented document. The strategy reaffirms Slovenia's vital positioning in core Europe and the Euro-Atlantic area and broadens its foreign policy priorities globally, with particular attention to Slovenia's active role as an elected member of the United Nations Security Council. Special emphasis is placed on Slovenia's participation in the EU, NATO, the United Nations and other multilateral fora, as well as on strengthening relations with third countries. The strategy includes a roadmap for action across seven priority areas, underlining the importance of interdisciplinarity, embodying the guiding principles and reflecting the aspirations of Slovenian foreign policy. For the first time, Slovenia's foreign policy strategy documents set a limited number of objectives, enabling the assessment of tangible results. Implementation documents will follow, detailing specific actions and timelines in the form of action plans. These will include the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs' annual implementation plan and, depending on specific areas, regional and thematic documents.

Today, the Government considered the draft Act Amending the Social Assistance Act. The proposed amendments aim to implement the Agreement on the salary system reform and the new classification of posts and titles into salary grades in the health, social assistance, and compulsory social security sectors, as adopted through negotiations and coordination between the Government and the representative trade unions. During these negotiations the agreement on the systemic regulation of the intervention service at social work centres was reached. These centres, outside office hours, handle urgent and unavoidable cases upon police notification, such as when a child is at risk, when domestic violence is reported, when a person under guardianship, a person with mental health issues or a person with a disability is left without care and protection, or when an older person is in distress. To comply with labour legislation, a new provision is proposed to regulate adequate rest for professionals while ensuring the smooth functioning and facilitating the organisation of the intervention service. Additionally, urgent systemic solutions are proposed to address the shortcomings of the current social assistance regulation. A legal basis has also been established to provide crisis accommodation through providers of full-day institutional care for older persons, younger persons with disabilities, children, adolescents and adults with mental and physical disabilities, mental health issues or other disabilities, as well as for adults in urgent need of immediate assistance due to social, psychological, health or other crisis situations.

The Government has laid down the text of the draft Act Amending the Labour and Social Security Registers Act. The amendments concern a clearer definition of the relationship for which working time records must be kept, administrative relief from the burden of entering data into the working time records, and a clearer definition of the place where the working time records should be kept. It is proposed to remove the provision on the use and extent of breaks during working time, in line with the consistent application of the principle of proportionality in regulating this specific legal area. In terms of administrative burden reduction for the employer, the unnecessary frequency of entries in the working time records is being addressed. This is the case when, in the presence of other information in the records and the evidence required by law or other acts that the employer has at the time of the daily entry, such entries do not provide a higher degree of confidence in the information in the records relative to the actual circumstances on which those entries are based. It is also proposed to amend the method of informing the worker about the information contained in the working time records, including by sending an email to the address agreed upon between the employer and the worker.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has adopted the updated Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP 2024), which sets ambitious targets for 2030 to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, increase energy independence and accelerate the transition to clean energy sources. The plan introduces measures to ensure a sustainable future and strengthen Slovenia's energy security. The updated NECP lays the foundations for an ambitious, sustainable and secure energy future for Slovenia. It demonstrates Slovenia's responsible approach to energy efficiency and forward looking development – Slovenia is committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by at least 55% by 2033 and to accelerating the use of renewable energy sources (RES). The updated NECP is the outcome of an inclusive process involving extensive expert and open dialogue, as well as public consultation with stakeholders. Since 2022, Slovenia has conducted three comprehensive rounds of public consultations and engaged in numerous coordination efforts. The updated NECP has undergone a complex and demanding integrated environmental impact assessment (EIA) to ensure that it not only avoids significant adverse environmental impacts, but also enhances its positive impacts. This process highlights Slovenia's commitment to balancing development and environmental protection. The implementation of the planned NECP's policies and measures will contribute to reducing final energy consumption, increasing the share of RES in gross energy end-use and advancing Slovenia's long-term goals of becoming a climate-neutral society. The NECP includes targets and measures across all sectors of energy use, including agriculture, forestry, energy, industry, transport, research, and innovation. The updated NECP also adequately addresses the coal exit through the development of other indigenous low-carbon sources of supply and more efficient use of energy. It also supports the continued use of nuclear energy and plans for the construction of a new nuclear power plant, with a transparent and well-informed decision expected by 2028. The updated NECP combines ambitious targets and economic sustainability.

The Government has issued the Decree amending the Decree on the compulsory health insurance service programme, capacities required to implement it and the amount of funding for services for 2024, with the aim of improving the accessibility, coverage and quality of healthcare. At the primary healthcare level, the amended Decree introduces a reform of the payment model for family medicine and paediatric outpatient clinics. Starting 1 January 2025, additional family medicine outpatient clinics will be established to replace those previously designated for individuals without a GP, ensuring services for those without a personal doctor. To improve access to family medicine and paediatric outpatient clinics, as well as additional family medicine outpatient clinics, an additional EUR 7.8 million has been allocated, including funds for financial incentives to encourage providers to register more insured persons. The amended Decree also provides for the expansions of certain programmes (e.g. physiotherapy, adult and adolescent dentistry, family medical outpatient clinics, paediatrics, women's clinics), which will significantly improve access in local communities. Professional guidelines are being introduced to ensure that physiotherapy treatments are tailored to the actual needs of patients, thereby increasing the availability of the required services. At the secondary and tertiary levels, additional programme expansions are planned, which will significantly contribute to improved access in local communities (e.g. psychiatry, supplements for TAVI procedures, and robot-assisted procedures). The percentage of allowances under the collective agreement will be increased for retirement homes, special social care institutions for adults, and special care units in retirement homes and residential care within care and work centres. The additional funds outlined in the amended Decree amount to EUR 18.7 million in 2024 and EUR 36.6 million annually.

The Government has concluded a contract for the provision of public service by the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) in 2025 on behalf of the founder and sole partner of the Slovenian Press Agency. Petra Bezjak Cirman, Director of the Government Communication Office, has been authorised to sign and implement the contract. The value of the contract, set at EUR 447,091, represents an increase of 18.6% compared to this year's allocation. The increase will allow the STA to make necessary investments in information security, to adjust staff salaries in line with inflation growth and salary levels in comparable media, and to upgrade equipment while continuing its digitalisation efforts. In accordance with the Slovenian Press Agency Act, the STA provides a public service of continuous, comprehensive, accurate and objective coverage of events in Slovenia and around the world to meet the needs of both the domestic and foreign public. It is the duty of the Government, which exercises the company member rights on behalf of the Republic of Slovenia, to ensure the STA's institutional autonomy, editorial independence and adequate funding for the comprehensive and seamless provision of its public service, based on the annual STA Business Plan. As stipulated in paragraph one of Article 20 of the Slovenian Press Agency Act, the STA is also funded by allocations from the state budget. These funds are provided on the basis of an annual contract between the STA and its founder. For 2025, the value of the annual contract is EUR 2,844,091. As in the current year, the monthly payments in 2025 will not be tied to the counting of news items. Instead, the contract provides for twelve equal monthly payments of EUR 237,007 each.