Slovenia will not be able to reach the NATO target of 2% of GDP in defence spending by 2024, but it must do its homework and under the current government the spending trend has been reversed, Prime Minister Janez Janša said as he arrived for a summit of NATO leaders on Monday.

Slovenian Foreign Minister Anže Logar and his Italian counterpart Luigi di Maio chaired on Monday the 7th session of the Coordinating Committee of Ministers between Slovenia and Italy. Bilateral issues were discussed along with Slovenia's upcoming presidency of the Council of the EU.

China is NATO's key challenge, said Prime Minister Janez Janša ahead of a summit of NATO leaders he is attending together with Defence Minister Matej Tonin. "If we want the world not to be faced with a new fatal arms race or a hot conflict in the coming decades then NATO must be aware of that and stay strong," he said.

Slovenia confirmed 24 new cases of coronavirus on Sunday, the lowest daily figure since late August last year. Just over a thousand PCR tests were confirmed, for a positivity rate of 2.3%, the latest government figures show.

The EU plans to become climate neutral by 2050, a target which forms the core of the European Green Deal. In this segment the most important dossier for Slovenia will be the legislative package Fit for 55, a reference to the goal of reducing emissions by 55% by 2030.

Still Life - Nine Attempts to Preserve Life, a show by the Ljubljana Puppet Theatre directed directed by Tin Grabnar, will lift the curtain on the 56th Maribor Theatre Festival on Monday. The competition programme starts on Friday.