Today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, met representatives of the Evangelical Church headed by Geza Erniša to discuss issues pertaining to the Evangelical community in Slovenia.

(Photo: Arsen Perić/Salomon 2000)

The focus of the talks was the fifth centennial of the birth of Primož Trubar, Slovenian Protestat reformer and the author of the first printed book in Slovene, which Slovenia will celebrate next year during the country's presidency of the EU. The PM and his guests agreed that this was an important event, not just for the Evangelical Church, but also for Slovenia and all its citizens. It was also unanimously agreed that the occasion should be honoured by an official state ceremony. All participants at the meeting were satisfied to see that there was a readiness on both sides to give the event due attention.

They also discussed issues relating to the restitution of Evangelical Church property confiscated by the communist regime. It was agreed that the majority of cases have been solved through the process of denationalisation. It was also agreed that both sides would endeavour to deal as soon as possible with pending issues, particularly those relating to property in Maribor and Celje.

The representatives of the Evangelical Church also welcomed the recently passed Religious Freedom Act, which serves as a platform for regulating relations between the Evangelical Church and the government; this is an important issue, as both sides strive to work for the common good of all Slovenians.