Government Communication Office

Director



Veronika Stabej

Veronika Stabej

 

 

Born in Ljubljana in 1962, Slovenia, she obtained her degree in languages and literature (English and French) from the University of Ljubljana, continued her studies in languages, management, strategic planning and international studies in France, USA, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Slovenia and had a working experience in Algeria. She is fluent in French, English, Italian, Serbian, Croatian, with working knowledge of German.

 

She worked in the International Executive Development Centre in Slovenia, in European Foundation for Entrepreneurship Research in the Netherlands and as director of the Open Society Fund, Soros Foundation Slovenia.

 

After independence of Slovenia in 1991, she joined the Office of the Prime Minister, where she worked as Spokesperson and Head of Public Relations Department. She joined the diplomatic service in 1997 and served as deputy and chargee d’affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Paris, France.

 

In 2002 she became Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in Canada, where she was also president of the Ottawa Diplomatic Association and in the Executive Committee of women ambassadors.

 

In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs she was the Head of Public Relations Office and is the National Coordinator for the Francophonie.

 

Since 2007 she is Head of the EuroMed delegation from Slovenia and represents her country in the Senior Officials Meetings. In this capacity she chaired the EuroMed Partnership under the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2008. Ambassador Stabej and her team facilitated the realization of ministerial meetings and more than fifty Senior Officials meetings, conferences, workshops and seminars on different fields and in various EuroMed countries, as well as assured the preparatory process for the July 2008 Paris Summit for the Mediterranean. The guidance for the constructive work was transparency, consultations and consensus among all partners in the spirit of the true dialogue between cultures.

 

Under the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures consolidated the functioning with the new executive team with new strategies and orientations. Ambassador Stabej is also a member of the Board of Governors and a strong supporter of the foundations activities.

 

 

Organisation

Director:

Veronika Stabej

Phone: +386 1 478 26 30

fax: +386 1 251 23 12

e-mail: veronika.stabej[@]gov.si

 


Divisions

 

Division for Media Relations:

Head: Branko Vidrih

Phone: +386 1 478 26 32

fax: +386 1 251 23 12

e-mail: branko.vidrih[@]gov.si

 

Communications Projects Division

Head: Matjaž Kek

Phone: +386 1 478 26 76

fax: +386 1 251 23 12

e-mail: matjaz.kek[@]gov.si

 

General Affairs Service

Head: Mirko Fabčič

Phone: +386 1 478 26 31

fax: +386 1 251 23 12

e-mail: mirko.fabcic[@]gov.si

 

 

Main Areas of Activity

The Government Communication Office is an independent professional service of the Slovenian Government with the following responsibilities:

 

  • ensuring that the work of the Government is public and informing the domestic public about the work of the Prime Minister and ministries;
  • preparing and organising communications campaigns relating to the most important programme priorities of the Government;
  • informing the public abroad about the work of the Slovenian Government, of the Prime Minister, of ministries, of the President of the RS and about general events in Slovenia;
  • providing professional support to the Government spokesman and public relations services within ministries and Government offices;
  • organising communication campaigns and providing communication support during events of national importance in Slovenia;
  • planning, carrying out and coordinating general promotional activities by the state;
  • performs activities related to direct communication of the Government with citizens.

 

Subject to agreement, the Office performs other tasks for other national bodies.

The Office works independently and together with the Government Spokesman, with ministries and Government offices and with professional and academic institutions and experts in the relevant areas.

 

 

Within the Office, there are two divisions:

– Division for Media Relations and

– Communications Projects Division

 


Activities of the Division for Media Relations

- home media relations

- foreign media relations

- crisis communication tasks

- expert assistance to and administration for the Coordinating Body of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Relations Communication

 

 

There are two departments within the Division for Media Relations:

 

Domestic Media Relations Department (DMRD)

  • informing the public about the work of the Government and the decisions adopted during its sessions;
  • conducting press conferences on topical issues related to the work of the Government, the Prime Minister and ministries;
  • providing professional support to the Government spokesman;
  • drawing up press releases about the work of the Government, its working bodies and other official press releases;
  • publishing the agendas of Government sessions, discussion papers and messages to the public on the Government’s and the Office’s web sites;
  • together with the Government spokesman, coordinating the activities of the public relations advisors within individual ministries and Government services and offices, when they are dealing with the domestic media;
  • monitoring reports in the media and creating collections of clippings from the domestic media;
  • carrying out activities related to documenting and analytical tasks involving the monitoring, documenting and analysing of reports published in the media.

Head of the Department

Andreja Šonc Simčič

Phone: +386 1 478 2559 

Fax: +386 1 251 23 12

e-mail: andreja.sonc[@]gov.si

e-mail: info.ukom[@]gov.si

 

 


Foreign Media Relations Department (FMRD)

  • communicating with foreign media representatives (drawing up and distributing press releases on current political, economic, cultural and other issues of interest)
  • planning and organising individual and group visits of foreign journalists to Slovenia and providing basic information services to foreign journalists visiting Slovenia
  • providing communication support and organising press centres during high-level visits (heads of state or government) and other events important for the promotion of Slovenia
  • providing information about Slovenia to selected or target foreign audiences
  • monitoring and analysing foreign media reports on events in Slovenia and Slovenia's international activities

foreigninfo.ukom[@]gov.si

Head of the Department

Alenka Čebular

Phone:  +386 1 478 26 23 

Fax: +386 1 251 23 12

e-mail: alenka.cebular[@]gov.si

e-mail: foreigninfo.ukom[@]gov.si 

 

 


Activities of the Communications Projects Division:

- direct communication with citizens

- country promotion

 

 

There are two sections within the Communications Projects Division:


Direct Communication Department (DCD)

  • plans, heads and coordinates communication programmes and campaigns to support government programmes and/or projects
  • provides expert and technical assistance in the preparation and implementation of government campaigns and projects at ministry levels
  • prepares, carries out and coordinates communication projects on EU matters (Communicating Europe)
  • handles direct communication with citizens (call centre)
  • plans, steers and coordinates web communication projects (for the needs of the Office and government projects)

 

Head of the Department

Nada Serajnik Sraka

Phone: + 386 1 478 2627

Fax: + 386 1 251 2312

e-mail: nada.serajnik[@]gov.si

 

 


Country Promotion (CP)

  • maintaining and updating promotional and informative material published on the web sites managed by the GCO;
  • planning, conducting and coordinating general promotional and information activities and appearances by the state abroad, and following and analysing their effectiveness
  • together with the government spokesperson, preparing and conducting organised communications campaigns, in particular those related to the most important presentations of Slovenia abroad
  • publishing general promotional materials about Slovenia
  • managing the national brand

 

Head of the Department

Valerija Mencej

Phone:  + 386 1 478 2633

Fax:  + 386 1 251 2312

e-mail: valerija.mencej[@]gov.si

 

 


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