The minister presented Slovenia's bid to declare 20 May World Honeybee Day, which is expected to be discussed by the UN in December, and noted that Slovenia was considered the EU country with the best organised beekeeping.

Židan and his German counterpart Christian Schmidt agreed at the conference, organised by the German Agriculture Ministry, that Germany would co-sponsor Slovenia's initiative for World Honeybee Day.

The Slovenian minister told the STA that the conference focused on ways to preserve bees and other pollinators despite technological development, climate change and pesticides used in agriculture.

He welcomed the fact that some countries outside the EU are thinking about following Slovenia's example in prohibiting certain types of eonicotinoids, which pose a great risk for bees.

According to the minister, participants of the conference were particularly interested in the organisation of the veterinary service in Slovenia, which is free of charge for beekeepers.

This is unique or at least very rare in the world, he said, noting that every 200th citizen of Slovenia was a beekeeper, as there were around 10,000 beekeepers in the country.

"In Slovenia, beekeeping is more than just an economic activity - it is getting increasingly connected with the awareness about the environment and other social issues," the minister stressed.

He believes that the joint action by beekeepers and the state has triggered a wide social movement supporting the protection of bees and the environment.