Greetings. Today we have the honour
of hosting the President of the European Commission,
Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen.
The President responded quickly and came to Slovenia
to express not only the support of the institutions,
but also her personal support, affection and sympathy
to Slovenia during this terrible ordeal.
The purpose of today's visit was twofold.
The first, perhaps the most important,
is that we saw the situation in Črna and met the people.
We told them, not only the authorities, but the people,
that they are not alone.
They will not be abandoned. We will not forget about them.
This applies to all affected areas in Slovenia.
That is the core message. The President saw with her own eyes
the scale of the affected areas
and how bad the damage on the ground actually is.
Including the damage that cannot be seen from the air.
Tens of thousands of homes were flooded
and tens of thousands of families are despairing
how they will survive the coming weeks and months.
Our message is clear.
Help will be quick and efficient and no one will be abandoned.
Today's second message is that the European Union is the best thing
that could have happened to Slovenia and Europe in the past 100 years.
When we needed help, we received it immediately.
The same day we activated the mechanism of quick aid,
Slovenia began receiving precisely the aid we asked for.
We asked for heavy machinery
to break through to places such as Črna, and we got it.
We asked for helicopters to supply remote, cut-off places,
and we got them.
And we saw this today, in Črna as well.
That is the European solidarity that makes Europe great
and why there is no alternative to the European Union. And rightly so.
Slovenia has helped in the past with disasters abroad
and today it is receiving quick, decisive, solidary aid from Europe.
Solidarity matters most when one needs it.
But first, emergency aid is not the end.
Now comes the phase of reconstruction and recovery.
In this field, as the President will explain,
Europe is offering quick and abundant assistance.
This message, which the President will convey,
that the Commission will do all it can
so Slovenia gets quick, abundant aid,
this year and in the coming years,
is an important message
that our government will also incorporate in all its plans.
We were also offered technical assistance
so we may better overcome all, even bureaucratic obstacles,
in order to both receive and spend the funds efficiently.
The funds are limited,
both in the European and the Slovenian budget,
but there will be enough for recovery.
But we must be efficient and spend the funds rationally.
The funds must mainly come to those most affected, the people.
Public infrastructure is important, but we must first help the people.
We have taken the first steps toward this
and we will accelerate them.
Today we also saw that the Act, which is in Parliament today,
is the right way to help the municipalities.
People are communicating with the municipal authorities,
which need the funds immediately.
The Act, which enables a 40 % advance payment,
is a complete novelty, but it solves precisely this problem.
We will not wait for the damage to be catalogued
and the municipalities to provide the funds themselves.
The State will provide an advance payment. That is our core message.
We are discussing this with the EC as well,
to get the funds and begin working
as soon and as efficiently as possible.
I would like to thank the President again
for her sympathy toward Slovenia, her understanding
and for coming to us with truly extraordinary measures,
which are unfortunately demanded by an extraordinary situation.
There will likely be more of these situations in Europe in the future.
That is why we must prepare.
I believe Slovenia will be a model example
of how Europe should prepare for future, unavoidable disasters,
but how to do so effectively.
Thank you. Go ahead, Madame President.
Thank you. Thank you very much, Prime Minister, dear Robert,
that you took me to Črna.
It is so important to see firsthand and with my own eyes
the massive impact of this disaster.
It was heartbreaking to see the devastation
that the rain, the flooding and the mudslides have caused.
We feel with the victims, we mourn those who lost their lives.
But it was also heartwarming to see the enormous solidarity of people
and their confidence and courage.
What I've met
are people who stand together in the most difficult times.
Volunteers from all walks of life,
a government that reacted immediately
and worked closely with the municipal authorities,
the army, the police, the Civil Protection,
the firefighters, the Red Cross, the mountain rescuers,
Just to name a few who really showed that solidarity
is one of the outstanding virtues of the Slovenian people.
I am here today to let Slovenia and the Slovenian people know
that Europe stands by your side.
We were with you in the first days immediately
with the material that was needed,
the mobile bridges, the excavators, the helicopters
and the technical team and the crews.
Of course we will stay as long as necessary.
It was also impressive to see the contributions of the Member States.
I met Frenchmen, Germans, Austrians and Croatians,
just to name a few, that were working in Črna.
But of course there is also European solidarity needed
when it comes to financial support.
I discussed today with the Prime Minister
a package of three components
for the immediate, mid and long-term needs.
A lot of investment has to be done for the recovery of this country.
This package consists of, first of all, the Solidarity Fund.
Here we will make accessible 400 million euros.
100 million of them still this year and 300 million euros next year.
Here, time, as always, is of the essence.
We need the request of Slovenia and a first damage assessment
so that we can start with the disbursement.
The second element is NextGenerationEU.
Besides the funds that Slovenia is already using and has programmed,
there is still 2.7 billion euros accessible.
Slovenia can request them.
Here, too, time is of the essence,
because this request has to be done by end of August.
Therefore the Prime Minister and I agreed to immediately, as of today,
create a task force of Slovenia and the Commission
to immediately work on the administrative requirements
to make sure that these 2.7 billion euros
are accessible for Slovenia for investment.
Then there is the third element.
This is existing, already programmed money
that can be reprogrammed.
These are 3.3 billion euros of Cohesion Funds.
This lasts until 2027.
So, we have a good package of immediate support,
of medium-term and long-term support
for the reconstruction and recovery of Slovenia.
All in all, I must say Slovenia is an outstanding example
of a Member of the European Union, our friend,
that has always responded immediately
when others were in need.
We know that from the Italian flooding
or your Croatian neighbours' earthquake.
Now Slovenia needs help
and, of course, we stand with our friend, we stand by Slovenia.
Slovenia can count on Europe.
Thank you for bringing me here today,
It was very important for me to have an impression
of the impact of the flooding and the common work ahead of us.
Thank you very much.
Two questions. Please, introduce yourself and ask a question.
Robert Petrovič of Slovenian Press Agency.
I have two questions. The first one is for Prime Minister.
Will Slovenia apply for the loans from a Recovery Fund?
And for the President of the European Commission.
How flexible will the Commission be?
Will the funds, meant for Flood Control,
be redirected for restoration as well? Thank you.
Should I start?
Maximum flexibility will be needed.
A lot has been programmed, for example in Cohesion Funds.
I'm convinced that some of the projects aren't existing anymore.
There we will show maximum of flexibility.
2,7 billion of NextGenerationEU are not programmed.
This is fresh money, accessible, if there is a request from Slovenia.
You will find a whole range of new programming
and flexibility to reprogram the necessary funding.
The most important thing is, to be aware that this is a package.
We shall receive this package from a European Union
through grants. That is 400 million.
These are so called short-term means.
There will also be a possibility to use the reimbursable grants.
With reimbursable grants, the flexibility is important
for reprogramming.
All these means have been already reprogrammed.
If we can't redirect them to reconstruction, they are of no use.
That is why, this is such an important message.
The Commission shall work with the Slovenian government
and shall help us to prepare the documentation for reprogramming.
I would like to say already that we've also talked
that Slovenian government shall establish a special fund
for recovery after floods, where we will invest from Slovenian budget.
The first instalment from Slovenia shall be 300 million.
This fund should manage all the means,
meant for reconstruction.
We want to be fast, goal oriented
and combine all the funds for reconstruction in one place.
Thank you.
Jure Kos of Delo. My question is for President von der Leyen.
Natural disasters are becoming more common.
From the policy standpoint, has the EU done enough
to adapt to this challenge?
And also, these disasters can lead to huge fiscal burdens.
The Commission is aiming to rewrite EU's fiscal rules.
How will it prevent, from these rules becoming obstacles
for countries, trying to recover from large scale national disasters
such us the one we've witnessed today? Thank you.
Certainly, in this natural disaster a climate change played a role.
It's not the only reason,
but it's one role that climate change played.
What we see and we have experienced it in the last years
that we have more frequent and more intense
extreme weather phenomena, weather situations.
We will have to learn to adapt to those.
To rebuild and invest smarter.
And to work hard to fight global warming,
because this is the underlying cause for extreme weather phenomena.
As far as Stability and Growth Pact is concerned,
we are in discussions. The finance ministers are negotiating.
And indeed, there are negotiations going around
of individual path of reduction of debts for Member States
with safeguards and guidelines.
There is an individual path and force majeure will play
a role in the ability to adapt to trajectory of reduction of debts.
That is without any question.
Is there another question? Otherwise we shall finish.
Last question. Go ahead.
Iva Lačan of Bloomberg Adria.
With all resources, available for reconstruction,
I would like to know, what is with the means for economy.
Will there be something for the economy to use?
And if, in what way. Thank you very much.
The economy surely won't be neglected.
In the Act that is being discussed now in a Parliament's session
there is a section on temporary economy's measures.
This means, when an employee because of force majeure
can't come to a workplace, access to temporary lay-offs.
I believe, we will talk more about it later.
In discussion with the President of the Commission we have also asked
about State aid.
As she said, this is a case of force majeure.
On account of this, we shall have to in some cases apply
for a special consideration of allocating the State aids.
Here, we are also counting on Commission's help
in preparing proper documents and legal basis.
Considering what we've heard today, I believe, we shall succeed.
I would like to respond to the question about fiscal rules.
Force majeure is an element that we will have to install it
in all European considerations and legislation.
Including the fiscal rules. Of course, there is no clear path,
but Slovenia is in a way a very good example
to set the rules, how to use a force majeure with fiscal rules.
We will work hard on it in the next few months.
And the results shall come.
Perhaps there's one point I would like to add.
It is important to know that NextGenerationEU is targeted
at the support of business. You have a sophisticated and good plan,
taking care that grants are allocated.
Specifically to benefit the business sector.
We should not forget the NextGenerationEU as a whole.
From 800 billion of this fund, one third goes into European Green Deal.
This is not only fighting global warming,
cutting greenhouse gas emissions, but of course, adapting also
to climate change as we see it today.
Thank you. Thank you, all media for following this press release.
Thank you both leaders.
Have a nice day.