Hello to everyone.
As part of his desire to devise comprehensive solutions
to help those affected by the flooding,
Prime Minister Robert Golob invited the leaders
of all parliamentary parties to a working meeting today.
I therefore first give the floor to the Prime Minister. Go ahead.
Hello. First of all, I apologize for my hoarse voice.
Most of the measures will be introduced later
by the Vice President of the Freedom Movement, Minister Matej Arčon.
Still, I'd like to say a couple of words.
Today's meeting with all the parliamentary parties
proved that even we politicians can come together when needed.
I wish that this national unity
could last as long as possible and that the reconstruction
that lies ahead could serve as a model for future generations
on how to join forces for the benefit of the people.
Today, we mostly exchanged views on our range of measures.
I believe that we're well-coordinated with the opposition
and that next week, we'll jointly prepare a bill
that will be even better.
We're talking about emergency legislation that is focused
on the measures that must go into effect in September.
As mentioned, we'll hear more about these measures later
from Minister Matej Arčon.
I apologize that I won't take any questions today,
but I have problems with my voice. Thank you.
Thank you to the Prime Minister.
I now invite the president of the Slovenian Democratic Party,
Mr. Janez Janša, to take the floor.
Hello to everyone.
Over the course of this and the previous week,
the Slovenian Democratic Party has prepared a range
of suggestions and recommendations on how to deal with the flooding
that has affected Slovenia, in terms of both urgent measures
and long-term recovery.
When we heard what the government had prepared,
we substantially reduced the scope of the recommendations
because the relevant ministries had prepared
some of the same recommendations,
so I handed some 44 recommendations to the Prime Minister today,
and I believe they're in line
with the government and its twin approach,
which involves adopting emergency measures,
followed by special recovery legislation.
That's the right approach.
The origins of the organization that will realize
the government's approach are on the right track,
so I won't list all the measures
or suggestions that we handed over.
We've waited that the government takes the measures
that it prepared and received from the opposition
and incorporates it into bills. We're happy about the announcement
that the legislation that will amend emergency measures
will be passed and enacted by the end of the month.
I'd like to emphasize a key suggestion
that we discussed and that concerns financial sources
used to fund the recovery from the disaster.
As part of the EU's Covid Recovery Fund, Slovenia received
an opportunity to obtain
favorable loans in the amount of close to one percent of the GDP.
Of this amount,
about €2.8 billion has no yet been located.
We understand that the government, when it prepared amendments
to the recovery plan,
it didn't make use of these funds because not too long ago,
including the period of our government,
the loans were practically free on the financial markets.
There were even some negative interest rates.
But in this case, the price of the loans was not precisely defined.
Things have now changed drastically.
Loans have become expensive on financial markets,
so EU Recovery Fund loans have become attractive.
I'm glad that the Prime Minister said today
that they're thinking on the same lines.
But we're in a hurry. The deadline for filing
an intention to make use of these funds
is the end of this month.
By then, the government should declare its intent
to the European Commission that it tends to make use
of these loans for the disaster recovery.
During the visit of the European Commission President,
we received a signal that this was possible.
Relatively favorable funds are available
for the recovery, and we should concentrate
on this source.
It won't be enough, but this amount
covers much of what wee need for the reconstruction.
Based on our estimates, the amount of the direct damage
is between €3 billion and €5 billion.
There had been some hesitancy about these funds
because of the time frame for the use of money from the Recovery Fund.
These funds need to be used my mid-2026.
If we based or flood prevention projects
on procedures typical of Slovenian bureaucracy,
the planning permission for more demanding buildings
takes time, but the situation now is urgent.
The measures introduced yesterday by the government
include the fast-tracking of procedures,
so this is an ideal opportunity
for us to ensure, even within a limited time frame,
funds for, and the execution of, such demanding projects.
But we'll need to work faster than has been the case
here in Slovenia, where such structures,
which did save many places from the floods,
needed 10, 15, or more years to receive planning permission.
I believe this is the most urgent decision
that needs to be passed.
All other measures announced by the government
are more or less in line line with our recommendations,
so we expect a bill to be drafted next week,
and if anything needs to be added, we'll cooperate constructively.
Thank you. -I think we have a question from the media.
If so, please introduce yourself.
Metka Majer, POP TV. So at this moment,
you're not seeing anything that the government has forgotten?
There are no open questions or major criticism?
Is this an indication that you'll support
the emergency legislation?
What we heard yesterday,
namely a description of the next two bills,
is a step in the right direction,
so our support isn't in doubt. We also supported
the first emergency bill, even though some amendments
weren't considered. Some were.
The suggestions I gave to the Prime Minister
are in that same vein. Perhaps there are some different
solutions to our problems, a few different percentages,
and so on, but the government is the entity
with all the mechanisms for precise calculations,
so we won't pretend to be smarter that those who have
more information.
The final estimate of the emergency
legislation and later the recovery legislation
will wait until we get them.
If we think that anything is missing, we'll try to add it
through parliamentary procedure.
Did you understand today's meeting as constructive?
Do you think that the Prime Minister will listen
to your suggestions?
The Prime Minister received our suggestions today.
He leafed through them and said he saw
many valuable things there.
I don't believe the government would reject good proposals.
As mentioned, quite a bit of what we suggested
was incorporated in the first bill.
Except perhaps for the Day of Solidarity
there was no battle for prestige in Parliament,
I expect this constructive approach to continue.
And since I just mentioned
the problem of sources, there's an additional source
that we feel is available and should be used.
Those are the EU Cohesion Funds
in the upcoming seven-year financial perspective.
The government has reallocated
a considerable amount of funds
from so-called hard projects into soft projects,
from infrastructure
and buildings for various institutions that we need,
including healthcare
and buildings for local government,
to various studies. I believe that this isn't a priority
and that it could be an additional source.
We suggested as part of our range of measures
that the funds for soft projects be reduced
and that a part of them be redirected
to a recovery fund.
Thank you to Mr. Janša. -Thank you.
The next to speak is New Slovenia's Jernej Vrtovec.
Dear members of the media and everyone
watching this press conference. New Slovenia was happy
to take part in today's meeting and hear
the Prime Minister's initiative regarding various suggestions
for the emergency legislation that will address
the recovery from the floods.
New Slovenia studied the proposals and handed them over
to the Prime Minister and others in the government's team.
We gathered all the specific suggestions,
short-term, medium-term, and long-term ones.
Many of them are the same as the government's suggestions
that we received today.
However, I would like to emphasize one thing.
When such disasters occur, the people know
how to come together.
I'm happy that Slovenia's politicians
also came together in this case, that we're inclusive,
and that we're listening to each other.
We'd like to see the same approach toward those on the other side
not just now, when the cameras are on
and photographers are still in flood zones.
Fall and winter are on the way,
and people will continue to need our help.
In this entire period, when the very last home,
stream and road are repaired,
New Slovenia will play a constructive role,
in part by presenting positive suggestions
about how to repair the damage
from the recent flooding.
As for the proposals we presented to the Prime Minister,
I'd like to single out an urgent need,
which is the repair of streams.
We need to reinforce all teams, including
the Infrastructure Development Corporation
and all construction crews, to ensure that the riverbeds
are repaired before the fall rain.
Otherwise, we'll see new floods
and, God forbid, new disasters, if we don't get riverbeds
to their previous state, deepen them,
remove excess silt, rocks, mud, and so on.
As for physical infrastructure, I believe we have enough
civil engineers and construction crews
to address this right away, even before the autumn rain.
Another important recommendation by New Slovenia
as a short-term measure
is the creation of a solidarity fund.
People need help right away.
The government is considering the idea.
We believe this can be an independent fund where
resources are collected or a fund
run under the framework of the SID Bank.
The SID Bank was created with this in mind.
It's an investment bank owned by the state
and can be used for this purpose.
I'm glad that there is a willingness to consider this idea.
In the short term, we can address the damage
by changing long-term procedures.
This can be done soon.
We have the Public Procurement Act.
New Slovenia has suggested some changes,
such as bringing forward appeal deadlines
and the introduction of direct negotiations.
The government has again been open to this,
and I believe the emergency legislation
will feature these extended procurement deadlines,
expedited procedures, and the increase
of some minimums for orders,
so that it will be passed in the Assembly.
Another short-term measure comes in the form
of replacement buildings without planning permits.
This is a speedy measure, and if we wish to get things
back to normal, build bridges,
and repair road infrastructure,
we need to get replacement buildings in order,
so that we don't need new planning permits
where we already had complete and effective planning permits.
I believe the government will listen to this suggestion
by New Slovenia. I can say that
the entire meeting,
which included the measures suggested by New Slovenia,
was a good one.
We proved that we can listen to each other.
And other important thing for businesses.
The government is preparing a set of measures.
New Slovenia is suggesting an additional one:
interest rate subsidies for the purchase
of machinery and equipment. Many companies
in the Savinja Valley and Upper Carniola
suffered total losses. They lost their machinery.
Some are big companies, while others are small businesses.
Many of them made purchases on credit.
If they wish to preserve jobs and their positions,
they need momentum right away.
New Slovenia therefore suggests that we help them
by subsidizing interest rates, so they can purchase
new machinery right away and not lose customers.
Some companies are now ordering the same products
at higher prices abroad in order to keep
their customers.
We suggest that these companies
receive immediate help through subsidized interest rates.
Finally, ladies and gentlemen,
we need to get rid of bureaucratic hurdles
at this time, so people and public infrastructure
can be assured immediate reconstruction.
If we don't get rid of bureaucratic hurdles,
we'll deal with a long-term recovery from the flooding.
Thank you.
Any questions? Metka Majer, POP TV.
Mr. Vrtovec, you also suggested yesterday
that a state company on the model of 2TDK be set up.
Did you discuss or get feedback on that today?
We talked about that proposal under the framework of DRI.
I emphasized that DRI, the Infrastructure Development
Corporation, which employs about 400 people
and is state-owned, needs to be reinforced and engaged.
We don't need a new institution but we can gather
all the experts under the DRI umbrella.
Government representatives assured me
that DRI is already in use.
I'm glad that their capacities and engineers are already available.
I spent two years working for those people and I can say
that they're experts and will be up to the challenge.
Thank you, Mr. Vrtovec. -Thank you.
The next to speak is the head of the Social Democrats,
Ms. Tanja Fajon.
Hello. This was an important meeting.
It was important because we joined forced with
the heads of the opposition parties to examine
our urgent emergency measures. The meeting was
very constructive in nature.
We heard the key suggestions from the opposition,
the government, the coalition, and our parties.
It's vital that in the weeks ahead, we take advantage
of the opportunity, unlike after the major flooding of 1990,
to repair infrastructure and homes and all the damage.
Today, we talked about these key challenges,
the need to set up a financial framework in the following few days.
We know that the damage will be in the billions.
If the damage is set at €3 billion, the reconstruction
will cost at least €5 billion. We now have two crucial bills,
and suggestions by both the opposition
and the government, including the Social Democrats,
are largely on the same track.
The details are a bit different, but the wording
remains to be finalized next week. The first emergency bill,
which will go into effect in September,
is scheduled to be voted on this Thursday,
but the financial framework, how we'll allocate
all the available financial resources for the recovery,
will follow in the days ahead. This will be a major challenge.
Next week, we'll try to get this part together,
working with banks and insurance companies,
while considering all the deadlines for EU funds.
It's important that we step together and use all the resources
that are available to the state as well as
our knowledge and potential.
We need to do the key thing, namely to ensure
that those who have lost everything, including companies,
are helped first and that our measures
help those affected by the flooding.
Finally, the decision to declare in the emergency bill
the second Saturday of every month a Solidarity Saturday,
similar to what he had in 1990, when we worked two Saturdays
a month, a day when companies set aside all profit
into a recovery fund that this legislation will reinstate.
I believe that this is a positive gesture
that will be a welcome step in helping to collect funding.
Because the Bled Strategic Forum is taking place in late August,
with the participation of almost 3000 people,
which exceeds our expectations,
we'll give the event a humanitarian note.
We'll use the funds collected at the event itself
to aid with the recovery and contribute to the fund.
The Social Democrats have worked with mayors,
field crews, and everyone else who was actively involved,
to create our own range of measures.
Most of the measures are in the same vein.
We took them into consideration and the government
is continuing to work hard. -Thank you. Any questions?
If not, then thank you to Ms. Fajon.
I now invite the Coordinator of the Left, Mr. Luka Mesec,
to take the floor.
Hello.
I'd also like to applaud the constructive approach
of the opposition at today's meeting.
We analyzed the government's measures
and listened to what the opposition parties, NSi and SDS,
had to add to all of this.
More or less, we stopped at the question of funding,
EU funds, the establishment of fund, and how we can all
provide help as quickly as possible to areas affected by the flooding,
so they can recover and that their people can again live normal lives,
and that companies begin to operate normally,
so people don't lose their jobs.
After today's meeting, I believe
we're on the same side,
we all want to help in a time of crisis.
I can only wish that such a constructive dialog
continues not just during the crisis,
but also when we tackle other topics,
not just floods or other emergencies.
It would be nice to see if we all learned to cooperate
in the same spirit as during this catastrophe.
That's it for now. -Any questions?
We have a question.
Metka Majer, go ahead.
Regarding this constructive approach,
we're seeing comparisons with the Covid era
and accusations from the Right that you weren't that constructive
when you were the opposition.
Did the opposition overtake you in this regard?
Back then, we began very constructively.
It turned out, as reported by Ivan Gale,
that things were happening that shouldn't have happened.
The opposition became far more pointed in tone.
With things such as unacceptable attacks on the media,
freedom, and constitutional rights began to happen,
we in the opposition spoke up.
This government will not misuse the crisis to settle scores
with the media or to limit constitutional rights.
We won't give the opposition any reasons
for a different approach.
The government must lead by example
and show how to handle a crisis constructively.
I believe that this government has demonstrated this
over the past two weeks, and I'm also glad
that the opposition understands this.
Thank you.
The last to speak is the Vice President
of the Freedom Movement, Mr. Matej Arčon.
Hello on my behalf. Just as the citizens of Slovenia
managed to step together and help those affected
in the flooding, it seems important and responsible
that Slovenia's politicians step together and show unity.
The Freedom Movement considers it very important
that we'll divide these measures into two phases,
an emergency phase and a recovery phase for the reconstruction.
The most important thing is that these measures
are prompt and effective, that the affected people
receive monetary assistance as soon as possible,
that we help municipalities, which will play a major role
with prepayments, to coordinate
and carry our the repairs working together
with various humanitarian organizations,
that we set aside all homes available
through the Housing Fund so we can quickly overcome
the housing crisis,
and that we prepare for Phase 2.
The Freedom Movement's caucus is preparing
additional measures, such as the issue of bonds.
We realize that a lot of money that people have
in their accounts could, with a more favorable
interest rate, could be used for contributions
into the joint fund that will be set up.
The most important thing is that we step together,
that we move quickly, that we're effective,
and that we provide the appropriate social and psychological
support to everyone affected right away.
We'll also introduce working Saturdays, as mentioned,
when businesses will be able to contribute
its share of the profit to this fund.
Thank you, Mr. Arčon. Any questions?
Anyone else? -No, Metka Majer will ask the majority
of the questions today.
You mentioned bonds.
Can you describe how citizens... -This is still in the idea phase.
It will be introduced next week. We need to look
at the legal basis, if this idea is possible.
We, the citizens, have several billion euros saved,
so the idea is to spur them to invest in bonds
using a more favorable interest rate than offered by banks.
Regarding the Solidarity Saturdays,
will they be included in this proposal?
Yes, employers will be free to designate the second Saturday
of every month as a working Saturday,
and donate that day's profit to the fund we're setting up.
Thank you to Mr. Arčon and all today's speakers
and representatives of the media.
Have a nice day. Goodbye.