WEBVTT

00:00:00.727 --> 00:00:03.839
Hello on behalf of
the Administration for Civil

00:00:03.960 --> 00:00:08.572
Protection and Disaster Relief.
During today's press conference,

00:00:08.693 --> 00:00:11.986
we'd like to present
the repayment process

00:00:12.107 --> 00:00:15.480
for emergency expenses incurred
by municipalities

00:00:15.601 --> 00:00:17.458
and disaster response teams

00:00:17.579 --> 00:00:22.969
during the August floods

00:00:23.107 --> 00:00:26.253
and the mudslides that followed

00:00:26.400 --> 00:00:29.893
during the activated
national emergency plan

00:00:30.060 --> 00:00:33.259
between August 4
and August 31

00:00:33.440 --> 00:00:37.093
on a nationwide level.

00:00:37.900 --> 00:00:44.073
The storms we've seen
over the summer

00:00:44.327 --> 00:00:47.019
caused tremendous damage.

00:00:47.193 --> 00:00:52.319
During the July thunderstorms
with hail

00:00:52.460 --> 00:00:56.013
and the August floods
with mudslides,

00:00:56.220 --> 00:01:01.546
almost 200 municipalities
were affected.

00:01:01.673 --> 00:01:05.606
For the first time in history,
the government has set aside

00:01:05.800 --> 00:01:09.279
such significant funds,
more than €120 million,

00:01:09.433 --> 00:01:12.919
to repay the expenses incurred
by the municipalities

00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:18.520
and the responders.
This had never happened

00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:22.433
in the history
of independent Slovenia.

00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:26.033
These repayments
of emergency expenses

00:01:26.166 --> 00:01:30.127
include funds incurred

00:01:30.260 --> 00:01:35.313
during the emergency response
of the municipalities

00:01:35.434 --> 00:01:37.586
and the disaster response teams.

00:01:37.747 --> 00:01:41.539
We're talking about
the Civil Defense teams,

00:01:41.700 --> 00:01:45.153
as well as firefighters, and
mountain, cave,

00:01:45.274 --> 00:01:47.159
and underwater rescuers.

00:01:47.300 --> 00:01:50.960
The emergency response
system also includes scouts,

00:01:51.193 --> 00:01:57.073
divers, and first responders.

00:01:57.173 --> 00:02:01.386
We're not talking about expenses
incurred by the armed forces,

00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:05.033
police, or other professional
units that took part

00:02:05.154 --> 00:02:07.453
in the emergency response.

00:02:07.627 --> 00:02:13.643
In August, Slovenia identified

00:02:13.780 --> 00:02:18.366
and approved funds
for 138 municipalities

00:02:18.493 --> 00:02:23.140
that were the hardest hit
and signed up

00:02:23.293 --> 00:02:26.186
to have these expenses repaid

00:02:26.307 --> 00:02:30.973
in the total amount of about
€95 million.

00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:34.773
These are justified expenses
incurred by the affected

00:02:34.960 --> 00:02:41.010
municipalities during
the acquisition of fuel,

00:02:41.153 --> 00:02:47.466
as well as the repair
and replacement of damaged items

00:02:47.613 --> 00:02:50.079
in those municipalities,

00:02:50.340 --> 00:02:52.926
the costs of temporary
accommodation

00:02:53.113 --> 00:02:59.110
for evacuated
permanent or temporary residents

00:02:59.273 --> 00:03:02.233
on the territory of various
municipalities,

00:03:02.393 --> 00:03:05.086
the costs of restoring
the affected areas

00:03:05.207 --> 00:03:07.407
to ensure basic
living conditions,

00:03:07.566 --> 00:03:11.346
including emergency procedures
on roads, waterworks,

00:03:11.486 --> 00:03:17.640
sewage systems, and other
utilities,

00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:23.433
the renting of equipment,
such as chemical toilets,

00:03:23.613 --> 00:03:27.393
mobile laundromats, and the like,

00:03:27.573 --> 00:03:34.986
disinfectants, various removals
of alluvium

00:03:35.127 --> 00:03:37.559
and other contaminated material,

00:03:37.727 --> 00:03:41.153
disposal of waste in this area,

00:03:41.300 --> 00:03:44.706
as well as the renting
of construction equipment,

00:03:44.867 --> 00:03:49.386
the use of construction material
and other items needed

00:03:49.580 --> 00:03:54.693
to ensure basic living conditions.

00:03:54.907 --> 00:03:59.266
The municipalities will also
be compensated for the expenses

00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:04.633
incurred when repairing streams
in August, removing alluvium,

00:04:04.807 --> 00:04:09.326
and setting up temporary bridges
and other construction,

00:04:09.480 --> 00:04:14.013
as well as to ensure
preventative infrastructure,

00:04:14.246 --> 00:04:17.599
such as sampling an analyses,

00:04:17.740 --> 00:04:22.879
repair projects, and expert
opinions about the stability

00:04:23.007 --> 00:04:27.953
of buildings and landslides
in the area.

00:04:28.127 --> 00:04:34.446
The sum of these expenses
was about €95 million.

00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:37.719
Based on a decision
by the government,

00:04:37.840 --> 00:04:41.767
the Administration for Civil
Protection and Disaster Relief

00:04:41.940 --> 00:04:46.326
received funds on September 28,

00:04:46.853 --> 00:04:50.973
and together with municipalities

00:04:51.367 --> 00:04:55.573
that had an October 6 deadline

00:04:55.727 --> 00:04:59.779
to submit their requests
along with proofs of having incurred

00:04:59.987 --> 00:05:07.813
emergency expenses,
132 municipalities

00:05:07.934 --> 00:05:10.814
had successful submissions.

00:05:10.953 --> 00:05:15.426
This means that six municipalities
did not submit their requests,

00:05:15.547 --> 00:05:20.219
but as of today, three additional
municipalities submitted

00:05:20.340 --> 00:05:25.168
their requests, which means
that 135 out of 138 municipalities

00:05:25.289 --> 00:05:28.259
have submitted proposals
along with proofs

00:05:28.427 --> 00:05:32.213
of having used these funds.

00:05:32.380 --> 00:05:36.520
It should be said that about
two thirds of the municipalities

00:05:36.640 --> 00:05:39.546
submitted their requests
on the final day,

00:05:39.667 --> 00:05:43.213
October 6 or late on October 5.

00:05:43.353 --> 00:05:47.839
This is why the submissions
were only examined

00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:52.476
starting on Monday,
October 9.

00:05:52.960 --> 00:05:56.853
Despite this, we managed
to review the total amount

00:05:56.974 --> 00:06:00.639
of requests
submitted by the municipalities.

00:06:00.699 --> 00:06:04.643
We said
that the Government estimated

00:06:04.763 --> 00:06:08.043
we can pay back €95 million

00:06:08.218 --> 00:06:13.760
and the municipalities have asked
for €73 million until today

00:06:13.880 --> 00:06:18.283
which is a lot less
than what we predicted.

00:06:18.403 --> 00:06:22.110
We expect this sum
to rise in the future.

00:06:22.230 --> 00:06:27.902
We have been in constant contact
with the municipalities,

00:06:28.022 --> 00:06:31.276
but 20% of the costs

00:06:31.474 --> 00:06:37.845
have not been proven yet
by the local communities

00:06:37.965 --> 00:06:41.643
and have not been forwarded to the
Administration for Disaster Relief.

00:06:42.426 --> 00:06:46.086
The first application
we processed

00:06:46.300 --> 00:06:51.610
was the application from Prevalje
which we received on 4th October

00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:54.854
and was signed by the mayor.
After we had reviewed it,

00:06:54.975 --> 00:06:59.510
we initiated the payment process
in one day

00:06:59.770 --> 00:07:03.969
and yesterday, they received

00:07:04.089 --> 00:07:06.943
€5.5 million.

00:07:07.180 --> 00:07:14.010
Tomorrow, we will pay
€5 million to Črna na Koroškem

00:07:14.184 --> 00:07:18.086
and by the end of the week, Podvelka
and Ribnica will get the funds.

00:07:18.206 --> 00:07:24.022
In the first eight days
after receiving the applications,

00:07:24.142 --> 00:07:29.143
we will pay more than €10 million.
I want to emphasize

00:07:29.419 --> 00:07:34.308
that the Administration for Civil
Protection and Disaster Relief

00:07:34.429 --> 00:07:39.076
worked closely
with the municipalities

00:07:39.906 --> 00:07:44.909
for the first three days
and the rest of the time

00:07:45.029 --> 00:07:49.760
is needed to transfer
the money,

00:07:49.880 --> 00:07:55.843
so that the municipalities get it.
This is why I mentioned eight days

00:07:55.963 --> 00:08:01.143
is the deadline
for the payment.

00:08:02.216 --> 00:08:07.333
I can say
that yesterday and today,

00:08:07.453 --> 00:08:12.176
we have approved
more than 60 applications

00:08:12.296 --> 00:08:18.340
which means half of the
municipalities could get the money

00:08:18.460 --> 00:08:21.876
by the end of the week
or at the beginning of the next.

00:08:21.996 --> 00:08:25.331
We are talking about more
than 30 million, which means

00:08:25.452 --> 00:08:28.069
that by now, we approved

00:08:28.189 --> 00:08:34.613
€40 million to pay by the end
of the week or during next week.

00:08:34.733 --> 00:08:40.756
This is more than half
of the sum

00:08:40.876 --> 00:08:45.763
the municipalities applied for.
It is our goal

00:08:45.883 --> 00:08:51.443
to process all the applications
by the end of the week.

00:08:51.750 --> 00:08:58.066
First, we will pay for the costs
where there is no doubt,

00:08:58.186 --> 00:09:02.136
we will pay back the costs
the municipalities actually had.

00:09:02.256 --> 00:09:05.201
The municipalities
that provided all the documents,

00:09:05.321 --> 00:09:10.450
the bills, order forms,
delivery notes and bills of lading,

00:09:10.570 --> 00:09:13.910
will get the money
by the deadline.

00:09:14.030 --> 00:09:17.043
The applications
where there are questions

00:09:17.171 --> 00:09:20.676
will be put aside for now

00:09:20.796 --> 00:09:24.676
and solved in the end.
It is our main goal

00:09:24.796 --> 00:09:29.194
to pay as much as possible
for the biggest costs

00:09:29.314 --> 00:09:34.192
to provide the liquidity
to the municipalities,

00:09:34.313 --> 00:09:37.714
so that they can pay
their contractors

00:09:37.834 --> 00:09:40.902
that need to pay
taxes and wages.

00:09:41.022 --> 00:09:45.439
This way, the contractors
and local communities

00:09:45.559 --> 00:09:48.343
will not have
financial problems.

00:09:48.463 --> 00:09:53.910
At this press conference,

00:09:54.030 --> 00:09:58.653
I want to thank the municipalities
for their cooperation,

00:09:58.773 --> 00:10:03.965
so that we could pay
for the biggest costs first

00:10:04.085 --> 00:10:10.458
and wait with those
where we need more arguments

00:10:10.578 --> 00:10:14.110
whether they are
justifiable or not.

00:10:14.714 --> 00:10:18.310
I also want to thank
my coworkers

00:10:18.531 --> 00:10:23.961
that have been working
really hard in the past months

00:10:24.081 --> 00:10:26.058
to ensure

00:10:26.178 --> 00:10:31.276
that we can continue
our work without delays

00:10:31.396 --> 00:10:36.510
when we are working with clients
or solving other issues.

00:10:37.005 --> 00:10:43.854
I want to say
a few words about payments

00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:48.970
to the Civil Protection.
The Government provided

00:10:49.090 --> 00:10:53.143
€11 million for the units

00:10:53.411 --> 00:10:59.324
that had
the biggest expenses.

00:10:59.445 --> 00:11:02.730
The Administration for Civil
Protection and Disaster Relief

00:11:02.850 --> 00:11:06.603
prepared contracts
for the Fire Brigades Association,

00:11:06.723 --> 00:11:10.519
the Association of Professional
Firefighters, Ljubljana Fire Brigade,

00:11:10.639 --> 00:11:14.844
the Red Cross, the Mountain Rescue
Service, the Cave Rescue Service,

00:11:14.964 --> 00:11:20.610
the Water Rescue Service
and the Scout Organization.

00:11:21.191 --> 00:11:27.676
We signed the contracts
and sent them to the organizations.

00:11:27.960 --> 00:11:34.216
Now,
they have to check the documents

00:11:34.336 --> 00:11:37.143
that prove they are
entitled to the funds.

00:11:37.317 --> 00:11:44.008
We already sent
them some money,

00:11:44.128 --> 00:11:48.143
so they can continue their work.
All their units

00:11:48.739 --> 00:11:55.143
will depend on their work and
cooperation with the organizations

00:11:55.395 --> 00:12:00.043
to get the money.
We hope this will go

00:12:00.164 --> 00:12:04.751
as successfully as in the case
of last year's compensations

00:12:04.872 --> 00:12:06.965
for the Karst fire

00:12:07.086 --> 00:12:12.899
or this year's storms,
which happened in May,

00:12:13.020 --> 00:12:16.383
and certain financial funds
were repaid.

00:12:16.581 --> 00:12:18.496
To summarise,

00:12:19.542 --> 00:12:24.499
we think the payouts
are going smoothly.

00:12:24.702 --> 00:12:29.471
There is a very
specific method of payment

00:12:29.592 --> 00:12:32.680
of actual eligible costs
based on the documents,

00:12:32.801 --> 00:12:35.698
which means this system
is slightly different from the one

00:12:35.819 --> 00:12:40.112
the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Spatial Planning

00:12:40.233 --> 00:12:44.322
will implement in the future
in the case of rehabilitation costs,

00:12:44.443 --> 00:12:47.087
because municipalities
will receive advanced funds

00:12:47.208 --> 00:12:50.894
based on a contract,
and will later have to

00:12:51.015 --> 00:12:55.499
justify spending these funds
with authentic documents,

00:12:55.620 --> 00:12:59.081
to put it simply,
invoices and all other procedures.

00:12:59.202 --> 00:13:01.320
As far as intervention costs,

00:13:01.441 --> 00:13:05.470
we are already reviewing the
actual costs and actual documents,

00:13:05.591 --> 00:13:08.315
which means that there will be
no further procedures

00:13:08.436 --> 00:13:12.401
and the funds are transferred
immediately after eligibility.

00:13:12.522 --> 00:13:16.930
Despite this being
a final procedure,

00:13:17.051 --> 00:13:20.403
all matters
have already taken place

00:13:20.524 --> 00:13:25.356
within fourteen days
of the money transfer

00:13:25.477 --> 00:13:27.586
to the Administration
for Civil Protection account

00:13:27.707 --> 00:13:32.412
and of the individual claims
by municipalities

00:13:32.533 --> 00:13:34.629
in the previous week.

00:13:35.630 --> 00:13:38.600
That's all,
now for the questions.

00:13:39.165 --> 00:13:40.697
Thank you, Director-General.

00:13:40.817 --> 00:13:44.786
Now I invite you, dear media,
to raise your hand

00:13:44.907 --> 00:13:48.886
and introduce yourself
when you have the floor.

00:13:49.115 --> 00:13:52.892
I see a hand.
Staša Lozar, go ahead.

00:13:54.417 --> 00:13:57.379
Can you hear me?
Hello, from Pop TV.

00:13:57.849 --> 00:13:59.792
We can hear you.
-Thank you.

00:13:59.913 --> 00:14:02.218
I am now on the ground.

00:14:02.339 --> 00:14:05.804
The mayors of Komenda and the
municipalities around Ljubljana

00:14:05.925 --> 00:14:11.112
welcome these compensations
and are waiting to get them.

00:14:11.233 --> 00:14:14.681
But I'm still interested,
because I also spoke to the people,

00:14:14.802 --> 00:14:18.204
when will you actually
give money to the people?

00:14:18.325 --> 00:14:20.795
Next week,
a cold spell is coming,

00:14:20.916 --> 00:14:22.867
the people are waiting.

00:14:23.019 --> 00:14:26.687
The municipalities provided
money from some accounts,

00:14:26.808 --> 00:14:28.414
but can you tell the people

00:14:28.535 --> 00:14:33.014
when they will get the money
registered in the AJDA system?

00:14:33.995 --> 00:14:38.102
Since you mentioned
the AJDA system,

00:14:38.362 --> 00:14:42.641
we are talking about
a different part of resources.

00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:45.322
The Administration for Civil
Protection and Disaster Relief

00:14:45.443 --> 00:14:48.311
is responsible solely for
reimbursement of intervention costs

00:14:48.432 --> 00:14:52.426
to local communities
or protection and rescue units,

00:14:52.547 --> 00:14:54.952
therefore we are very happy

00:14:55.073 --> 00:14:58.709
that the response of municipalities
on the ground is positive.

00:14:58.830 --> 00:15:02.181
The municipalities
will receive the money very quickly,

00:15:02.302 --> 00:15:04.207
this collaboration is effective.

00:15:04.328 --> 00:15:07.888
The AJDA system
deals with direct damage,

00:15:08.009 --> 00:15:10.843
assessed
by the municipal commissions,

00:15:10.964 --> 00:15:14.403
which is also registered
in the system.

00:15:14.728 --> 00:15:19.855
I need to point out that this system
according to the new intervention law

00:15:19.976 --> 00:15:23.299
is compatible with prepayments

00:15:23.592 --> 00:15:26.753
carried out by
the Ministry of Natural Resources

00:15:26.874 --> 00:15:29.007
based on a preliminary
damage assessment.

00:15:29.128 --> 00:15:31.146
They are not waiting
for the AJDA system.

00:15:31.267 --> 00:15:33.328
The system
has already been verified

00:15:33.449 --> 00:15:36.976
by the Government
when it approved

00:15:37.107 --> 00:15:41.883
a little over one billion euros
costs of direct damage

00:15:42.004 --> 00:15:43.765
as a preliminary estimate.

00:15:43.886 --> 00:15:46.663
A preliminary rehabilitation
program was accepted.

00:15:46.784 --> 00:15:49.681
As far as we know, the funds
are already in the account

00:15:49.802 --> 00:15:51.728
of the
Ministry of Natural Resources,

00:15:51.849 --> 00:15:55.012
which will distribute the money
among the local communities.

00:15:55.133 --> 00:15:57.619
These will then
distribute it further

00:15:57.740 --> 00:16:00.777
in accordance with the law
and their jurisdiction.

00:16:00.898 --> 00:16:04.127
It is very difficult for me
to comment on when this money

00:16:04.248 --> 00:16:06.952
will be in the accounts
of the municipalities,

00:16:07.073 --> 00:16:11.892
given that this is the jurisdiction
of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

00:16:12.013 --> 00:16:15.102
Thank you.
Any other questions?

00:16:16.498 --> 00:16:18.598
Staša Lozar, go ahead.

00:16:19.829 --> 00:16:21.708
I'm sorry,

00:16:21.829 --> 00:16:29.584
but didn't you make them list
the damage on agricultural land again?

00:16:29.864 --> 00:16:32.306
Or did I misunderstand them?

00:16:34.433 --> 00:16:37.494
The agricultural land
is treated twice.

00:16:37.615 --> 00:16:41.684
The AJDA system deals with
the agricultural holdings

00:16:41.805 --> 00:16:44.672
or the farms themselves
and the infrastructure,

00:16:44.793 --> 00:16:48.338
while for the crops,
supplies and so on,

00:16:48.459 --> 00:16:50.403
a special decision
needs to be issued

00:16:50.524 --> 00:16:53.357
and it is implemented
accordingly

00:16:53.478 --> 00:16:56.107
within the competence of services
in the field of agriculture.

00:16:56.228 --> 00:17:01.904
This is usually financed
as compensation for the costs

00:17:02.025 --> 00:17:03.866
of the damage caused
in agriculture

00:17:03.987 --> 00:17:06.033
through
the Ministry of Agriculture.

00:17:06.154 --> 00:17:10.600
If we are talking about
costs due to floods

00:17:10.721 --> 00:17:13.727
and everything else
in agriculture production,

00:17:13.848 --> 00:17:17.008
this process will take place
through the Ministry of Agriculture

00:17:17.129 --> 00:17:19.808
and the Government
for the final evaluation

00:17:19.929 --> 00:17:24.015
and the process
of compensations itself.

00:17:24.136 --> 00:17:27.972
Very often in the past,
a special intervention law was used

00:17:28.093 --> 00:17:31.347
in case of major damage.
These procedures are ongoing.

00:17:31.468 --> 00:17:33.468
We are talking
about two things.

00:17:33.589 --> 00:17:37.098
AJDA is a direct census of damage
to buildings and real estate,

00:17:37.219 --> 00:17:39.643
but when it comes
to agricultural production,

00:17:39.764 --> 00:17:41.925
there is
a special assessment procedure,

00:17:42.046 --> 00:17:44.299
where actual loss is checked,

00:17:44.420 --> 00:17:50.582
so some matters will have
to wait to the end of the season,

00:17:50.703 --> 00:17:53.578
so that it will be determined
what the losses were

00:17:53.699 --> 00:17:56.821
due to the direct
impact of flooding.

00:17:58.903 --> 00:18:01.457
Thank you.
Any other questions?

00:18:05.838 --> 00:18:08.990
If not,
thank you for being here.

00:18:11.272 --> 00:18:12.829
Thank you.