Minister Černač first presented the state of play in the field of European Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 implementation. ‘Recently, the Government approved the so-called over-commitment in the amount of additional 15%. Almost all of the available EUR 3.067 billion have already been committed, namely a good EUR 3.5 billion. We are, nevertheless, EUR 70 million short for cycling connections and roughly EUR 50 million short for other projects. The funds that are left unspent under individual agreements on the development of a region will be reallocated to projects that are ready for implementation. Reallocations will also be made from other programmes with certain projects being implemented under the next financial perspective,’ underlined the Minister.

The Minister said that the programming of the multiannual financial framework 2021-2027 continues with EUR 3.2 billion of grants available to Slovenia by 2029. ‘We are drafting one operational programmes which will be finalised in the first half of 2022,’ said the Minister and explained that the available funds will not be transferable between the two development regions.

Slovenia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan will be approved in July under Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU which means that the first calls for proposals could be published already in 2021. For municipalities the most relevant funding is the funding available for water supply systems with under 10,000 PE and sewerage systems with under 2,000 PE, as well as the funding available for broadband networks, flood protection, avalanche protection and home care.

‘We will continue taking a bottom-up approach and thus address the specific needs of individual regions,’ the Minister said. ‘Where a lower level of development – regardless of which NUTS 2 cohesion region an individual area falls under – calls for higher co-financing levels, we will enhance the national contribution with the aim of ensuring an equal starting point for everyone. We will leave no one behind with no part of Slovenia being neglected,’ stressed Minister Černač.