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Prime Minister Janša visits the Zasavje region

  • Former Prime Minister Janez Janša (2020 - 2022)
A Slovenian Government delegation visited the Zasavje region today. The Zasavje statistical region is Slovenia’s smallest in terms of surface area and comprises the municipalities of Hrastnik, Litija, Trbovlje and Zagorje ob Savi.

In terms of investment in renewable energy sources, however, this region is the largest. In 2019, 3% of Slovenia’s population lived in the Zasavje region and it was the third most densely populated region (with an average of 118 inhabitants per square kilometre). In June 2021, the Zasavje region had 14,617 people in employment, which is 193 people (1.3%) more compared to June 2020. At the end of August 2021, there were 2,156 registered unemployed people, which is 570 people (20.9%) fewer compared to August 2020. Compared to the previous month, the number of registered unemployed people decreased by 53 (2.4%).

Meeting with the Mayor of Litija prior to Government working consultation

Prime Minister Janša began today’s visit to the Zasavska region with a meeting with the Mayor of Litija, Franci Rokavec. During the meeting, the two discussed current challenges facing the municipality and the wider region.

The members of the Government began today’s visit with a working consultation at the Šmelc Intergenerational Centre in Litija, which was independently funded by the Municipality of Litija. The members of the Government delegation were welcomed by the Mayor of Litija, Franc Rokavec, who mentioned that it was the first time in the history of the Municipality of Litija that a full Government delegation had visited the municipality, for which he expressed his sincere gratitude. As he noted, Litija is first and foremost a mining town, but the most important factor in the municipality’s economic development is the River Sava. In addition, Mayor Rokavec noted that Litija lies at the centre of the Zasavje region and is also the municipality where the geometric centre of Slovenia is located. He also mentioned Litija’s textile industry, which boasts a rich and more than a century-old history, stressing that the municipality has a lot of potential for future development. The mayor emphasised that the current Government led by Janez Janša knows how to listen to the interests of municipalities, which it has demonstrated by increasing the lump sum grants thereto.

At the working consultation, the ministers spoke mainly about projects in the region relating to the areas of long-term care, justice, cohesion and EU funds, economic opportunities and successful businesses, education, culture, home affairs, the environment and spatial planning, tourism, agriculture, and health. A lot of focus was placed on issues concerning both rail and road infrastructure.

This was followed by separate programmes for the Prime Minister and ministers. During the visit, the Prime Minister and ministers met with representatives of businesses, institutions, municipalities and other stakeholders in the region.

After the working consultation, Prime Minister Janša met with the Mayor of Zagorje ob Savi, Matjaž Švagan, to discuss investments and current challenges facing the municipality and the wider region. On behalf of the Prime Minister, the Slovenian Guards Unit laid a wreath at the memorial statue of Janez Drnovšek.

As part of the visit, the Prime Minister met with the management of Skitti, d.o.o., a company involved in sheet metal laser cutting, bending of stainless steel tubes, MIG/MAG welding and other locksmith work using modern laser cutting machines. The Prime Minister was given a guided tour of Skitti's production line. One of their latest projects is a lightweight wheelchair that is being made for the German company OtooBock together with the partner company MG Rohr. The company cooperates extensively with the University of Maribor in several areas. They place great emphasis on bringing together different stakeholders (customers, suppliers, researchers and partner companies), as they believe that everyone in the process can benefit from working together.

Prime Minister Janša also visited AHAC gradbeni inženiring d.o.o., a Trbovlje-based company engaged in the installation of roof windows, repair of chimneys according to the SCHIEDEL system, masonry work, plumbing installations, and the production of PVC elements according to the Rehau system. The discussion with the company’s management focused on the difficulties in sourcing materials, the lack of adequate labour, public procurement and infrastructure.

The Prime Minister and Digital Transformation Minister Mark Boris Andrijanič also visited the company Dewesoft and the enterprise accelerator Katapult. Dewesoft is a high-tech company that develops and manufactures data capture, testing and measuring instruments used in some of the world’s most advanced laboratories to develop rockets and satellites providing fast communication services and new, safer vehicles.

As part of the visit to the business incubator Katapult, the Prime Minister and the Digital Transformation Minister met with representatives of Chipolo, a company that makes a device and an app for finding lost objects, representatives of Zoyo Baby, who are developing an app to help you care for and raise your baby, and representatives of Monoday, a company that manufactures measuring instruments and is currently working on a project worth 1 million euros. The company Kooperativa 103 helps young start-ups to increase their production. Kooperativa 103 helps smaller entrepreneurs to optimise their production, establish connections and gain experience and offers premises for work and development. At Katapult, they also presented the EVA robot and the RUK network, which connects AI and robotics in a way that brings AI closer to people. The RUK network connects the arts with science, new technologies and the economy. In this regard, they highlighted the development of an app where you paint a picture on a digital canvas with your mind. They also highlighted creative robotics, as they want to present robots in a new, creative way and bring technology closer to the general public in a user-friendly manner. The publishing house 5ka, the major mission of which is to support Slovenian authors, also operates within Katapult.

After the visit to Dewesoft and Katapult, Prime Minister Janša had a meeting with the Mayor of the Municipality of Trbovlje, Jasna Gabrič, to discuss development opportunities in the municipality and, in particular, the issue of waste disposal. The meeting with the Mayor of Trbovlje was followed by a meeting with the Mayor of the Municipality of Hrastnik, Marko Funkl. The talks focused mainly on the absorption of EU funds, projects in the region and the housing issue.

The visit by the Government delegation concluded with a public debate held in Trbovlje and featuring ministers, mayors, representatives of the business sector and other development actors in the region.