153rd regular session of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia

The Government adopted a package of proposals for the "judicial quartet", comprising a new Courts Act, a new Act Governing Judges, and new amendments to the Judicial Council Act and the State Prosecution Service Act. The package is now being submitted to the National Assembly for consideration. The primary objective of judicial reform is to make the judicial system more efficient, transparent and accountable. The proposed changes aim to improve the functioning of courts, clarify organisational structures, and increase the accountability of court leadership (i.e. court presidents). Another key aspect of the reform is the enhanced legal certainty and improved protection of parties' rights. A significant change is the establishment of judicial districts as the basic organisational level for first-instance courts, alongside the introduction of a single title for first-instance judges (district judge). The network of courts will remain unchanged — local courts will be restructured into external departments and will continue to operate in their local environments. The amendments also provides for the evaluation of the district court network after two years. The new system will enable a more balanced workload distribution among judges, easier substitutions during absences and greater specialisation. These changes will create the conditions for faster case resolution, more consistent case law and more transparent court operations. Cases will be assigned to judges via an information system, which will further strengthen the impartiality and fairness of judicial proceedings. A key new feature is the increased focus on the responsibility of court presidents for the efficient operation of courts. Their key tasks are to ensure effective court management, balance the workload of judges and resolve cases in a timely manner. The law introduces a mandatory internal review of the work of court administration every three years and shortens the term of office for court presidents from six to five years, with the possibility of a single reappointment to the same court. It also allows for the suspension of a court president. The legislative package also enhances the transparency of judicial decisions by publishing not only rulings from the Supreme Court and higher courts, but also first-instance decisions that rule on the substance of the matter and are important for enhancing legal certainty and ensuring consistent case law. Furthermore, the reform introduces provisions for providing psychological support to judges and court staff, which is crucial for ensuring the long-term stability and quality of judicial decision-making.

The Government has approved new amendments to the General Administrative Procedure Act that retain the established concept of general administrative procedure. The proposed changes aim to increase efficiency, expedite administrative procedures and streamline procedural rules. This will ease the burden on individuals and legal entities (e.g. companies) involved in proceedings in various roles, while also relieving administrative bodies of unnecessary procedural tasks. The proposed amendments introduce a series of administrative simplifications for both authorities and parties involved in proceedings. They establish a legal basis to increase the digitalisation of procedures, expand options for the electronic service of documents, enable the automation of certain processes and align procedures with modern lifestyles and contemporary societal trends. As a result, administrative procedures will become more user-friendly, while easing the workload of administrative body staff and allowing them to focus more on substantive decision-making.

The proposed Act Regulating the Financing and Promotion of the Construction of Public Rental Housing allocates EUR 100 million per year for the construction of public rental housing from 2025 to 2035. This substantial and reliable source of favourable funding will enable housing funds and municipalities to plan projects strategically based on residents' needs and regional and economic development priorities. The Housing Fund of the Republic of Slovenia will receive funding to develop its own projects, while local communities will benefit from the fund's programmes and favourable loans provided by SID Bank.

The Government also approved the proposed new amendments to the Housing Act, which adapt the procedures for allocating public rental housing. The amendments allow municipalities and local funds greater flexibility in determining the conditions of calls for applications for public rental housing, enabling them to better respond to their social and development needs. New amendments also simplify the allocation procedures to allow a faster and more efficient implementation of calls for applications. They also introduce a change with regard to subsidies for renting public rental housing. The subsidies will now be covered by the state, which means that a large number of public rental housing units will no longer be burdening municipal budgets.

At today’s session, the Government also adopted a proposal for amendments to the Long-Term Care Act. The key change is the extension of the right to work as a carer of a family member to include pensioners. This means that pensioners will also be able to become official carers for their family members. If registered as a family carer, a pensioner will be entitled to the same compensation as other carers (i.e. 1.2 times the minimum wage for one beneficiary and 1.8 times the minimum wage for two beneficiaries ) and 40% of their pension.

The Government today initiated the procedure for drafting a proposal for amendments to the state budget for 2026 and a proposal for the budget for 2027. At this first budget meeting, it set the timetable for the drafting, adopted the indicative breakdown of budget expenditure by economic and programme classification, and took note of the draft budget memorandum. The breakdown proposal follows the 2025–2028 medium-term fiscal-structural plan based on the revised fiscal rules of the European Union. The plan determines the maximum growth in core expenditure to ensure that, in the medium term, the general government deficit is kept below the reference threshold of 3% of GDP and the government debt remains sustainable. Budget expenditure in 2026 can thus amount to 17.3 billion euro, which is 207 million euro more than envisaged in the 2026 budget adopted last year. In 2027, the expenditure may amount to 17.6 billion euro. The Government's main priority areas for the next two years are health, knowledge, reliable and accessible energy supply, and suitable and affordable housing. It will also focus on strengthening the resilience, ensuring security and fostering economic development. The annual increase in defence expenditure envisaged in the 2026 and 2027 budgets is based on the Resolution on the overall long-term programme for the development and equipping of the Slovenian Armed Forces until 2040. As the resolution is planned to be amended, the two budgets may be revised accordingly before they are submitted to the National Assembly. The breakdown proposal will serve as a basis for coordinating budget expenditure with the proposers of financial plans. The second budget meeting is scheduled for June. As usual, the Government will finally approve the budget documents in September, as the documents must be submitted to the National Assembly by 1 October 2025. The draft budget memorandum presents, among other things, the most recent forecasts on economic and macroeconomic trends based on the forecasts of the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development of the Republic of Slovenia, the contents of budget policies, and the policy on the management of general government debt.