Slovenia submits fourth payment request for funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility
After the Government took note of the Report on the Implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) last Thursday, the coordinating body - the Recovery and Resilience Office – today submitted the payment request to Brussels for the fifth and sixth grant tranches and the third loan tranche under the RRF, amounting to a total gross value of EUR 502 million. Due to the pro-rata deduction of the advance grants received by Slovenia at the start of the RRP's implementation in 2021, Slovenia is eligible for a maximum disbursement amount of around EUR 440 million.
The EC will now assess whether the 27 milestones and targets tied to these tranches have been satisfactorily fulfilled and will determine the final payment amount accordingly.
The fifth tranche is tied to the completion of 11 milestones and targets that mark progress in the reforms and investments set out in Slovenia's RRP. The total gross value of this tranche is EUR 232.18 million (EUR 200.72 million net). One of the most notable milestones is the submission of a legislative proposal to the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia for comprehensive amendments to the Pension and Disability Insurance Act. This legislative reform aims to extend the employment period and increase labour market participation among older workers, while ensuring adequate pensions and the fiscal sustainability of the pension system. This reform aligns with the recommendations made to Slovenia by the European Commission as part of the European Semester framework, which is closely linked to the implementation of RRP reforms across EU Member States. The tranche also includes two milestones relating to the reform aimed at establishing a comprehensive, unified long-term care system, specifically the entry into force of the Long-Term Care Act and its associated implementing regulations. Several investment-related milestones are also part of this tranche. These include the construction of the Infectious Diseases Clinic at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana following publication of the public tender and the establishment of 40 inter-city optical fibre connections. with a speed of 100 Gb/s, to link the data hubs of public research institutions.
The sixth tranche is tied to 15 milestones/targets. Its total gross value amounts to EUR 230.62 million (EUR 199.37 million net). The most significant milestones include the entry into force of the Act regulating the public sector wage system, the Act establishing a short-time work scheme for times of crisis, and the amendment to the Labour Market Regulation Act concerning unemployment insurance requirements. These changes are intended to promote longer working lives and reduce the disparity between the age at which people leave the labour market and the statutory retirement age. The investment component of this tranche also encompasses numerous completed activities. Notably, 204 educational institutions have been connected to optical broadband with speeds exceeding 1 Gb/s. Furthermore, over 11,000 education and managerial staff have completed training to acquire digital and sustainable development competences. In the economic sphere, 23 consortia comprising 126 companies have developed digital transformation strategies and are implementing them. Additionally, 164 companies were granted funding to help them transition to a circular economy. As part of this tranche, Slovenia has successfully completed projects to upgraded Grosuplje and Domžale railway stations.
According to the competent ministry's assessment, the single milestone tied to the third loan tranche, namely the entry into force of legislative acts and implementing regulations concerning the provision of public environmental protection services, has also been met. The tranche amounts to EUR 39.56 million (gross=net).
Slovenia has access to a total of EUR 1.61 billion in grants and EUR 613 million in loans under the RRF to support the implementation of investments and reforms set out in its RRP by the end of 2026. To date, the EC has disbursed 49.34% of the total funding allocated to Slovenia — 41.68% of the available grants and 69.49% of the available loans.
The State has so far paid out EUR 920 million to project holders for completed project activities. A number of projects are ongoing across Slovenia. Some of these have already been completed.
