171st regular session of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia

At today’s session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the text of the proposed Act Amending the Service in the Slovenian Armed Forces Act (summary procedure). The text of the proposed Act will be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration. The amendments to the Service in the Slovenian Armed Forces Act will regulate working hours and limit certain other employment rights for the duration of specific military activities, such as the right to breaks and rest, the right to disconnect, care leave, paternity leave and parental leave for fathers, and the protection of certain categories of workers. These activities include periods of increased readiness, states of emergency and war, initial military training, operational training, military operations and extraordinary events. The amendments thereby transpose into the legal order of the Republic of Slovenia in the field of defence the option provided by Directive 2003/88/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time, as well as the related positions taken by the Court of Justice of the European Union in its judgment in Case C-742/19, which defines the criteria under which certain activities carried out by the armed forces may be excluded from the scope of the Working Time Directive.

The main proposed measures are:

• The protection of buildings and their surrounding areas that are of particular importance for defence by introducing the possibility of internal security within the Ministry of Defence or the Slovenian Armed Forces in peacetime, in accordance with the law governing private security;
• The removal of the traineeship requirement for military personnel;
• A new regulation regarding the assumption of contractual obligations by a member or candidate for employment in the active formation of the Slovenian Armed Forces, or a candidate for service in the Slovenian Armed Forces reserve unit, under an employment contract, education contract or scholarship contract with another employer or scholarship provider;
• The regulation of working time and limitation of certain other employment rights, taking into account the option provided by the aforementioned Directive 2003/88/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, in situations such as states of emergency or war, initial military training, operational training, military operations and extraordinary events;
• The regulation of working hours, the allocation and use of annual leave for personnel working shifts, and the regulation of working hours during guard duty and the protection of facilities and their surrounding areas of special importance for defence;
• Starting from 1 January 2025 (i.e. the date of entry into force of the new pay system), a special condition – residence in a unit or institution or other specified location – will be re-evaluated with compensation set at 100% of the hourly rate based on the last published average monthly gross salary in the Republic of Slovenia, as determined by official statistical data.

Paragraph one of Article 12 of the proposed Act stipulates that the Government must harmonise the Rules of Service in the Slovenian Armed Forces with this Act no later than six months following its entry into force, specifically the chapter on work and internal service, which also defines the working hours of members of the Slovenian Armed Forces during peacetime, periods of increased readiness and while performing tasks in another country. Additionally, the Government must regulate the provisions concerning the possibility of internal security for facilities and their surrounding areas of particular importance for defence.  The financial impact of adopting the Act is estimated at EUR 26,948,146. The funds for 2025 will be provided through reallocations within the financial plan of the Slovenian Armed Forces. For the implementation of the Act beyond 2025, funds will be provided within the Ministry of Defence’s budget plans for the budget user, the Slovenian Armed Forces.

The Road Tolling Act, which entered into force on 18 December 2024, transposed Directive 2022/362 EU into Slovenian law. To increase consideration of the environmental impact of freight transport, the directive introduced a new method of adjusting the infrastructure charge based on CO₂ emissions. In line with this, the General Legal Act on Toll Collection includes a key substantive amendment relating to provisions defining the adjustment of the tolling system for vehicles with a maximum authorised mass exceeding 3,500 kg, according to their CO₂ emissions. The existing DarsGo tolling system is being adapted so that the amount of the infrastructure charge will also vary according to CO₂ emission classes. The new toll collection method will come into effect on 1 November 2025. The Road Tolling Act, which regulates the new method of toll collection for goods vehicles, has been coordinated with representatives of transport operators in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia and the Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia. The General Legal Act on Toll Collection includes provisions relating to the method of determining the CO₂ emission class for individual vehicles, and also specifies the documents that users must submit when registering or classifying a vehicle in a particular CO₂ class. The CO₂ emission class of a vehicle indicates the classification of the vehicle into one of the five CO₂ emission classes based on the specific CO₂ emissions of the vehicle in accordance with the Road Tolling Act. The lowest CO₂ emission class is CO₂ emission Class 1, and the highest is CO₂ emission Class 5. In addition, procedures relating to the classification of vehicles into individual toll or CO₂ emission classes are also defined. CO₂ emission Class 1 includes vehicles that cannot be assigned to any other CO₂ emission class either because the user did not apply for a higher CO₂ emission class, failed to provide the necessary documentation, or because the vehicle's documents indicate that the vehicle does not meet the criteria for a higher CO₂ emission class. Because the General Legal Act on Toll Collection is substantively and technically related to other acts in the field of toll collection, the Government also amended the Decision determining the toll for vehicles with a maximum authorised mass exceeding 3,500 kg, the Decree determining toll adjustment factors for vehicles with a maximum authorised mass exceeding 3,500 kg, the Decision amending the Decision introducing the mark-up on toll for the use of certain toll roads, and the Tariff for the use of toll roads. In accordance with the agreement with the Republic of Austria, the Decree amending the Decree on the Karavanke tunnel toll has also been amended due to toll indexation. In accordance with the agreement, the toll for passenger vehicles through the Karavanke tunnel will increase by 2.45% and will cost EUR 9 including VAT for a single passage from 1 January 2026.

The Government has adopted the Ordinance on the Climate Change Funding Programme for the 2025–2028 period, which continues the key measures from the previous period and adds funds for 2027 and 2028, the amount of which is determined based on the projected revenue from emissions allowance auctions. The funds will be allocated across thematic areas that address the main climate challenges, both in terms of mitigation and adaptation to climate change. The measures will be implemented through several ministries and institutions. For each measure, it is clearly defined who the implementer and beneficiary are and how the funds are to be used. The aim is to ensure transparent spending and a collective national effort to achieve climate targets. The programme provides for EUR 830 million in payments over the 2025–2028 period. The funds will support measures that promote the green transition and increase Slovenia's resilience to climate change. A total of EUR 12 million is allocated for international climate finance, EUR 26 million for awareness-raising and education, and additional funds for digital support, technical assistance and covering the operational costs of the Eco Fund.

At today’s session, the Government adopted a decision declaring 2026 the Year of the Writer Zofka Kveder. The year 2026 will mark the 100th anniversary of the death of the Slovenian female writer, translator, publicist and editor, who significantly influenced Slovenian literature and culture and gained recognition in the wider Central European region. The declaration of the Year of the Writer Zofka Kveder offers an opportunity for a comprehensive reflection on the role of women in Slovenian history, culture and society. Within the framework of 2026, the Ministry of Culture will invite public institutions, funds and agencies working in the field of culture to prepare special content and projects, while also inviting other ministries to participate, as Zofka Kveder's message and relevance transcend the cultural sphere.

The Government has included a new project in the current Development Programmes Plan 2025–2028, which will enable the co-financing of the purchase of electric bicycles for individuals in 2025 and 2026.  The project is implemented under the Climate Change Fund, which allocates funds to measures to decarbonise transport. Co-financing the purchase of electric bicycles encourages residents to adopt sustainable mobility habits, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to cleaner air, quieter environments and better public health. The funds will be allocated for the purchase of electric city bicycles, folding bicycles and cargo bicycles. The subsidy will amount to up to 25 percent of the retail price (maximum EUR 500) for city and folding bicycles, and up to 30 percent of the retail price (maximum EUR 1,000) for electric cargo bicycles. Subsidies will be available to adults, and the public call will be published by Borzen, the electricity market operator. A total of EUR 2 million from the Climate Change Fund will be allocated for the subsidies, while beneficiaries will contribute an additional EUR 6 million of their own funds. The total value of the project is EUR 8 million. The new project could save up to 1,593 tonnes of CO₂ by 2026 if electric bicycles are used for daily commutes and short errands instead of internal combustion engine vehicles.