Jevšek: “Slovenia needs a regional development strategy”

In his opening remarks, State Secretary from the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development Srečko Đurov spoke of the challenges facing Slovenia, including the need to catch up with other member states in terms of productivity and the need to chart a new development course for the 12 development regions. Minister Dr Aleksander Jevšek further elaborated on the challenges related to Slovenia’s regional development, addressing other current topics as well. 

The Minister underscored that Slovenia needs a regional development strategy. “Balanced regional development must become this government’s priority, otherwise there will be no balanced regional development at all. In fact, this is a horizontal, cross-sectoral task of all departments and should be a priority of the next government as well.”

“When we talk about the 12 development regions in Slovenia, we can say there is only one top performer and 11 players that have the potential to make it, but need tailored and carefully planned support for that,” underlined Đurov.

About draft Slovenian Regional Development Strategy by 2050

Constant global change and trends that affect Slovenia's regional development call for targeted action at regional level. At the same time, to effectively respond to the change, we need clearly defined policies and a well-crafted concept of long-term regional development.

By drafting a regional development strategy that covers the 2026-2050 period, Slovenia has opted for a much stronger and decisive regional policy that will be polycentric and spatially balanced, featuring strong regional centres. A stronger regional policy will reduce regional disparities, strengthen the competitiveness of regions and improve the resilience of Slovenia’s economy to crises as concentrating development in a single region bears high risks for the country.

“The strategy takes a longer time horizon and focuses on development by the year 2050 and on the path we will walk together to advance the development of our regions. We wish to think and act to keep improving the prosperity for all Slovenian citizens in all Slovenian regions. According to our vision, Slovenia 2050 is a country of well connected, harmoniously developed regions where citizens have access to quality jobs within 35 kilometres of their homes. At the same time, we strive to ensure high quality of life for all and accessibility of services of general interest,” said Dr Robert Drobnič, Director-General of the Regional Development Directorate from the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development about the draft.

The incoming Regional Development Strategy 2026–2050 will enable alignment between sectoral and strategic dimensions, while ensuring coordination of top-down and bottom-up approaches in delivering on development priorities of regions. This will foster policy coherence and provide a framework for regional measures that support a more effective use of limited public funds, including by countering current (financial) fragmentation of regional incentives. The strategy aims to give greater weight to regional development, allowing for its more effective monitoring and evaluation.   

The presentation of the draft strategy also marked the launch of public consultation. Draft Slovenian Regional Development Strategy by 2050 is available at https://www.gov.si/zbirke/projekti-in-programi/priprava-strategije-regionalnega-razvoja-slovenije-2026-2050/.

The event is organised by the Anton Melik Geographical Institute of the Scientific Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, the Slovenian Regional Development Fund and the Association of Regional Development Agencies.