European Recovery and Resilience Funds – Together towards the goal: better access to high-speed internet

According to data from the Agency for Communication Networks and Services of the Republic of Slovenia (National Report on the Open Internet for 2026), nationwide coverage of households with next-generation fixed broadband networks has been is increasing. In 2025, it reached 94.1%, while in rural areas it stood at 80.7%, an increase of 5.2 percentage points compared to the previous year.

The development of broadband infrastructure in rural areas is hampered by scattered settlement patterns and low population density. Therefore, the state is using public funds – including European funds – to support the construction of appropriate infrastructure in white areas, i.e. areas where residents still do not have access to high-speed internet and where there is no market interest.

Within the framework of the RRP, the state has allocated digitalisation funds also to the development of high-quality broadband infrastructure, with the aim of ensuring the widest possible access to digital public services and thereby contributing to the efficiency of public administration.

The Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration is responsible for implementing the reform and investments.

Transition to a gigabit society – reform

The objective of the reform is to strengthen the governance of the digital transformation of public administration. To this end, the country adopted the Digital Public Services Strategy 2030. Its main purpose is to provide user-friendly and simple digital services, data to support better services and decision-making, and a secure and inclusive digital environment.

In this context, the Council for the Development of Informatics was also established. It guides the development of information and communication systems in public administration and contributes to the coordinated development of IT solutions and the efficient use of public funds in the field of IT.

The two milestones linked to the implementation of the reform were included by Slovenia in the second request for payment, which was fully disbursed by the European Commission in December 2023.

Gigabit infrastructure – investment

The objective of the investment is to enable the deployment of infrastructure for broadband access to very high capacity networks in sparsely populated and hard-to-reach areas. 

For these purposes, EUR 24.85 million from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) has been allocated under the RRP. Of this amount, the state has already paid EUR 19.14 million to the final recipients for the completed project activities. The remaining funds will be paid following the completion of the standard administrative verification procedure for payments to final recipients.

The Ministry of the Interior and Public Administration has received completion reports for all 32 projects implemented under two public calls for co-financing the construction of very high capacity fixed broadband networks and the upgrading of existing fixed networks:

• GOŠO6 construction of open broadband networks – includes 27 projects in the white areas of municipalities: Apače, Brežice, Cankova, Cerknica, Cirkulane, Divača, Gorenja vas–Poljane, Juršinci, Kobarid, Kostel, Kungota, Logatec, Miren-Kostanjevica, Pesnica, Podlehnik, Radlje ob Dravi, Renče–Vogrsko, Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Šentilj, Šmarje pri Jelšah, Videm, Vipava, Vojnik, Vrhnika, Zavrč and Žiri;
• GOŠO6A construction of open broadband networks – includes five projects in the white areas of municipalities: Brežice, Cirkulane, Divača, Gorenja vas–Poljane, Juršinci, Kobarid, Miren–Kostanjevica, Podlehnik, Renče–Vogrsko, Slovenska Bistrica, Šmarje pri Jelšah, Videm, Vipava, Vojnik, Zavrč and Žiri.

The implementation of the projects will exceed the initially set objective of providing access to high-speed internet for 6,838 households in white areas. The projects will enable access to very high capacity fixed broadband electronic communications services for more than 10,000 households, primarily in sparsely populated and hard-to-reach areas. The projects will provide an upload speed of at least 100 Mbps and a download speed of at least 300 Mbps.

The investment objective will be included in the final (seventh) request for payment of funds from the RRF, which Slovenia will submit to Brussels no later than 30 September 2026.

Po podatkih Agencije za komunikacijska omrežja in storitve Republike Slovenije (Nacionalno poročilo o odprtem internetu 2026) se pokritost gospodinjstev s fiksnimi širokopasovnimi omrežji naslednje generacije na ravni celotne države povečuje. V letu 2025 je dosegla 94,1 odstotka, medtem ko je na podeželskih območjih znašala 80,7 odstotka, kar je 5,2 odstotne točke več v primerjavi s predhodnim letom. 

Razvoj širokopasovne infrastrukture na podeželskih območjih je zaradi razpršene in redke poseljenosti otežen. Zato država gradnjo ustrezne infrastrukture na belih lisah – območjih, kjer prebivalci še nimajo dostopa do dovolj hitrega interneta in kjer ni tržnega interesa, izvaja z javnimi sredstvi – tudi iz evropskih skladov.

V okviru Načrta za okrevanje in odpornost (NOO) je država sredstva za digitalizacijo usmerila tudi v razvoj visokokakovostne širokopasovne infrastrukture, s čimer želi zagotoviti najširši dostop do digitaliziranih javnih storitev in s tem prispevati k učinkovitosti poslovanja javne uprave.

Za izvedbo reforme in naložbe je pristojno Ministrstvo za notranje zadeve in javno upravo (MNZJU). 

Prehod v gigabitno družbo – reforma

Cilj reformnega ukrepa je izboljšati upravljanje digitalne preobrazbe v javni upravi. S tem namenom je država sprejela Strategijo digitalnih javnih storitev 2030. Njen osrednji namen je zagotoviti uporabnikom prijazne in enostavne digitalne storitve, podatke za boljše storitve in odločanje ter varno in vključujoče digitalno okolje. 

V tem okviru je bil ustanovljen tudi Svet za razvoj informatike, ki usmerja razvoj informacijsko-komunikacijskih sistemov v državni upravi ter prispeva k usklajenemu razvoju informacijskih rešitev in učinkoviti rabi javnih sredstev na področju informatike.

Mejnika, povezana z izvedbo reforme, je Slovenija uveljavila v okviru drugega zahtevka za plačilo, ki ga je Evropska komisija v celoti izplačala decembra 2023.

Gigabitna infrastruktura – naložba

Cilj naložbe je omogočiti vzpostavitev infrastrukture za širokopasovni dostop do visokozmogljivih širokopasovnih omrežij na redko poseljenih in težko dostopnih območjih. 

Za te namene je v okviru NOO predvidenih 24,85 milijona evrov Mehanizma za okrevanje in odpornost (Mehanizem), od tega je država končnim prejemnikom za opravljene projektne aktivnosti izplačala že 19,14 milijona evrov. Preostala sredstva bodo izplačana po zaključku standardnega postopka administrativnih preverjanj vlog za izplačilo sredstev končnim prejemnikom.

MNZJU je prejelo poročila o zaključku del za vseh 32 projektov, ki so se izvajali v okviru dveh javnih razpisov za sofinanciranje gradnje visokozmogljivih fiksnih širokopasovnih omrežij oziroma nadgradnjo obstoječih fiksnih omrežij:

• GOŠO6 – Pokriva izvedbo 27 projektov na belih lisah na območjih občin Apače, Brežice, Cankova, Cerknica, Cirkulane, Divača, Gorenja vas–Poljane, Juršinci, Kobarid, Kostel, Kungota, Logatec, Miren-Kostanjevica, Pesnica, Podlehnik, Radlje ob Dravi, Renče–Vogrsko, Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Šentilj, Šmarje pri Jelšah, Videm, Vipava, Vojnik, Vrhnika, Zavrč in Žiri;
• GOŠO6A – Pokriva izvedbo petih projektov na belih lisah na območjih občin Brežice, Cirkulane, Divača, Gorenja vas–Poljane, Juršinci, Kobarid, Miren–Kostanjevica, Podlehnik, Renče–Vogrsko, Slovenska Bistrica, Šmarje pri Jelšah, Videm, Vipava, Vojnik, Zavrč in Žiri.

Z izvedbo projektov bo prvotno zastavljeni cilj – zagotovitev dostopa do hitrega interneta za 6.838 gospodinjstev na območjih belih lis – presežen. Projekti bodo dostop do visokozmogljivih fiksnih širokopasovnih elektronskih komunikacijskih storitev omogočili več kot 10.000 gospodinjstvom, predvsem na redko poseljenih in težko dostopnih območjih. Zagotovljene so hitrosti najmanj 100 Mb/s v smeri od uporabnika in najmanj 300 Mb/s v smeri proti uporabniku.

Cilj naložbe bo vključen v zadnji (sedmi) zahtevek za plačilo sredstev Mehanizma, ki ga bo Slovenija v Bruselj poslala najkasneje do 30. septembra 2026.