Visiting the projects, co-financed by EU funds, by bike
Developing with EU funds
Cycling from Podčetrtek to Rogaška Slatina and back
Ljubljana, 8 September 2012 – Today, the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology – as the Managing Authority for the EU structural funds and the Cohesion Fund – together with Slovene Roads Agency and the municipalities of Podčetrtek and Rogaška Slatina – organised the information event on the EU Cohesion Policy in Slovenia. 45 participants cycled along the municipal roads and cycling paths between Podčetrtek and Rogaška Slatina, which received EU funding from the EU Cohesion Policy funds.
Cyclist gathering in front of the Multi-purpose sports hall in Podčetrtek
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek, STA
On the cycling tour, which started at 10.30 a.m. in Podčetrtek, the participants visited the projects, co-financed by EU funds: Multi-purpose sports hall and the Olimia spa centre in Podčetrtek and Ljudska univerza and Business Network Incubator Obsotelje and Kozjansko in Rogaška Slatina. At the stands in Podčetrtek the participants were provided with all the information on EU funds, while the representatives of the Reuse centre showed how waste is brought back to use in new forms.
State Secretary, Monika Kirbiš Rojs, MSc, with the cyclists
Foto: Tamino Petelinšek, STA
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek, STA
Drawing on the EU funds is one of the priorities for the current Government of the Republic of Slovenia which is also manifested in the positive effects. In the period from February to the end of July 6 public calls for proposals and 24 projects, altogether amounting to 442 million Euros, were approved; this approval is a precondition for further drawing. 335 million Euros worth of contracts were signed, 201 million Euros were paid from the national budget and 237 million Euros reimbursed from the EU budget. On the average, 40 million Euros per month is reimbursed into the national budget, which is compared to the previous years (on the average 22 million Euros per month) quite a progress. This progress is also noticeable in comparison to other EU Member States.
Since 2007, 18 projects for the construction of cycling paths in the overall amount of 18 million Euros were financed with the help of the EU Cohesion Policy funds. Besides the cycling paths where the participants of the big event cycled today, the following cycling paths were also co-financed by the EU funds: cycling path Bohinj; tourist cycling paths in the municipality Trnovska vas; cycling path Hodoš–Youth Hostel; cycling network in the municipality of Murska Sobota; cycling connection Jesenice–Lesce–Bled; cycling connection Brezovica–Vrhnika–Logatec; establishment of the cycling path Gozd Martuljek–Jesenice; cycling connection Miren–Vrtojba–Nova Gorica–Kanal (section Solkan–Plave).
The speakers at the press conference, which took place in the framework of the event, were State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and technology, Monika Kirbiš Rojs, MSc, Director of the Slovene Roads Agency, Gregor Ficko, MSc, Mayor of the municipality of Podčetrtek, Peter Misja, Jader Cane from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion and Jose Fleuret from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional Policy.
Press conference
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek, STA
As was underlined by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Monika Kirbiš Rojs, MSc, the data regarding drawing on the EU Cohesion Policy funds are proof of the very active and serious Government approach to drawing on the EU funds. Monika Kirbiš Rojs, MSc said that the EU funds are “practically the only development funds available to Slovenia. The Ministry of Economic Development and Technology is implementing numerous measures for the acceleration of drawing on the EU funds and the elimination of setbacks. I am pleased to see the progress the Slovenian regions have made, which is the result of effective and deliberate awarding of the EU funds and the efficient drawing of the EU funds. The path, which we have set out for ourselves, turned out to be the right one, the results are here, while the activities in the field of drawing on the EU funds will be accelerated in the following months.”
In the region of the Savinjska regija 453 projects in the overall amount of 395 million Euros were co-financed by the EU funds, out of which 12 projects in the overall amount of 8.5 million Euros were implemented in the municipality of Podčetrtek and 28 projects in the amount of 12.5 million Euros in the municipality of Rogaška Slatina.
The Mayor of the municipality of Podčetrtek, Peter Misja: “In these last years the municipality of Podčetrtek has developed significantly, especially due to the help of the EU funds. The event, in the framework of which a lot of important people visited the EU projects, is an important promotion for the municipality; it is also proof that the municipality has been performing well. I wish that we would continue, as soon as possible, with the construction of the cycling paths (especially the remote path Rogaška Slatina–Podčetrtek–Prelasko) which would increase the tourist offer of our municipality.”
The Mayor of the municipality of Rogaška Slatina, Branko Kidrič, MSc: “If we add the expected implementation of two planned projects to the approved projects, the amount of the EU co-financing for the local infrastructure of the municipality of Rogaška Slatina in the period 2007–2013 will increase to 14 million Euros or 1240 Euros per individual inhabitant of the municipality. We estimate that in the future the development of local communities will be even more closely related to the effectiveness of drawing of the EU Cohesion Policy funds. This is why the municipality of Rogaška Slatina has already started with the preparation of the plans for the new financial perspective 2014–2020.”
According to the European Commission, the Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, Slovenia has improved significantly in the last 18 months regarding the implementation of the Operational Programme for Human Resources Development for the period 2007–2013. Slovenia has already implemented the projects which are co-financed in the amount of 238 million Euros by the European Social Fund, which represents 37.5% of all the awarded funds in the framework of the operational programme (755 million Euros). A vast majority of the available funds of the European Regional Development Fund and the Cohesion Fund was awarded to individual projects. Slovenia has drawn on 48% of the funds in the framework of the European Regional Development Fund (2 billion Euros) and 21% of the funds in the framework of the Cohesion Fund (1.4 billion Euros); the latter supports the more complex projects (transport and environmental infrastructure).
Both Directorate-Generals are pleased that the implemented projects bring added value to the local communities. They expect that Slovenia will continue with the effective drawing on the EU funds and the implementation of the successful projects which would increase employability and the wellbeing of the citizens in the current programming period (2007–2013) and the future programming period in the framework of the Strategy Europe 2020.
The locals joined the event: in the background Acting Director General of the EU Cohesion Policy Directorate, Matija Vilfan (right) and the representative of the European Commission Jader Cane (left)
Photo: Tamino Petelinšek, STA
The event closed with a short cultural programme at 4 p.m. in the Olimia spa centre.
You can find more about the visited projects at http://www.eu-skladi.si/other/big-information-event/projects.
