Minister for Development and European Cohesion Policy, dr Aleksander Jevšek, attended the meeting of the Development council of the Zasavje region to present Slovenia's Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027. The document opens the door to around 3.2 billion euros in EU funding for Slovenia.
''Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy is currently working on the national decree governing Cohesion Policy implementation. We wish to streamline and simplify the relevant procedures to further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of use of EU funding. We hope that the draft regulation will be submitted to other government departments for inter-ministerial coordination before the end of the year, so that the government can approve it in January next year'' said Minister Jevšek.
The Minister mentioned the Just Transition Fund, saying it was 'particularly important for the Zasavje region' as it would support the restructuring of the region by fostering the shift away from coal to climate neutrality. According to the Minister, a total of 249 million euros has been ring-fenced for the Zasavje region and the Savinjsko-Šaleška region for their coal phase out. The Minister added that the first calls for projects that would be supported by Cohesion Policy in the programming period 2021-2027 were expected to be published in the first half of 2023. The programming period 2021-2027 will end in 2029.
Minister Jevšek underlined that calls under other financial mechanisms were expected in the beginning of next year as well. ‘’Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has been given its third mandate in a row to manage three cross-border programmes, i.e. Slovenia-Austria, Slovenia-Hungary, and Slovenia-Croatia, in the capacity as Managing Authority. The total amount of EU funding available under the three cross-border programmes stands at 99.2 million euros,’’ said the Minister in this respect.
The first call for proposals under the Interreg Programme Slovenia-Austria was published by the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy on 16 December. The first calls under the Interreg Programme Slovenia-Hungary and the Interreg Programme Slovenia-Croatia are expected to be launched next year in February and March respectively. In addition, Slovenia will have a total of 16 million Swiss francs available under the so-called second Swiss contribution from 2023 onwards. According to Minister Jevšek, the funding made available under the Swiss contribution will be earmarked for investments in renewable energy.
When asked what type of projects would be prioritised, the Minister said: ''Those that will create greater added value for our country.''