Slovenia still has a total of EUR 1.8 billion under the 2014-2020 Cohesion Policy envelope at its disposal by the end of 2023, and a further EUR 330 million under REACT-EU; the funding will be earmarked for strengthening the health care system and the long-term care system, for safeguarding jobs at risk, for supporting youth employment and for fostering digitalization. ‘’Part of this funding will also be ring-fenced for energy renovation of the public building stock, in particular for renovation of the health care and long-term care facilities, which will contribute to the EU’s green agenda,’’ underlined minister Černač.

Funding under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which aims to help Member States address the pre-existing challenges identified in the context of the European Semester and to achieve the EU's policy objectives, will be made available in accordance with the estimated costs of the proposed reforms and investments outlined in Slovenia’s recovery and resilience plan. The estimated cost will be in line with the expected impact of the reforms and investments. Thus, structural reforms and public investments that are crucial for Slovenia’s long-term future-proof recovery, green transition and digital transformation will be supported.   

The tasks concerning the programming of documents that will serve as the basis for using the 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy funding are on schedule, with the country’s ambition to have the first draft documents written already by the end of the year. ‘’Slovenia plans to develop three stand-alone operational programmes to implement the 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy - one for cohesion region Vzhodna Slovenija, one for cohesion region Zahodna Slovenija and another one covering Cohesion Fund. This will help the country ensure transparency and a fairer and more equal treatment of areas with similar development indicators, no matter which of the two cohesion regions these areas are actually located in. For this reason, certain areas of Zahodna Slovenija-based projects will benefit from increased national funding,’’ explained the minister and added that national authorities were advocating for a simpler, user-friendly Cohesion Policy system.

The MC members approved the 2019 Annual Implementation Report which outlines the progress made in the implementation of the 2014-2020 OP. The members were also briefed on the developments concerning the implementation of financial instruments and the progress made in the implementation of EU macro-regional strategies and territorial cooperation.

Another item on the meeting agenda was the proposed amendment to the 2014-2020 OP to embed the funding made available under REACT-EU. The MC members unanimously adopted all conclusions and agreed to meet again in the end of October.

The Monitoring Committee for the 2014-2020 OP meets at least once a year. It consists of the representatives of 28 institutions or bodies and is chaired by mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs, State Secretary at the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy. The designated institutions and bodies include the relevant line ministries, government offices, economic and social partners, environmental NGOs, disability organizations, representative of the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia, representatives of local communities, urban municipalities, and councils of both cohesion regions. Representatives of the European Commission participated in the videoconference call in an advisory capacity.   

Learn more at: https://eu-skladi.si/portal/sl/ekp/izvajanje/odbor-za-spremljanje-operativnega-programa