Slovenia has been allocated a total of EUR 3.068 billion from ESI Funds for the Investment in Growth and Jobs goal in the programming period 2014-2020. The funding made available can be used by the end of 2023. Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has issued funding decisions for projects, programmes and calls for proposals worth a total of EUR 3.2 billion between January 2014 and end of December 2020, which accounts for 104% of available funding (EU part). The respective amount exceeds the agreed level of commitment appropriations in order to secure that the funding made available is actually fully spent. This comes as a result of the fact that eligible costs incurred under projects and programmes may sometimes be lower than initially planned. Also, in some cases beneficiaries may declare ineligible costs or even withdraw from the co-financing contract or the contract may be terminated because of irregularities.

Following the publication of the calls for proposals by the relevant line ministries, projects and programmes worth a total of EUR 2.69 billion were being carried out as at end-December 2020, representing 88% of available funding. The payments made out of the national budget to the beneficiaries for implemented activities amounted to EUR 1.59 billion (EU part), which represents 52% of available funding. By the end of the year, Slovenia certified expenditure amounting to EUR 1.57 billion and sent payment claims to Brussels accounting for 51% of available funding.

Slovenian government called on the Ministry of Finance which acts as the Paying Authority to certify expenditure and send payment claims to the Commission on a quarterly basis, i.e. by 31 March, 10 August, 30 September and 31 December each year by the end of the programming period.

In addition, Slovenian government asked the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning and the Ministry of Infrastructure to verify whether any ESIF amount earmarked under the mechanism Agreement on the development of regions would remain unspent and called on them to communicate the respective amount by the end of this May. The ministries were also asked to prepare a report detailing the state of play of the projects and to report on the progress made in the implementation to the government.

Report on the Implementation of EU Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 in the Period January 2014-End of December 2020 (in Slovene)