The Partnership Agreement between the Republic of Slovenia and the European Commission signed yesterday in Ljubljana by the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms and the Slovenian Minister of Development and European Cohesion Policy for the 2021–2027 period anticipates EUR 3.26 billion of EU cohesion funds. The Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief will carry out activities in connection with the investments pertaining to suitable equipment and training of the forces for protection, rescue and assistance in response to floods, major wildfires, glaze ice and storms.

Relating to climate change adaptation, the European Commission will support investments linked with risk management of floods, major wildfires, glaze ice and storms. These are the risks that caused as much as 88 per cent of the damage during various types of natural disasters over the last twelve years. A large proportion of cohesion funds will be earmarked for investments improving flood safety, which will be implemented by the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, investments to upgrade the system for warning and informing about weather-related extraordinary events under the auspices of the Slovenian Environment Agency, and investments in suitable equipment and training of the forces for protection, rescue and assistance in response to floods, major wildfires, glaze ice and storms. The latter investments will be overseen by the Ministry of Defence together with the Administration for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief. These measures are complementary with the activities planned within the Recovery and Resilience Plan, which will contribute to the management of high-risk accidents from the viewpoints of prevention, readiness and response.

Based on the content of the Agreement and to realise the measures planned, the Programme for the Implementation of the EU Cohesion Policy in the 2021–2027 Period was also drafted, which was confirmed by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia at its session yesterday. The investments dealing with climate change adaptation that are to be carried out by 2029 are defined in more detail in the Programme. The final harmonisation of the Programme with the European Commission and its formal confirmation are anticipated to take place by the end of 2022.