The government completes the draft state budget for 2024

The Government today completed the draft State Budget for 2024. Compared to the original proposal, it provides additional funds for investments in road and sports infrastructure, while the total revenue and expenditure levels remain unchanged.

In accordance with the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, the Government shall, within 30 days of the presentation of the draft budget at a session of the National Assembly, take a position on the amendments filed and, on the basis of these positions and the latest analyses of economic trends and the implementation of the State budget for the current year, prepare an amended draft budget and submit it to the National Assembly.

Today, the Government has rejected the amendments tabled to the draft budget for 2024, but has taken due account of the discussions and, in this spirit, has prepared an updated draft budget for 2024. Within the draft financial plan of the Ministry of Infrastructure, it has provided an additional EUR 5 million for investments in road infrastructure, and within the draft financial plan of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, an additional EUR 16 million for investments in sports infrastructure. These additional resources lead to reductions in some other items in the financial plans of these ministries.

In preparing the initial draft budget for 2024, the Government has already taken into account the autumn economic forecast of the Office for Macroeconomic Analysis and Development of the Republic of Slovenia, as well as the uncertain situation related to the energy crisis, inflation, bottlenecks in supply chains and the resulting volatile macroeconomic circumstances, and therefore no other amendments to the draft budget are necessary.

The overall revenue and expenditure levels are therefore unchanged. Revenue is planned to reach around EUR 13.8 billion and expenditure around EUR 15.5 billion. The budget deficit is thus planned at around EUR 1.7 billion, or 2.6% of gross domestic product.

Source: Ministry of Finance

Establishment of a budget item and provision of spending appropriations

A new budget item is created in the financial plan of the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology to support the economy in the context of the energy crisis. The funds will be earmarked to help the economy to cope with the high prices of electricity and natural gas. They are provided from the current budget reserve of EUR 40 million.

Source: Ministry of Finance

The Government adopts its position on the updating of the Energy Charter Treaty

The Government adopted Slovenia's draft position on the Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union at the 33rd session of the Conference of the Parties to the Energy Charter. The Republic of Slovenia supports the process of modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) and welcomes the results achieved in the negotiation process between the Parties, which represent necessary progress in the already outdated provisions of the Treaty. The amendments follow, inter alia, international and legislative trends in the use of renewable energy sources.

The Energy Charter Treaty is a multilateral trade and investment agreement applicable to the energy sector. It was signed in 1994 and entered into force in 1998. It contains provisions on investment protection, trade in and transit of energy resources and energy products, as well as dispute settlement mechanisms. The Treaty also provides a framework for international cooperation in the energy sector between the 54 Contracting Parties. The European Union is among the signatories, along with Euratom, the 26 Member States, Japan, Switzerland, Turkey and most of the countries of the Western Balkans and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, with the exception of Russia and Belarus.

The Republic of Slovenia supports the proposed amendments to the Treaty, which include, among other things, safeguards for investments with real economic interests, more transparent procedures and, of course, new provisions on sustainable development.

Despite this support, the Republic of Slovenia reserves the right not to enter into the modernisation process itself and to withdraw from the Treaty.

Source: Ministry of Infrastructure

Amendment of the Memorandum of Understanding on Multinational Cooperation in the Provision of Land Battle Decisive Munitions

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has taken note of the Information on the intended signature of Amendment No 3 to the Memorandum of Understanding on Multinational Cooperation in the Provision of Land Battle Decisive Munitions. The purpose of the amendment is to give effect to the participation of the Ministry of National Defence of Romania in the Memorandum of Understanding on Multinational Cooperation in the Provision of Land Battle Decisive Munitions.

The initiative for multinational cooperation in the field of Land Battle Decisive Munitions (LBDM) has been developed within the Strategic Directorate, Defence Investments Division of NATO and is one of NATO's priorities.

The Republic of Slovenia acceded to the Memorandum of Understanding on Multinational Cooperation in the Provision of Land Battle Decisive Munitions in July 2018 in order to more efficiently and cost-effectively ensure an adequate level of LBDM stock, to pool orders and consequently reduce procurement costs, to exchange ammunition, especially that which is approaching the end of its useful life, and to allow for multinational storage and thus greater flexibility in stock management.

Source: Ministry of Defence

Government's reply to the applicant's application for an interim injunction to suspend the implementation of the Decision on the determination of the packaging waste percentages for October, November and December 2022

The Government has received a letter from the Administrative Court containing a copy of the application and a request for interim measures, together with the annexes thereto.

In its application, the applicant seeks interim measures suspending the implementation of the Decision fixing the packaging waste percentages for October, November and December 2022, which has been published in the Official Journal, and submits that the granting of interim measures is essential because it is the only way of ensuring that it is not subjected to significant damage which is difficult to repair. It further submits that the collection of packaging waste, which is municipal waste, from public service operators on the basis of an illegally determined market share would entail high financial costs.

In the light of the arguments put forward in relation to the applicant's claim, the Government proposes that the Administrative Court should reject the claim in its entirety as unfounded.

Source: Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning