144th regular session of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia

Amendments to the Scientific Research and Innovation Activity Act (the ZZrID) brings additional funding for science and redefines the financing of scientific research and innovation activity, with the aim of achieving budgetary funds representing up to 1.25% of the GDP, with 1% for scientific research and 0.25% for innovation. Possible deviations are envisaged for certain economic and exceptional circumstances, but with a guaranteed minimum amount of funding. The amendments also pertain to the operation of the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (the ARIS), including adaptations to legal bases and policy-making. The amendments mostly provide the legal bases for the ARIS’s operation, covering both scientific research and innovation, which requires adaptations to all legal bases for the public agency’s operations and for the development and implementation of measures and activities relating to the policy on scientific research and innovation. The amendments also introduce a new evaluation system, including programme evaluations, institutional self-evaluations and external evaluations. Furthermore, they introduce changes to the allocation of funds with a greater consideration of the institutions’ performance. Additionally, the amendments cover personal data, the researchers’ salaries, records, requirements for project managers and the stable financing of new research organizations and procedures in case of non-compliance with the financing conditions.

The Government adopted the proposal for the Act Regulating the Partial Reimbursement of Wage Compensation for Reduced Working Hours. For the purposes of job retention due to a temporary inability to provide work as a result of circumstances laid down in the Act, employers will be able to order work with reduced working hours and, at the same time, temporarily lay-off a worker with a full-time employment contract if the employer provides the worker with at least part-time work (the order to work with reduced working hours). Employers who provide workers with at least part-time work will be able to claim a partial reimbursement of the paid wage compensation due to part-time work set out in this Act (a partial reimbursement of wage compensation) to cover the difference to full-time work, for which the worker was temporarily laid-off, namely 5 to 20 hours per week. In times of economic insecurity due to declining demand, businesses in certain branches show an additional need for a regime that would enable them to exercise the right to a partial reimbursement of wage compensation under this measure, namely for employers in certain sectors or business activities experiencing greater difficulties (e.g. the automotive or food industry). The measure will be activated for a particular sector or business activity by virtue of a Government decision based on an opinion of the ministry responsible for the economy, the Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development, and the ministry responsible for labour according to the situation on the labour market. This measure is aimed at resolving the problems of specific branches that are cyclical or temporary in nature, i.e. when a decline is reflected only in part of the economy where the measure would not be applicable under the general requirements but such job retention is very beneficial and necessary for the economy. Before deciding to order work with reduced working hours, the employer must consult on the number of reduced working hours, the number of employees that this would effect and the duration of the order with the relevant trade unions or, where no such trade unions exist at the employer, the works council, obtain the trade union’s or works council’s opinion within three business days from the end of consultation and provide a written response to such opinion within three business days. Where no trade union or works council exists at the employer, the employer must notify the workers in a manner customary for the employer before reaching the decision. The partial reimbursement of wage compensation due to natural disasters or crisis conditions may be claimed for a single event for a maximum total of six out of 24 months from the first order while the reasons for part-time work exist. The employer may order a worker to work part time more than once. The partial reimbursement of wage compensation due to temporary circumstances can be claimed in a period determined by a Government resolution, but for a maximum of six months. The partial reimbursement from the Republic of Slovenia amounts to 60% of the paid wage compensation, excluding the employer’s contributions (gross I).

The Government took note of the guidelines for the drafting of calls for tenders for the allocation of public funds under the Programme of measures to promote entrepreneurship and competitiveness. The Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport proposed strategic guidelines for reforming the area, mainly through the digitalization of tendering procedures and the potential integration of artificial intelligence for the examination of conditions, database access, and data verification and ranking. In cooperation with other ministries, the Ministry will examine the possibility of introducing the principle of the mindful use of public funds by establishing the legal basis that would allow the consideration of experience in conducting calls for tenders or outstanding liabilities to the State in the event of natural persons with decisive management influence (the prevention of company chains) by way of a preventive prohibition of the allocation of public funds or an additional due diligence obligation. The Ministry proposed the greater involvement of external evaluators, a business model assessment and the development of methods to identify fraudulent business models based on past business operations or a business model characteristic.