The main event under Slovenia’s one-year Presidency of the Forum of the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) took place at Brdo pri Kranju. The opening ceremony was addressed by Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development Aleksander Jevšek and European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reform Elisa Ferreira.

Slovenian Regional Development Fund has published two calls on its website (BIZI liquidity floods and BIZI liquidity energy). The two financial products target micro enterprises and SMEs and are designed to support flood recovery projects in the aftermath of the devastating floods in early August 2023 and/or projects aiming to reduce energy consumption amid energy crisis and price increases.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia agreed the text of the application form for financial assistance from the EU Solidarity Fund for recovery measures in the wake of the devastating floods that hit the country in early August. The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development that coordinated the preparation process will submit the application on behalf of the Republic of Slovenia to Brussels, presumably tomorrow.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals for developing core competencies in the period 2023-2029.

The event, held at the premises of the former sugar factory Cukrarna, focused on the presentation of and discussion about the opportunities, supported by European Cohesion Policy, to address the challenges and needs of older people. We all know that the number and the share of older people in the European Union is increasing year by year. People live longer and have a better quality of life. This makes adopting measures targeted at long-lived society a necessity.

The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development has approved EU funding for the call for proposals to support Strategic Research and Innovation Partnerships (SRIP) for the period 2023-2026.

The Slovenian Regional Days under the title Green Transition at the Regional Level took place in Pivka this year. In her opening address, State Secretary Andreja Katič underlined the importance of such events saying that “the discussions on regional policy at such scientific and expert symposia, which bring new systemic and methodological solutions, provide a basis for decision-makers at different levels.”

Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development Dr Aleksander Jevšek participated in the session on social innovation as part of this year's edition of the European Week of Regions and Cities that is taking place between 9 and 12 October in Brussels. According to Dr Jevšek, Slovenia successfully carried out several EU-funded social innovation projects it is very proud of.

Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development Dr Aleksander Jevšek participated in the workshop on Cohesion Policy and 2025 European Capital of Culture (GO! 2025) that was held in the context of the European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels. In 2025, the title will be held by the neighbouring cities of Nova Gorica in Slovenia and Gorizia in Italy.

The Government of the Republic of Slovenia has taken note of the assessment of direct damage following the natural disaster that struck Slovenia on 4 August 2023. The assessment covers all aspects of the natural disaster, from the replacement of buildings, the rehabilitation of watercourses, the restoration of infrastructure, the protection and restoration of cultural heritage sites, and waste disposal and management.

Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development Dr Aleksander Jevšek attended the informal meeting of EU ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy that was held in Murcia under the auspices of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Minister Jevšek called for a strong, resilient, and flexible Cohesion Policy that should be the main long-term investment policy of the European Union (EU).

On Wednesday, 27 September 2023, the second public consultation on drafting the amendments to the Promotion of Balanced Regional Development Act took place at the premises of the Rajhenburg Castle in Brestanica. The consultation focused on border and other problem areas, the programme of development incentives to ensure balanced regional growth, as well as the definition and financing of these areas.

In the morning, the Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development Dr Aleksander Jevšek visited Radlje ob Dravi and met with the Mayor of Radlje ob Dravi Municipality Alan Bukovnik and the Director of the Regional Development Agency for Koroška Karmen Sonjak. They discussed the post-flood recovery measures and the funding opportunities under Slovenia's Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027.

''Studio of Circular Economy is a project that plays an important role in tackling the challenges of circular use of resources and in raising awareness of the potentials of circular economy in the local environment,'' stressed State Secretary at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development mag. Marko Koprivc at a press conference held in Rogaška Slatina to present the project.

Interreg Cooperation Day, which took place in Umag, Croatia, showcased cross-border cooperation projects in the field of rescue and sustainable mobility, which are implemented in the framework of the Interreg Programme Slovenia-Croatia. The event was attended by both Ministers responsible for Cohesion Policy, namely the Slovenian Minster Dr Aleksander Jevšek and the Croatian Minister Šime Erlić.

This year’s Mediterranean Coast and Macro-regional Strategies Week was held in Izola, Slovenia, under the slogan ‘Stronger cooperation for better future’. The event, which has become recognised as one of the central events where the representatives of all four European macro-regional strategies meet and share their experiences, was attended by State Secretary at the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development, mag. Marko Koprivc.

The Celje International Trade Fair MOS hosted a public debate on the future of regional development which was attended by Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development Dr Aleksander Jevšek and State Secretary Andreja Katič. The discussion, attended also by the members of the Chamber of Craft and Small Businesses of Slovenia, focused on the Promotion of Balanced Regional Development Act amendment proposals.

State Secretary mag. Marko Koprivc was a keynote speaker at the Connect2Slovenia International Business Meeting, which took place on Thursday, 14 September 2023, at Celjski sejmi d.d. as part of the International Trade Fair Celje (MOS). The event was organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia in partnership with SPIRIT Slovenia, the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport and Advantage Austria Slovenia.

A total of EUR 50 million of overcommitments will be redirected to the Reconstruction Fund and a further EUR 20.5 million in cohesion funding will be reallocated to post-flood intervention measures in order to mobilise available resources from cohesion policy programmes and allow for full absorption of the funding made available to Slovenia in the 2014-2020 programming period.

At a regular meeting of the Committee on the Economy, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia approved amendments to the General conditions governing the activities of the Slovenian Regional Development Fund.