Today, the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy officially submitted Slovenia's Cohesion Policy Programme for the period 2021-2027 to the European Commission. ''Today marks the close of an important chapter for our Government. Now, we need to make sure that the projects are up and running as soon as possible,'' said Minister Jevšek.
The Cohesion Policy Programme has been prepared in cooperation with the European Commission and has recently been approved by the Slovenian Government and the development councils of both cohesion regions. According to the Minister for Development and European Cohesion Policy, dr Aleksander Jevšek, the European Commission is expected to approve the programme in December. The first calls for proposals should be launched in the spring next year.
''Our Government Office completed a crucial exercise in a very short period of time. Our achievement is all the more important because this was also one of the priorities of the Slovenian Government. Now, we need to make sure that the projects are up and running as soon as possible. This is the only way we will successfully use the EU funding that has been allocated to our country,'' stressed Minister Jevšek, further remarking that the new programming period would be by two years shorter than the current 2014-2020 period.
The Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy has recently announced simplifications to the implementation and monitoring procedures under Cohesion Policy in an effort to improve absorption results.
The Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027 is one of the core documents enabling Slovenia to benefit from over 3.2 billion euros in Cohesion Policy funding for pursuing EU policy objectives and for technical assistance. While the programming period covers the seven-year period from 2021 to 2027, the programme will be implemented up until the end of 2029.
Slovenia will have the following amounts available in the 2012-2027 programming period (without technical assistance):
- EUR 793 million for a green and low-carbon transition; for investments in solar and wind energy capacities; for improved energy efficiency of buildings; for flood prevention; for wastewater collection and treatment;
- EUR 727 million for research, development and innovation; for investments in research infrastructure and research capacity; for digitalisation;
- EUR 741 million for social inclusion, employment, education and training;
- EUR 511 million for sustainable and smart mobility; for investments in modernisation of public passenger transport, especially rail network;
- EUR 85 million for territorial approaches, such as urban and local development;
- EUR 249 million for the Savinjsko-Šaleška region for shifting away from coal, and for restructuring of the Zasavje region.