Government adopts new amendments to the Promotion of Balanced Regional Development Act

SLOVENIA, December 22 - The new regional development model aims to achieve economic transformation through an integrated management system. Despite numerous projects and substantial financial resources, Slovenia has not been able to ensure balanced regional development since its independence.

The aim of the amendment to the act is to:

• increase productivity in all development regions and create jobs with higher added value,
• reduce or eliminate development disparities, with a particular focus on increasing GDP per capita,
• increase the efficiency of public spending,
• improve the quality of life for all residents.

The proposed amendments to the act cover two key areas:

1. A new approach to planning and implementing development policy at the national and regional levels through:

• Slovenia’s regional development strategy by 2050 and
• implementing documents – the action programme under the competence of the Government and the agreement on the development of regions for the period of the individual financial perspective.

      2. Identification of the offices of development regions and representative associations of municipalities in Brussels, establishing the legal basis for their establishment and co-financing. With Cohesion Policy funding being reduced, it is in Slovenia’s strategic interest to strengthen the effectiveness of drawing and using funds from European centralised calls for proposals.

The strategy outlines development guidelines and objectives, while the action programme and the agreement on the development of regions define key areas and planned measures and projects, which are also aligned with the EU’s new national and regional partnership plan. Both implementation documents are based on a partnership between ministries and development regions and on clearly defined competencies and responsibilities.

Upon adoption of the proposal, Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development Dr. Aleksander Jevšek emphasised the need for a changed approach:

“If we want to increase productivity per employee and reduce development disparities, we need measures that will have an impact on the creation of higher added value jobs, on improving the quality of life, and on the development of human potential. The proposed amendment facilitates all of this, as it brings economic transformation with a well-connected management system.”