Slovenia’s Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027 coordinated
Today, the Development Council of cohesion region Zahodna Slovenija approved Slovenia’s Cohesion Policy Programme for the period 2021-2027. Minister dr Aleksander Jevšek said that after being approved by all the stakeholders, the Programme is expected to be sent to Brussels shortly.
“I would like to thank everyone who participated in designing Slovenia’s Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027 and the Partnership Agreement with the European Commission. First and foremost, my colleagues, representatives of both cohesion regions, ministers and staff officials of line ministries,” said the Minister in his introductory note.
He added that the preparation and coordination of the two documents was the main task and focus of the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy (GODC) ever since the current Government took office on 1 June 2022. “In June, we started the process; we opened a dialogue with all the stakeholders, which brought a good result,” highlighted Minister Jevšek.
The Minister underlined that last Wednesday, when he and the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, signed the Partnership Agreement, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia unanimously adopted the Programme. Earlier this week, the Programme was approved by the cohesion region Vzodna Slovenija, and today it was also approved by the cohesion region Zahodna Slovenija. According to the Minister, the Programme, which all stakeholders had already approved, will be formally submitted to the European Commission shortly. “This means that we are almost at the finishing line. I believe that the European Commission will approve the Programme by the end of the year so that we can start using the EU funds available under the 2021-2027 programming period at the beginning of next year,” said Minister Jevšek.
He also announced that GODC would develop solutions for simplifying the procedures for reviewing EU funds spending so that beneficiaries are reimbursed sooner, thus improving EU funds absorption.
Slovenia’s Cohesion Policy Programme for the period 2021-2027 and the Partnership Agreement between Slovenia and the European Commission are the fundamental documents paving the way to around EUR 3.2 billion of EU funding in Slovenia in the programming period 2021-2027. The Cohesion Policy Programme translates the essence of the Partnership Agreement into action.