The government met on Saturday in Brdo pri Kranju to discuss guidelines for additional measures to mitigate the effect of the coronavirus epidemic on the economy. The public broadcaster TV Slovenija has reported that the package will include EUR 900 million in loans, guarantees and guarantee schemes.
The second stimulus package looks to ensure liquidity of the economy and features necessary corrections and amendments to the first, EUR 3 billion package, passed on 2 April.
TV Slovenija reported late on Friday that the measures had already been drafted, saying that companies would have EUR 900 million on their disposal in the form of loans, guarantees and guarantee schemes.
The package reportedly includes quick and favourable loans secured with state guarantees, and loan guarantee schemes intended for boosting liquidity, provided by the SID Banka bank, the Slovenian Enterprise Fund and the Regional Development Fund.
SID Banka has also proposed that a new fund worth EUR 1 billion be established to tackle liquidity issues, the public broadcaster said.
Measures to help the tourism sector, which has been severely affected by the pandemic, would reportedly be in force until the end of the year. One of the proposed measures is deferral of refunds to passengers and guests in relation to cancelled trips.
According to the unofficial proposal, tourism and hospitality companies will have more than EUR 100 million in favourable loans.
What is more, the state is to help businesses pay rent for commercial premises by subsidising up to 70% of the amount or enabling them to defer rent payment.
According to TV Slovenija, the timetable sets the deadline for the passage of the second package at 30 April.
Prime Minister Janez Janša said in a video address after the session that the government had been acquainted with relevant reports from the five task forces and decided to put all measures for securing liquidity of the economy into one package.
The measures will start to be prepared immediately after Easter holidays, and the government will be able to discuss it together with amendments to the first package on 20 or 21 April, he added.
“No vulnerable group will be excluded,” Janša, said, adding that due to the complexity of the matter, specific legislative projects had been divided into three parts.
One of them is amending the infectious diseases act, one of the basic legal tools to fight the epidemic, as it has been established that it needs several changes and amendments and that some provisions are outdated.
The Ministry of Health has been tasked to draft changes by the end of next week, Janša said, adding that some of the provisions would be changed based on the experience gained in the fight with the coronavirus epidemic.