By UKOM
After the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the national Recovery and Resilience Plan on Wednesday, the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy today submitted the Plan to the European Commission. ‘The submission of the Recovery and Resilience Plan marks the conclusion of a challenging and comprehensive task. We are in the final stages and I believe that in the next three months the Plan will be approved. After a year of crisis, it is time for action, time to conclude administrative procedures and to start as quickly as possible with activities for the use of funds that will significantly contribute to mitigating the negative economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic’, said Minister Černač.
On Wednesday, 28 April 2021, the Government adopted the national Recovery and Resilience Plan which will serve as the basis for drawing on EUR 2.5 billion of which EUR 1.8 billion will be available to Slovenia in the form of grants under the Recovery and Resilience Fund. Slovenia will use the available funding for green transition, digital transformation, support for the economy, research and development, education, healthcare, social security and housing policy
‘Today’s submission of the Recovery and Resilience Plan to the European Commission for formal approval is the final act of a challenging task. We have completed dozens of consultations with over 2,000 stakeholders from the economy, local authorities and the non-governmental sector, and carried out numerous coordination meetings with the European Commission directorates’, underlined Minister Černač. As he said, the coordination process should be completed over the following three months. When approved, the ministries could start publishing the first calls for proposals already in the last quarter of 2021. According to the most optimistic scenario, the first funding could be available already in 2021 or at the beginning of next year, provided, of course, that reforms are implemented according to the set timeline outline in the Plan.
Slovenia will also support the planned recovery and resilience measures with other sources; indeed, although extensive, the funding available under the Recovery and Resilience Fund will not suffice for addressing all the challenges. By 2030, Slovenia is eligible to approximately EUR 9 billion in grants in the frame of all financial mechanisms. ‘In planning the allocation of the available funding, we always had a concrete individual in mind, which is why the funds are focused on activities that were most affected by the crisis and on strengthening the systems that the crisis has shown are overlooked and inadequate. We will leave no one behind with no part of Slovenia being neglected,’ also added Minister Černač.
On the occasion of the submission of the Plan, State Secretary mag. Monika Kirbiš Rojs who led the workgroup for the preparation of the document also expressed her satisfaction. ‘Today is a historic moment for Slovenia. As is always true in crucial turning points, the process of developing this document showed we can work together. The result is a clear vision and strategy of our country’s development with a digital and green future. We have the opportunity to implement reforms and investments in the field of long-term care, healthcare, renewable energy, environment and transport. Next, we need to focus on implementing the Plan in an efficient and responsible manner so that it brings as many positive effects for the citizens as possible.’
Source: gov.si