By: Spletni časopis
The government is sending an emergency bill to parliament that would extend the validity of motorway vignettes by four months. The extension would apply to all vignettes valid on December 1, 2025. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arčon during the government’s visit to the Pomurje region, according to POP TV and Siol.net. This marks the second pre-election gesture recently announced by the government. Earlier, Prime Minister Robert Golob promised that all employees would receive a Christmas bonus in December, though no legislation to that effect has yet been proposed.
Arčon stated that the bill to extend the validity of motorway vignettes, which would also eliminate the need to pay for the expressway between Koper and Škofije, much to the delight of Italian travellers heading to Croatia, is already on its way to parliament, where it will be passed as an emergency measure. The practice of approving laws without any sound justification, driven solely by government activism and carelessness, through fast-track procedures and extraordinary sessions of the National Assembly, has become a hallmark of Robert Golob’s administration.
This government came to power with campaign promises from its leaders that in the coming years, they would not expand motorways, despite the long-standing need for three lanes, or otherwise develop road infrastructure. And they have kept that promise. As a result, massive traffic jams are now a regular occurrence on Slovenian motorways. This causes significant harm to citizens and businesses, including internationally, as Slovenia’s geographic position makes it a key corridor for international transport and travel.
The costs of road use and expansion are borne by everyone, citizens, freight carriers, even foreign transporters and tourists, yet the government has chosen to redirect funds elsewhere. For example, it established five new ministries, seen by critics as a waste of time and public money.
The removal of vignettes between Koper and Škofije is shaping up to be a campaign gift for SD MP Meira Hot and the representative of the Italian national community, Felice Žiža, both of whom proposed the measure from the coastal region. Until now, the government had opposed it.
The Social Democrats (SD) have already declared this a “victory for Slovenian Istria and its residents.”
The government explained the implementation of this change with the following statement:
“The government has instructed the Ministry of Infrastructure to reclassify expressways H5 and H6 as main roads, designated as optional toll roads. This measure would allow the future main road, replacing the current expressways, to remain under the management and maintenance of DARS, the national motorway operator. As an optional toll road, it would be tolled exclusively for freight vehicles, those over 3,500 kg maximum permissible weight. The section between Škofije and Izola will thus become toll-free for passenger vehicles, easing the burden on local roads and communities that are currently often congested. The reclassification will take effect on January 1, 2026, and is intended as a temporary measure until the construction of the Koper–Dragonja expressway.”
As for the vignette extension, which requires a legal amendment rather than just an internal government decision, the official line is that it is not being done to score points ahead of elections expected by April 2026, and possibly sooner. The justification provided was: “Due to a significant increase in traffic, record investments, congestion, and the need to improve motorway usability, the validity of vignettes will be extended by four months for those valid on December 1, 2025.”
Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arčon stated that DARS would handle the extension. The leadership at DARS was appointed by the Freedom Movement through overtly political staffing. According to Arčon, this operation will not cost motorway users anything.
Meanwhile, SD believes the government intends to exempt the coastal expressway from tolls through a legislative change, not just a ministerial decision. They announced:
“A victory for Slovenian Istria and its residents.
The proposed law, which reclassifies expressways H5 and H6 as main roads as of January 1, 2026, thereby eliminating tolls for passenger vehicles, is a major win for the people of Slovenian Istria. This decision directly improves quality of life in our region, reduces traffic congestion, and brings a fairer arrangement for everyone who commutes daily on these routes.”