By: Vida Kocjan
According to the latest data, Slovenia ranks among the countries with the lowest absorption rate of EU cohesion funds. So far, it has utilised approximately 4.3% of the available amount from the cohesion fund, placing it at the bottom among EU member states.
Before the current ruling coalition (Gibanje Svoboda, SD, and Levica) took office, Slovenia was among the countries that best utilised EU funds. Now, the situation is different. The Ministry for Cohesion and Regional Development falls under the Social Democrats (SD), led by Minister Aleksander Jevšek, surrounded by failed SD politicians. Jevšek dismisses criticism regarding poor EU fund absorption and promises that their supposedly good work will soon become evident. However, we are already deep into the 2021–2027 programming period, and Slovenia has yet to make any progress.
The government is also significantly delayed in reaching agreements on drawing EU funds for regional development. These agreements were supposed to be signed before January, but this is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Recently, Jevšek promised that signing would begin in March, but so far, there are no signs that this will actually take place.
Meanwhile, Slovenia is forgoing funds that it could have received but will not, due to the apparent incompetence of its leadership.
The European Commission, in its latest reports, has expressed concern over Slovenia’s slow absorption of EU funds. According to data for the 2021–2027 period, Slovenia has yet to start drawing cohesion funds, placing it at the bottom among EU member states. In early March 2025, the European Commission issued a preliminary positive assessment of the first request for a €50 million payment from the Recovery and Resilience Facility. However, Slovenia is still lagging in meeting its EU fund absorption targets, which could negatively impact the country’s development potential.
A government lacking expertise
During this term, Slovenia has faced multiple challenges in utilising EU funds, causing it to fall behind other EU countries. The main reasons include misalignment of government priorities, a lack of qualified personnel, and insufficient expertise.
Following the elections, the SD party took over the ministry, appointing former criminal investigator Aleksander Jevšek as minister. While this is a political position, there would be no issue if Jevšek had surrounded himself with competent experts. Instead, he appointed Marko Koprivc – an SD politician who failed in the last elections – as his right-hand man. Koprivc, the head of the Ljubljana SD branch, is a staunch supporter of communism. Additionally, the ministry hired Franc Trček, a former Levica party MP who switched to SD before the last elections and then lost. Trček has no knowledge of EU fund absorption – he is a sociologist by profession and is known to the Slovenian public as an activist of an extreme leftist protest movement in Maribor.
Beyond incompetent staffing, Golob’s government is also dealing with internal issues and changes that have led to misaligned priorities and strategies. The lack of a coordinated approach at both national and local levels is affecting the speed and efficiency of fund absorption.
Furthermore, Golob’s government lacks ambitious projects that could effectively utilise EU funds. Although Slovenia has various planned projects, their slow implementation reduces the effective use of available funds. Additionally, Golob’s administration is redirecting EU money toward so-called soft content, meaning that these funds will have little impact on the country’s development. We are witnessing the use of EU funds for political goals and short-term government priorities, dismantling the positive policies of the previous administration. Such poor allocation of resources can lead to inefficiencies in fund absorption.
For these reasons, Slovenia is falling behind in utilising EU funds, which is detrimental to the country’s long-term development.
How much money do we have available?
In the 2021–2027 programming period, Slovenia has approximately €3.26 billion available from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund.
Additionally, Slovenia has received €1.8 billion in grants and €705 million in loans under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, totalling €2.5 billion.
This means Slovenia has access to around €5.76 billion in EU funds for the 2021–2027 period. These funds were secured in Brussels by the Janša government.
How much has been drawn?
Progress in utilising these funds has been minimal so far. As of the 2021–2027 period, Slovenia has not yet started drawing cohesion funds, placing it at the bottom among EU member states.
EU funds are crucial for Slovenia’s development, and in the past, they have significantly contributed to the country’s growth. However, under the current government, projects are delayed by two years, if they happen at all. The government is also shifting priorities. In mid-January, it approved support for €800 million in projects, including railway upgrades, investments in coal-mining regions, decarbonisation projects, energy efficiency improvements, and wildfire prevention. In January, Jevšek stated that the ministry was preparing programme changes. Other government representatives have also recently spoken about redirecting funds. Where would the money go? Certainly away from infrastructure projects and into something intangible and invisible, to use the terminology of the far-left government leading Slovenia. It is worth recalling that the government is not allowed to invest money in infrastructure development, as the current ruling parties promised street activists, led by Jaša Jenull and the “Glas ljudstva” movement, just days before the April 2022 elections.
Statement
Romana Tomc: Golob’s government fails to implement ready-made projects
Romana Tomc, MEP, head of the Slovenian delegation in the European People’s Party (EPP), and EPP vice-president: “The Janez Janša government prepared a comprehensive Recovery and Resilience Plan, securing an impressive €5.7 billion in EU funds. However, money from this and other sources, such as cohesion funds, remains unused because Robert Golob’s government cannot implement already prepared projects.”
Marko Lotrič: The government excluded healthcare infrastructure and is now misleading the public
Marko Lotrič, president of the National Council of Slovenia and leader of the Fokus party, warns that the government removed all healthcare infrastructure projects from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, including infectious disease clinics in Maribor and Ljubljana. Meanwhile, the government is misleading the public with billboard campaigns claiming that EU funds are strengthening healthcare in Europe.