NEWS

Prime Minister Pahor visits Port of Koper

The Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, and the Minister of Transport, Patrick Vlačič, today visited the Port of Koper, where they met with the company’s management. The talks mainly focused on further development of the port and in this context, on the adoption of a national spatial plan and the exemption of the Port of Koper from the list of legal entities subject to the acquisition of consent from the State to borrow or to issue guarantees pursuant to the Public Finance Act.

   

(Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA)

    

According to Mr Pahor, the participants of the meeting reached three agreements while discussing the problems of the Port of Koper and their possible resolution. "The adoption of a national spatial plan is an important issue for the port's development and the Government will accelerate the necessary procedures", emphasised Prime Minister Pahor and announced that the plan should be adopted in May this year. Moreover, the participants of the meeting decided that by the end of this month, they would try, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance, to reach an agreement on the exemption of the Port of Koper from the list of companies subject to the acquisition of consent from the state when raising loans. The Slovenian Prime Minister further said that "by the end of April, the Government will prepare the interpretation of the concession contract that might enable the Port of Koper to obtain financial means from the so-called territorial fund. These are significant resources and I see no reason why we have interpretations that prevent the corporate sector from obtaining financial means from European funds".

    

(Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA)

   

Prime Minister Pahor went on to reiterate that "the Port of Koper is extremely important. Therefore, we will do our utmost to adjust all business, social, political and economic conditions to the development of the port." As regards the observations that the constitution of a municipality of Ankaran could represent an obstacle to the enlargement of the port, Mr Pahor said that the will expressed by the population by way of a referendum should be respected. He nevertheless pointed out that "it would be almost scandalous if the municipality boundaries also represented the boundaries of business ambitions of such a significant economic operator as the Port of Koper".