NEWS

Prime Minister Pahor on a visit at the Government Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Policy: “Slovenia’s absorption of European funds is the EU average.”

As part of programme of regular visits to ministries and government offices, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, paid a visit to the Government Office for Local Self-Government and Regional Policy (GOSP). The discussions mainly focused on the absorption of EU funds, preparations for negotiations on the next EU financial perspective and other current matters related to the functioning of the GOSP.

    

In his statement to the press after a meeting with the GOSP management, headed by Minister Trobec Bručan, Prime Minister Pahor said that in the first three months of this year Slovenia’s drawing of financial resources was positive and, in comparison with the same three-month period last year, the state budget saw a 160% increase in the absorbed funds. He also said that "today’s visit was held to identify pitfalls which could prevent the productive absorption of funds in the future and, in this regard, we agreed with the minister to meet again with her co-workers and all responsible at other ministries in order to establish if some of administrative obstacles which occur in the procedure for obtaining funds can be eliminated and to see where we can be more pragmatic or flexible and where we must help each other with a view to making the absorption even more successful. In this respect, Slovenia has reached the European average, but I wish that next year it would outpace it."

    

With regard to the negotiations for the new financial perspective and given the information he received today, Prime Minister Pahor was pleased with the team at the ministry, but, bearing in mind that there are more participants involved, it would be necessary to bring into line all government activities in this field in order to create optimal conditions for the new financial perspective. "We will make every effort that the resources obtained from the Cohesion Fund go to the Eastern and Western Slovenia, though, we will have to present our statistical data with political tact," added Prime Minister Pahor.

   

As regards the Pomurje Development Aid Act, the Prime Minister noted with satisfaction that the decision on this intervention act has already paid off and the Pomurje region today reaps the benefits of this Act aimed at turning the economic and social situation in this region into a positive direction. At today’s meeting, it was also agreed that the council of Bela Krajina and Kočevsko would be convened shortly, particularly in light of issues arising from increased unemployment in Črnomelj. “The Council was established on my initiative to narrow the development gap in the Bela Krajina region and maybe already at its tomorrow’s session, the Government will adopt some decisions for solving the issues in this part of Slovenia."