Ljubljana – On Thursday, the government announced a significant reduction in the grants allocated to the recovery and resilience plan, decreasing them from just over one billion euros to 613 million euros. Finance Minister Klemen Boštjančič clarified after the government meeting that the majority of investments originally slated for financing through loans will now be supported by alternative financial sources. The proposal will be formally submitted to Brussels for review.
Boštjančič emphasized, “It is crucial that the total amount for non-repayable funds remains constant at 1.61 billion euros.” Only the repayable funds will see a decrease. The government suggests that investments intended for loan financing should either be financed through other financial means or be largely shifted to projects that qualify for non-repayable funding.
Additionally, the government intends to propose to the European Commission the exclusion of a portion of the Ljubljana railway station upgrade project from the current plan, which would lead to a reduction of loans by 205.7 million euros. The Ministry of Finance indicated that this segment of the project aims to be funded through non-repayable cohesion funds for the 2021-2027 period.
This marks the third amendment proposal to the recovery and resilience plan. Currently, Slovenia has access to 1.61 billion euros in non-repayable funds and 1.07 billion euros in loans until the end of 2026; however, the loan portion is projected to decrease to 613 million euros in the revised plan. The Recovery and Resilience Office of the Republic of Slovenia will now submit this amendment proposal to Brussels for formal consideration. The government anticipates receiving final approval from the EU Council for the amended plan by summer. (April 17)
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