STA, 24 September 2021 - The Covid pass mandate has been relaxed starting on Friday, with the requirement waived for those working from home and those filling up their cars as long as they do not enter the interior of petrol stations.

This is under a government decree adopted late last night that comes after sharp criticism of the Covid pass mandate for those working from home, in particular the self-employed.

The mandate remains in place for the vast majority of services and all other workplace settings.

In a related easing of restrictions, the government decided that indoor and outdoor sports practice can be conducted without masks or distancing as long as the participants have a valid Covid pass.

STA, 23 September 2021 - Prime Minister Janez Janša attended on Thursday the Demographic Summit in Budapest, which he labelled as one of the most important events in the debate on the future of Europe, as demographics is one of the most important issues in the EU.

He emphasised the importance of the family and said that the EU needed a bolder family policy, the prime minister's office said in a press release.

Janša participated in a panel on family as a key to sustainability alongside his Polish, Czech and Hungarian counterparts Mateusz Morawiecki, Andrej Babiš and Viktor Orban, ex-US Vice President Mike Pence and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

"Due to the negative trends, demography is one of the important issues faced by the entire Europe. There is currently no country in the world that does not depend on demographic issues," the Slovenian prime minister said at the panel.

.@JJansaSDS: Potrebujemo bolj pogumno družinsko politiko. #DemografskiVrh #Budimpešta #Demografija pic.twitter.com/6UzuzXnRFQ

— Vlada Republike Slovenije (@vladaRS) September 23, 2021

The European renewal starts in Central Europe!

The Czech, Slovenian, Hungarian and Polish Prime Ministers alongside the Serbian President, signed a declaration, committing to use all available means and resources to help couples have children.

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— Visegrad 24 ???????? (@visegrad24) September 23, 2021

Slovenia had a negative natural increase last year, and the same is true for other European countries.

"When trends in the economy are worsening, we immediately hold a lot of crisis meetings. And when we have a demographic crisis, the numbers are bad and this lasts for years or decades, almost no one notices."

Janša stressed that the EU needed a bold family policy, as financial issues, while having an impact on the creation of family, were only a part of the picture.

"We cannot talk only about the economic circumstances for starting a family, because family policies of individual states also affect this," he said, noting that the Covid-19 pandemic had also contributed to the declining birth rates.

Janša argued that young people should be assisted in creating a family, which should be supported as the fundamental cell of society, because "family needs to be in the forefront, as families are the core of a state and string society."

He welcomed the European Commission creating a demography and democracy portfolio and a European commissioner dealing solely with these issues in the current term. "We are still waiting for bold decisions that would put family first," he added.

The Demographic Summit was also attended by Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities Minister Janez Cigler Kralj, who participated in a panel on best practice in demography and family policy, the release adds.

STA, 23 September 2021 - A total of 1,011 new coronavirus infections were confirmed on Wednesday, down 75 from Tuesday, as the test positivity rate dropped by two percentage points to 18%, data released by the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) on Thursday shows. The number of estimated active cases in Slovenia thus dropped by nine to 13,734.

The 7-day average of new cases also dropped yesterday, by 46 to 955 from Tuesday, and the 14-day incidence per 100,000 residents was down by one to 648, NIJZ data also shows.

According to the government, there were four Covid-19 deaths yesterday.

The number of hospitalised Covid patients this morning stands at 391, seven more than yesterday, of whom 102 are in intensive care, three more than yesterday.

According to NIJZ, 976,963 residents, or 46.3% of the population, have received all the doses of the vaccine to be fully immunised against Covid-19.

Infectologist Matjaž Jereb said at a press conference that it an estimated 350-400 Covid-19 patients would require standard hospital care and up to 140 patients would require intensive care at the end of September.

He said that the projections of development of the epidemic had been somewhat more favourable in the last week, but "we are far from being able to be carefree".

Jereb noted that the bulk of Covid-19 patients in hospitals were persons who had not been vaccinated, while attributing a low average age of patients in intensive care units to a lower vaccination rate among the younger population.

The youngest Covid-19 patient in standard units of the UKC Ljubljana hospital is aged 41, and the youngest patient in intensive care is aged 27. Neither of them has been vaccinated against Covid-19, he said.

"We need to be aware that our hospital capacities are limited," Jereb said, adding that the "more the number of Covid patients grows, the more we will limit activities in non-Covid units and the greater risk for non-Covid patients."

You can see the latest data here

STA, 21 September 2021 - Urban Purgar, a high-profile member of the far-right Yellow Jackets movement who sparked controversy in Slovenia with a tweet glorifying Hitler, is in prison, allegedly for committing the crime of violence, the newspaper Večer reports online.

The report says that Purgar had to report to Ljubljana prison on Monday to start serving his five-month sentence, allegedly for the crime of violence.

Večer writes that Purgar has also been sentenced to seven months in prison in a conviction that is not yet final.

Purgar resigned as the head of the Association for the Promotion of Traditional Values earlier this month in the wake of controversy after he posted a tweet reading "Hitler is #hero" on 1 August.

The centre-left opposition has demanded for the Culture Ministry to strip the association of the status of an association in the public interest.

A group called the Legal Network for Protection of Democracy brought a complaint with the supreme state prosecution on 17 August demanding judicial procedure to be opened to ban the association.

The prosecution told the online edition of the magazine Demokracija that there was no basis for the complaint to be acted on.

STA, 21 September 2021 - Four centre-left opposition parties have finalised an agreement on cooperation after the election. Party leaders initialled the agreement on Tuesday and will sign it next week pending approval by the top decision-making bodies of each of the parties.

The agreement involves the Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ), Social Democrats (SD), Left and Alenka Bratušek Party (SAB).

The SAB council unanimously endorsed the pact tonight as the first of the four. The remaining parties will hold sessions at the weekend.

The content of the agreement has not been revealed in today's press releases circulated by all four parties.

The idea for a post-election alliance was put forward by LMŠ leader Marjan Šarec in mid-August. He said such a pact was necessary to "return Slovenia to normalcy and to democracy".

"After Covid-19, government terror and disregard for the rule of law and after the hole they dug in public finances, Slovenia will need a normalisation," Bratušek said after the party council session, pledging for the four parties to deliver that after the election.

She promised the party would do all in its power for Slovenia to have a stable and strong economy as a basis for the welfare state, listing pensioners, healthcare and public education as SAB's top priorities.

STA, 20 September 2021 - Prime Minister Janez Janša has dismissed allegations about improper lobbying contacts, telling MPs on Monday that businessmen do not lobby with him "because they know I'm not a target" for lobbying.

"Whenever we are in the opposition, all your media write that the SDS will never be in government again, that Janez Janša will never be prime minister again. Why then should they lobby with someone who will not have any power," he said during questions time in parliament.

Janša was quizzed about contacts after several media released photos of Janša playing golf with lobbyist Božo Dimnik and businessman Andrej Marčič in 2003. Subsequently released photos showed both Janša and Dimnik on Marčič's yacht, reportedly in 2016, and Dimnik hanging around with Janša in Janša's home.

PM Janša Reported to Have Been Vacationing in Mauritius with Healthcare Lobbyists for Almost 20 Years

Left leader said MPs entitled to explanations given that Janša has held a number of senior posts in the past twenty years, in particular contacts with Marčič and Dimnik given their extensive deals with public institutions.

Janša said he had met with Dimnik several times in the past but had never discussed business with him, noting that Dimnik had helped Slovenia win international recognition during independence efforts and had chaired the Association of Slovenian-Croatian Friendship during his first government.

He pointed out that companies with links to Dimnik and Marčič had concluded the biggest deals with the state during the terms of leftist governments, and urged the opposition to back a coalition-sponsored bill on public procurement in health that he said would systemically preclude the kinds of accusations levelled at him now.

Healthcare Lobbyist Claims Repeated Meetings With Janša Were Accidental

"The gentlemen who used to be respected businessmen and have become tycoons now that you have published photos of them with me have never concluded any deals with me... I have spent perhaps ten hours on various yachts in my life. I think I also spent half an hour on a sailboat with [former president] Milan Kučan, but there was no lobbying involved."

Janša also accused the opposition of dwelling on the past instead of focusing on the future. "A lot of things are going on in Slovenia and I think given that important elections are coming up next year, it is time we start competing with platforms and concepts."

And given Slovenia's rapid GDP growth and low unemployment, it is time to "start competing in who will best leverage these opportunities that have been created instead of wasting time," he said.

Janša was also criticised for failing to attend sessions of the parliamentary Commission for the Oversight of Public Finances, which has been discussed the lobbying accusations twice.

"Your persistent silence, your avoidance of inconvenient questions, your dismissive attitude to the National Assembly and its constitutional role - all this has forced us to ... face you with at least one question today," Marjan Šarec List (LMŠ) deputy Robert Pavšič said.

Janša retorted that he had no problem attending commission sessions and that he had never avoided that. "I received the invitation for Friday and am working on being able to attend. But my calendar is full. I have more European and international obligations in a week than your prime minister had in a year."

STA, 20 September 2021 - The Covid pass mandate introduced last week has led to a surge in vaccination. Almost 84,000 shots were administered last week, the highest weekly figure since early June, show data from the national vaccination registry.

The rate of vaccine uptake is however still significantly below the peak of the vaccination drive, when 100,000-plus jabs were delivered into arms each week, according to data published by the tracker covid-19.sledilnik.org.

Going to Gatherings of 50+ People Now Needs COVID Pass

The structure of vaccines has changed substantially as well. The Pfizer/BioNTech jab remains in high demand, but in the past two weeks people have sought out the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires a single jab.

At the same time, demand for the AstraZeneca vaccine, where eight weeks at a minimum must pass between the first and second shot, has plummeted and the vaccine now accounts for a tiny fraction of all shots delivered.

From October 1 Slovenian Civil Servants Must Be Recovered or Vaccinated, Negative COVID Test No Longer an Option

At present 46% of Slovenia's population is fully vaccinated and 52% have received at least one jab. Among adults, the rates are 55% and 61%, respectively.

Official data show Slovenia still has roughly a million doses in stock, enough to deliver at least the first shot to all those who have not been vaccinated yet.

See the latest data on COVID and Slovenia

What follows is a weekly review of events involving Slovenia, as prepared by the STA.

If you’d like to keep up on the daily headlines then follow those here, or get all our stories in your feed on Facebook.

FRIDAY, 10 September
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - EU finance ministers meeting to discuss the health and economic situation in the EU and eurozone, expressed optimism about the developments, noting the situation was significantly better than expected months ago. However, they also cautioned that the danger was not over yet.
        KARPACZ, Poland - Prime Minister Janez Janša received the award for person of the year in Central and Eastern Europe at the Economic Forum in Karpacz, Poland. In his speech, he underlined the region's key role in the bloc and its Christian heritage.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša and IMF executive director Kristalina Georgieva and OECD secretary general Mathias Cormann discussed the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the global economy and recovery plans. The meeting with Cormann also focussed on other challenges of OECD members. Cormann also met Foreign Minister Anže Logar, with the pair expressing optimism about the global economic recovery.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor hosted a meeting with Health Minister Janez Poklukar and members of the government Covid advisory group over the coronavirus outbreak to call for vaccination, especially for all over 50 years of age.
        LJUBLJANA - The Government Office for Slovenians Abroad announced that a total of 63 ethnic-Slovenian residents of Venezuela had so far been repatriated to Slovenia. All of them are doing well, with many of them already in employment, and students included in the education system.
        LJUBLJANA - President Borut Pahor offered his condolences to his Portuguese counterpart Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on the death of the country's former President Jorge Sampaio. In a post on his Twitter profile Pahor described Sampaio as a great statesman who promoted dialogue, solidarity and freedom.
        LJUBLJANA - The KSJS confederation of public sector trade unions called on the government to meet its obligations towards the public media, chiefly to pay for the public service performed by the STA and provide adequate funding for public broadcaster RTV Slovenija.

SATURDAY, 11 September
        BRDO PRI KRANJU - EU finance ministers spoke in favour of a continuation of the bloc's current investment cycle. Slovenia's Andrej Šircelj said everyone showed a great desire for Europe to continue with this investment cycle and to become stronger after the pandemic.
        LJUBLJANA - Foreign Minister Anže Logar said Slovenia remained deeply committed to the prevention and terrorism and radicalisation, placing special emphasis on the fight against terrorism in Western Balkans, noting that Slovenia would continue to work closely with the US and other allies as he paid tribute to the victims of the 11 September terrorist attacks.
        IDRIJA - The main ceremony remembering the return of the western Primorska region to the homeland was held in Idrija with Mayor Tomaž Vencelj saying it was important the event was held in Idrija, which had been an important part of Primorska for half a century and made the region richer with its natural beauty, heritage and successful economy.

SUNDAY, 12 September
        BASOVIZZA, Italy - A ceremony for four victims of Fascism executed in September 1930, known among Slovenians as the Basovizza Heroes, was held at the memorial site, with Minister for Slovenians Abroad Helena Jaklitsch saying that it was a reminder of how much misery and pain humans and authorities could cause if they let hatred and exclusion win.
        ŽUŽEMBERK - The coalition New Slovenia (NSi) held its annual informal gathering, with its president Matej Tonin saying that it was not possible to build a stable government without cooperation through the political centre and without the NSi.
        BOLOGNA, Italy - Slovenian President Borut Pahor addressed a meeting of the G20 Interfaith Forum, saying that divisions, in particular political and ideological, were one of the societal wounds that need to be urgently healed. He also proposed a meeting of senior religious representatives in the Western Balkan region.
        PTUJ - The poultry group Perutnina Ptuj, which was taken over by Ukrainian Holding MHP in early 2019, reported EUR 294 million in sales revenue for 2020, a new record and 3% increase on the year before. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were up 7% to EUR 47.7 million.

MONDAY, 13 September
        GENEVA, Switzerland/LJUBLJANA - FM Anže Logar announced at the international donor conference for Afghanistan that Slovenia will donate EUR 300,000 in aid to help the country amid a deteriorating humanitarian crisis.
        NEW YORK, US - Darja Bavdaž Kuret, a seasoned diplomat who served as Slovenia's former permanent representative to the UN, was appointed special adviser to Abdulla Shahid, the president of the 76th UN General Assembly to take the second highest post ever held by a Slovenian representative to the UN after Danilo Türk served as UN assistant secretary general for political affairs from 2000 to 2005.
        LJUBLJANA - PM Janez Janša addressed a session of the WHO Regional Office for Europe to stress the importance of preparedness and effective responsiveness to future health crises. He also discussed the importance of science and solidarity in battling the Covid-19 pandemic.
        BOLOGNA, Italy - President Borut Pahor was awarded Sigillum Magnum, the highest recognition from the University of Bologna given to influential figures. Pahor said he understood the honour as recognition of his efforts for dialogue, reconciliation and better future.
        LJUBLJANA - A panel held as part of the Future Unlocked online conference agreed the creative and culture sector plays an important role in generating economic growth. The main topics of the two-day online conference hosted by Slovenia as the EU presiding country is the role of the creative sector in the green transition, social innovation and economic growth, and in attaining sustainable goals.
        BLED - The rights and obligations of small shareholders were in the focus of an international investors' conference in Bled, with panellists highlighting access to information, cross-border share holdings and sustainable corporate governance as some of the key issues.
        LJUBLJANA - The government appointed Damjan Žugelj a full-fledged director of the Office for Money Laundering Prevention, after he led it as acting head since 15 March. He will take over on 15 September for a five-year term, with the option of reappointment.
        LJUBLJANA - The ruling Democrats (SDS) continued to top the party rankings at 18.3% in the latest monthly Mediana poll conducted for the newspaper Delo, with their support rising 1.2 percentage points compared to August. The SDS was followed by the opposition Social Democrats (SD), whose support dropped by 2.4 points to 10.3%.
        LJUBLJANA - The Slovenian Armed Forces estimated the interest in voluntary service has increased by 40% to 50% this year as a new concept of voluntary service was introduced on 5 July.
        
TUESDAY, 14 September
        STRASBOURG, France - The European Court of Human Rights ruled Slovenia violated Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 to the European Convention on Human Rights in dispossessing holders of shares and subordinated bonds as part of the 2013/14 bank bailout, finding they had no reasonable opportunity to challenge or seek compensation for the Slovenian central bank's measure.
        LJUBLJANA - The opposition demanded answers after POP TV released photos showing Prime Minister Janez Janša spending time with the lobbyist Božo Dimnik on a yacht owned by the businessmen Andrej Marčič in 2016. The POP TV report said this showed Janša and Marčič had not been meeting accidentally, as Marčič claimed back when photos were published of the two playing golf in Mauritius almost two decades ago. Janša said his playing golf with Dimnik and Marčič had nothing to do with lobbying and he denied doing any deals with them. later in the week, Janša failed to attend a session of a parliamentary commission that wanted to debate allegations of his improper lobbying contacts.
        MILAN, Italy - President Borut Pahor met Attilio Fontana, the president of the Italian region of Lombardy, for what his office said were talks about cooperation, in particularly economic ties, and opportunities to develop and enhance bilateral relations.
        CELJE - Interior Minister Aleš Hojs announced Slovenia planned to erect several dozen kilometres of new fencing on the border with Croatia in an effort to crack down on illegal migrations. The construction work should start within two or three weeks.
        LJUBLJANA - Economy Ministry State Secretary Simon Zajc said Slovenia had been recording solid tourism figures this year but the sector was not expected to bounce back before 2023 or, more likely, 2024. Asian guests are unlikely to return before 2023, he said.
        LJUBLJANA - The steel group SIJ generated EUR 451.6 million in sales revenue in the first half of the year, or 24.4% more year-on-year, while bouncing from a loss in the first half of 2020 to more than EUR 10 million in net profit.

WEDNESDAY, 15 September
        LJUBLJANA - As the Covid pass mandate came into effect, a crowd of about 8,000 people gathered for a rally in front of the parliament building to protest against the new rules. The protest turned into a riot and police had to use a water canon and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Seven police officers were injured. In response officials and politicians from both sides of the isle condemned the violence.
        CELJE - Prime Minister Janez Janša and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban were on hand for the launch of the the 53rd Celje International Trade Fair as Hungary is featured as the partner country. They both expressed optimism about the post-Covid economic recovery and the future.
        CELJE - The governments of Slovenia and Hungary held a joint session with officials conducting an overview of existing cooperation and signing a letter of intent on a joint fund for Prekmurje and Porabje, the border regions populated by the Hungarian and Slovenian ethnic minorities, and a memorandum of understanding on development cooperation.
        CELJE - The home affairs ministers of Slovenia and Hungary, Aleš Hojs and Sandor Pinter, agreed at a meeting about the urgent need to prevent mass migration flows in the EU and pressure on the bloc's external borders. Meanwhile, the two defence ministers, Matej Tonin and Tibor Benko, discussed bilateral military and defence cooperation.
        ROME, Italy - President Borut Pahor upheld the key points from the State of the Union address by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as addressed a meeting in Rome with the heads of state of 15 EU countries as part of the Arraiolos initiative discussing the path to strategic autonomy.
        LJUBLJANA - In assessing the annual address to the European Parliament by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Slovenian MEPs said her speech was realistic but lacked concrete proposals, including on social policy. Some welcomed the announced legislation on media freedom.
        LJUBLJANA - The parliamentary foreign policy and defence committees took note of Slovenia's plans to increase the number of personnel in NATO's mission in Iraq to up to 15 soldiers and civilian experts under a decision adopted by the government in the summer.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenia was allotted a diplomatic apartment in Rome as part of the succession process after the break-up of Yugoslavia. The country already uses the apartment as a residence of the ambassador to the Holy See.
        LJUBLJANA - UNESCO, the United Nations educational scientific and cultural organisation, formally declared a biosphere reserve spanning the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers, the first five-country biosphere in the world.
        CELJE - Slovenian maker of ultralight aircraft Pipistrel signed an aircraft manufacturing agreement with Hungary's Genevation Aircraft on the manufacture, marketing and provision of after-sales support for select markets, a deal the company says is worth in excess of EUR 100 million over ten years.
        LJUBLJANA - Spanish company Glovo announced it had finalised the acquisition of the food delivery platform Ehrana, after announcing in May that it would take over one of the largest home delivery providers in Slovenia.
        
THURSDAY, 16 September
        LJUBLJANA - The Institute of Macroeconomic Analysis and Development, the government's economic forecaster, upgraded Slovenia's growth forecast for the year to 6.1%, 1.5 percentage points up from its spring outlook. It projects for GDP growth to then ease off to 4.7% in 2022 and 3.3% in 2023.
        PORTOROŽ - A two-day meeting of the management board of the European Asylum Support Office started, with one of the topics being reforming the office into a European agency for asylum, with which it would assume new obligations and tasks.
        CLEVELAND, US - Helena Jaklitsch, the minister for Slovenians abroad, started a 10-day visit to Slovenians in the USA, beginning in Cleveland, Ohio and concluding in Lemont, Illinois. The overarching theme is the 30th anniversary of Slovenian independence.
        CELJE - Delegates of the coalition Modern Centre Party (SMC) gave party leader Zdravko Počivalšek the mandate for a merger, a tie-up and cooperation with other related parties and lists at the next general election. The party is to merge with the Economically Active Party (GAS), a pro-business party headed by National Council President Alojz Kovšca, possibly before the end of the year.
        NAZARJE - The Nazarje-based home appliance maker BSH Hišni aparati, a Slovenian subsidiary of BSH Hausgeräte GmbH, was approved a state subsidy worth EUR 7.7 million to support an investment that will create 62 new jobs.
        LJUBLJANA - Slovenian Michelin starred chef Ana Roš from Hiša Franko placed seventh in the rankings of the world's top chefs compiled by The Best Chef Awards 2021, climbing 11 spots from last year, according to The Best Chef Awards website.
        LJUBLJANA - The recipient of this year's Badjura Award, given out for lifetime achievements in film since 1995, is the innovator and film sound engineer Emilija Soklič, one of the first Slovenian professional female film industry workers and an innovator in sound design.
        LJUBLJANA - Robert Simonišek, an author and art historian born in Celje in 1977, has won the 2021 Rožanc Prize for best collection of essays for Pejsaži - Sanjati na Soncu (Landscapes - Dreaming in the Sun).

STA, 17 September 2021 - Slovenia officially became a member of the club of Mediterranean EU countries henceforth known as EU Med, which has grown from seven to nine members with the inclusion of Slovenia and Croatia at a summit in Athens on Friday.

Prime Minister Janez Janša said after the meeting that it was a great honour for Slovenia to join the group, which was expanding at a crucial time during Slovenia's presidency of the EU. "This gives Slovenia a new opportunity for coordinating all open issues on the agenda."

Janša said a variety of important issues had been discussed affecting not just the Mediterranean member states but the entire EU, including major things that fit into the framework of the Conference on the Future of Europe, including strategic autonomy, climate change, green transition, migrations, security, Covid-19, recovery and resilience.

"Slovenia is a Mediterranean country and in this Med context it will strive for realisation of presidency slogan Together. Resilient. Europe.," he said.

Slovenia has long lobbied to become a member and its formal application dates back to 2015. Janša's office said prior to the summit that Slovenia's inclusion was the result of its long-standing efforts to increase its presence in the Mediterranean area and forge closer links with Mediterranean countries.

Earlier this year, Foreign Minister Anže Logar said that participation in the group would benefit Slovenia and increase its political weight in talks with other EU member states.

STA, 17 September 2021 - The European Commission paid out the first, EUR 231 million batch of EU funds to Slovenia on Friday as part of the recovery and resilience plan, which is 13% of the total amount Slovenia is to receive. The money will be allocated for sustainable mobility and digital transformation projects.

"Good news for Slovenia. The first disbursement of funds under #NextGenerationEU kick-starts the green and digital transition in the country," President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter.

The NextGenerationEU instrument will also invest in better healthcare, for the benefit of all Slovenians, she added.

Slovenian Finance Minister Andrej Šircelj welcomed the news. "I'm happy that after signing the contract we have received the first funds from the recovery and resilience facility. I announced this in July and the expectation was fulfilled.

"This is an important achievement for Slovenia and a big step forward in the implementation of the goals set," he was quoted as saying by the Finance Ministry.

The Commission endorsed Slovenia's plan for recovery and resilience at the start of the country's six-month stint at the helm of the EU at the beginning of July. The plan, worth EUR 2.5 billion, was endorsed by EU member states at the end of July.

In line with the plan, Slovenia is to receive EUR 1.8 billion in grants and EUR 705 million in loans for projects promoting the country's post-pandemic recovery and resilience to future crises.

The projects will support 33 reforms and 55 investments envisaged by the plan. Further payments will be approved based on the implementation of these projects.

Member states had to commit in their national plans to allocate 37% of the funds for the implementation of the EU's green goals and 20% for digital goals. They also had to commit to the principle that no measure must cause significant damage to the environment.

Slovenia plans to allocate 43% of the funds to green projects and over 20% to digital ones, the Finance Ministry said.

The key investments will be EUR 310 million for adjusting to climate change, especially anti-flooding measures, EUR 292 million for upgrading and digitalisation of the railway infrastructure, EUR 264 million for education, EUR 230 million for digitalisation of the public administration, EUR 189 million for healthcare and long-term care infrastructure, EUR 130 million for renewable energy sources and EUR 86 million for energy efficiency of buildings.

So far 12 other countries have already received first funding from the EU in the total amount of over EUR 49 billion, sources in Brussels said today.