Development Council of the Koroška Region

The Development Council of the Koroška Region took place today, Friday, January 24, 2025, in the Municipality of Muta, chaired by the Mayor of the Municipality of Muta, Angelica Mrak. At the session, the RRA Koroška presented the starting points for the preparation of the Regional Spatial Plan for the Koroška Development Region. At the same time, we witnessed a presentation of the implementation of measures after the flood reconstruction in the Koroška Region by the rapporteur Boštjan Šefic from the Government Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Reconstruction after Floods and Landslides. Information on the progress of the preparation of the program on Article 99 of the Act on Reconstruction, Development and Provision of Financial Resources was provided by Srečko Đurov from the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development.

Mateja Bratuša , within the framework of the RRA Koroška, presented the draft of the starting points for the preparation of the Regional Spatial Plan for Koroška. Space is a limited resource for which different stakeholders have different needs and visions, which are not always coordinated. In the process of preparing the regional spatial plan, an attempt will be made to find synergy between different stakeholders and jointly determine what we want to achieve in the long term and how we will get there. It is a spatial strategic document with which the state and municipalities agree and coordinate on the spatial development of an individual development region at a scale of 1:250,000, where the entire region will be on an A3 sheet.

RRA Koroška actively cooperates with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning and all relevant spatial stakeholders in the Koroška Development Region. In this way, we will ensure that the needs, interests and proposals are covered as comprehensively as possible when formulating key policies and solutions.

The baselines are the material on the basis of which the scope of work in the RPP will be assessed, the framework content, the preparation procedure, the method of cooperation with participants in spatial planning and neighboring development regions will be agreed and coordinated. The goal is to announce in the baselines the essential development priorities addressed in the RPP. The baselines are also an integral part of the tender documentation for the public procurement for the RPP developer and the developer of the OP for the RPP.

Boštjan Šefic spoke on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia for reconstruction after floods and landslides. He said that the consequences of the floods had already begun to be eliminated during the intervention. Last year, 100 million euros were allocated to households, and of course there are also measures for the economy and municipalities. The Slovenian Water Directorate carried out 286 intervention measures in Koroška, in all municipalities. Last year, numerous maintenance works were carried out, and the first rehabilitation measures were carried out in eight municipalities. For the current year and 2026, a series of maintenance works are planned in ten municipalities to ensure flow. This will ensure better safety and reduce the risk of watercourses. Another important area is, of course, state infrastructure. Currently, roads, embankments, bridges are being repaired in four municipalities in Koroška... Key issues will be repaired, adds Šefic.

He also informed the public that by yesterday, 151 contracts had been prepared, which is more than half, for the payment of compensation for 53 facilities. The rest will follow in the coming months. According to him, this process is proceeding quickly. Replacement facilities for Koroška are also being created, and location checks have gained momentum.

The mayors of Koroška highlighted the challenge of insufficient staff. At the national level, the possibility of funds or additional staff in municipalities should be sought, so that rehabilitation measures can be carried out faster and more efficiently. A special challenge is the transition from the previous to the regular program. They also appeal for additional funds to be found for the rehabilitation of forest roads.

Šefic says that 207 more projects are planned in our region in 2025, which is a large and demanding scope. Working meetings will be held with individual municipalities in the coming months.

Information on the progress of the preparation of the development program under Article 99 of the Reconstruction, Development and Provision of Financial Resources Act was provided by Srečko Đurov from the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development. He informed the public that they had identified a set of measures, which were still being coordinated with the relevant ministries. The program will not be prepared only for the Koroška region, but will be intended for the development of municipalities affected by the floods. The preparation of the program is planned by mid-2025.

Regarding the Agreement for the Development of Regions, Srečko Đurov provided information that a dialogue is underway with all competent departments. He estimates that the projects in the Koroška region are well prepared, so it has a good chance of being able to draw on all allocated funds in the amount of approx. 20 million euros. The amount of funds planned for all 12 regions in Slovenia is 460 million euros.

Statement by the director of the RRA Koroška, Uroš Rozman: "Since the adoption of the Reconstruction, Development and Provision of Financial Resources Act, the RRA Koroška has been striving to implement Article 99, which is intended to promote regional development and for which we have identified needs in the region of more than 470 million euros. I believe that it is essential that we determine priority projects as soon as possible and determine the framework for financial assistance for the Koroška region."