8th regular session of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia

SLOVENIA, August 27 - The Government issued the Decree on the mandatory contribution for the promotion of agricultural and food products in the fruit sector for 2027–2029, prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture. The aim of the promotion is to raise the profile of Slovenian fruit, encourage its consumption and enhance the competitiveness of domestic producers and processors. Promotional activities for the fruit sector have been carried out in Slovenia since 2018. The new three-year period will thus build on the successful promotional activities carried out in 2018–2020, 2021–2023 and 2024–2026. The proposed Decree sets the amount of the contribution to finance promotional activities, the date from which it will be charged and the period for which it will be charged. The contribution is set at EUR 20 per hectare of intensively cultivated orchard and EUR 1.50 per tonne of fruit for processing and will be charged for the years 2027, 2028 and 2029. The amount of the contribution is based on the proposals and decisions of the Fruit Sector Committee. Promotional activities will be jointly funded by the sector and the state on the basis of a partnership approach. Up to EUR 630,000 is earmarked for promotional activities from 2027 to the first half of 2030. Half of the funding, up to EUR 315,000, will be provided by the fruit sector through the mandatory contribution. The other half, also up to EUR 315,000, will be provided from the state budget. Continued promotion will support activities aimed at raising the profile of Slovenian fruit and fruit products and increasing consumer awareness of the importance of choosing locally produced food.

The Decree amending the Decree on compulsory health insurance service programmes, the capacities required for their implementation, and the scope of funding for 2026 provides for the expansion of certain healthcare programmes for which improving access to healthcare services is a priority. To this end, the expansion of family medicine clinics, women's health clinics, physiotherapy services and child and adolescent psychiatry services at primary healthcare level is envisaged, helping to improve access to healthcare services in specific regions. With the same objective, the expansion of diagnostic services at secondary healthcare level is also envisaged. For the Maribor Health Centre, the contracted volume is set at 3,500 MRI examinations per year, while the PET-CT programme at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana will be expanded to 1,800 examinations involving the extemporaneous preparation of radiopharmaceuticals. The Decree also provides for higher reimbursement rates for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedures and improves access to orthopaedic procedures by introducing payment based on the number of procedures performed for all providers within the public healthcare network.
The Decree also provides funding for an additional 468 places in homes for older people, which were not included in the original Decree for 2026. As some of this capacity has already been operational since the beginning of 2026, the amendment also ensures appropriate arrangements for their funding.

The Government included two new investment projects for the Employment Service of Slovenia in the 2026–2029 Development Programmes Plan. The investments aim to establish a more cost-effective, efficient and user-friendly IT environment and to standardise, unify and digitalise the Employment Service of Slovenia's ICT systems, back-end applications and online services. They will help make operations more efficient, save time, reduce costs and ensure appropriate reporting on the implementation of European cohesion policy programmes. At the same time, they will provide appropriate working conditions and a safe and healthy environment for both employees and clients. The use of environmentally friendly vehicles, energy-efficient equipment and modern technologies will also help reduce energy consumption and the carbon footprint, and enable operations to comply with the Decree on Green Public Procurement and sustainability principles. The project "Investments in the assets of the Employment Service of Slovenia (ESS) 2026–2029" provides funding for the renewal and upgrading of office and other equipment, the replacement of service vehicles, the refurbishment of business premises, emergency refurbishment works, and the upgrading of networks, server and computer hardware, and licensed software at the ESS. The project "ESS software upgrades 2026–2029" provides funding for the development of computer applications at the ESS. The investment programme for the ESS's movable and immovable property is intended to ensure appropriate working conditions for carrying out the ESS's core activities and providing user-friendly services. The investment programme for software upgrades is intended to modernise information systems so that statutory tasks can be carried out securely and promptly. Following the reorganisation of the Government under the Act Amending the Government of the Republic of Slovenia Act, the Ministry of the Economy, Labour and Sport took over the remit of the Labour Market and Employment Directorate, which had prepared the relevant documentation for the inclusion of the projects in the 2026–2029 Development Programmes Plan. Until the revised budget is adopted, the budget of the Republic of Slovenia is being implemented in accordance with the organisational structure that existed before the Government reorganisation. Consequently, funding totalling EUR 7,582,352.48 has been secured under the budget items of the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities.

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