Territorial planning and cohesion
Introduce regions to begin developing all regions of Slovenia.
Slovenia is one of the most centralised countries in the European Union. From fiscal to administrative and political decentralisation, Slovenia ranks low compared to many European countries and it shows: Ljubljana is centralising all activities to the detriment of its population (traffic, pollution, housing prices) and the remainder of the country which lacks job opportunities and connectivity.
The Constitution provides for two levels of self-government: local municipalities and regions, the latter of which still have not seen the light of day.
In order to support and balance development across Slovenia from transport infrastructure to government services, Volt Slovenija therefore proposes:
Regional autonomy and growth through regions
Introduce regions as mandated in the 2006 reform as an additional administrative layer and to begin the process of decentralisation.
Follow a gradual process of delegation of competences not falling into national or local responsibility on request of a region. Regions should have clear purpose and responsibility based on subsidiarity principles. Any delegation of competences should entail the proper financial means to enact them - not by transfer of funds but through granting tax autonomy to regions.
Within this reform, undertake a reform of municipalities to approach more even sizes and improve availability of services by pooling of resources.
Territorial cohesion and funding
Introduce a system similar to the German “Länderfinanzausgleich” that foresees financial transfers to balance inequalities between regions during a transition period.
As in other countries, regions should be in charge of European cohesion funds. Being able to directly access these funds should provide a first influx of development funding for all types of projects from infrastructure to culture and tourism that would go far beyond what a central government could handle.
Connectivity for economic development
Ensure all regions have sufficient possibilities for economic development (e.g. by improving freight and passenger railway) in order to begin building economic clusters with high-value added jobs and accessibility to Ljubljana.
With reliable public transportation, begin relocating government entities and educational institutions across the country. Munich university campuses can serve as academic examples with some campuses over 50km away. Switzerland and Belgium have government branches in different cities because of their federal structure.
(version 2025-02)