The Transport Ministry has set itself 16 top priorities for this year, the most important of which will be the adoption of a resolution on transport policy, followed by the drawing of EU funds.
According to Minister Janez Bozic, further priorities are the construction of a second railway track between Divaca and Koper in the southwest, the introduction of an electronic motorway tolling system and a solution for the state's relationship with Luka Koper, the company running Slovenia's only commercial port.
"We will need a proper legal basis to attain all these goals. We will have to pass changes to seven laws, as well as three resolutions and as many as 85 by-laws," the minister told the press on Tuesday.
The ministry has already set up inter-ministerial working groups tasked to examine the problems of hauliers, find ways for a more effective railway system and regulate relations with Luka Koper, according to State Secretary Peter Verlic.
The resolution on Slovenia's transport policy was withdrawn from procedure upon the change in government. Transport Ministry officials say a new document must be drafted under the coalition agreement, which calls for a balanced transport policy based on the guidelines from the EU's White Paper on alternative means of transport.
The document will serve as a basis to meet goals in transport, such as the reduction of negative effects on the environment, greater safety, optimal accessibility and mobility, adequate quality of services and encouragement of alternatives to road transport.
Once the strategy is passed, the ministry will draft national programmes for air and railway transport, maritime and state roads, the Transport Ministry officials explained.
According to them, the ministry expects to draw SIT 23.17bn (EUR 96.64m) from EU funds in the period between 2005 and 2007, while Slovenia is to secure a further SIT 20.08bn (EUR 83.75m) from the budget.
Apart from relations with Luka Koper, the ministry also plans to regulate property relations with the companies running the Ljubljana and the Maribor airports, the air traffic control service and other companies using state property.
"By attaining those goals, we will gain extra budget revenues on account of rents, while we will also increase the value of the leased or rented property," Bozic explained.
The ministry also identified three priorities in railway transport: the modernisation of the Koper-Divaca railway, the construction of a second track between Divaca and Koper, and the electrification and reconstruction of the railway line between Pragersko and Hodos, in the NE.
The objective of the modernisation is to increase the capacity of the Divaca-Koper railway line from 53 to 81 trains a day, while the cargo capacity is to increase from 8 to 14 million tonnes a year.
The investment is to cost the budget SIT 1.53bn (EUR 6.38m) this year, while a further SIT 3.7bn (EUR 15.43m) is to be earmarked for the construction of the other track.
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