Slovenia Looking to be Split into Regions for EU Aid
Slovenia is stepping up its calls to be split into three regions when it comes to being consiSdered for EU regional aid. The country is currently classified as a single region, something that could hurt its possibilities for staying entitled to cohesion funds in the future.
Slovenian officials have been calling for Slovenia to be classified as three regions ever since the country was an EU candidate. However, these appeals have not materialised so far.
Recently, these calls have been stepped up, as the country faces the possibility of being rendered illegible for regional funds in the next EU budget period because its average development exceeds 75 percent of the EU average.
In turn, it would like to be treated as three regions in line with the NUTS 2 classification the EU uses for statistical regions. Such a move would allow the less developed regions of Slovenia to remain entitled to EU funds in the future.
For now the EU maintains that Slovenia could be divided into two regions. Meanwhile, Slovenian officials are looking for support in the EU for the three regions proposal.
According to Local Government and Regional Policies Minister Ivan Zagar, there is still a possibility that Slovenia will end up winning with its case.
The European Commission recently expressed willingness to change the country's classification at any time. As a result, Slovenia may be treated as more than one region for the next EU budget period, between 2007 and 2013.
Slovenia meets the criteria for two EU regions according to NUTS 2 classification, which sets the population of a region between 800,000 and 3 million people, although it allows for exceptions.
"Political agreements on this issue with the European Commission and the member states will be the important thing in Slovenia's case," Zagar said.
According to him, Slovenia would like to be treated as three regions - eastern, central and western Slovenia.
Although talks on the next EU budget framework have not reached full steam, Zagar believes there are many possible outcomes to the issue.
Consequently, Slovenia should have ready a number of proposals in a bid to secure the best position it can in obtaining EU regional aid, he said.
"After all, there is always the possibility that, at the end of talks on the next budget framework and cohesion policy, we come to the conclusion that dividing Slovenia into regions doesn't bring benefits."
He admits that it is impossible to say what the division of Slovenia into two regions - as the European Commission is proposing - would mean for the country, given that nothing has been decided about the EU budget framework for 2007-2013.
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