PM Confident About Development Potential of SW Region
The southwestern region of Slovenia has good development potential and there is no reason why it should not continue to prosper if it utilises all of this potential, Prime Minister Janez Jansa said on Wednesday.
At a press conference held as part of the government's tour of Kras and the Slovenian part of Istria, Jansa said economic data showed the region exceeded the Slovenian average in terms of prosperity.
The key motors of development of the region are the University of Primorsko and the Port of Koper, he added. Apart from these motors, the region still has a lot of potential that has not been tapped fully, Jansa told the press.
Moreover, the prime minister believes there are some problems that the region must overcome in order to be even more successful. For this very reason, the cabinet met the management of port operator Luka Koper to discuss the development challenges facing the port.
Jansa said that Luka Koper's vision and strategic goals - the management of the company presented both to the government - were very promising.
The question of Luka Koper and its plans for expansion are important not only for the region's development but for the development of numerous sector across Slovenia, Jansa stressed.
Speaking about local opposition to Luka's expansion plans, he said a solution needed to be found that would result in the sustainable development of the port.
Jansa also pledged the government would examine a zoning decree linked to the construction of a second rail line between Koper and Divaca, an important crossroads for cargo transport, at Thursday's session.
The expansion of the port and the construction of the second rail line to Divaca are both demanding projects, he said. According to him, the latter will cost 700 million euros and its realisation depends on private funds.
The line, which the EU has put on its list of transport infrastructure priorities, is crucial for the port's growth, he underscored.
Moreover, Jansa said the government was hoping to resolve the majority of the problems in relations between the port and the state with the bill on public-private partnership. The document is in the works and is expected to be sent to parliament before the year is out, he said.
The tour of the southern part of Primorsko, which included meetings with local politicians, businessmen and the Italian ethnic minority, follows similar visits to the northwestern region around Bovec and the easternmost Prekmurje earlier this year.
Jansa said the government wanted to "manifest its determination to decentralise Slovenia" with such visits.
The prime minister was accompanied on the tour by most of the cabinet.
Three ministers also visited the Lipica Stud Farm to discuss its financial problems with the management.
Culture Minister Vasko Simoniti, Agriculture Minister Marija Lukacic and Environment Minister Janez Podobnik used the opportunity to present the most recent government measures aimed at helping the struggling institution.
Kras and Istria make up for 5.2 percent of Slovenia's total land area, making it one of the country's smaller regions.
The region is one of the richest in the country, with a per capita gross domestic product of 12,170 euros, which is 3 percent above the Slovenian average and second only to central Slovenia.
A total of 6.4 percent of all Slovenian companies are located in the region, including several of Slovenia's biggest corporations, such as Luka Koper, logistics group Intereuropa, food company Droga Kolinska and tourism and energy group Intereuropa.
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