Parliament Committee Endorses Division to Two Cohesion Regions
The parliamentary committee for local government and regional policy endorsed the government's decision to divide Slovenia to two regions for the purposes of EU cohesion funds, as it met in Ljubljana on Tuesday.
The committee meanwhile rejected the proposal of the opposition Liberal Democrats (LDS) that the government should withdraw the proposal that the division enter into force on 2013, which the cabinet has submitted with the European Commission.
LDS lawmaker Cveta Zalokar Orazem thus wondered whether it is really necessary to cement the division to two regions in 2006, when a better option might appear later. Similar concerns were voiced by the opposition National Party (SNS).
However, Minister of Local Government and Regional Policy Ivan Zagar recalled how all the parties had agreed to leave the final decision on the number of regions to the government.
The government had proposed a division to two regions in the run-up to the final talks about the Union's 2007-2013 budget framework late last year.
If a decision on the budget had not been reached, Slovenia would have lost eligibility for a large chunk of cohesion funds in the next budget period due to rapidly growing GDP.
However, a decision was reached in time at the December EU summit and Slovenia will remain eligible for Objective 1 funding, so it is pushing to be divided into two regions after 2013.
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