The government decided on Thursday to earmark EUR 682,000 from the budgetary reserves for the repair of houses damaged or destroyed in Sunday's storm. The funds will be distributed through municipal authorities on the basis of their estimates, Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk told the press.
Bajuk added that the final estimate of the damage caused by the storm that hit central and northeastern Slovenia was not known, but that it would certainly exceed 0.03% of the planned budget revenues for 2008, which is a condition for state aid.
Environment Minister Janez Podobnik said that the deadline for the damage estimates was 25 July, and added that the government would, if necessary, make further decisions at correspondence sessions. He believes that the overall damage will surpass EUR 50m.
The Environment Ministry, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, now has to examine the possibilities and scope of necessary measures and the redistribution of funds needed for the recovery of damaged forests and agricultural lands.
The government is also to continue to co-fund insurance premiums and will propose for 2009 an increase in the co-funding of insurance premiums for crops from the current 40% to 50%.
For the removal of damaged forest trees and the construction of forest roads necessary for the intervention, the government will provide EUR 915,000 from budgetary reserves, Podobnik announced.
The Environment Ministry has also been tasked with drafting a plan for the handling of asbestos shingles damaged in the storm. According to Podobnik, the ministry will have to spend EUR 180,000 from its own resources to collect and dispose at least 1,500 tonnes of the toxic shingles.
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