The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development is committed to striking an optimum balance between development and protection of nature for the people of Slovenia in the exercise of preparation of the Cohesion Policy Programme 2021-2027 (the Programme). The social consensus on Slovenia’s development is set out in Slovenian Development Strategy 2030 and a number of other strategic documents. Slovenia aims to foster and steer societal development that provides long-term conditions for human health, well-being and quality of life, as well as for the conservation of biodiversity.
The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development is committed to pursuing environmental objectives. Thus, in an effort to ensure that the Programme is designed to minimise the negative environmental impacts, the ministry seeks to have all relevant organisations and institutions that are experts in nature protection or nature protection advocates involved in the programming process from its earliest stages through the exercise of a comprehensive environmental impact assessment.
In order to implement the principles of sustainable development, ensure that the assessment of environmental impacts is comprehensive, and prevent adverse impacts of planned interventions on the environment, the Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development submitted an application to the competent authority, i.e. the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning, already in January 2019 asking it to issue a screening opinion whether a comprehensive environmental impact assessment was required in the Programme preparation and adoption process. The Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning issued an opinion stating that a comprehensive environmental impact assessment was required and that assessment of acceptability of the Programme for protected areas was necessary as well. The Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development also decided to assess the Programme through the lens of the ”do no significant harm principle” in accordance with the requirements of the European Commission.
STEPS OF A COMPREHENSIVE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Comprehensive environmental impact assessment is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Nature Conservation Act and the Decree laying down the content of environmental report and the detailed procedure for the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment (Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, No 73/05). The exercise will be carried out in several steps (updated information will be regularly posted on the website):
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