European Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc is due in Slovenia on Friday to present the European Commission's EUR 315bn investment plan. The Slovenian member of the European Commission will also meet PM Miro Cerar and Speaker Milan Brglez.
The investment offensive to boost jobs and growth in Europe aims to mobilise at least EUR 315bn in investment, especially from private sources, over the next three years with EUR 21bn in existing public funds.
So far an indicative list of 2,000 projects worth an estimated EUR 1,300bn has been compiled, including 22 from Slovenia in the total value of EUR 9bn, EUR 2bn of which could be implemented in three years.
Three of the projects proposed by Slovenia are planned to be financed with private funds, four in a public private partnership format, and the rest with public funds.
Bulc will present the plan mainly through the aspect of transport. She has often repeated in recent weeks that there is enough money, but that the main challenge will be to prepare the projects well.
Five of the projects proposed by Slovenia are in transport, including an upgrade on the Koper-Divača railway, a second tube of the Karavanke border tunnel with Austria and a north-south expressway.
The commissioner does not want to comment on individual projects, but says that Slovenia must make its priorities clear and decide which financial levers it will use to implement them.
Bulc will present the investment plan and other financing sources at a joint session of the parliamentary committees on EU affairs, economy, finance and monetary policy, and infrastructure.
Investment will also top talks with her party colleagues Cerar and Brglez. A lunch hosted by Cerar is also expected to be attended by the ministers of infrastructure and cohesion.
On Monday, Bulc will address a seminar on the financing of transport projects in Slovenia, along with InfrastructureMinister Peter Gašperšič.
While in Slovenia, the commissioner is also expected to present her vision of European transport, and the launch of a new European semester, a yearly cycle of economic policy coordination with member states.
One of the topics discussed is also expected to be the European Commission's proceedings against Slovenia due to infringements of the EU law in the field of transport.
Today, Bulc is also due to take part in a seminar on innovation reforms through exchange of experiences between Slovenia and Estonia, to feature EU, Slovenian and Estonian officials.
Source: SloveniaTimes
