Strong regions are a development opportunity for Europe and Slovenia, Minister Kirbiš Rojs says
SLOVENIA, October 14 - The aim of the traditional multi-day event, which brought together over 5,000 participants across more than 100 events, is to strengthen cooperation between European cities and regions and explore how cohesion policy can better respond to diverse local and regional needs. This year's event focused on the Right to Stay. Every European should have the right to remain in the place they call home and the freedom to choose where they want to live. Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Cohesion and Reforms stressed that mobility should be a choice, not a necessity driven by circumstances.
“Citizens should have the opportunity to enjoy a good quality of life, work and realise their ambitions in their local communities, regardless of whether they live in urban centres, border areas or less developed regions”, said Minister Kirbiš Rojs in her intervention. In Slovenia, the Right to Stay is an important issue for regional development. Some 140,000 Slovenians daily commute to Ljubljana for work. This places considerable pressure on the capital region, drives up property prices and puts other regions at a disadvantage by contributing to the loss of talent and development potential. The regions most affected by commuting are Gorenjska, Dolenjska and Štajerska.
The Minister participated in the high-level session Cohesion Policy for a Competitive Union and spoke about regions and provinces. The regulatory framework for the establishment of provinces has already been put on the table in the National Assembly. “We have already drawn up a timeline for the establishment of provinces. This needs to be coordinated among the coalition parties and the government. The next step will be to decide which powers should be devolved to lower governance levels, and what level of funding will be required to enable them to carry out these responsibilities. The number of provinces and their territorial scope are secondary considerations. The priority is to discuss and agree on the content itself,” she said.
Data show that disparities between and within regions have widened over the past 20 years, partly exacerbated by growing centralisation. However, strong regions should not be seen as a cost to the country, but rather as an important source of national and European competitiveness. Regional centres across the country should therefore be further strengthened.
“We want the Right to Stay to become a reality. People should have the opportunity to build their future wherever they choose to live. Our vision is to ensure that all citizens have access to quality jobs with higher added value, as well as to quality services and infrastructure, regardless of where they live. This can only be achieved with the support of cohesion policy, the EU’s main investment policy.”
The Minister also spoke about the project IPCEI Tehc4Cure. “Slovenia is the first member state to financially support the implementation of this Important Project of Common European Interest. The project’s Lead Partner, Cosylab from Slovenia, is working together with partners from four other member states to develop an advanced system for real-time imaging, diagnostics and treatment planning. Bringing together 12 companies and research organisations, the project is of strategic importance for Slovenia in advancing technological excellence. It focuses on cancer treatment using radiotherapy, where precision and speed are of utmost importance. The €6.6 million project will be carried out by 2030. It is important that the European Regional Development Fund supports projects like this,” she concluded.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
