COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT The EU Environmental Implementation Review Country Report - SLOVENIA Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions The EU Environmental Implementation Review: Common Challenges and how to combine efforts to deliver better results
Date: 2017-02-03
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: EU environmental policy, EU initiative, Slovenia, application of EU law, environmental law, environmental protection, pollution control measures

EN 

   EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 3.2.2017  SWD(2017) 57 final   COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT The EU Environmental Implementation Review Country Report - SLOVENIA   Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions The EU Environmental Implementation Review: Common Challenges and how to combine efforts to deliver better results   {COM(2017) 63 final} {SWD(2017) 33 - 56 final} {SWD(2017) 58 - 60 final}  
 
 
Slovenia  2 

This  report  has  been  written  by  the  staff  of  the  Directorate-General  for  Environment,  European 
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Table of Content 

Slovenia  3 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 4 

PART I: THEMATIC AREAS ............................................................................................................................... 6 

1. 

TURNING  THE  EU  INTO  A  CIRCULAR,  RESOURCE-EFFICIENT,  GREEN  AND  COMPETITIVE  LOW-
CARBON ECONOMY ............................................................................................................................... 6 

Developing a circular economy and improving resource efficiency ..................................................... 6 
Waste management .............................................................................................................................. 7 

2. 

PROTECTING, CONSERVING AND ENHANCING NATURAL CAPITAL ..................................................... 10 

Nature and Biodiversity ....................................................................................................................... 10 
Estimating Natural Capital................................................................................................................... 12 
Green Infrastructure ........................................................................................................................... 12 
Soil protection ..................................................................................................................................... 12 
Marine protection ............................................................................................................................... 13 

3. 

ENSURING CITIZENS' HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE .......................................................................... 15 

Air quality ............................................................................................................................................ 15 
Water quality and management ......................................................................................................... 16 
Enhancing the sustainability of cities .................................................................................................. 18 
International agreements ................................................................................................................... 19 

PART II: ENABLING FRAMEWORK: IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS ..................................................................... 20 

4.  MARKET BASED INSTRUMENTS AND INVESTMENT ............................................................................ 20 

Green taxation and environmentally harmful subsidies ..................................................................... 20 
Green Public Procurement .................................................................................................................. 20 
Investments: the contribution of EU funds ......................................................................................... 21 

5. 

EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE AND KNOWLEDGE ...................................................................................... 23 

Public participation and access to justice ........................................................................................... 25 
Access to information, knowledge and evidence ................................................................................ 26 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
Executive summary 

Slovenia  4 

forested  countries  in  the  EU.  Well-preserved  nature 
delivers  multiple  socio-economic  benefits.  However,  it 
requires  a  good  planning  system  and  environmental 
infrastructure to provide necessary safeguards.  

As  regards  compliance  with  the  EU  environmental 
legislation,  Slovenia  still  has  a  relatively  high  number  of 
environmental 
infringement  cases.  To  reverse  this 
situation, it should address its key non-compliance cases.  

Main Challenges 

three  main 

The 
to 
implementation  of  EU  environmental  policy  and  law  in 
Slovenia are: 

challenges  with 

regard 

  Streamlining the legal framework related to planning 
and environmental assessments by ensuring that EU 
respected,  while 
environmental 
administrative  burden  and  barriers  to  investments 
are reduced.   

legislation 

is 

  Preserving Slovenia's extensive Natura 2000 network 
by  integrating  economic  and  nature  considerations 
in  the  planning  and  environmental  assessment 
system.  

  Prioritising  waste-water 

investments 

to 

fulfil 

Slovenia’s Accession Treaty obligations. 

Main Opportunities 

Slovenia  could  perform  better  on  topics  where  there  is 
already a good knowledge base and good practices. This 
applies in particular to: 

  Excelling  further  in  waste  management  to  become 
one of  the EU's top-performing Member States.  
  Accelerating  a  shift  towards  a  circular  economy  as 
part  of 
implementing  Slovenian's  Framework 
Programme  for  the  Transition  to  a  Green  Economy 
and the Smart Specialisation Strategy.  

  Boosting  knowledge  on  circular  economy  among 
small  and  medium  sized-enterprises  (SMEs)  and 
creating 
such 
businesses. 

opportunities 

investment 

for 

About the Environmental Implementation Review 

launched 

reports  describing 

the 
the  Commission 
In  May  2016, 
Environmental  Implementation  Review  (EIR),  a  two-year 
cycle  of  analysis,  dialogue  and  collaboration  to  improve 
the  implementation  of  existing  EU  environmental  policy 
and  legislation1.  As  a  first  step,  the  Commission  drafted 
28 
the  main  challenges  and 
opportunities on environmental implementation for each 
Member  State.  These  reports  are  meant  to  stimulate  a 
positive debate both on shared environmental challenges 
for  the  EU,  as  well  as  on  the  most  effective  ways  to 
address the key implementation gaps. The reports rely on 
the detailed sectoral implementation reports collected or 
issued  by  the  Commission  under  specific  environmental 
legislation  as  well  as  the  2015  State  of  the  Environment 
Report  and  other  reports  by  the  European  Environment 
Agency.  These  reports  will  not  replace  the  specific 
instruments  to  ensure  compliance  with  the  EU  legal 
obligations.  

The  reports  will  broadly  follow  the  outline  of  the  7th 
Environmental Action Programme2 and refer to the 2030 
related 
for  Sustainable  development  and 
Agenda 
Sustainable Development  Goals  (SDGs)3  to  the  extent  to 
which  they  reflect  the  existing  obligations  and  policy 
objectives of EU environmental law4.  

The  main  challenges  have  been  selected  by  taking  into 
account factors such as the importance or the gravity of 
the  environmental  implementation  issue  in  the  light  of 
the  impact  on  the  quality  of  life  of  the  citizens,  the 
distance to target, and financial implications. 

The  reports  accompany  the  Communication  "The  EU 
Environmental  Implementation  Review  2016:  Common 
challenges  and  how  to  combine  efforts  to  deliver  better 
results", which identifies challenges that are common to 
several Member States, provides preliminary conclusions 
on  possible  root  causes  of  implementation  gaps  and 
proposes  joint  actions  to  deliver  better  results.  It  also 
groups in its Annex the actions proposed in each country 
report to improve implementation at national level. 

General profile 

Slovenia's diverse and rich natural environment is its key 
natural  resource.  It  also  has  the  biggest  share  of  land 
area  covered  by  Natura  2000  and  is  one  of  the  most 

1 Communication "Delivering the benefits of EU environmental policies 

through a regular Environmental Implementation Review" 
(COM/2016/ 316 final). 

2 Decision No. 1386/2013/EU of 20 November 2013 on a General Union 
Environmental Action Programme to 2020 "Living well, within the 
limits of our planet".  

3 United Nations, 2015. The Sustainable Development Goals  
4 This EIR report does not cover climate change, chemicals and energy. 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
                                                            
       
 
 
 
Slovenia  5 

Points of Excellence 

Where  Slovenia  leads  in  environmental  implementation, 
it  could  share  its  approaches  more  widely  among  other 
countries. Good examples are: 

  The  best  performing  EU-13  Member  State  in  terms 
of municipal waste recycling with its state-of-the-art 
regional waste management centre in Ljubljana. 
  EU-wide,  Slovenia  boasts  one  of  the  highest 

contributions of revenues from environmental tax.   

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Slovenia  6 

Part I: Thematic Areas 

1. Turning the EU into a circular, resource-efficient, green and 

competitive low-carbon economy 

Figure 1: Resource productivity 2003-157 

Developing  a  circular  economy  and  improving 
resource efficiency 

The 2015 Circular Economy Package emphasizes the need 
to  move  towards  a  lifecycle-driven  ‘circular’  economy, 
with a cascading use of resources and residual waste that 
is  close  to  zero.  This  can  be  facilitated  by  the 
development  of,  and  access  to,  innovative  financial 
instruments and funding for eco-innovation. 

SDG  8  invites  countries  to  promote  sustained,  inclusive 
and  sustainable  economic  growth,  full  and  productive 
employment  and  decent  work  for  all.  SDG  9  highlights 
the  need  to  build  resilient 
infrastructure,  promote 
inclusive  and  sustainable  industrialization  and  foster 
innovation.  SDG 12  encourages countries  to  achieve  the 
sustainable  management  and  efficient  use  of  natural 
resources by 2030. 

Measures towards a circular economy 

Transforming our economies from linear to circular offers 
an  opportunity  to  reinvent  them  and  make  them  more 
sustainable  and  competitive.  This  will 
stimulate 
investments and bring both short and long-term benefits 
for the economy, environment and citizens alike5. 

The  resource  productivity  (how  efficiently  the  economy 
uses  material  resources  to  produce  wealth)6  has  overall 
improved in Slovenia over the last ten years. However, it 
is  still  below  the  EU  average,  especially  contrasted  with 
the EU-15.  In 2015, it reached 1.35 EUR/kg compared to 
the EU average of 2.0 EUR/kg as shown in Figure 1.    

Slovenia faces numerous opportunities and challenges in 
the  transition  towards  a  circular  economy  and  in  eco-
innovation  development.  On  one  hand,  it  is  the  third 
most forested country in Europe, abundant with natural 
capital, and endowed with a high level of biodiversity and 
rich  natural  habitats.  On  the  other  hand,  economic  and 
systemic challenges still remain and do not facilitate and 
encourage the transition towards a circular economy.  

By announcing circular economy and green development 
as  Slovenia’s  strategic  objectives,  the  Government  has 
initiated  the  first  steps  in  creating  the  needed  political 
framework.  

5 European Commission, 2015. Proposed Circular Economy Package 
6 Resource productivity is defined as the ratio between gross domestic 

As part of its circular economy agenda, Slovenia adopted 
the Framework Programme for the Transition to a Green 
Economy8 in October 2015. It sets strategic guidelines for 
developing  new  green  technologies, 
jobs  and  the 
promotion  of  the  Slovenian  knowledge.  Its  measures 
cover  nine  areas:  sustainable  resource  management, 
green  growth,  green  jobs,  green  products  and  services, 
green tax reform, sustainable urban development, green 
public  sector,  green  economy,  and  green  practices  in 
agriculture.  

Slovenia also has a well-developed strategic approach to 
embedding  a  circular  economy  within  the  European 
Structural  and  Investment  Funds  as  part  of  the  national 
Smart Specialisation Strategy9. 

Despite  a  strong  support  to  the  circular  economy  in  the 
Government's  strategic  documents,  it  seems  to  be  still 
challenging  to  operationalise  this  concept.  The  gap 
between  the  declaratory  and  actual  support,  together 
with  the  lack  of  financial  incentives,  was  noted  by  the 
private  sector  as  the  main  barrier  in  the  transition 
towards a circular economy (Vovk, 2016)10. 

SMEs and resource efficiency 

SMEs  provide  63%  of  value  added  and  nearly  73%  of 
employment.  Slovenian  companies  in  general  are  not 
highly  competitive  and  do  not  have  a  very  high  value 

7 Eurostat, Resource productivity, accessed October 2016. 
8 Slovenian Government. 2015, Framework Programme for the 

Transition to a Green Economy 

9 Slovenian Government, 2015. Slovenia’s Smart Specialisation Strategy. 
10 Vovk M., Reuse Ormož, 2016, Interview on barriers and drivers to 

product (GDP) and domestic material consumption (DMC). 

circular economy and eco-innovation in Slovenia. 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
 
                                                            
 
                                                            
added  per  employee,  or  material  and  energy 
productivity.  

changes  in  the  number  of  registered  organisation  since 
October 2015.  

Slovenia  7 

This  situation  could  be 
improved  without  much 
investment.  As  the  Flash  426  Eurobarometer  on  "SMEs, 
resource  efficiency  and  green  markets"11  shows,    a 
quarter  (25%)  of  Slovenian  SMEs  taking 
  resource 
efficiency  actions  did  not  have  to  invest  any  of  their 
turnover on resource efficiency in the last two years (EU 
average  26%);  whereas  58%  of  SMEs  invested  up  to  5% 
(EU28  average  50%).  In  terms  of  type  of  resource-
efficiency  actions,  33%  offered  green  products  and 
services (EU28 average 26%), 44% took measures to save 
energy (EU28 average 59%), 40% minimised waste (EU28 
average 60%), 29% saved water (EU28 average 44%) and 
45% saved materials (EU28 average 54%). From a circular 
economy  perspective,  30%  of  SMEs  took  measures  to 
recycle by reusing material or waste within the company 
(EU28  average  40%),  19%  designed  products  that  are 
easier  to  maintain,  repair  or  reuse  (EU28  average  22%) 
and 20% were able to sell their scrap material to another 
company (EU28 average 25%).   

The above measures allowed the reduction of production 
costs in 61% of the Slovenia' SMEs (EU28 average 45%). 

The  same  Eurobarometer  shows  that  Slovenia  has  an 
average  number  of  2.0  full  time  green  employees  per 
SME (EU28 average 1.7)12.  

Eco-innovation 

The  overall  Eco-IS  composite  index  2015  for  Slovenia  is 
96 (Figure 2), placing Slovenia on the 16th place in the EU 
ranking  of  eco-innovative  countries,  with  Denmark, 
Finland, and Ireland as the leaders. In comparison to the 
2014  and  2013  scoreboard,  Slovenia’s  composite  index 
has  increased.  Namely,  in  2014  and  2013  Slovenia 
performed  below  the  EU  average  but  with  an  index  of 
74.3 in 2013 and 90.7 in 2014. Slovenia ranked 15th and 
16th in 2013 and 2014 respectively (though caution must 
be  used  when  comparing  2015  and  2014  indices  with 
2013 
is  being  reviewed 
constantly,  and  potential  new  data  sources  to  improve 
the  indicators  in  the  scoreboard  are  screened  in  every 
round of updates). 

indices,  as  the  scoreboard 

Slovenia has 10 EMAS registered organisations, which is a 
quite low with respect to the total of 4034 organisations 
that  hold  a  registration.  There  have  not  been  any 

11 European Commission, 2015. Flash 426 Eurobarometer "SMEs, 

resource efficiency and green markets". 

12 The Flash 426 Eurobarometer "SMEs, resource efficiency and green 

markets" defines "green job" as a job that directly deals with 
information, technologies, or materials that preserves or restores 
environmental quality. This requires specialised skills, knowledge, 
training, or experience (e.g. verifying compliance with environmental 
legislation, monitoring resource efficiency within the company, 
promoting and selling green products and services). 

Concerning  the  EU  Eco-label,  Slovenia  has  14  licenses, 
which is quite a low number compared to the 1875 total 
number of licenses.  
Figure 2: Eco-Innovation Index 2015 (EU=100)13 

Suggested action 

  Decrease  the  discrepancies  between  the  adopted  and 

implemented measures. 

Waste management  

Turning waste into a resource requires: 
 

implementation  of  Union  waste 

Full 
legislation, 
which  includes  the  waste  hierarchy;  the  need  to 
ensure  separate  collection  of  waste;  the  landfill 
diversion targets etc. 

  Reducing  per  capita  waste  generation  and  waste 

 

generation in absolute terms. 
Limiting energy recovery to non-recyclable materials 
recyclable  or 
and  phasing  out 
recoverable waste. 

landfilling  of 

SDG  12  invites  countries  to  substantially  reduce  waste 
generation  through  prevention,  reduction,  recycling  and 
reuse, by 2030. 

13 Eco-innovation Observatory: Eco-Innovation scoreboard 2015. 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
                                                            
 
                                                            
Slovenia  8 

Figure  3  depicts  the  municipal  waste  by  treatment  in 
terms  of  kg  per  capita.  It  shows  an  increase  of  recycling 
rates,  composting  and  incineration,  and  a  decrease  in 
landfilling.  

This  is  mainly  due  to  the  country's  overall  effort  to 
change their waste management policy and move from a 
nearly  all-landfilling  (landfilling  rate  was  75%  in  2007) 
towards  predominantly  recycling  society.    According  to 
the latest Eurostat data (2014), the landfilling rate is 39%. 

As shown in Figure 4, Slovenia's material recycling rate is 
61%  if  waste  treated  is  taken  as  denominator  (49%  if 
generation  is  taken  as  denominator),  Slovenia  seems  to 
be  on  the  right  path  towards  meeting  the  '2020'  50% 
recycling target18. 
Figure 4: Recycling rate of municipal waste 2007-1419 

The EU's approach to waste management is based on the 
"waste  hierarchy"  which  sets  out  an  order  of  priority 
when  shaping  waste  policy  and  managing  waste  at  the 
operational 
level:  prevention,  (preparing  for)  reuse, 
recycling,  recovery  and,  as  the  least  preferred  option, 
disposal  (which 
incineration 
without energy recovery). The progress towards reaching 
recycling 
the  adoption  of  adequate 
WMP/WPP14  should  be  the  key  items  to  measure  the 
performance  of  Member  States.  This  section  focuses  on 
management  of  municipal  waste  for  which  EU  law  sets 
mandatory recycling targets. 

landfilling  and 

targets  and 

includes 

Slovenia  made  very  good  progress  as  concerns  waste 
management  in  the  past  years.  According  to  the  2014 
data reported to Eurostat, its municipal waste15 recycling 
rates  are  among  the  highest  in  the  EU  (61%),  and  have 
more  than  doubled  since  2007.  However,  this  recycling 
rate is calculated based on the amount of waste treated 
and  for  Slovenia  the  gap  between  waste  generated  and 
treated  is  very  large  (approx.  40%  in  2014)  due  to 
incomplete  coverage  of  outputs  from  pre-treatment  of 
waste16. If the recycling rate was calculated based on the 
amount of waste generated, it would be 36%.  

Nevertheless, despite the  data  uncertainty, Slovenia  can 
still  be  a  useful  example  to  other  Member  States, 
showing  how  to 
in  a 
relatively short time-frame.  

improve  waste  management 

Figure  3:  Municipal  waste  by  treatment  in  Slovenia 
2007-1417 

generated  by  municipalities 

However,  recent  studies20  show  that  the  amount  of 
waste 
and  waste 
management  performance  in  individual  municipalities 
vary  considerably.  To  a  certain  extent,  they  depend  on 
the  lifestyle  and  awareness  of  residents,  the  available 
capacities  for  waste  disposal,  and  the  willingness  of 
municipalities to find new solutions. On average, 432 kg 
of  municipal  waste  is  produced  per  person,  per  year  in 
Slovenia  —  more  than  one  kg  per  day.  However,  large 
quantities  of  waste  are  not  necessarily  related  to  the 
urban way of life. More than 450 kg of waste per resident 
is  generated  in  seven  out  of  eleven  municipalities,  but 
less  than  2,000 
also 
in 
residents21. 

four  municipalities  with 

14 Waste Management Plans/Waste Prevention Programmes. 
15 Municipal waste consists of waste collected by or on behalf of 

municipal authorities, or directly by the private sector (business or 
private non-profit institutions) not on behalf of municipalities. 

16 The issue has been spotted by the Slovenian Court of Auditors which 
suggested that the data is not reliable due to inaccurate records 
being kept by the ministries. 

17 Eurostat, Municipal waste and treatment, by type of treatment 

18 Member States may choose a different method than the one used by 
ESTAT (and referred to in this report) to calculate their recycling rates 
and track compliance with the 2020 target of 50% recycling of 
municipal waste. 

19 Eurostat, Recycling rate of municipal waste, accessed October 2016 
20 European Commission, 2016. Support to Implementation – The 

Commission helps eight Member States to improve their municipal 
waste management, Slovenia country factsheet 

21Dvorsak S., Ekart J., Kroslin T., 2011. Balkwaste –National Report 

method, accessed October 2016 

Slovenia 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
                                                            
 
                                                            
Slovenia  9 

over EUR 220 million. Moving towards the targets of the 
Roadmap  on  resource  efficiency  could  create  over  2600 
additional  jobs  and  increase  the  annual  turnover  of  the 
waste sector by over EUR 270 million24.  

Suggested action  

  Introduce  economic  instruments  to  increase  the  costs 
of  residual  waste  treatment,  e.g.  by  increasing  the 
current rate of landfill tax, or by introducing a residual 
waste tax on the other non-recycled outputs from MBT 
systems (including outputs to thermal treatment). 

  Improve  data  on  waste  management-  including  issues 
of  consistency  between  different  sources  and  a  large 
gap between waste generated and treated.  

  Extend and improve the cost-effectiveness, monitoring 
and  transparency  of  existing  EPR  schemes  and 
eliminate free-riding (situations where some producers 
do not adequately comply with their obligations under 
EPR). 

In  2013,  Slovenia  adopted  a  WMP  for  the  municipal 
waste.  However,  this  Plan  did  not  cover  other  waste 
streams.  Slovenia  also  failed  to  adopt  a  WPP  by  12 
December  2013,  as  required  by  the  Waste  Framework 
Directive. Following an infringement procedure, Slovenia 
adopted an integrated WMP and a WPP on 30 June 2016.    

Irrespective  of  delays  in  adoption  of  plans,  there  have 
in  waste 
been 
management. 

several  positive  developments 

is 

For  example,  the  national  legislation  for  separate  bio-
in  place.  In  this  respect,  many 
waste  collection 
municipalities  and  communities  introduced  a  frequency 
of  collection  and  door  to  door  collection  systems.  Many 
local authorities have put in place collection systems that 
exceed  the  requirements  of  the  national  legislation. 
NGOs  have  been  very  active  in  the  waste  sector;  as  a 
result,  a  number  of  municipalities  and  communities 
(including  the  city  of  Ljubljana)  have  developed  Zero 
Waste  policies,  with  more  working  towards  the  same 
achievement.  A  recent  study22  assessing  separate 
collection  in  EU  capitals  rated  Ljubljana  as  the  best 
performing capital in the EU.   

Pay as you throw systems were also introduced. Although 
the  adopted  approach  is  a  relatively  simple  one,  and  it 
applies charges to the residual and bio-waste bins. 

As  regards  the  waste  infrastructure,  the  Regional  Waste 
Management  Centre  in  Ljubljana  (RCERO  Ljubljana23)  is 
one  of  the  most  modern  waste  treatment  facilities  in 
Europe.  It  is  also  the  biggest  environmental  project  in 
Slovenia  in  terms  of  its  budget  (co-financed  by  the 
It 
Cohesion  Policy)  and  waste  treatment  capacity. 
comprises 37 municipalities and serves as a good practice 
example  of  cooperation  among  municipalities.  It  would 
further contribute to diverting waste from landfilling. 

It is projected that the full implementation of the existing 
legislation could create more than 2100 jobs in Slovenia 
and increase the annual turnover of the waste sector by 

22 BIPRO, 2015. Assessment of separate collection schemes in the 28 

24 Bio Intelligence service, 2011. Implementing EU Waste legislation for 

capitals of the EU 
23 RCERO Ljubjana, 2015 

Green Growth, study for the European Commission. 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
                                                            
 
                                                            
 
2. Protecting, conserving and enhancing natural capital 

Slovenia  10 

Nature and Biodiversity  

The  EU  Biodiversity  Strategy  aims  to  halt  the  loss  of 
biodiversity  in  the  EU  by  2020,  restore  ecosystems  and 
their services in so far as feasible, and step up efforts to 
avert  global  biodiversity  loss.  The  EU  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives  aim  at  achieving  favourable  conservation 
status of protected species and habitats.  

SDG  14  requires  countries  to  conserve  and  sustainably 
use the oceans, seas and marine resources, while SDG 15 
requires  countries  to  protect,  restore  and  promote  the 
sustainable  use  of  terrestrial  ecosystems,  sustainably 
manage  forests,  combat  desertification,  and  halt  and 
reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. 

The  1992  EU  Habitats  Directive  and  the  1979  Birds 
Directive are the cornerstone of the European legislation 
aimed  at  the  conservation  of  the  EU's  wildlife.  Natura 
2000, the largest coordinated network of protected areas 
in  the  world,  is  the  key  instrument  to  achieve  and 
implement the Directives' objectives to ensure the  long-
term  protection,  conservation  and  survival  of  Europe's 
most  valuable  and  threatened  species  and  habitats  and 
the ecosystems they underpin. 

The  adequate  designation  of  protected  sites  as  Special 
Ares  of  Conservation  (SAC)  under  the  Habitats  Directive 
and  as  Special  Protection  Areas  (SPA)  under  the  Birds 
Directive 
is  a  key  milestone  towards  meeting  the 
objectives  of  the  Directives.  The  results  of  Habitats 
Directive Article 17 and Birds Directive Article 12 reports 
and  the  progress  towards  adequate  Sites  of  Community 
Importance (SCI)-SPA and SAC designation25 both in land 
and  at  sea,  should  be  the  key  items  to  measure  the 
performance of Member States. 

Slovenia  designated  the  Natura  2000  network  in  2004 
upon  the  accession  to  the  EU,  with  subsequent 
amendments. By early 2016, Slovenia has designated 355 
Natura  2000  sites. They  include  324  Sites  of  Community 
Importance  (SCI)  under  the  Habitats  Directive  and  31 
Special Protection Areas (SPA) under the Birds Directive, 
together  covering  37.9%  of  the  land  area  (which  is  the 
largest percentage of MS land area in the EU, EU average 
18.1%) and 10.6 km² of marine waters. 

The latest assessment of the SCI part of the Natura 2000 
network shows that there are still some insufficiencies in 
the  designation  for  the  marine  components  of  the 

25 Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) are designated pursuant to the 
Habitats Directive whereas Special Areas of Protection (SPAs) are 
designated pursuant to the Birds Directive; figures of coverage do 
not add up due to the fact that some SCIs and SPAs overlap. Special 
Areas of Conservation (SACs) means a SCI designated by the Member 
States. 

network26 (see Figure 527). This problem is being followed 
up by the Commission's infringement action. 

Figure  5:  Sufficiency  assessment  of  SCI  networks  in 
Slovenia  based  on  the  situation  until  December  2013 
(%)28  

through 

All  sites  have  been  designated  as  Special  Areas  of 
Conservation  (SACs),  but  the  implementation  on  the 
ground  and  enforcement 
sanctions  and 
inspections are still an issue of concern.  For example, in 
the  recently  adopted  management  plan  for  the  Triglav 
National Park, the only national park in Slovenia and one 
of  the  oldest  in  the  EU,  and  which  is  to  a  large  extent 
covered  by  the  Natura  2000,  the  inefficiency  of  the 
inspections  and 
the 
legislation  were  identified  among  main  challenges29.  In 
order  to  ensure  the  effective  management  of  Natura 
2000  sites,  the  management  plan  includes  a  number  of 
activities such as regular monitoring, drafting of an action 
plan for biodiversity conservation and implementation of 

implementation  of 

inefficient 

26For each Member State, the Commission assesses whether the species 
and habitat types on Annexes I and II of the Habitats Directive, are 
sufficiently represented by the sites designated to date. This is 
expressed as a percentage of species and habitats for which further 
areas need to be designated in order to complete the network in that 
country. The current data, which were assessed in 2014-2015, reflect 
the situation up until December 2013. 

27 The percentages in Figure 5 refer to percentages of the total number 
of assessments (one assessment covering 1 species or 1 habitat in a 
given biographical region with the Member State); if a habitat type or 
a species occurs in more than 1 Biogeographic region within a given 
Member State, there will be as many individual assessments as there 
are Biogeographic regions with an occurrence of that species or 
habitat in this Member State. 

28 European Commission internal assessment. 
29 Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, no. 34 of 11.5.2016. 

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direct  control  in  nature.  However  the  success  of  the 
implementation of these measures is yet to be judged. 

As  regards  conservation  objectives  and  measures, 
Slovenia has used LIFE programme co-financing to set up 
the management framework for these sites – i.e. Natura 
2000 Management Programme for 2014-2020. 

The  complaints  regarding  the  implementation  of  the 
nature  directives  mostly  concern  the  degradation  of 
designated  sites 
(for  example  due  to  agricultural 
activities  not  in  line  with  conservation  objectives  of  the 
sites)  and  bad  quality  of  appropriate assessments  under 
Article 6(3). 

The  lack  of  awareness  among  some  stakeholder  groups 
and  sectors  about  the  requirements  of  EU  nature 
legislation  and  the  benefits  of  Natura  2000  network,  as 
well  as  the  lack  of  willingness  to  support  effective 
integration  with  other  policies,  are  major  obstacles  to 
achieving  the  objectives  of  the  nature  directives  and 
biodiversity targets in Slovenia. 

Figure 6: Conservation status of habitats and species in 
Slovenia in 2007/2013 (%)30 

Slovenia  11 

indicate a favourable conservation status32 (EU 27: 16%). 
Furthermore,  28%  are  considered  to  be  unfavourable–
inadequate (EU27: 47%) and 28% are unfavourable – bad 
(EU27: 30%). As for the species, 29% of the assessments 
(EU  27:  23%)  41%  at 
favourable 
were 
unfavourable-inadequate 
11% 
unfavourable-bad status (EU27: 18%). This is depicted in 
Figure  633.  There  is  an  increase  in  number  of  habitat 
types  in  the  unfavourable-bad  status  and  evidence  that 
agriculture is posing increasing threats to habitats.  

in  2013 

(EU27: 

42%) 

and 

According to the latest report on the implementation of 
the  Birds  Directive34,  24%  of  breeding  bird  species  and 
15%  of  wintering  birds  have  a  decreasing  short-term 
population trends. This is depicted in Figure 7. 

Figure  7:  Short-term  population  trend  of  breeding  and 
wintering bird species in Slovenia in 2012 (%)35 

Suggested action 

  Complete the Natura 2000 designation process (in the 
marine  environment)  and  put  in  place  the  necessary 
conservation  measures  which  correspond  to  the 
conservation objectives of the sites, ensuring adequate 
in  order  to 
resources 
maintain/restore  species  and  habitats  of  community 
interest to a favourable conservation status.  

implementation 

for  their 

  Implement  fully  conservation  measures  in  all  Natura 
to  adapting 
sites  where 

2000  sites,  with  special  attention 
the 
agricultural  practices  within 

According to the latest report on the conservation status 
of habitats and species covered by the Habitats Directive 
(covering  the  period  2007-12)31,  only  43%  of  the 
assessments  for  habitat  types  and  29%  for  species 

30 These figures show the percentage of biogeographical assessments in 
each category of conservation status for habitats and species (one 
assessment covering 1 species or 1 habitat in a given biographical 
region with the Member State), respectively. The information is 
based on Article 17 of the Habitats Directive reporting - national 
summary of Slovenia 

31 The core of the ‘Article 17’ report is the assessment of conservation 
status of the habitats and species targeted by the Habitats Directive. 

32 Conservation status is assessed using a standard methodology as 

being either ‘favourable’, ‘unfavourable-inadequate’ and 
‘unfavourable-bad’, based on four parameters as defined in Article 1 
of the Habitats Directive. 

33 Please note that a direct comparison between 2007 and 2013 data is 
complicated by the fact that Bulgaria and Romania were not covered 
by the 2007 reporting cycle, that the ‘unknown’ assessments have 
strongly diminished particularly for species, and that some reported 
changes are not genuine as they result from improved data / 
monitoring methods. 

34 Article 12 of the Birds Directive requires Member States to report 
about the progress made with the implementation of the Birds 
Directive. 

35 Article 12 of the Birds Directive reporting - national summary of 

Slovenia 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
                                                            
 
                                                            
site  management 

conservation  status  of  habitats  and/or  species  are 
experiencing a decline due to agricultural activities. 
  Build  capacity  of  the  competent  authorities  (central, 
regional, 
the 
management of Natura 2000 sites and implementation 
of  nature  directives. 
the  quality  and 
availability  of  data  on  the  conservation  status  of 
habitats  and  species.  Strengthen  communication  with 
stakeholders. 

Improve 

bodies) 

for 

Estimating Natural Capital  

The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 calls on the Member 
States  to  map  and  asses  the  state  of  ecosystems  and 
their services36 in their national territory by 2014, assess 
the  economic  value  of  such  services,  and  promote  the 
integration of these values into accounting and reporting 
systems at EU and national level by 2020. 

Slovenia has only joined the EU initiative on Mapping and 
Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES)37 in 
2016. The work on capital accounting is at an initial stage 
of development. 

Suggested action 

  Engage  and  provide  government  support  for  the 
mapping  and  assessment  of  ecosystems  and  their 
services,  valuation  work  and  develop  natural  capital 
accounting systems. 

Green Infrastructure 
The  EU  strategy  on  green  infrastructure38  promotes  the 
incorporation  of  green  infrastructure  into  related  plans 
and  programmes  to  help  overcome  fragmentation  of 
habitats  and  preserve  or  restore  ecological  connectivity, 
enhance  ecosystem  resilience  and  thereby  ensure  the 
continued provision of ecosystem services. 

Green  Infrastructure  provides  ecological,  economic  and 
social  benefits  through  natural  solutions.  It  helps  to 
understand the value of the benefits that nature provides 
to human society and to mobilise investments to sustain 
and enhance them. 

The mainstreaming of the Green Infrastructure objectives 
into sectoral planning is still insufficient, although Green 
Infrastructure  topics 
(green  areas,  restoration  and 
preservation of landscapes, etc.) are explicitly highlighted 
in  both  the  Spatial  Development  Strategy  and  the 
Slovenian  Communication  on  Climate  Change.  The 
in  the 
low  uptake  of  Green  Infrastructure 
current 
agricultural  land,  combined  with  the  low  uptake  of  the 

36 Ecosystem services are benefits provided by nature such as food, 
clean water and pollination on which human society depends. 

37 BISE, MAES –related developments in Slovenia 
38 European Union, Green Infrastructure — Enhancing Europe’s Natural 

Capital, COM/2013/0249 

Slovenia  12 

is  a  barrier  to 
existing  agri-environment  measures, 
effective  preservation  of  the  lowland  and  open  area 
biodiversity.  There  seems  to  be  also  a 
lack  of 
understanding  of  the  potential  benefits  from  the  Green 
Infrastructure  and  the  enhanced  quality  of  life  it  could 
guarantee, if adequately managed. 

Soil protection 

further  soil  degradation  and 

The  EU  Soil  Thematic  Strategy  highlights  the  need  to 
ensure  a  sustainable  use  of  soils.  This  requires  the 
the 
prevention  of 
preservation of its functions, as well as the restoration of 
degraded  soils.  The  2011  Road  Map  for  Resource-
Efficient  Europe,  part  of  Europe  2020  Strategy  provides 
that  by  2020,  EU  policies  take  into  account  their  direct 
and  indirect  impact  on  land  use  in  the  EU  and  globally, 
and  the  rate  of  land  take  is  on  track  with  an  aim  to 
achieve no net land take by 2050. 

SDG  15  requires  countries  to  combat  desertification, 
restore degraded land and soil, including land affected by 
desertification, drought and floods, and strive to achieve 
a land-degradation-neutral world by 2030. 

Soil is an important resource for life and the economy. It 
provides  key  ecosystem  services  including  the  provision 
of food, fibre and biomass for renewable energy, carbon 
sequestration,  water  purification  and  flood  regulation, 
the provision of raw and building material. Soil is a finite 
and  extremely 
increasingly 
degrading  in  the  EU.  Land  taken  by  urban  development 
and infrastructure is highly unlikely to be reverted to its 
natural  state;  it  consumes  mostly  agricultural  land  and 
increases  fragmentation  of  habitats.  Soil  protection  is 
indirectly  addressed  in  existing EU policies  in  areas  such 
as  agriculture,  water,  waste,  chemicals,  and  prevention 
of industrial pollution. 

resource  and 

fragile 

Artificial  land  cover  is  used  for  settlements,  production 
systems and infrastructure. It may itself be split between 
built-up areas (buildings) and non-built-up areas (such as 
linear transport networks and associated areas). 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
                                                            
 
The percentage of built up land in 2009 was 1.85%, below 
the EU average (3.23%)39. 

The  annual  land  take  rate  (growth  of  artificial  areas)  as 
provided  by  CORINE  Land  Cover  was  0.15%  in  Slovenia 
over  the  period  2006-12  compared  to  the  EU  average 
(0.41%). It represented 90 hectares per year40.  

The soil water erosion rate in 2010 was  7.45 tonnes per 
ha per year, well above EU-28 average (2.46 tonnes)41. 

There  are  still  not  EU-wide  datasets  enabling  the 
provision of benchmark indicators for soil organic matter 
decline, contaminated sites, pressures on soil biology and 
diffuse  pollution.  An  updated  inventory  and  assessment 
of  soil  protection  policy  instruments  in  Slovenia  and 
other  EU  Member  States  is  being  performed  by  the  EU 
Expert Group on Soil Protection. 

Figure 8 shows the different land cover types in Slovenia 
in 2012. 
Figure 8: Land Cover types in Slovenia in 201242 

Slovenia  13 

Marine protection 

The EU Coastal and Marine Policy and legislation require 
that by 2020 the impact of pressures on marine waters is 
reduced  to  achieve  or  maintain  good  environmental 
status and coastal zones are managed sustainably. 

SDG  14  requires  countries  to  conserve  and  sustainably 
use 
for 
the  oceans,  seas  and  marine  resources 
sustainable development. 
The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) 43 aims 
to  achieve  Good  Environmental  Status  (GES)  of  the  EU's 
marine  waters  by  2020  by  providing  an  ecosystem 
approach  to  the  management  of  human  activities  with 
impact  on  the  marine  environment.  The  Directive 
requires  Member  States  to  develop  and  implement  a 
marine  strategy  for  their  marine  waters,  and  cooperate 
with  Member  States  sharing  the  same  marine  region  or 
subregion. 

As part of their marine strategies, Member States had to 
make  an  initial  assessment  of  their  marine  waters, 
determine  GES44  and  establish  environmental  targets  by 
July  2012.  They  also  had  to  establish  monitoring 
programmes for the on-going assessment of their marine 
waters  by  July  2014.  The  next  element  of  their  marine 
is  the  establishment  of  a  Programme  of 
strategy 
Measures  (2016).  The  Commission  assesses  whether 
these  elements  constitute  an  appropriate  framework  to 
meet the requirements of the MSFD. 

(Barcelona 

Convention)45. 

Slovenian  marine  waters  are  part  of  the  Mediterranean 
sea  marine  region  and  of  the  Adriatic  Sea  sub-region. 
Slovenia is party to the Convention for the Protection of 
the  Marine  Environment  and  the  Coastal  Region  of  the 
Mediterranean 
The 
Mediterranean Sea region has been identified by the EEA 
in its 2015 State of the Environment report as one of the 
main  climate  change  hotspots  (i.e.  one  of  the  most 
responsive  areas  to  climate  change)  due  to  water 
scarcity,  concentration  of  economic  activities  in  coastal 
areas,  and  reliance  on  climate-sensitive  agriculture.  The 
invasive  alien  species  presents  an 
introduction  of 
important  threat  in  the  Mediterranean  Sea  Region  with 
the  number  of invasive  alien 
increasing 
significantly since 1970. Finally, the unique biodiversity of 
the  Mediterranean  Sea  Region  is  also  threatened  by 
pollution from land-based sources, such as discharges of 
excess nutrients and hazardous substances, marine litter, 
over-fishing, and degradation of critical habitats. 

species 

39 European Environment Agency, 2016. Imperviousness and 

imperviousness change 

40 European Environment Agency Draft results of CORINE Land Cover 

(CLC) inventory 2012; mean annual land take 2006-12 as a % of 2006 
artificial land. 

41 Eurostat, Soil water erosion rate, Figure 2, accessed November 2016 
42 European Environment Agency, Land cover 2012 and changes country 

analysis [publication forthcoming] 

Slovenia's  determination  of  GES  in  2013  was  generally 
vague  and  in  most  cases  not  fully  consistent  with  the 

43 European Union, Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC 
44 The MSFD defines Good Environmental Status (GES) in Article 3 as: 
"The environmental status of marine waters where these provide 
ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are clean, 
healthy and productive”. 

45 http://195.97.36.231/dbases/webdocs/BCP/bc95_Eng_p.pdf 

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Slovenia  14 

environmental  targets  that  were  set.  The  list  of  species 
selected  by  Slovenia  as  covered  by  their  GES  definition 
included only protected/ listed habitats, it did not cover 
fish or cephalopods. Not all descriptors were sufficiently 
lacked  thresholds  or 
defined  and  were  high-level, 
reference  values,  and  did  not  go  beyond  existing 
legislation46.  Slovenia  has  since  then  been  working  with 
other  Mediterranean  countries  within  the  Barcelona 
Convention to correct some of these deficiencies.  

However,  it  is  still  too  early  to  say  whether  Slovenian 
waters  are in  a  good  state as  there  were  weaknesses  in 
identifying what GES is in the first place. 

Slovenia  has  established  a  monitoring  programme  of  its 
marine  waters 
in  2014.  However,  the  monitoring 
programme  needs  further  refinement.  In  particular,  it  is 
necessary  to  develop  approaches  for  assessing  impacts 
from  the  main  pressures,  in  order  to  lead  to  improved 
and  more  conclusive  assessment  results  for  2018,  when 
the next assessment of marine waters is due. 

In 2012, Slovenian marine protected areas covered 229.9 
square  kilometers  of  its  marine  waters  in  the  Adriatic 
Sea47. 
In  its  reports on  the  implementation  of  the  MSFD48,  the 
Commission  provided  guidance  to  assist  Slovenia  in  its 
implementation of the MSFD. 

Suggested action 

  Continue  work  to  improve  the  definitions  of  GES  in 
particular 
including 
for  biodiversity  descriptors, 
through regional cooperation by using the work of the 
relevant Regional Sea Convention. 

  Address knowledge gaps. 
  Continue to integrate monitoring programmes already 
existing  under  other  EU  legislation  and  to  implement 
joint  monitoring 
at 
(sub)regional level.  

programmes 

developed 

  Enhance  comparability  and  consistency  of  monitoring 

methods within the country's marine region. 

  Urgently 

report  and 

implement 

the  national 

programme of measures49. 

  Ensure that the monitoring programme is implemented 
without  delay,  addresses  all  descriptors  and 
is 
towards  GES.
to  monitor  progress 
appropriate 

46 Report from the Commission "The first phase of implementation of 
the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) - The 
European Commission's assessment and guidance" COM(2014)097 
47 2012 Data provided by the European Environmental – Not published. 
48 Report from the Commission "The first phase of implementation of 
the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) - The 
European Commission's assessment and guidance" COM(2014)097 
and Commission Staff Working Document Accompanying the 
Commission Report assessing Member States' monitoring 
programmes under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 
(COM(2017)3 and SWD(2017)1 final) 

49 As of 7.10.2016, SI had not yet reported its programme of measures 

to the Commission. 

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Slovenia  15 

3. Ensuring citizens' health and quality of life 

Air quality 

The  EU  Clean  Air  Policy  and  legislation  require  that  air 
quality  in  the  Union  is  significantly  improved,  moving 
closer  to  the  WHO  recommended  levels.  Air  pollution 
and its impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity should be 
further reduced with the long-term aim of not exceeding 
critical  loads  and  levels.  This  requires  strengthening 
efforts  to  reach  full  compliance  with  Union  air  quality 
legislation  and  defining  strategic  targets  and  actions 
beyond 2020. 

the  currently  applicable  national  emission 

within 
ceilings52.  

At the same time, air quality in Slovenia continues to give 
causes  for  concern.  For  the  year  2013,  the  European 
Environment  Agency  estimated  that  about  1  960 
premature  deaths  were  attributable  to  fine  particulate 
matter53  concentrations,  100  to  ozone54  concentration 
and over 150 to nitrogen dioxide55 concentrations56. This 
is due to exceedances above the EU air quality standards 
such as shown in Figure 957.   

The  EU  has  developed  a  comprehensive  suite  of  air 
legislation50,  which  establishes  health-based 
quality 

The  PM10 
in  Slovenia  have  been  decreasing 
between  2006  and  2014  throughout  all  zones  and 

levels 

Figure 9: Attainment situation for PM10, NO2 and O3 in 2014 

that  up-to-date 

standards  and  objectives  for  a  number  of  air  pollutants. 
As  part  of  this,  Member  States  are  also  required  to 
ensure 
information  on  ambient 
concentrations  of  different  air  pollutants  is  routinely 
made  available  to  the  public.  In  addition,  the  National 
for  emission 
Emission  Ceilings  Directive  provides 
reductions  at  national  level  that  should  be  achieved  for 
main pollutants. 

The  emission  of  several  air  pollutants  has  decreased 
significantly in Slovenia51. Reductions between 1990 and 
2014  for  sulphur  oxides  (-96%),  nitrogen  oxides  (-42%), 
ammonia  (-20%)  as  well  as  volatile  organic  compounds 
(-56%) ensure that air emissions for these pollutants are 

50 European Commission, 2016. Air Quality Standards. 
51 See EIONET Central Data Repository and Air pollutant emissions data 

viewer (NEC Directive) 

52 The current national emission ceilings apply since 2010 (Directive 
2001/81/EC); revised ceilings for 2020 and 2030 have been set by 
Directive (EU) 2016/2284 on the reduction of national emissions of 
certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 2003/35/EC and 
repealing Directive 2001/81/EC. 

53 Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of aerosol particles (solid and 
liquid) covering a wide range of sizes and chemical compositions. 
PM10 (PM2.5) refers to particles with a diameter of 10 (2.5) 
micrometres or less. PM is emitted from many anthropogenic 
sources, including combustion. 

54 Low level ozone is produced by photochemical action and it is also a 

greenhouse gas. 

55 NOx is emitted during fuel combustion e.g. from industrial facilities 
and the road transport sector. NOx is a group of gases comprising 
nitrogen monoxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). 

56 European Environment Agency, 2016. Air Quality in Europe – 2016 
Report. (Table 10.2, please see details in this report as regards the 
underpinning methodology) 

57 Based on European Environment Agency, 2016. Air Quality in Europe 

– 2016 Report. (Figures 4.1, 5.1 and 6.1) 

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in  Slovenia.  However, 

for  2014, 
agglomerations 
exceedances  of  PM10  daily  limit  values  have  still  been 
registered  in  one  air  quality  zone  (Continental  zone  – 
SIC). Furthermore, for several air quality zones, the target 
regarding  ozone 
values  and 
concentration are not being met58.  

long-term  objectives 

The  persistent  breaches  of  air  quality  requirements  (for 
PM10), which have severe negative effects on health and 
environment,  are  being  followed  up  by  the  European 
Commission  through  infringement  procedures  covering 
all the Member States concerned, including Slovenia. The 
aim  is  that  adequate  measures  are put  in place  to  bring 
all zones into compliance. 

In  addition  it  is  worth  noting  that  in  several  zones,  the 
number and type of air quality monitoring stations is not 
complying with the EU rules. The Cohesion Policy funding 
is also aimed at addressing this problem and the project 
on acquiring proper monitoring equipment for key cities 
in Slovenia is an advanced stage of preparation.  

It is estimated that the health-related external costs from 
air  pollution  in  Slovenia  are above EUR  988  million/year 
(income  adjusted,  2010),  which  include  not  only  the 
intrinsic  value  of  living  a  full  health  life  but  also  direct 
costs to the economy. These direct economic costs relate 
to 511 thousand workdays lost each year due to sickness 
related  to  air  pollution,  with  associated  costs  for 
employers  of  EUR  50  million/year  (income  adjusted, 
2010),  for  healthcare  of  above  EUR  3.6  million/year 
(income adjusted, 2010), and for agriculture (crop losses) 
of EUR 21 million/year (2010)59. 

Suggested action 

  Maintain  downward  emissions  trends  of  air  pollutants 
in order to achieve full compliance with air quality limit 
values  -  and  reduce  adverse  air  pollution  impacts  on 
health, environment and economy. 

  Reduce PM10 emission and concentration, inter alia, by 
reducing  emissions  related  to  energy  and  heat 
generation  using  solid  fuels,  to  transport  and  to 
agriculture. 

58 See The EEA/Eionet Air Quality Portal and the related Central Data 

Repository 

59 These figures are based on the Impact Assessment for the European 

Commission Integrated Clean Air Package (2013). 

Slovenia  16 

Noise 

The  Environmental  Noise  Directive  provides  for  a 
common  approach  for  the  avoidance,  prevention  and 
reduction  of  harmful  effects  due  to  exposure  to 
environmental noise. 

Excessive  noise  is  one  of  the  main  causes  of  health 
issues60.  To alleviate  this,  the  EU  acquis  sets  out  several 
including  assessing  the  exposure  to 
requirements, 
environmental  noise  through  noise  mapping,  ensuring 
that information on environmental noise and its effects is 
made  available  to  the  public,  and  adopting  action  plans 
with  a  view  to  preventing  and  reducing  environmental 
noise  where  necessary  and  to  preserving  the  acoustic 
environment quality where it is good. 

Slovenia's  implementation  of  the  Environmental  Noise 
Directive61 is significantly delayed. The noise mapping for 
the  most  recent  reporting  round,  for  the  reference  year 
2011,  is  complete.  However,  action  plans  for  noise 
management 
in  the  current  period  have  not  been 
adopted  for  any  of  the  agglomerations,  major  roads  or 
major  railways  within  the  scope  of  the  Directive.  The 
Commission  contacted  the  Slovenian  authorities  with 
regard  to  the  missing  action  plans,  and  continues  to 
follow up on the situation. 

Suggested action 

  Complete action plans for noise management. 

Water quality and management 

(including  surface  and  ground  waters) 

The  EU  water  policy  and  legislation  require  that  the 
impact  of  pressures  on  transitional,  coastal  and  fresh 
waters 
is 
significantly  reduced  to  achieve,  maintain  or  enhance 
good  status  of  water  bodies,  as  defined  by  the  Water 
Framework Directive; that citizens throughout the Union 
benefit from high standards for safe drinking and bathing 
water;  and  that  the  nutrient  cycle  (nitrogen  and 
phosphorus)  is  managed  in  a  more  sustainable  and 
resource-efficient way. 

SDG  6  encourages  countries  to  ensure  availability  and 
sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. 

The  main  overall  objective  of  EU  water  policy  and 
legislation  is  to  ensure  access  to  good  quality  water  in 
sufficient  quantity  for  all  Europeans.  The  EU  water 

60 WHO/JRC, 2011, Burden of disease from environmental noise, 

Fritschi, L., Brown, A.L., Kim, R., Schwela, D., Kephalopoulos, S. (eds), 
World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, 
Denmark 

61 The Noise Directive requires Member States to prepare and publish, 
every 5 years, noise maps and noise management action plans for 
agglomerations with more than 100,000 inhabitants, and for major 
roads, railways and airports. 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                            
                                                            
Slovenia  17 

acquis62  seeks  to  ensure  good  status  of  all  water  bodies 
across Europe by addressing pollution sources (from e.g. 
agriculture, urban areas and industrial activities), physical 
and  hydrological modifications  to  water  bodies)  and  the 
management of risks of flooding.  

River  Basin  Management  Plans 
(RBMPs)  are  a 
requirement  of  the  Water  Framework  Directive  and  a 
means  of  achieving  the  protection,  improvement  and 
sustainable use of the water environment across Europe. 
This includes surface freshwaters such as lakes and rivers, 
groundwater,  estuaries  and  coastal  waters  up  to  one 
nautical mile. 
In the first generation of RBMPs63, Slovenia reported the 
status  of  135  rivers,  14 
lakes,  6  coastal  and  21 
groundwater bodies. 61% of natural surface water bodies 
achieve  a  good  or  high  ecological  status64  and  none  of 
heavily modified or artificial water bodies achieve a good 
or  high  ecological  potential  (while  the  status  of  59%  is 
unknown).  96%  of  surface  water  bodies,  86%  of  heavily 
modified  and  artificial  water  bodies65  and  81%  of 
groundwater  bodies  achieve  good  chemical  status66. 
100%  of  groundwater  bodies  are  in  good  quantitative 
status67. 

Diffuse  and  point  sources  of  pollution  causing  nutrients 
enrichment impose main pressures on Slovenian surface 
water bodies and lead to the failure to meet good status. 
It  affects  46%  of  water  bodies.  Hydro-morphological 
alteration affects 30% of water bodies.  

The  planned  measures  are  expected  to  result 
in 
improvement of ecological status of surface water bodies 
by  30%  and  chemical  status  by  4%  respectively.  The 
measures  should  also  bring  improvement  of  ecological 
potential  of  artificial  and  heavily  modified  water  bodies 
by 35% and chemical status by 9%. The chemical status of 
groundwater  is  expected  to  improve  by  5%. However,  it 
is difficult to conclude whether this is realistic, as the first 
RBMPs under the WFD have some deficiencies that result 
in uncertainties about the status and effectiveness of the 

62 This includes the Bathing Waters Directive (2006/7/EC); the Urban 

Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) concerning 
discharges of municipal and some industrial waste waters; the 
Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC) concerning potable water 
quality; the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC) concerning 
water resources management; the Nitrates Directive (91/676/EEC) 
and the Floods Directive (2007/60/EC) 

63 Commission Staff Working Document (SWD (2012)379 final). 
64 Good ecological status is defined in the Water Framework Directive 

referring to the quality of the biological community, the hydrological 
characteristics and the chemical characteristics. 

65 Many European river basins and waters have been altered by human 
activities, such as land drainage, flood protection and building of 
dams to create reservoirs. 

66 Good chemical status is defined in the Water Framework Directive 

referring to compliance with all the quality standards established for 
chemical substances at European level. 

67 For groundwater, a precautionary approach has been taken that 

comprises a prohibition on direct discharges to groundwater, and a 
requirement to monitor groundwater bodies.  

Programmes  of  Measures68.  In  particular  there  were 
weaknesses  in  methodologies  for  the  assessment  of  the 
status  of  the  water  bodies.  Also,  a  number  of 
exemptions69 were applied.70 

The  second  generation  of  RBMPs  (adopted  in  October 
2016)  should  address,  among  others, 
the  above 
deficiencies.  The  adoption  of  RBMPs  is  an  element  of 
water  ex  ante  conditionality  which  pre-conditions  the 
the  wastewater  and  drinking  water 
financing  of 
infrastructure  projects.  Thus,  the  outcome  of  the 
assessment  of  the  RBMPs  will  be  considered  in  the 
context of the financing of such investments.  

Approximately  97%  of  the  population  of  Slovenia  relies 
on drinking water sources from groundwater. Therefore, 
appropriate  protection  against  nitrate  pollution  is  an 
important issue for the drinking water sector.  

'unpolluted'  with  very 

Slovenia  has  one  of  the  highest  percentages  of  ultra-
oligotrophic  (i.e. 
low  nitrate 
concentrations)  river  monitoring  stations.  According  to 
the  last  report  on  the  implementation  of  the  Nitrates 
Directive, referring to the period 2008-2011, of the total 
of  104  groundwater  monitoring  points,  approximately 
79%  had  an  average  nitrate  level  of  less  than  25  mg 
NO3/l.  Nitrate  levels  are  on  average  <10mg/l  in  rivers. 
Slovenia  applies 
its  Nitrates  Action  Programme 
throughout  its  territory.  According  to  Decree  on  the 
protection of waters against pollution caused by nitrates 
from  agricultural  sources71,  paragraph  3,  the  whole 
territory  of  Slovenia  has  been  designated  as  Nitrate 
Vulnerable Zones (NVZ). 

As  regards  drinking  water,  Slovenia  reaches  very  high 
compliance rates of 99.25% for microbiological and 100% 
for  chemical  parameters  and  a  98.7  %  compliance  rate 
for indicator parameters laid down in the Drinking Water 
Directive72. 

As  shown  in  Figure  10  in  2015,  in  Slovenia  out  of  47 
bathing  waters,  70.2  %  were  of  excellent  quality,  25.5% 
of good quality and 4.3 % of sufficient quality73.  

68 Each RBMP includes a “programme of measures” to meet the 
environmental and other objectives of the Water Framework 
Directive cost-effectively. 

69 Exemptions are set in Article 4 of the Water Framework Directive. 
They give Member States the possibility to deviate from the “good 
status” objective in specific circumstances and/or under strict 
conditions. 

70 More information on the implementation status and more specific 
recommendations can be found at European Commission, Water 
Framework Directive Implementation Reports 

71 Uradni list RS, št. 113/09, 5/13 in 22/15. 
72 Commission's Synthesis Report on the Quality of Drinking Water in 
the Union examining Member States' reports for the 2011-2013 
period, foreseen under Article 13(5) of Directive 98/83/EC; 
COM(2016)666 

73 European Environment Agency, 2016. European bathing water quality 

in 2015, p. 26. 

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Figure 10: Bathing water quality 2012 – 201574 

Suggested action77 

Slovenia  18 

  Ensure good implementation of upgraded methods for 

status assessment and pressure analysis. 

  Ensure  effective 

implementation  of  measures  to 
address  nutrients  pollution  from  agriculture,  following 
2015 legislative amendments. 

  Ensure  the  efficient  implementation  of  the  Cohesion 
Policy  funding  for  the  urban  wastewater  treatment 
infrastructure.  

Enhancing the sustainability of cities  

The  EU  Policy  on  the  urban  environment  encourages 
cities  to 
implement  policies  for  sustainable  urban 
planning and design, including innovative approaches for 
urban  public 
sustainable 
buildings,  energy  efficiency  and  urban  biodiversity 
conservation.  

transport  and  mobility, 

SDG11  aims  at  making  cities  and  human  settlements 
inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 

Europe is a Union of cities and towns; around 75% of the 
EU  population  are  living  in  urban  areas.78  The  urban 
environment  poses  particular  challenges 
the 
environment  and  human  health,  whilst  also  providing 
opportunities and efficiency gains in the use of resources.  

for 

The  Member  States,  European  institutions,  cities  and 
stakeholders have prepared a new Urban Agenda for the 
EU  (incorporating  the  Smart  Cities  initiative)  to  tackle 
these  issues  in  a  comprehensive  way,  including  their 
connections with social and economic challenges. At the 
heart  of  this  Urban  Agenda  will  be  the  development  of 
twelve  partnerships  on  the  identified  urban  challenges, 
including air quality and housing79.  

The  European  Commission  will 
benchmark system in 201780. 

launch  a  new  EU 

The  EU  stimulates  green  cities  through  awards  and 
funding,  such  as  the  EU  Green  Capital  Award  aimed  at 
cities  with  more  than  100,000  inhabitants  and  the  EU 
Green  Leaf  initiative  aimed  at  cities  and  towns,  with 
between 20,000 and 100,000 inhabitants.  

the 

reported 

latest  data 

With  regard  to  the  implementation  of  the  Urban  Waste 
Water  Treatment  Directive,  Slovenia's  deadline  to  reach 
compliance  was  31  December  2015.  Slovenia  is  lagging 
behind  when  it  comes  to  the  implementation  of  the 
Directive: 
(2012)  gave 
information  on  Slovenia's  compliance  with  its  first  and 
second  transitional  deadlines  (2008  and  2010)  and 
showed 
the 
requirements  of  the  Directive  in  terms  of  collection 
requirements  and  4  in  terms  of  secondary  treatment. 
Only 33.9 % of the waste water load collected is subject 
to more stringent treatment in accordance with Article 5 
of  the  Urban  Waste  Water  Treatment  Directive75.  The 
Commission  is  following-up  on  the  above-mentioned 
non-compliance.  

that  only  nine  agglomerations  met 

The  estimated  investment  needs  (reported  by  Slovenia 
under  Article  17  of  the  Urban  Waste  Water  Treatment 
Directive) to reach full compliance with the Directive are 
of EUR 681 million76.  

for 

signification 

contribution 

A 
the  wastewater 
infrastructure (EUR 125 million) will come from the 2014-
2020  Cohesion  Policy.  It  will  also 
include  a  major 
the  Ljubljana  wastewater 
investment  project 
treatment plant to ensure its full compliance. 

for 

74European Environment Agency, 2016. State of bathing water country 

reports - Slovenia 

75 Eighth Report on the Implementation Status and the Programmes for 

Implementation (as required by Article 17) of Council Directive 
91/271/EEC concerning urban waste water treatment (COM 
(2016)105 final) and Commission Staff Working Document 
accompanying the report (SWD(2016)45 final). 

76 Eighth Report on the Implementation Status and the Programmes for 

Implementation (as required by Article 17) of Council Directive 
91/271/EEC concerning urban waste water treatment (COM 
(2016)105 final) and Commission Staff Working Document 
accompanying the report (SWD(2016)45 final). 

77 The full set of recommendations relevant to the Water Framework 
Directive is included in Commission Staff Working Document 
(SWD(2015) 50 final)  accompanying the Communication (COM(2015) 
120 final).  

78 European Environment Agency, Urban environment 
79  http://urbanagendaforthe.eu/ 
80  The Commission is developing an Urban Benchmarking and 

Monitoring ('UBaM') tool to be launched in 2017. Best practices 
emerge and these will be better disseminated via the app featuring 
the UBaM tool, and increasingly via e.g. EUROCITIES, ICLEI, CEMR, 
Committee of the Regions, Covenant of Mayors and others. 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
                                                            
                                                            
Slovenia  19 

votes to be cast by the EU. 

Slovenia  has  signed  and  ratified  almost  all  MEAs.  It  has 
signed  but  not  yet  ratified  the  Offshore  Protocol  of  the 
Barcelona Convention82 and the Nagoya Protocol83. 

Ljubljana  is  one  of  the  cities  who  received  the  2016  EU 
Green  Capital  Award81.  It  put  in  place  a  comprehensive 
set  of  policies  to  deliver  a  more  sustainable  city.  The 
capital  boasts  a  vast  area  of  green  space  (542  m2  per 
inhabitant).  Public  transport,  pedestrian  access  and 
cycling networks (220 km of managed cycling routes) are 
the backbone of its urban mobility system. With its Zero 
significant 
Waste 
contribution  to  Europe's  transition  to  a  more  circular 
economy.  It  can  act  as  a  role  model,  as  the  European 
capital  with  the  largest  share  of  separately  collected 
waste and actively promoting recycling and re-use. 

Ljubljana  makes 

Strategy, 

a 

International agreements  

The  EU  Treaties  require  that  the  Union  policy  on  the 
environment  promotes  measures  at  the  international 
level  to  deal  with  regional  or  worldwide  environmental 
problems. 

Most  environmental  problems  have  a  transboundary 
nature  and  often  a  global  scope  and  they  can  only  be 
addressed effectively through international co-operation. 
International  environmental  agreements  concluded  by 
the Union are binding upon the institutions of the Union 
and  on  its Member  States. This  requires  the  EU and the 
Member  States  to  sign,  ratify  and  effectively  implement 
all  relevant  multilateral  environmental  agreements 
(MEAs) in a timely manner. This will also be an important 
contribution  towards  the  achievement  of  the  SDGs, 
which Member States committed to in 2015 and include 
many  commitments  contained  already  in  legally  binding 
agreements. 

The  fact  that  some  Member  States  did  not  sign  and/or 
ratify  a  number  of  MEAs  compromises  environmental 
implementation,  including  within  the  Union,  as  well  as 
in  related  negotiations  and 
the  Union’s  credibility 
international  meetings  where 
the 
participation of third countries to such agreements is an 
established  EU  policy  objective.  In  agreements  where 
voting takes place it has a direct impact on the number of 

supporting 

81 European Commission, 2016. Ljubljana becomes European Green 

Capital 2016 

82 Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against 
Pollution Resulting from Exploration and Exploitation of the 
Continental Shelf and the Seabed and its Subsoil 

83 Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable 

Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on 
Biological Diversity 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
                                                            
                                                            
Part II: Enabling Framework: Implementation Tools 

4. Market based instruments and investment  

Slovenia  20 

Green  taxation  and  environmentally  harmful 
subsidies 

The Circular Economy Action Plan encourages the use of 
financial  incentives  and  economic  instruments,  such  as 
taxation  to  ensure  that  product  prices  better  reflect 
environmental costs. The phasing out of environmentally 
harmful  subsidies  is  monitored  in  the  context  of  the 
European  Semester  and  in  national  reform  programmes 
submitted by Member States. 

Taxing pollution and resource use can generate increased 
revenue  and  bring  important  social  and  environmental 
benefits. 

In 2014, environmental tax revenue amounted to 3.89% 
of Slovenia’s GDP. This percentage share was the second 
highest in the EU-28 for the year.  

Figure  11:  Environmental  tax  revenues  as  a  share  of 
total  revenues  from  taxes  and  social  contributions 
(excluding imputed social contributions) in 201484 

84 Eurostat, Environmental tax revenues, accessed October 2016. 

In the same year environmental tax revenues accounted 
for  10.61%  of  total  revenues  from  taxes  and  social-
security  contributions  (EU-28  average:  6.35%)  as  shown 
in  Figure  11.  It  puts  Slovenia  in  the  first  place  among 
other  EU  Member  States.  The  majority  of  Slovenia’s 
environmental tax revenue for 2014 came from taxation 
of  energy,  which  amounted  to  3.0%  of  GDP.  Transport 
(excluding  fuel)  taxes  amounted  to  0.46%  of  GDP,  and 
pollution  and  resource  taxes  amounted  to  0.45%  of  the 
country’s GDP. 

Slovenia  performs  well  in  terms  of  the  use  of  market 
based 
instruments  to  achieve  environmental  policy 
objectives. 

Green Public Procurement  

The  EU  green  public  procurement  policies  encourage 
Member States to take further steps to reach the target 
of applying green procurement criteria to at least 50% of 
public tenders. 
Green  Public  Procurement  (GPP)  is  a  process  whereby 
public  authorities  seek  to  procure  goods,  services  and 
works  with  a  reduced  environmental  impact  throughout 
their  life-cycle  when  compared  to  goods,  services  and 
works  with  the  same  primary  function  that  would 
otherwise be procured.  

The  purchasing  power  of  public  procurement  equals  to 
approximately  14%  of  GDP85.  A  substantial  part  of  this 
money  is  spent  on  sectors  with  high  environmental 
impact such as construction or transport, so GPP can help 
to  significantly  lower  the  impact  of  public  spending  and 
foster sustainable innovative businesses. 

A  National  Action  Plan  (NAP)  was  adopted  in  2009.  The 
main legislative instrument is the 2011 Decree on GPP for 
procurers  to  use  minimum  and  ambitious  GPP  criteria; 
however, the Decree does not provide for any sanctions 
for  non-compliance.  The  EU  GPP  criteria86  are 
recommended  for  the  following  product  groups:  paper, 
electricity,  office  equipment,  furniture,  transport,  food 
and  catering,  construction,  cleaning  products  and 
services87.  The  key  target  was  to  achieve  50%  GPP  by 
2012  by  Central  Governmental  Authorities  for  eight 

85 European Commission, 2015. Public procurement 
86 In the Communication “Public procurement for a better environment” 
(COM /2008/400) the Commission recommended the creation of a 
process for setting common GPP criteria. The basic concept of GPP 
relies on having clear, verifiable, justifiable and ambitious 
environmental criteria for products and services, based on a life-cycle 
approach and scientific evidence base. 

87European Commission, 2015. Documentation on National GPP Action 

Plans 

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Slovenia  21 

amount of EUR 78 million for the efficient land use within 
urban  areas.  Further  EUR  40  million  is  earmarked  for 
Natura  2000  and  biodiversity  and  EUR  26  million  for  air 
quality measures. The list closes EUR 8 million to support 
environmentally-friendly  production  processes  and 
resource efficiency in SMEs. 

Figure  12:  European  Structural  and  Investment  Funds 
2014-2020: Budget Slovenia by theme, EUR billion92 

products  categories88.  The  GPP  legislative  framework  in 
Slovenia is currently under revision. It is planned that the 
guidelines  for  GPP  criteria  in  more  additional  product 
groups will be prepared. 

Investments: the contribution of EU funds  

in  their 
for  economic, 

European  Structural  and  Investment  Funds  Regulations 
call  on  Member  States  to  integrate  environment  and 
funding  strategies  and 
climate  objectives 
programmes 
territorial 
cohesion,  rural  development  and  maritime  policy,  and 
reinforce the capacity of implementing bodies to deliver 
cost-effective  and  sustainable  investments  in  order  to 
secure  the  necessary  adequate  financial  support  for 
investments in these areas. 

social  and 

Making  good  use  of  the  European  Structural  and 
Investment  Funds  (ESIF)89  is  essential  to  achieve  the 
environmental goals and integrate these into other policy 
areas.  Other  instruments  such  as  the  Horizon  2020,  the 
LIFE  programme  and  European  Fund  for  Strategic 
Investment90  (EFSI)  may  also  support  implementation 
and spread off best practice. The 2014-2020 Partnership 
Agreement for Slovenia sets the framework for the use of 
the ESIF.  

Slovenia  is  eligible  in  this  period  for  the  overall  funds 
support totalling approximately EUR 3.9 billion (including, 
approximately  EUR  3  billion  from  the  cohesion  policy 
covering ERDF, ESF and CF; EUR 837 million from EAFRD; 
and EUR 24.8 million from the EMFF), see Figure 12. 

The planned EUR 3 billion from the cohesion policy has a 
clear focus on the competitiveness and innovation of the 
economy.  Nonetheless,  almost  EUR  500  million  of 
investment will go for environmental protection and the 
efficient and sustainable use of resources91. It represents 
16.6%  of  the  overall  Slovenia's  cohesion  policy  budget 
which is above the EU average.  

As  regards  specific  allocations,  the  key  priority  is  the 
water  sector  with  a  total  allocation  of  about  EUR  264 
million  (EUR  125  million  for  drinking  water;  EUR  125 
million  for  urban  wastewater  treatment;  and  EUR  14 
million  for  other  water  measures).  It  is  followed  by  EUR 
83 million for the climate change adaptation, specifically 
for  flood  protection  measures  and  a  slightly  lower 

88European Commission, 2015. Documentation on National GPP Action 

Plans 

89 ESIF comprises five funds – the European Regional Development 
Funds (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund (CF), the European Social Fund 
(ESF), the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development 
(EAFRD), and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The 
ERDF, the CF and the ESF together form the Cohesion Policy funds. 

90 EIB: European Fund for Strategic Investments 
91This amount includes allocations for water management, flood 
protection, regeneration and decontamination of brownfields, 
Natura 2000 and biodiversity, air, as well as environmentally-friendly 
production processed and resource efficiency in SMEs. 

It is too early to draw conclusions as regards the use and 
results  of  ESIF  funds  for  the  period  2014-2020,  as  the 
cohesion policy operational programme is still at an early 
stage of the implementation. 

For the period 2007-2013, 567 million, or 40 % of the CF 
budget  was  allocated  to  water,  wastewater  or  waste 
projects.  By  the  end  of  2015  Slovenia  fully  used  the 
allocated  funds  which  were  used  to  construct  six  new 
regional  centres  for  waste  management  throughout  the 
country,  extension  of  drinking  water  supply  networks, 
the construction and upgrade of water retention basins; 
the construction and refurbishment of sewage networks 
and  waste  water  treatment  plants.  Thanks  to  these 
investments,  Slovenia  increased  by  16%  the  share  of 
adequate  wastewater  infrastructure  in  agglomerations 
above 2000 p.e. Nonetheless, complying with the Urban 
Wastewater  Directive  remains  the  main  investment  gap 
for Slovenia that even the Structural Funds allocation for 
2014-2020 will not be able to bridge. 

92 European Commission, European Structural and Investment Funds 

Data By Country 

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Slovenia  22 

environmental  situation  in  areas  not  covered  by  rural 
development, including areas of intensive agriculture. 

For  the  year  2015  Slovenia  made  it  possible  to  use  only 
three elements laid down by the regulation as Ecological 
Focus Areas95 out of possible 19 elements. This is rather a 
minimalistic  approach  compared  to  other  Member 
States.  The  chosen  Ecological  Focus  Areas  are  only  land 
laying fallow, areas of catch crops (need to be present on 
the field as of 15/9-16/10) and nitrogen fixing crops (also 
soybean  without  any  biodiversity  benefits).  26%  of 
Natura 
as 
grasslands  were 
environmentally  sensitive,  of  which  0  ha  outside  Natura 
2000, which is very modest. 

designated 

2000 

As during 1995 – 2013 period, mixed municipal waste has 
decreased significantly, it enabled the country to drop an 
incineration  project  and  a  waste  treatment  centre.  Only 
six  regional  waste  treatment  centres  have  been  built 
country.  No  more  waste 
covering 
infrastructure is foreseen for the 2014-2020 period. 

the  whole 

the 

fulfilment  of 

The 2007-2013 cohesion policy spending was affected by 
the transposition gaps of the Directive 2011/92/EU93 (the 
'EIA Directive'). It was solved and reflected in the positive 
assessment  of 
the  horizontal 
conditionality on environmental legislation for the 2014-
2020 
funding  period.  Slovenia  has  developed  a 
comprehensive  EIA  Training  Action  Plan  to  ensure 
appropriate  training  for  the  authorities  involved  in  the 
permitting  procedures  and 
lessons  from  the 
previous financial perspective. 

learn 

The Rural Development Program of Slovenia (the 'RDP'), 
its  EAFRD  part,  amounts  to  about  EUR  838  million.  The 
budget 
agri-environmental-climate  measure 
represents 18.2% of the total EAFRD.  

for 

the  RDP 

Contribution  of 
towards  environmental 
objectives is limited. Natura 2000 compensation measure 
is  not  programmed,  although  Slovenia  has  one  of  the 
highest Natura  2000  coverages  in  the  EU.  Four  schemes 
in  agri-environment-climate  measure  directly  contribute 
to the implementation of the Natura 2000 Management 
Programme for 2014-2020. 

In the context of the RDP, Slovenia improved conditions 
for  projects  of  land  consolidation  in  order  not  to  harm 
the  natural  heritage.  It  does  not  support  drainage 
investments (as there is a ''moratorium'' on construction 
of  drainage  in Slovenia),  whereas,  irrigation  investments 
need to generate potential water savings of 15%. 

With regard to the integration of environmental concerns 
into  the  Common  Agricultural  Policy  (CAP),  the  two  key 
areas  for  Slovenia  (as  for  all  Member  States)  are,  first, 
using Rural Development funds to pay for environmental 
land  management  and  other  environmental  measures, 
while  avoiding  financing  measures  which  could  damage 
the  environment;  and  second,  ensuring  an  effective 
implementation of the first pillar of the CAP with regard 
to cross compliance and the 1st pillar 'greening'. 30 % of 
the direct payments' envelope (out of total of about EUR 
680  million  for  2015-202094)  is  allocated  to  greening 
practices 
An 
environmentally  ambitious  implementation  of  the  1st 
improve  the 
pillar  greening  would  clearly  help  to 

environment. 

beneficial 

the 

to 

93 European Union, Environmental Impact Assessment Directive 

2011/92/EU  

94European Commission, Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 
2015/851 of 27 March 2015 amending Annexes II, III and VI to 
Regulation (EU) No 1307/2013 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council establishing rules for direct payments to farmers under 
support schemes within the framework of the common agricultural 
policy, OJ L 135, 2.6.2015 

95 Since 2015, every farmer in the EU who claims a direct payment and 
has more than 15 hectares of arable land is obliged to have 5% of his 
arable land covered by ecological focus areas. These are areas which 
bring benefits for the environment, improve biodiversity and 
maintain attractive landscapes Some exceptions to this general rule 
apply, for example to farmers who have more than 75% of their area 
under grassland. http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/glossary_en 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
                                                            
 
                                                            
 
5. Effective governance and knowledge 

Slovenia  23 

SDG  16  aims  at  providing  access  to  justice  and  building 
effective,  accountable  and  inclusive  institutions  at  all 
levels. SDG 17 aims at better implementation, improving 
policy  coordination  and  policy  coherence,  stimulating 
science, 
innovation,  establishing 
partnerships and developing measurements of progress. 

technology 

and 

Effective governance of EU environmental legislation and 
policies  requires  having  an  appropriate 
institutional 
framework,  policy  coherence  and  coordination,  applying 
legal  and  non-legal  instruments,  engaging  with  non-
governmental  stakeholders,  and  having  adequate  levels 
of  knowledge  and  skills96.  Successful  implementation 
depends, to a large extent, on central, regional and local 
government  fulfilling  key  legislative  and  administrative 
tasks,  notably  adoption  of 
implementing 
legislation,  co-ordinated  action  to  meet  environmental 
objectives  and  correct  decision-making  on  matters  such 
as  industrial  permits.  Beyond  fulfilment  of  these  tasks, 
government  must 
to  ensure  day-to-day 
compliance  by  economic  operators,  utilities  and 
individuals  ("compliance  assurance").  Civil  society  also 
has  a  role  to  play,  including  through  legal  action.  To 
underpin the roles of all actors, it is crucial to collect and 
share  knowledge  and  evidence  on  the  state  of  the 
environment  and  on  environmental  pressures,  drivers 
and impacts. 

intervene 

sound 

Equally,  effective  governance  of  EU  environmental 
legislation  and  policies  benefits  from  a  dialogue  within 
Member  States  and  between  Member  States  and  the 
Commission  on  whether  the  current  EU  environmental 
legislation  is  fit  for  purpose.  Legislation  can  only  be 
properly 
into  account 
experiences  at  Member  State  level  with  putting  EU 
commitments  into  effect.  The  Make  it  Work  initiative,  a 
Member  State  driven  project,  established 
in  2014, 
organizes a discussion on how the clarity, coherence and 
structure  of  EU  environmental 
legislation  can  be 
improved without lowering existing protection standards. 

implemented  when 

it  takes 

Effective  governance  within  central,  regional 
and local government 

Those  involved  in  implementing  environment  legislation 
at  Union,  national,  regional  and  local  levels  need  to  be 
equipped  with  the  knowledge,  tools  and  capacity  to 
improve  the  delivery  of  benefits  from  that  legislation, 
and the governance of the enforcement process. 

96 The Commission has work ongoing to improve the country-specific 
knowledge about quality and functioning of the administrative 
systems of Member States. 

Capacity to implement rules 

is 

that 

crucial 

regional  and 

local 
central, 
It 
administrations  have  the  necessary  capacities  and  skills 
and training to carry out their own tasks and co-operate 
and  co-ordinate  effectively  with  each  other,  within  a 
system of multi-level governance. 
In accordance with the 2015 Council recommendations97, 
"An  unsupportive  business  environment  in  Slovenia  is  a 
key factor for low investment levels in Slovenian business 
and  the  high  number  of  laws  and  numerous  changes  in 
the  legislation  make  it  difficult  to  run  a  business  and 
comply  with  local  regulation."  It  is  reinstated  in  the 
Commission Staff Working Document on Member States 
Investment Challenges98.    

To  address  these  investment  challenges,  the  authorities 
are planning  to  reform the  spatial planning  and building 
legislation.  Any  changes  should  ensure  compliance  with 
the EU environmental legislation, in particular, Directives 
2011/92/EU, 2001/42/EC99 and 92/43/EEC100 and correct 
the  deficiencies 
infringement 
action.  

identified  by  on-going 

Coordination and integration 
The transposition of the revised EIA Directive101 will be an 
opportunity  to  streamline  the  regulatory  framework  on 
environmental assessments. The Commission encourages 
the  streamlining  of  the  environmental  assessments 
because  this  approach  reduces  duplication  and  avoids 
in  environmental  assessments 
unnecessary  overlaps 

97 Council Recommendation on the 2015 National Reform Programme 
of Slovenia and delivering a Council opinion on the 2015 Stability 
Programme of Slovenia, p. 5. 

98 Commission Staff Working Document, Member States Investment 

Challenges, SWD(2015)400 final/2 

99 European Union, Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive 

2001/42/EC 

100 European Union, Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC  
101 The transposition of Directive 2014/52/EU is due in May 2017. 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
 
                                                            
 
                                                            
for 

the  quality  of 

a  particular  project.  Moreover, 
applicable 
streamlining  helps  reducing  unnecessary  administrative 
burden  and  accelerates  decision-making,  without 
the  environmental 
compromising 
issued  a 
assessment  procedure. 
guidance  document  in  2016  regarding  the  setting  up  of 
coordinated 
are 
simultaneously  subject  to  assessments  under  the  EIA 
Directive, Habitats Directive, Water Framework Directive, 
and the Industrial Emissions Directive102. 

  The  Commission 

joint  procedures 

and/or 

that 

Slovenia usually ensures timely and correct transposition 
of the EU environmental directives.  

Slovenia is among the countries with the highest number 
of  environmental 
infringement  cases  and  EU  Pilot 
investigations.  Most  of  them  are  related  to  waste 
management, air and industrial emissions legislation, and 
nature protection.   

Suggested action 

  Ensure  that  the  EU  environmental 

is 
respected  as  part  of  the  reform  of  the  national 
permitting  system  aiming  to  remove  unnecessary 
administrative burden and streamline procedures.  

legislation 

Compliance assurance 

EU  law  generally  and  specific  provisions  on  inspections, 
other  checks,  penalties  and  environmental  liability  help 
lay  the  basis  for  the  systems  Member  States  need  to 
have 
secure  compliance  with  EU 
to 
environmental rules. 

in  place 

Public  authorities  help  ensure  accountability  of  duty-
holders by monitoring and promoting compliance and by 
taking credible follow-up action (i.e. enforcement) when 
breaches occur or liabilities arise. Compliance monitoring 
initiative  of  authorities 
can  be  done  both  on  the 
themselves and  in  response to  citizen complaints. It  can 
involve  using  various  kinds  of  checks, 
including 
inspections  for  permitted  activities,  surveillance  for 
possible  illegal  activities,  investigations  for  crimes  and 
audits for systemic weaknesses. Similarly, there is a range 
of  means  to  promote  compliance,  including  awareness-
raising  campaigns  and  use  of  guidance  documents  and 
online  information  tools.  Follow-up  to  breaches  and 
liabilities  can 
(e.g. 
withdrawal of a permit), use of criminal law103 and action 
law  (e.g.  required  remediation  after 
under 
liability  rules)  and 
damage  from  an  accident  using 

include  administrative  action 

liability 

102 European Commission, 2016. Commission notice — Commission 
guidance document on streamlining environmental assessments 
conducted under Article 2(3) of the Environmental Impact 
Assessment Directive (Directive 2011/92/EU of the European 
Parliament and of the Council, as amended by Directive 2014/52/EU) 

103European Union, Environmental Crime Directive 2008/99/EC 

Environmental Crime Directive 2008/99/EC  

Slovenia  24 

contractual  law  (e.g.  measures  to  require  compliance 
with  nature  conservation  contracts).  Taken  together,  all 
of these interventions represent "compliance assurance" 
as shown in Figure 13. 

Figure 13: Environmental compliance assurance 

Best  practice  has  moved  towards  a  risk-based  approach 
at strategic and operational levels in which the best mix 
of compliance monitoring, promotion and enforcement is 
directed at the most serious problems. Best practice also 
recognises  the  need  for  coordination  and  cooperation 
between  different  authorities  to  ensure  consistency, 
avoid  duplication  of  work  and  reduce  administrative 
burden. Active participation in established pan-European 
networks  of  inspectors,  police,  prosecutors  and  judges, 
such as IMPEL104, EUFJE105, ENPE106 and EnviCrimeNet107, 
is  a  valuable  tool  for  sharing  experience  and  good 
practices. 

Currently, there exist a number of sectoral obligations on 
inspections  and  the  EU  directive  on  environmental 
liability  (ELD)  108  provides  a  means  of  ensuring  that  the 
"polluter-pays  principle" 
is  applied  when  there  are 
accidents  and  incidents  that  harm  the  environment. 
There 
information  giving 
insights  into  existing  strengths  and  weaknesses  in  each 
Member State.  

is  also  publically  available 

For  each  Member  State,  the  following  were  therefore 
reviewed:  use  of  risk-based  compliance  assurance; 
coordination  and  co-operation  between  authorities  and 
participation in pan-European networks; and key aspects 
of implementation of the ELD based on the Commission's 
recently  published  implementation  report  and  REFIT 
evaluation109.  

104 European Union Network for the Implementation and Enforcement 

of Environmental Law 

105 European Union Forum of judges for the environment 
106 The European Network of Prosecutors for the Environment 
107 EnviCrimeNet 
108 European Union, Environmental Liability Directive 2004/35/CE 
109COM(2016)204 final and COM(2016)121 final of 14.4.2016. This 

highlighted the need for better evidence on how the directive is used 
in practice; for tools to support its implementation, such as guidance, 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
                                                            
 
                                                            
Inspectorate  of  the  Republic  of  Slovenia  for 
The 
Environment and Spatial Planning (IRSOP) has developed 
some  risk  assessment  tools  for  inspections  of  industrial 
installations110.  Overall  challenges  have  included  budget 
constraints, wide responsibilities and a lack of specialised 
staff111.  

 

Up-to-date  information  is  lacking  in  relation  to  the 
following: 
  data-collection  arrangements  to  track  the  use  and 
effectiveness  of  different  compliance  assurance 
interventions112; 
the extent to which risk-based methods are used to 
direct  compliance  assurance  at  the  strategic  level 
and 
in  relation  to  critical  activities  outside  of 
industrial  installations113,  in  particular  in  specific 
problem-areas highlighted elsewhere in this Country 
Report,  i.e.  issues  related  to  illegal  dumping,  the 
threats  to  protected  habitat  types  and  species,  air 
quality breaches and the pressures on water quality 
from  point  and  diffuse  water  pollution,  including 
inadequate urban waste-water infrastructure114; and 
  how the Slovenian authorities ensure a targeted and 
proportionate  response  to  different  types  of  non-
compliant  behaviour,  given  that  the  focus  is  on 
administrative  procedures  and  sanctions  and  that 
the  probability  of  being  prosecuted  and  criminally 
sentenced  for  environmental  offences  seems  to  be 
low115.  

The  added  value  of  cooperation  between  different 
inspection  authorities 
is  recognized  and  a  national 
Inspection  Council  has  been  established  to  ensure  joint 
implementation of inspection tasks, resolve competence 
questions  and  ensure  overall  consistency116.  However,  a 
more  coordinated  approach  with  municipal  inspectors 
and  other  inspection  authorities  has  been  considered 
necessary, in particular in order to reduce illegal dumping 
of  household  waste  and  to  undertake  combined 

training and ELD registers; and for financial security to be available in 
case events or incidents generate remediation costs. 
110 IMPEL, 2010. IRI Report Slovenia, p. 4, 33, 44, 48 and 52. 
111 IMPEL, 2010. IRI Report Slovenia, p. 18, 27, 33, 46-47. 
112 The IMPEL IRI Report indicates that IRSOP publishes an annual 

activity report which is however based mostly only on basic output 
indicators, which is insufficient to evaluate the quality of inspection 
work, see p. 22, 53. 

113 The IMPEL IRI Report notes that wwritten procedures and protocols 
to steer inspection work were not widely used, and that there was a 
need for a more strategic approach. 

114 The IMPEL IRI Report indicates that a risk-based approach and 

related data collection did not seem to be applied for inspections in 
environmental policy areas such as water and nature protection, see 
p. 29, 39 and 41. 

115Milieu, 2012, Evaluation Study on the Implementation of Directive 

2008/99/EC on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal 
Law by member States, National Report for Slovenia, p. 21-22. 

116IMPEL, 2010. IRI Report Slovenia, p. 29-30. 

Slovenia  25 

inspections  on  chemicals117.  Slovenia  is  active  within 
IMPEL and hosted an IMPEL peer review in 2010.  

Slovenia  did  not  report  any  instance  of  environmental 
damage  handled  under  the  Environmental  Liability 
Directive for the period 2007-2013. It appears to be short 
in  administrative  resources  and  technical  expertise  to 
comply  with  the  technical  requirements  under  the 
Directive  and  there  is  not  much  practical  experience 
available  in  remedying  environmental  damage.  Slovenia 
decided  against  mandatory  financial  security  (to  pay  for 
remediation  if  an  operator  cannot)  ,  instead  opting  to 
promote  supply  and  demand  of  financial  security 
instruments  and  to  look  into  the  possibility  to  use  an 
existing  environmental  fund  to  cover  remediation  costs 
where  operators  are  not 
insolvent. 
Evidence is lacking of the results.  

identifiable  or 

Suggested action 

  Improve 

transparency  on 

the  organisation  and 
functioning  of  compliance  assurance  and  on  how 
significant risks are addressed, as outlined above. 

greater  participation  of 
competent 
in  the  activities  of  ENPE,  EUFJE  and 

  Encourage 
authorities 
EnviCrimeNet.  
  Step  up  efforts 

in  the 

implementation  of  the 
Environmental  Liability  Directive  (ELD)  with  proactive 
initiatives, in particular by setting up a national register 
of  ELD 
incidents  and  drafting  national  guidance. 
Slovenia  should  take  further  steps  to  ensure  an 
effective system of financial security for environmental 
liabilities  (so  that  operators  not  only  have  insurance 
cover available to them but actually take it up).  

Public participation and access to justice 

The  Aarhus  Convention,  related  EU  legislation  on  public 
participation and environmental impact assessment, and 
the case-law of the Court of Justice require that citizens 
and  their  associations  should  be  able  to  participate  in 
decision-making  on  projects  and  plans  and  should  enjoy 
effective environmental access to justice. 

Citizens  can  more  effectively  protect  the  environment  if 
they can rely on the three "pillars" of the Convention on 
Access  to  Information,  Public  Participation  in  Decision-
making  and  Access  to  Justice  in  Environmental  Matters 
("the  Aarhus  Convention").  Public  participation  in  the 
administrative  decision  making  process  is  an  important 
element to ensure that the authority takes its decision on 
the  best  possible  basis.  The  Commission  intends  to 
examine compliance with mandatory public participation 
requirements more systematically at a later stage. 

117IMPEL, 2010. IRI Report Slovenia, p. 52-53. 

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia 

 
 
                                                                                                 
 
                                                            
Access  to  justice  in  environmental  matters  is  a  set  of 
guarantees  that  allows  citizens  and  their  associations  to 
challenge  acts  or  omissions  of  the  public  administration 
before  a  court. 
for  decentralised 
It 
implementation of EU environmental law. 

is  a 

tool 

For  each  Member  State,  two  crucial  elements  for 
effective  access  to  justice  have  been  systematically 
reviewed:  the  legal  standing  for  the  public,  including 
NGOs and the extent to which prohibitive costs represent 
a barrier. 

In  general,  the  existing  rules  and  provisions  in  Slovenia 
concerning access to administrative appeal and to judicial 
review  are  predictable  and  transparent.  However, 
environmental  NGOs  still  do  not  have  legal  standing  in 
many  of  the  environmental  sectors.  The  costs  of 
administrative  court  procedure,  however,  are  not 
considered as being prohibitively high118. 

Suggested action 

  Ensure  standing  of  environmental  NGOs  to  challenge 
acts or omissions of a public authority in all sectoral EU 
environmental  laws,  in  full compliance  with  EU  law  as 
well as the Aarhus Convention.  

Access 
evidence 

to 

information,  knowledge  and 

The  Aarhus  Convention  and  related  EU  legislation  on 
access  to  information  and  the  sharing  of  spatial  data 
require that the public has access to clear information on 
the environment, including on how Union environmental 
law is being implemented.  

authorities 

public 
the  public, 

and 
increasingly 

It is of crucial importance to public authorities, the public 
and business that environmental information is shared in 
an  efficient  and  effective  way.  This  covers  reporting  by 
and 
active 
businesses 
dissemination 
through 
to 
electronic means. 
The  Aarhus  Convention119,  the  Access  to  Environmental 
Information  Directive120  and  the  INSPIRE  Directive121 
together  create  a  legal  foundation  for  the  sharing  of 
environmental  information  between  public  authorities 
and with the public. They also represent the green part of 
the  ongoing  EU  e-Government  Action  Plan122.  The  first 

118 European Commission, 2012/2013 access to justice in environmental 

matters in Slovenia 

119UNECE, 1998. Convention on Access to Information, Public 
Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in 
Environmental Matters 

120European Union, Directive 2003/4/EC on public access to 

environmental information 

121European Union, INSPIRE Directive 2007/2/EC 
122European Union, EU eGovernment Action Plan 2016-2020 

Accelerating the digital transformation of government COM(2016) 
179 final. 

Slovenia  26 

instruments 

create  obligations 

to  provide 
two 
information  to  the  public,  both  on  request  and  actively. 
The  INSPIRE  Directive  is  a  pioneering  instrument  for 
electronic  data-sharing  between  public  authorities  who 
can  vary  in  their  data-sharing  policies,  e.g.  on  whether 
access to data is for free. The INSPIRE Directive sets up a 
geoportal which indicates the level of shared spatial data 
in  each  Member  State  –  i.e.  data  related  to  specific 
locations,  such  as  air  quality  monitoring  data.  Amongst 
other  benefits 
it  facilitates  the  public  authorities' 
reporting obligations.  

For  each  Member 
accessibility  of 
State, 
environmental data (based on what the INSPIRE Directive 
envisages)  as  well  as  data-sharing  policies  ('open  data') 
have been systematically reviewed.  

the 

that 

INSPIRE 

report123 

implementation 

Slovenia's  performance  on  the  implementation  of  the 
INSPIRE  Directive  as  enabling  framework  to  actively 
disseminate  environmental  information  to  the  public 
leaves  room  for  improvement.  It  has  indicated  in  the  3-
yearly 
the 
necessary  data-sharing  policies  allowing  access  and  use 
of  spatial  data  by  national  administrations,  other 
Member  States'  administrations  and  EU 
institutions 
without  procedural  obstacles  are  available  but  not  fully 
implemented.  Recently  amendments  were  made  to  the 
Slovenian  Public  Information  Access  Act  to  implement 
the Directive on the re-use of public sector information. 
Data  gathered  in  the  public  administration  during  the 
execution  of  public  tasks  will  have  to  be  available  for 
reuse without charging fees.  
Assessments  of  monitoring  reports124  and  the  spatial 
information  that  Slovenia  has  published  on  the  INSPIRE 
geoportal125  indicate  that  not  all  spatial  information 
needed  for  the  evaluation  and  implementation  of  EU 
environmental 
is 
accessible.  The 
larger  part  of  this  missing  spatial 
information consists of the environmental data required 
to  be  made  available  under  the  existing  reporting  and 
monitoring regulations of EU environmental law. 

law  has  been  made  available  or 

Suggested action 

  Critically  review  the  effectiveness  of  its  data  policies 
into 
taking 

'best  practices' 

them, 

and  amend 
consideration.  

  Identify and document all spatial data sets required for 
the  implementation  of  environmental  law,  and  make 
the  data  and  documentation  at  least  accessible  'as  is' 
to  other  public  authorities  and  the  public  through  the 
digital services foreseen in the INSPIRE Directive.  

123 European Commission, INSPIRE reports 
124 INSPIRE Indicator trends 
125 Inspire Resources Summary Report  

Environmental Implementation Report – Slovenia