COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 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 2025 Environmental Implementation Review for prosperity and security
Date: 2025-07-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission
Subjects: EU environmental policy, Slovenia, application of EU law, biodiversity, circular economy, climate change policy, environmental law, governance, pollution control measures, waste management

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 7.7.2025  SWD(2025) 324 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2025 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 2025 Environmental Implementation Review for prosperity and security           {COM(2025) 420 final} - {SWD(2025) 300 final} - {SWD(2025) 301 final} - {SWD(2025) 302 final} - {SWD(2025) 303 final} - {SWD(2025) 304 final} - {SWD(2025) 305 final} - {SWD(2025) 306 final} - {SWD(2025) 307 final} - {SWD(2025) 308 final} - {SWD(2025) 309 final} - {SWD(2025) 310 final} - {SWD(2025) 311 final} - {SWD(2025) 312 final} - {SWD(2025) 313 final} - {SWD(2025) 314 final} - {SWD(2025) 315 final} - {SWD(2025) 316 final} - {SWD(2025) 317 final} - {SWD(2025) 318 final} - {SWD(2025) 319 final} - {SWD(2025) 320 final} - {SWD(2025) 321 final} - {SWD(2025) 322 final} - {SWD(2025) 323 final} - {SWD(2025) 325 final} - {SWD(2025) 326 final}  
 
 
Slovenia  2 

Contents 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................... 3 

PART I: THEMATIC AREAS ...................................................................................................................................... 4 

1. CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND WASTE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................. 4 
Transitioning to a circular economy ..................................................................................................................... 4 
Waste management ............................................................................................................................................. 6 
2. BIODIVERSITY AND NATURAL CAPITAL ........................................................................................................................... 12 
Global and EU biodiversity frameworks ............................................................................................................. 12 
Nature protection and restoration – Natura 2000 ............................................................................................. 12 
Recovery of ecosystems ..................................................................................................................................... 15 
Prevention and management of invasive alien species ...................................................................................... 20 
Ecosystem assessment and accounting ............................................................................................................. 21 
3. ZERO POLLUTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 23 
Clean air ............................................................................................................................................................. 23 
Industrial emissions ............................................................................................................................................ 24 
Major industrial accidents prevention – Seveso ................................................................................................. 26 
Mercury Regulation ............................................................................................................................................ 28 
Noise .................................................................................................................................................................. 28 
Water quality and management ........................................................................................................................ 29 
Chemicals ........................................................................................................................................................... 32 
4. CLIMATE ACTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 34 
The EU emissions trading system ....................................................................................................................... 34 
Effort sharing ..................................................................................................................................................... 35 
Land use, land-use change and forestry ............................................................................................................. 36 
Adaptation to climate change ............................................................................................................................ 36 

PART II: ENABLING FRAMEWORK: IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS .............................................................................. 38 

5. FINANCING ............................................................................................................................................................. 38 
Climate finance landmarks ................................................................................................................................. 38 
Environmental financing and investments ......................................................................................................... 39 
Public financial management ............................................................................................................................. 43 
6. ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE ................................................................................................................................. 47 
Information, public participation and access to justice...................................................................................... 47 
Compliance assurance ........................................................................................................................................ 49 
EU-supported environmental capacity building ................................................................................................. 52 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
Slovenia 

3 

Executive summary

In  May  2016,  the  European  Commission  launched the 
Environmental Implementation Review (EIR), a regular 
reporting  tool  based  on  analysis,  dialogue  and 
collaboration  with  EU  Member  States  to  improve  the 
implementation  of  existing  EU  environmental  policy 
and  legislation (1).  Following  previous  cycles  in  2017, 
2019 and 2022, this report assesses the progress made 
while  describing  the  main  outstanding  challenges  and 
legal 
opportunities 
implementation in Slovenia. The purpose of this report 
is  to  provide 
implementation 
information  on  the 
performance and highlight  the most  effective ways to 
address  the  implementation  gaps  that  impact  human 
health and the environment and hamper the economic 
development and competitiveness of the country. The 
report  relies  on  detailed  sectoral 
implementation 
reports  collected  or  issued  by  the  Commission  under 
specific environmental legislation. 

environmental 

regarding 

The main challenges set out below have been selected 
from Part I of this report, ‘Thematic areas’, taking into 
consideration  factors  such  as  the  gravity  of  the 
environmental  implementation  issue  in  light  of  the 
impact on the quality of life of citizens, the distance to 
target,  and  financial  implications.  In  Slovenia  some 
challenges  have  lingered  since the first  Environmental 
Implementation  Review  in  2017  and  require  urgent 
action. 

species 

in  Slovenia  are 
Many  habitats  and 
deteriorating. Forests, bogs, mires and fens, grasslands, 
freshwater  habitats  as  well  as  mammals,  amphibians 
and  arthropods  are 
faring  particularly  badly. 
Unsustainable  agricultural  practices  in  Natura  2000 
sites  are  subject  to  an  infringement  proceeding  and 
continue to impact negatively several bird species and a 
butterfly species. Shifting to agricultural practices that 
are  compatible  with  the  protected  ecosystems  has 
therefore become urgent. 

Despite  some  progress  in  implementing  the  Urban 
Wastewater  Treatment  Directive,  Slovenia  is  not  yet 
fully  complying  with  its  requirements.  In  November 

2023 the Court of Justice established that Slovenia is in 
breach of the directive in respect of the agglomeration 
of  Ljubljana  because  of  failure  to  treat  all  the 
wastewater  collected.  Slovenia  should 
therefore 
continue to develop and  modernise its infrastructures 
to increase its level of compliance and prepare for the 
implementation of the recast wastewater directive. 

Slovenia is vulnerable to climate events, with a high risk 
of floods. Slovenia can do more to mitigate the impact 
of floods, for example by improving the implementation 
of  flood  risk  management  plans,  increasing  insurance 
coverage and investing where possible in nature-based 
solutions  that  address  nature  conservation  while 
ensuring flood protection. 

The  overall  environmental  investment  needed  to 
enable  Slovenia  to  meet  its  objectives  in  the  areas  of 
pollution prevention and control, circular economy and 
waste,  water  protection  and  management,  and 
biodiversity  and  ecosystems 
is  estimated  to  be 
EUR 1.8 billion  per  year,  with  bigger  needs  for  water 
and  the  marine  environment.  The  current  investment 
gap  in  Slovenia  stands  at  an  estimated  EUR 0.6 billion 
per year. 

On  environmental  governance,  Slovenia  needs  to 
better inform the public about their rights to access to 
justice,  and  in  general  to  improve  public  access  to 
courts  to  challenge  administrative  or  regulatory 
decisions.  This  is  particularly  important  concerning 
planning in the sectors of waste, water, nature and air 
quality. 

On the positive side, Slovenia is continuing to improve 
its waste management system and is one of the few EU 
countries on track to meet both the targets to prepare 
55 % of municipal waste for reuse and recycling and to 
recycle 65 % of all packaging waste by 2025.  Slovenia 
has  continued  to  improve  air  quality  by  reducing 
emissions  in  the  context  of  the  NAPCP  and  already 
meets its 2020-2029 emission reduction commitments, 
ensures full compliance with EU air quality standard and 
maintains downwards emission trends.   

(1) 

Communication  from  the  Commission  to  the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions – Delivering the 
benefits  of  EU  environmental  policies  through  a  regular 

environmental implementation review, COM(2016) 316 final of 
27 May 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2016%3A316%3AFIN. 

2016, 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Slovenia  4 

Part I: Thematic areas 

1. Circular economy and waste management 

Transitioning to a circular economy 

Advancing the transition to a circular economy in the EU 
will reduce the environmental and climate impact of our 
industrial systems  by  reducing  input  materials,  keeping 
products  and  materials  in  the  loop  for  longer  and 
reducing  waste  generation,  thus  decoupling  economic 
growth from resource consumption. A circular economy 
has  considerable  potential  to  increase  competitiveness 
and  job  creation  and  will  also  promote  innovation  and 
provide  access  to  new  markets.  With  the  2020  circular 
economy action plan (CEAP) (2) measures either in place 
or legislatively advanced, Member States will now have 
to focus on a swift and effective implementation. 

The 2020 CEAP launched the legislative process for a set 
of  initiatives  that  will  now  have  to  be  implemented  by 
national  governments  across  the  EU.  These  initiatives 
were  all 
life-cycle 
introduced  following  a  holistic 
approach, with measures addressing the different stages 
of a product’s life cycle, from design through use to end 
of life. 

In the CEAP, the EU sets as its overarching objective the 
doubling of its circular material use rate (CMUR) by 2030. 

The CMUR is a measure of one aspect of circularity: the 
share  of  the  total  amount  of  material  used  in  the 
economy  that  is  accounted  for  by  recycled  waste.  A 
higher  CMUR  value  means  that  more  secondary 
materials  were  used  as  a  substitute  for  raw  materials, 
thus  reducing  the  environmental  impacts  of  extracting 
primary material. 

Slovenia’s CMUR increased to 8.8 % in 2023, compared 
with the EU average of 11.8 % (Figure 1). This represents 
an increase from 2022, following a steady decrease since 
2019. 

(2) 

from  the  Commission  to  the  European 
Communication 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee and the Committee of the Regions – A new circular 
economy action plan for a cleaner and more competitive Europe, 

Figure 1: CMUR (%), 2013–2023 

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021

2023

Slovenia

EU-27

Source: Eurostat, ‘Circular material use rate’, env_ac_cur, last updated 
13 November 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/product/view/env_ac_cu
r. 

product 

Improving 

Resource  productivity  measures  the  total  amount  of 
materials directly used by an economy in relation to gross 
domestic 
resource 
(GDP). 
productivity  can  help  to  minimise  negative  impacts  on 
the environment and reduce dependency on volatile raw 
material  markets.  As  shown 
in  Figure 2,  Slovenia 
generated  EUR 1.38  per  kg  of  material  consumed  in 
2023, a decrease from the years prior and below the EU 
average of EUR 2.23 per kg. 

Figure 2: Resource productivity (EUR/kg), 2013–2023 

2,5

2,0

1,5

1,0

0,5

0,0

2013

2015

2017

2019

2021

2023

Slovenia

EU-27

NB:  The  unit  of  measurement  used  is  EUR/kg  chain-linked  volume. 
Chain-linked  volumes  focus  on  changes  on  quantities  and  prices  of 
commodities  in  previous  years,  taking  account  of  inflation,  and  are 
indexed to the nearest appropriate year, in this case 2015. 

final 

COM(2020) 98 
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2020%3A98%3AFIN. 

11 March 

2020, 

of 

https://eur-

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Source:  Eurostat,  ‘Resource  productivity’,  env_ac_rp,  last  updated 
7 August 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/product/view/env_ac_rp. 

Policies and measures 

In  parallel  with  European  initiatives  under  the  CEAP, 
Member States are encouraged to adopt and implement 
circular strategies at the national, regional and city levels. 
These  should  be  tailored  to  each  national  and  local 
reality, to harness the proximity economy’s (3) potential, 
while following the principles of a holistic whole-value-
chain approach. 

Since  the 
launch  of  the  online  European  Circular 
Economy  Stakeholder  Platform  in  2017 (4)  national, 
regional and local authorities have used the platform to 
share their strategies, roadmaps and good practices, for 
example  alternative  business  models  and  innovative 
technologies. 

Slovenia introduced its comprehensive circular economy 
roadmap  in  2018 (5),  setting  out  the  path  for  the 
circularity transition in the country. 

The  circular  economy  is  one  of  the  priorities  in  the 
Slovenian national recovery and resilience plan (RRP) (6). 
The  objective  of  component 5 
is  supporting  the 
transition of Slovenia’s linear economy to a low-carbon 
circular  economy,  in  line  with  Slovenia’s  development 
strategy  2030 (7).  It  addresses  challenges  related  to 
achieving climate neutrality by 2050, increasing material 
productivity,  promoting  energy  efficiency  and  eco-
innovation,  improving  the  waste  management  system 
and  strengthening  the  wood-processing  chain.  The 
circular  economy  component  also  introduces  green 
budgetary planning. 

As part of the plan, Slovenia has developed a framework 
for  sustainable  and  green  transformation,  with  the 
objective  of  accelerating  the  transition  to  a  circular 
economy.  In  this  context,  the  new  legislation  improves 
extended producer responsibility schemes and promotes 
the integration of secondary raw materials. As part of the 
reform, Slovenia established a one-stop shop to support 

Slovenia  5 

businesses, 
enterprises, in their transition to a circular economy. 

in  particular  small  and  medium-sized 

Investments into circular economy business and funding 
of  research  and  innovation  are  enhanced  through  the 
Plan as well. 

Links  between  circularity  climate  policies  are  explicitly 
made.  Slovenia’s  long-term  climate  strategy  to  2050 
focuses on increasing material efficiency through the use 
of  less  materials,  by  designing  products  for  longer 
lifetimes, with reparability and longer product use times, 
by  using  less  emitting  and  recyclable  materials,  by 
reusing and recycling materials and by sharing products. 

Green public procurement 

Public  procurement  accounts  for  a  large  proportion  of 
European 
consumption,  with  public  authorities’ 
purchasing power representing around 14 % of EU GDP. 
Public procurement using green or circular criteria (life-
cycle analysis, PaaS (platform as a service), second hand) 
can help drive the demand for sustainable products that 
meet reparability and recyclability standards. 

Since  2019,  the  green  public  procurement  team  at  the 
Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy (8) has 
been  offering  substantive  promotion  and  support.  The 
team has built its capacity and human resources mainly 
through the LIFE integrated project ‘Care 4 climate’. Its 
activities (training, helpdesk, guidelines) have increased 
the capacity of public authorities regarding green public 
procurement and circular procurement. 

reforms 

included 

The 
the  circular  economy 
in 
component of the national RRP strengthened the existing 
green  public  procurement  system  by  integrating  the 
principles of circular economy. 

The EU ecolabel and the eco-management and audit 
scheme  

The  number  of  EU  Ecolabel  product  groups  and  the 
number of eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS)-
licensed  organisations  in  each  country  provide  some 
indication of the extent to which the private sector and 

(3) 

(4) 

‘Proximity  and 

European  Commission, 
social  economy 
ecosystem’,  European  Commission  website,  https://single-
market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/proximity-and-social-
economy_en. 
Circular 
(https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en/strategies). 

Stakeholder 

Economy 

Platform 

(5)  Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning of the Republic 
of Slovenia, Roadmap towards the Circular Economy in Slovenia, 
2018, 
Ljubljana, 
https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/sites/default/files
/roadmap_towards_the_circular_economy_in_slovenia.pdf.  

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

and 

plan], 

Government Service of the Republic of Slovenia for Development 
and European Cohesion Policy, Načrt za Okrevanje in Odpornost 
[Recovery 
2021, 
resilience 
https://www.gov.si/assets/organi-v-sestavi/URSOO/01_si-
rrp_23-7-2021.pdf . 
Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Slovenian Development 
Strategy 
2017, 
https://www.gov.si/assets/ministrstva/MKRR/Strategija-
razvoja-Slovenije-2030/Slovenian-Development-Strategy-
2030.pdf.  
The  team  was  in  the  Ministry  of  the  Environment  and  Spatial 
Planning before a government reorganisation.  

Ljubljana, 

2030, 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Slovenia  6 

dependencies  and  building  resilient  value  chains, 
and stimulating demand for recycled content  in all 
products; 

(v)  limiting energy recovery to non-recyclable materials; 

and 

(vi)  phasing  out  landfilling  of  recyclable  or  recoverable 

waste. 

One  of  the  main  objectives  of  the  EU  Waste  Law  is  to 
decouple  economic  growth  from 
its  environmental 
impacts.  

The EU’s approach to waste management is based on the 
waste  treatment  hierarchy:  prevention,  preparing  for 
reuse,  recycling,  recovery  and,  as  the  least  preferred 
landfilling  and 
includes 
option,  disposal 
incineration without energy recovery). 

(which 

All legislative proposals in the field of waste management 
put forward by the Commission since 2021 are intended 
to encourage Member States to promote better product 
design,  to  require  producers  to  cover  the  costs  of 
managing the waste resulting from their products and to 
ensure that waste is managed at the higher levels of the 
waste hierarchy.  

The  total  amount  of  waste  generated  in  Slovenia  has 
increased  over  the  last  12 years  (Figure 3),  primarily 
driven by the largest waste categories, namely soils and 
mineral  waste  from  construction  and  demolition. 
Excluding the major mineral waste categories results in 
an overall downward trend in generated waste, primarily 
driven  by  decreases  in  mixed  and  combustion  waste, 
while  recyclable  waste,  the  largest  category,  showed  a 
slight increase. Slovenia’s GDP showed a steady growth 
from 2014, but dropped in 2020, most likely due to the 
COVID-19 outbreak. Waste generation followed a similar 
trend.  Signs  of  decoupling  between  total  waste 
generation  and  economic  development  are  only  visible 
when excluding major mineral waste. 

national  stakeholders 
in  that  country  are  actively 
engaged in the transition to a circular economy. The EU 
Ecolabel  is  awarded  to  products  with  best-in-class 
environmental  performance.  EMAS 
is  a  voluntary 
environment  management  scheme  aimed  at  reducing 
the environmental impacts of organisations. 

As of September 2024, Slovenia had 213 products out of 
98 977, and 91 licences out of 2 983, registered in the EU 
ecolabel scheme. This shows a relatively low take-up of 
the products and licences but an increase from previous 
years (9).  Moreover,  10  organisations  in  Slovenia  are 
currently  registered  in  EMAS,  the  same  as  in  October 
2021 (10). 

The  CMUR  of  Slovenia  increased  by  0.5  percentage 
points  in  2023.  This  represents  some  progress  towards 
the 2022 priority action to take measures to increase the 
rate. 

No  priority  actions  were  suggested  for  Slovenia  on  the 
circular economy in the 2022 report, as they all focused 
on  waste.  Because  Slovenia’s  comprehensive  circular 
economy  policy  framework  is  from  2018  and  the  more 
recent measures were implemented under the RRP, the 
country’s circular economy policy landscape seems to be 
rather fragmented. 

2025 priority actions 

•  Develop a unified circular economy strategy focusing 
on  waste  prevention  and  resource  efficiency, 
especially for priority waste streams. 

•  Adopt measures to increase the circular material 

use rate. 

Waste management 

Turning waste into a resource is supported by: 

(i)  addressing  the  full  life  cycle  of  products,  from 
conception to end of life, by setting requirements on 
the design of products to ensure that they are more 
sustainable; 

(ii)  fully 

implementing  EU  waste  legislation,  which 
includes  the  waste  hierarchy,  the  obligation  to 
ensure  separate  collection  of  waste, 
landfill 
diversion targets, etc.; 

(iii)  reducing  waste  generation  per  capita  and 

in 

absolute terms; 

(iv)  increasing  the  recycling  rates  of  waste  containing 
critical raw materials (CRMs), with a view to reducing 

(9) 

European Commission, ‘EU Ecolabel facts and figures’, European 
Commission 
website, 
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/facts-and-
figures.html. 

(10) 

As  of  October  2024.  European  Commission,  ‘EMAS  register’, 
European 
website, 
Commission 
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/emas2/public/registration/list. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
Figure 3: Generation of waste (total and excluding 
major mineral waste), population and economic 
development, 2010–2022 

Slovenia  7 

reuse  and  recycling  operations  are  preferred  over 
incineration  and 
landfilling  from  an  environmental 
perspective  for  most  of  the  individual  fractions  of 
construction  and  demolition  waste. 
If  available 
technology were to be applied, it is estimated that the 
increase in preparing for reuse and recycling would save 
an  additional  33 Mt  of  GHG  emissions  annually  (more 
than the combined annual GHG emissions from Estonia, 
Latvia and Luxembourg). 

accessed 

income)’, 

15 October 

nama_10_gdp, 

NB: Waste generation data for odd-numbered years are interpolated. 
Sources:  Eurostat,  ‘GDP  and  main  components  (output,  expenditure 
and 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/nama_10_gdp__cu
stom_9301905/default/table; Eurostat, ‘Generation of waste by waste 
category,  hazardousness  and  NACE  Rev. 2  activity’,  env_wasgen,  last 
updated 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/env_wasgen/defaul
t/table?lang=en; Eurostat, ‘Population change – Demographic balance 
and  crude  rates  at  national  level’,  demo_grind,  accessed  15 October 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/demo_gind/default
/table?lang=en&category=demo.demo_ind. 

30 September 

22 October 

accessed 

2024, 

Critical raw materials 

Slovenia  currently  does  not  have  a  national  framework 
that  focuses  on  the  comprehensive  handling  of  CRMs. 
Slovenia  also  does  not  have  a  specific  national  or 
subnational strategy on CRM circularity. However, CRM-
relevant  aspects  are  covered  by  certain  specific 
approaches  such  as  the  management  of  batteries  and 
accumulators  as  well  as  waste  batteries  and 
accumulators,  with  the  aim  of  also  improving  the 
circularity of CRMs. Slovenia does not have measures to 
promote  the  substitution  of  CRMs  and  their  more 
efficient use in products. It also does not have measures 
to require reductions in the use of CRMs. 

Construction and demolition waste 
Construction and demolition waste accounts for almost 
40 % of all waste generated in the EU. A recent study (11) 
by  the  Joint  Research  Centre  shows  that  preparing  for 

(11) 

(12) 

of 

audits 

pre-renovation 

European  Commission,  EU  construction  &  demolition  waste 
management  protocol  including  guidelines  for  pre-demolition 
and 
construction  works, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/d63d5a8f-64e8-11ef-a8ba-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 
European  Commission,  EU  construction  &  demolition  waste 
management  protocol  including  guidelines  for  pre-demolition 
construction  works, 
and 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/d63d5a8f-64e8-11ef-a8ba-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

pre-renovation 

audits 

of 

The  rate  of  preparing  mineral  construction  and 
demolition  waste  for  reuse  and  recycling  in  Slovenia  in 
2022  was  70.6 %,  compared  with  the  EU  average  of 
79.8 %.  Measures  to  further  increase  the  rate  include 
separate  collection  at  source,  for  instance  through 
digitalised 
(‘resource 
assessments’), and extended producer responsibility and 
other  economic 
instruments  as  well  as  upstream 
measures  such  as  increasing  the  recycled  content  in 
construction  products  and  the  circular  design  of 
construction works. 

pre-demolition 

audits (12) 

Boosting implementation – the 2023 Waste Early 
Warning Report 

This  section  focuses  on  the  management  of  municipal 
waste,  for  which  EU  law  sets  mandatory  recycling 
targets (13). In June 2023, the Commission published the 
Waste Early Warning Report (14) identifying the general 
trends in waste management and the Member States at 
risk of missing 2025 waste targets (see Figure 4). Slovenia 
was not considered at risk of missing the municipal waste 
target or the packaging waste target. 

(13)  Municipal  waste  consists  of  (i)  mixed  waste  and  separately 
collected  waste 
including  paper  and 
from  households, 
cardboard,  glass,  metals,  plastics,  biowaste,  wood,  textiles, 
packaging,  waste  electrical  and  electronic  equipment,  waste 
batteries  and  accumulators,  and  bulky  waste, 
including 
mattresses  and  furniture;  and  (ii)  mixed  waste  and  separately 
collected waste from other sources, where such waste is similar 
in nature and composition to waste from households (Directive 
2008/98/EC, Article 3.2b).  
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/waste-early-
warning-report_en. 

(14) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
Slovenia  8 

implementation  of  measures  necessary  to  meet  the 
targets,  including  through  dedicated  financing.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  Commission  is  pursuing  enforcement 
actions against those Member States that do not achieve 
the  targets  of  the  Waste  Framework  Directive  (15),  the 
Packaging  and  Packaging  Waste  Directive16  and  the 
Electronic 
Directive 
Equipment (17). 

on  Waste 

Electrical 

and 

Municipal waste 

in  Slovenia 

Municipal  waste  generation 
increased 
between 2010 and 2022. In 2022, the country generated 
489 kg of municipal waste per capita, which is below the 
estimated EU27 average of 513 kg per capita in the same 
year (18) (Figure 5). 

In  2022, 

Slovenia’s  rate  of  preparing  municipal  waste  for  reuse 
and  recycling  has  significantly  increased  over  recent 
is 
years  (Figure 6). 
significantly above the estimated EU27 average of 49 % 
in the same year. This increase is mainly due to increased 
material  recycling.  However,  the  provisional  reported 
recycling rate based on the new calculation method for 
the 2025 target was 10–20 percentage points lower. 

it  was  63 %,  which 

Municipal waste incineration started in 2015 and was at 
the level of 13 % of municipal waste generated in 2022. 
From 2010, the landfilling rate decreased significantly to 
8 % in 2022 (Figure 5). 

Figure  5:  Municipal  waste  management  and  recycling 
(including reparation for reuse), 2010–2022 

Figure 4:  Member  States’  prospects  of  meeting  the 
preparing for reuse and recycling targets for municipal 
waste and packaging waste 

Member  States  not  at  risk  of  missing  both  the  55 % 
preparing for reuse and recycling target for municipal waste 
and the 65 % recycling target for packaging waste. 

Member States at risk of missing the preparing for reuse and 
recycling target for municipal waste but not at risk of missing 
the recycling target for packaging waste  

Member States at risk of missing both targets 

Outside coverage 

Source: European Environment Agency (EEA), Many EU Member States 
not  on  track  to  meet  recycling  targets  for  municipal  waste  and 
packaging waste, briefing No 28/2022, Copenhagen, 2023. Reference 
data © ESRI. 

Under  certain  conditions,  EU  waste  legislation  enables 
some  Member  States  to  postpone  the  deadlines  for 
reaching  certain  waste  management 
for 
municipal  and  packaging  waste.  Eleven  Member  States 
have used this prerogative for 2025 targets. Slovenia was 
not among them. 

targets 

In  the  Waste  Early  Warning  Report,  the  Commission 
recommended  that  Member  States  accelerate  their 
efforts  to  improve  their  recycling  performance.  The 
Commission is, on one hand, working together with the 
national  authorities  and  stakeholders  to  speed  up  the 

(15)      Directive  2008/98/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  19  November  2008  on  waste  and  repealing  certain 
Directives, Directive - 2008/98 - EN - Waste framework directive 
- EUR-Lex. 

(16)    European  Parliament  and  Council  Directive  94/62/EC  of  20 
December  1994  on  packaging  and  packaging  waste  (OJ  L  365, 
31/12/1994, p. 10–23), Directive - 94/62 - EN - EUR-Lex. 

(17)  Directive  2012/19/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  4 July  2012  on  waste  electrical  and  electronic 
equipment  (WEEE)  (OJ  L 197,  24.7.2012,  p. 38),  Directive  - 
2012/19 - EN - EUR-Lex. 
Eurostat,  ‘Municipal  waste  by  wate  management  operations’, 
env_wasmun, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASM
UN/default/table?lang=en&category=env.env_was.env_wasst. 

(18) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Slovenia  9 

Figure 7: Packaging waste generation, 2010–2022 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Municipal waste by waste management operations’, 
env_wasmun, accessed 22 October 2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASMUN/def
ault/table. 

Figure  6:  Recycling  (incl.  preparation  for  reuse)  and 
landfill rates, 2010–2022 

NB: There is a break in series in 2013. As of reference year 2020, new 
reporting rules apply for calculating recycled municipal waste pursuant 
to the targets laid down in Article 11.2(c–e) of Directive 2008/98/EC. 
Slovenia has implemented the new reporting rules since reference year 
2021 (ARSO/MOPE, 2024)￼. 

accessed 

22 October 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Municipal waste by waste management operations’, 
env_wasmun, 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASMUN/def
ault/table. 
The data shown in Figures 5 and 6 differ from the data 
reported  by 
to  show 
compliance  with  the  preparing  for  reuse  and  recycling 
target  of  55 %  for  2025,  as  laid  down  in  the  Waste 
Framework Directive. Slovenia reported a preparing for 
reuse  and  recycling  rate  in  response  to  the  target  that 
was in the range of 10–20 percentage points below the 
recycling rate shown in Figure 5 for reference year 2022. 

the  Slovenian  authorities 

Source: Eurostat, ‘Packaging waste by waste management operations’, 
env_waspac, 
2024, 
updated 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASPAC__cus
tom_842634/default/table?lang=en. 

23 October 

last 

Slovenia’s overall packaging waste recycling rate shows 
an  upward  trend  between  2010  and  2017  (Figure 8). 
However, in 2021 it decreased to 55 %, which  is below 
the 2010 level, but increased to 63 % again in 2022. This 
can be attributed to a switch towards using the reports 
of waste treatment operators as the primary data source, 
and to improvements in ensuring the quality, correctness 
and  accuracy  of  data  by  introducing  controls  in  the 
application for reporting (21). 

Figure 8: Packaging waste recycling rates, 2010–2022 

Packaging waste 

Slovenia’s packaging waste generation has continuously 
increased  since  2010  (Figure 7).  In  2022,  the  country 
generated 142 kg per capita of packaging waste, which is 
still significantly below the estimated European average 
of 186 kg per capita in the same year (19). Since reference 
year 2021, all packaging placed on the market has been 
included in the reported waste generation data (20). 

NB:  As  of  reference  year  2020  the  rules  for  calculating  recycled 
packaging waste changed, pursuant to Article 6a of Directive 94/62/EC. 
Slovenia has implemented the new reporting rules since reference year 

(19) 

(20) 

The EU average might have been influenced by not all Member 
States fully applying the reporting rules for packaging waste set 
out in Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/665. 
ARSO/MOPE,  2024,  Information  provided  during  the  Eionet 
review of the draft EEA country profile on waste management 

for Slovenia, Slovenian Environment  Agency and of Ministry of 
the Environment, Climate and Energy.  
ibid. 

(21) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2021 (ARSO/MOPE,  2024).  For  steel  and  aluminium  data  are  only 
available from 2020 onwards. 

Source:  Eurostat,  2024,  ‘Packaging  waste  by  waste  management 
operations’,  env_waspac,  last  updated  23 October  2024,  accessed 
28 October 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/ENV_WASPAC__cus
tom_842634/default/table?lang=en. 
The  overall  packaging  waste  recycling  rate  is  mainly 
driven by paper and cardboard packaging waste, as this 
fraction  constitutes  the  largest  share  of  all  packaging 
waste generated. In 2021 the packaging waste recycling 
rate decreased below the 2025 target, which can mainly 
be attributed to a change in data collection method and 
improvements  in  data  quality.  According  to  data  for 
2022, Slovenia reported recycling rates above the  2025 
recycling targets for all packaging materials except paper 
and cardboard and total packaging waste. 

Policies in place to encourage waste prevention 

The  national  waste  management  plan  of  Slovenia  was 
adopted  in  2022 (22).  The  national  waste  prevention 
programme (NWPP) for 2022 and onwards is integrated 
in  the  national  waste  management  plan  and  will  be 
reviewed every fourth year (23). In this programme, the 
measures are assessed annually against the 2020–2035 
goals.  An  analysis  of  data  on  waste  management  for 
reference  year  2021  was  carried  out,  and  compliance 
with the waste management  plan (2022) was assessed. 
The analysis is not made public (24). 

as 

such 

The  NWPP  highlights  several  objectives  connected  to 
reducing  material 
waste  prevention, 
consumption, creating closed material loops, supporting 
the  usage  of  less  resources  and  reusing  materials  and 
products. The priority waste streams for prevention are 
food  waste, 
construction  and  demolition  waste, 
household  and  municipal  waste,  waste  electrical  and 
electronic  equipment,  bulky  waste,  waste  textiles  and 
waste  lightweight  plastic  carrier  bags.  The  programme 
refers to the quantitative targets set at the EU level and 
does  not  establish  additional  national  targets.  No 
financial  budget  for  waste  prevention  measures  is 
mentioned in the NWPP. 

Slovenia  10 

Besides the NWPP, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry 
and Food has adopted a strategy to reduce food losses 
and food waste in the food supply chain. In 2015, a pilot 
project was implemented with the aim of monitoring and 
analysing  data  on  food  waste,  focusing  on  individual 
waste  streams  and  identifying  the  proportion  of  food 
waste in municipal waste, including information on home 
composting.  At  present,  initiatives  focus  on  five  areas: 
primary  production,  processing  and  manufacturing, 
retail  and  other  distribution  of  food,  restaurants  and 
food services, and households. The country is focusing on 
education and awareness campaigns, promoting the use 
of  local  agricultural  products  to  reduce  transportation-
related  waste,  and  supporting  sustainable,  short  food 
supply chains (25). 

Policies to encourage separate collection and recycling 

A  high  share  of  the  population  is  covered  by  a  high-
convenience collection service for paper and cardboard, 
metals, plastics, glass and bio-waste. For these fractions, 
door-to-door  collection 
the  dominant  system, 
is 
complemented  by  low-density  bring  points  and  civic 
amenity  sites.  Packaging  waste  is  mainly  collected 
through  door-to-door  commingled  collection.  Glass 
packaging is mainly collected through low-density bring 
points.  Bio-waste  (food  and  green  garden  waste 
together) is home composted and/or collected through 
door-to-door separate collection, providing a convenient 
system for citizens. Textiles are collected at low-density 
bring  points  and  civic  amenity  sites.  The  separate 
collection  of  all  fractions  is  also  mandatory  for  non-
households in Slovenia (26). 

Separating waste at source is supported through a fully 
rolled-out  pay-as-you-throw  system,  covering  100 %  of 
the  population.  The  system  is  mostly  based  on  waste 
container volume and the frequency of collection (27). 
The  Slovenian  extended  producer  responsibility system 
covers packaging waste from both household and non-
household sources for all packaging materials. However, 
there is no advanced fee modulation in place, that is, fee 
modulation within the broad material categories such as 
higher  fees  for  difficult-to-recycle  types  of  plastic  or 

(22)  Government  of  the  Republic  of  Slovenia,  2022,  PROGRAM 
in  PROGRAM  PREPREČEVANJA 

RAVNANJA  Z  ODPADKI 
ODPADKOV REPUBLIKE SLOVENIJE (2022) 

(23)  Waste Prevention Country Profile – Slovenia, EEA assessment of 

15 March 2024. 
ARSO/MOPE,  2024.  Information  provided  during  the  Eionet 
review of the draft EEA country profile on waste management 
for  Slovenia  by  the  Slovenian  Environment  Agency  and  the 
Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy. 
Food Waste, Slovenia, 2016 

(24) 

(25) 

(26) 

(27) 

Copenhagen, 

European  Environment  Agency,  Early  warning  assessment 
related to the 2025 targets for municipal and packaging waste – 
2022, 
Slovenia, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/many-eu-member-
states/slovenia/view. 
Technical  note  accompanying  the  EEA  briefing  ‘Economic 
instruments  and  separate  collection  –  key  instruments  to 
increase  recycling’  —  European  Environment  Agency,  File 
(https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/economic-
instruments-and-separate-collection/technical-note-
accompanying-the-eea/view) accessed 18 January 2024. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Slovenia  11 

combinations of materials (28). Slovenia has a packaging 
tax  that  is  based  on  the  environmental  burden  unit  as 
defined  in  the  regulation  on  an  environmental  levy  on 
environmental pollution from packaging waste (29). 

plan in line with the revised Waste Framework Directive 
is  in  place;  (iii)  close  and  rehabilitate,  as  quickly  as 
possible, the remaining illegal landfills to avoid charges 
from infringement procedures. 

There is a voluntary deposit return system covering only 
reusable  packaging (30).  However,  the  introduction  of  a 
mandatory  deposit  return  system  for  packaging  could 
boost  reuse  and  further 
increase  the  capture  of 
recyclable waste (31). 

Slovenia  has  made  some  progress  on  all  three  actions, 
but  further  progress  is  required  as  regards  the  first 
recommendation. As regards the third recommendation, 
while there is currently still one open infringement case 
concerning illegal landfills, the European Court of Justice 
has delivered its ruling (33). 

Policies to discourage landfilling or incineration 

2025 priority actions 

Slovenia has a landfill tax of  EUR 11/tonne of landfilled 
non-hazardous  waste.  The  landfill  tax  is  low  compared 
with other Member States. However, the landfill rate is 
already very low. A landfill ban for biodegradable waste 
was introduced in 2011. There is no tax on incineration 
of  municipal  waste  and  there  is  no  plan  to  implement 
such a tax in the future (32). 

The  Commission’s 2022 Environmental  Implementation 
Review  (EIR)  recommended  that  Slovenia  (i)  Introduce 
new policies, including economic instruments, to further 
implement the waste hierarchy (i.e. promote prevention, 
and  make  reuse  and  recycling  more  economically 
attractive)  and/or  implement  the  policies  which  are 
already  in  place;  (ii)  ensure  that  a  waste  management 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Invest in waste prevention measures to reduce the 
total  amount  of  waste  generated,  which  has 
increased over the last 12 years. 
Increase  the  collection  and  recycling  rate  of  waste 
electronic and electric equipment (WEEE). 
Introduce the deposit and return system(-s) (DRS), as 
mandated  by  the  new  Packaging  and  Packaging 
Waste  Regulation,  to  capture  more  recyclable 
materials and improve the quality of recyclates. 
Ensure the achievement of the 2025 waste targets, 
following  the  recommendations  made  by  the 
Commission  in  the  early  warning  reports  where 
applicable. 

(28) 

(29) 

(30) 

Slovenia-Early Warning Assessment Related to the 2025 Targets 
for Municipal and Packaging Waste, File, European Environment 
Agency  (EEA)  (https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/many-
eu-member-states/slovenia/view) accessed 7 March 2024.. 
Regulation on an environmental levy on environmental pollution 
from  packaging  waste  Official  Gazette  of  the  Republic  of 
Slovenia,  Nos.  32/06,  65/06,  78/08,  19/10,  68/17,  82/18  and 
44/22 – ZVO-2, (https://pisrs.si/pregledPredpisa?id=URED3967) 
accessed 9 November 2024. 
Slovenia – Early Warning Assessment related to the 2025 Targets 
for Municipal and Packaging Waste, File, European Environment 
Agency (EEA) 

(31) 

(32) 
(33) 

. 

Office 

Slovenia,  2025  EU  waste  recycling  targets  –  State  of  play, 
Union 
Publications 
(https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/51239) 
12 
March 2024. 
ibid. 

European 

accessed 

the 

of 

https://curia.europa.eu/jcms/upload/docs/application/pdf/202
5-05/cp250059en.pdf    

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
 
2. Biodiversity and natural capital

Global and EU biodiversity frameworks

Slovenia  12 

Biological  diversity  and  healthy  ecosystems  are  critical 
for our societies, underpin our economies and well-being 
and  are  essential  for  climate  change  adaptation  and 
mitigation.  The  Kunming–Montreal  global  biodiversity 
framework  (GBF),  adopted  in  December  2022,  sets 
comprehensive  and  measurable  targets  to  tackle 
biodiversity  loss  by  2030.  To  implement  this  global 
framework and integrate biodiversity considerations into 
national decision-making, the EU – as well as all Member 
States –  had  to  submit  national  biodiversity  strategies 
and action plans (NBSAPs), or to communicate national 
targets  aligned  with  the  global  targets,  by  the  end  of 
2024. The EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 (BDS) aims to 
put EU biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030. It sets 
quantified targets intended to protect and restore nature 
and manage ecosystems in a sustainable manner, as well 
as  measures 
and 
commitments  to  support  global  biodiversity.  A  BDS 
actions  tracker (34)  and  a  dashboard  of  indicators (35) 
provide  information  on  implementation  progress.  The 
recently adopted EU Nature Restoration Regulation (36) is 
the first EU-wide, comprehensive law of its kind and a key 
instrument  for  the  EU  to  deliver  on  the  global 
biodiversity targets for 2030. It lays down an overarching 
objective  at  the  EU  level  to  put  in  place  effective 
restoration measures on 20 % of EU land and sea by 2030 
and for all ecosystems in need of restoration by 2050. To 
achieve this, it sets binding targets for Member States to 
restore and maintain ecosystems, as well as an effective 
implementation 
national 
restoration plans. 

implementation 

framework 

enable 

based 

on 

to 

The BDS is the main instrument used by the EU to deliver 
on  its  obligation  under  the  GBF.  The  Commission  has 
submitted  to  the  Convention  on  Biological  Diversity 
(CBD)  its  report  on  GBF-aligned  EU  targets  that  stem 
from the BDS and from other policy instruments under 
the European Green Deal. 

(34) 

(35) 

(36) 

Actions 

Tracker 

Strategy 

Strategy 

Dashboard 

Biodiversity 

Biodiversity 

EU 
(https://dopa.jrc.ec.europa.eu/kcbd/actions-tracker/). 
EU 
(https://dopa.jrc.ec.europa.eu/kcbd/EUBDS2030-
dashboard/?version=1). 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration and amending 
Regulation  (EU)  2022/869  (OJ  L,  2024/1991,  29.7.2024), 
see  also 
the 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1991/oj; 
Commission 
law 
the 
on 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-
biodiversity/nature-restoration-law_en). 

page 

web 

Member  States’  national  biodiversity  strategies  and 
action  plans  (NBSAPs)  need  to  provide  coherent 
frameworks  for  national  delivery  on  the  global  and  EU 
2030  biodiversity  targets. 
line  with  the  global 
obligations,  NBSAPs  should  also  include  a  biodiversity 
financing  plan  and  a  capacity-building  plan,  based  on 
needs  assessments,  as  well  as  an  overview  of  the 
national indicators used to measure progress. 

In 

Slovenia  has  submitted  to  the  CBD  its  2020–2030 
national  environmental  action  programme  (NEAP), 
adopted 
in  March  2020.  The  programme  defines 
guidelines, goals, tasks and measures in different areas, 
including biodiversity conservation and the protection of 
valuable  natural  features  as  well  as  guidelines  and 
international 
measures 
environmental 
Slovenia  has  also 
uploaded  the  overall  national  goals  into  the  CBD, 
indicating links to the global biodiversity targets or their 
elements. 

compliance  with 

commitments. 

for 

The  NBSAP  is  integrated  into  a  10-year  NEAP  (2020–
2030)  adopted  by  the  Slovenian  Parliament  in  March 
2020 (37), and it reflects the commitments and actions of 
the EU biodiversity strategy.  

The EU aims to allocate to biodiversity objectives at least 
7.5 % of annual spending under the EU budget in 2024, 
rising to 10 % in 2026 and 2027. 
For  additional  details  on  biodiversity  financing  and 
investments for Slovenia, see Chapter 5. 

Nature protection and restoration – Natura 
2000 

Natura  2000 (38),  the  largest  coordinated  network  of 
protected areas in the world, is key to the achievement 
of  the  objectives  set  out  in  the  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives. These objectives are to ensure the long-term 

(37)  National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, Resolution on the 
action  programme  2020–2030 
https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/si/si-nbsap-

national  environmental 
(ReNPVO20-30), 
v2-en.pdf, Chapter 10. 

(38)  Natura  2000  comprises  sites  of  community  importance  (SCIs), 
designated pursuant to the Habitats Directive, as well as special 
protection  areas  (SPAs),  classified  pursuant  to  the  Birds 
Directive. Numbers of protected areas in Figure 9 do not add up 
to  the  total  of  SCIs  plus  SPAs,  because  some  SCIs  and  SPAs 
overlap. An SAC is an SCI designated by a Member State. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
Slovenia  13 

infringement procedure has been ongoing since 2021. In 
the  absence  of  concrete  action  by  the  Slovenian 
authorities,  the  Commission  may  decide  to  take  the 
infringement case further. 

Taking 
into  account  both  Natura  2000  and  other 
nationally  designated  protected  areas,  Slovenia  legally 
protects  40.5 %  of  its  terrestrial  areas  (EU-27  coverage 
26.1 %)  and  5 %  of  its  marine  areas  (EU-27  coverage 
12.3 %) (43). 

Figure  9:  Natura  2000  terrestrial  protected  area 
coverage per Member State (%), 2023 

protection,  conservation  and  survival  of  Europe’s  most 
valuable  and  threatened  species  and  habitats  and  the 
ecosystems  they  underpin.  Key  milestones  towards 
meeting  the  objectives  of  the  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives  are  (i)  the  setting  up  of  a  complete  and 
coherent  Natura  2000  network;  (ii)  the  designation  of 
sites of community importance (SCIs) as special areas of 
conservation (SACs) (39); and (iii) effective management 
of  all  Natura  2000  sites  through  the  setting  of  site-
specific conservation objectives and measures. 

Setting up a complete and coherent network of Natura 
2000 sites 

The  setting  up  of  a  complete  and  coherent  network  of 
Natura  2000  sites 
is  a  cornerstone  of  the  EU’s 
international commitments, under the BDS and GBF, to 
legally  protect  a  minimum  of  30 %  of  its  land  area  and 
30 % of its sea area. 

the 

these 

requires 

commitments 

Meeting 
full 
implementation of Article 3 of the Habitats Directive. The 
Natura 2000 network should represent a complete and 
coherent  ecological network composed of sites hosting 
natural habitat types and species of community interest. 
The  Natura  2000  network  enables  the  natural  habitat 
types  and  the  species’  habitats  concerned  to  be 
maintained  or,  where  appropriate,  restored  to  a 
favourable conservation status in their natural range. 

Slovenia hosts 60 habitat  types (40) and 202 species (41) 
covered by the Habitats Directive. The country also hosts 
populations of 76 bird taxa listed in the Birds Directive 
Annex I (42). 

In  2023,  Slovenia  had  the  largest  coverage  by  Natura 
2000 in the EU-27, with 37.9 % of the national land area 
of Slovenia covered (EU coverage 18.6 %). SPAs classified 
under  the  Birds  Directive  were  covering  25 %  (EU 
coverage 12.8 %) and SCIs under the Habitats Directive 
were  covering  32.7 %  (EU  coverage  14.3 %)  of  the 
Slovenian  territory.  While  the  Natura  2000  network  on 
land can be considered complete, there is still a  gap in 
the classification of marine SPAs for the Mediterranean 
for  which  an 
shag 

in  Slovenian  marine  waters, 

(39) 

(40) 

(41) 

SCIs are designated pursuant to the Habitats Directive, whereas 
SPAs are designated pursuant to the Birds Directive. Figures of 
coverage do not add up because some SCIs and SPAs overlap. 
European Environment Agency (EEA), ‘Number of habitats and 
species per Member State’, Article 17 dashboard, Annex I total, 
2019, 
19 December 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-
nature-in-the-eu/article-17-national-summary-
dashboards/general-information-on-habitats-and-species. 
EEA,  ‘Number  of  habitats  and  species  per  Member  State’, 
2019, 
Article 17 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-
nature-in-the-eu/article-17-national-summary-
dashboards/general-information-on-habitats-and-species. 

19 December 

dashboard, 

Source: European Environment Agency (EEA), ‘Natura 2000 Barometer’, 
2023  data,  accessed  March  2025,  https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-
and-maps/dashboards/natura-2000-barometer. 

Designating special areas of conservation and setting 
site-specific conservation objectives and measures 

In order to ensure that SCIs contribute to the objectives 
of the Habitats Directive, Member States must designate 
them  as  SACs,  setting  site-specific  conservation 
objectives based on the ecological needs of the species 
and  habitats  present  on  the  sites.  The  site-specific 
conservation  objectives  must  be  defined  in  terms  of 
attributes  and  targets  that  cover  the  properties  of  the 
feature  of  interest  that  are  necessary  to  describe  its 
condition  as  either  favourable  or  unfavourable.  These 

(42) 

(43) 

EEA,  ‘Number  of  bird  species/populations  per  Member  State’, 
Article 12 dashboard, Annex I total, last updated 11 May 2023, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-
nature-in-the-eu/article-12-national-summary-
dashboards/general-information-on-bird-species-populations. 
This  counting  only  takes  into  account  birds  taxa  for  which 
information was requested. 
EEA,  ‘Protected  areas’,  env_bio4,  terrestrial  protected  area 
percentage for 2021 and marine protected area percentage for 
2019, 
2022, 
March 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/env_bio4/de
fault/table?lang=en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Slovenia  14 

According  to  the  European  Environment  Agency  (EEA), 
based  on  reporting  required  under  Article 17  of  the 
Habitats Directive, a quarter of species in the EU were of 
good conservation status as of 2018 (44). 

One of the primary objectives of the Habitats Directive is 
the  maintenance  of  or  restoration  to  favourable 
conservation status of all species of community interest. 
Moreover, the Birds Directive also aims to ensure that all 
wild  birds  in  the  EU  enjoy  a  secure  status.  In  order  to 
achieve these objectives, it will be necessary to address 
key  pressures  and  threats.  The  Birds  Directive  and  the 
Habitats  Directive  lay  down  a  framework  of  species 
protection rules and rules on the conservation of habitats 
and species in order to combat these threats. 

Under  Article 17  of  the  Habitats  Directive,  Member 
States are required to report on the conservation status 
of  habitats  and  species  every  six  years.  The  current 
reporting cycle, covering the years 2019 to 2024, is due 
for submission in July 2025. 

Figure  10:  Assessments  of  conservation  status  for 
habitats  for  the  2007–2012  and  2013–2018  reporting 
periods 

objectives  must  address  the  key  pressures  and  threats 
present  on  the  site.  Article 6  of  the  Habitats  Directive 
requires  Member  States  to  establish  and  implement 
conservation  measures  for  the  realisation  of  the 
objectives of the site. 

The  six-year  deadline  set  by  the  Habitats  Directive  to 
designate an SCI as an SAC and to establish appropriate 
conservation objectives and measures has expired for all 
but a few sites in Slovenia. 

Although  all  SCIs  have  been  designated  as  SACs,  and 
conservation  objectives  and  measures  have  been 
established,  some  conservation  measures  are  not  yet 
sufficiently  fit  for  purpose  to  achieve  the  objectives  of 
the  SACs.  The 
implementation  of  the  necessary 
conservation measures has been delayed for many sites. 

is  currently  addressing  some  of 

these 
Slovenia 
shortcomings  within  the  LIFE  integrated  project  for 
enhanced  management  of  Natura  2000  in  Slovenia. 
Moreover,  Slovenia  seeks  to  improve  implementation 
through  better  integration  of  conservation  measures 
into the common agricultural policy (CAP) strategic plan, 
better implementation of cohesion projects and funding 
from national sources. 

Slovenia  still  has  to  improve  the  quality  of  some 
conservation  objectives  and  of  the  implementation  of 
certain conservation measures for the designated sites. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

• 

of 

the 

establishment 

Finalise 
site-specific 
conservation objectives and measures for all Natura 
2000 sites (including by adopting their management 
plans) and ensure their effective implementation. 
Ensure the effective implementation of Natura 2000 
management  plans  and  sufficient  administrative 
capacity and financing both for Natura 2000 and the 
implementation  of 
the  Nature  Restoration 
Regulation.  Ensure  implementation  of  Prioritised 
Actions Framework 2021-2027 (PAFs). 

Recovery of species 

One  objective  set  by  the  BDS  is  that,  by  2030,  there 
should be no further deterioration in conservation trends 
or  the  status  of  any  protected  species.  The  BDS  also 
states  that  Member  States  should  ensure  that  at  least 
30 % of species not currently in favourable conservation 
status  achieve  that  status  or  show  progress  towards 
doing so (e.g. by exhibiting positive population dynamics 
or stable or increasing range and habitat size), by 2030. 

NB:  The  values  shown  for  2007–2012  and  2013–2018  are  not 
necessarily directly comparable because changes in area conservation 
status in a Member State may result from changes to methods or use 
of better data, rather than reflecting genuine changes. 

Source: EEA, ‘Conservation status and trends of habitats and species’, 
2021, 
19 December 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-nature-in-
the-eu/article-17-national-summary-dashboards/conservation-status-
and-trends. 

December 

accessed 

2019, 

(44) 

EEA  (2020),  State  of  Nature  in  the  EU:  Results  from  reporting 
under  the  Nature  Directives  2013–2018,  Publications  Office  of 
2020, 
the 

Luxembourg, 

European 

Union, 

https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/state-of-nature-in-
the-eu-2020. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Slovenia  15 

Figure 11: Assessments of conservation status for 
species for the 2007–2012 and 2013–2018 reporting 
periods 

NB:  The  values  shown  for  2007–2012  and  2013–2018  are  not 
necessarily directly comparable because changes in area conservation 
status in a Member State may result from changes to methods or use 
of better data, rather than reflecting genuine changes. 

Source: EEA, ‘Conservation status and trends of habitats and species’, 
19 December 
2021, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-nature-in-
the-eu/article-17-national-summary-dashboards/conservation-status-
and-trends. 

December 

accessed 

2019, 

According  to  the  report  submitted  by  Slovenia  on  the 
conservation  status  of  habitats  and  species  covered  by 
Article 17  of  the  Habitats  Directive  for  2013–2018 (45), 
the  share  of  assessments 
in  good 
conservation  status  in  2018  was  38.2 %.  The  share  of 
assessments for protected species in good conservation 
status  in  2018  was  29.22 %,  On  birds,  82 %  of  the 
breeding species showed short-term increases or stable 
population  trends  (for  key  wintering  species  this  figure 
was 40 %). 

for  habitats 

The  habitat  groups  that  have  been  faring  particularly 
badly  are  forests,  bogs,  mires  and  fens,  grasslands  and 
freshwater habitats. On species, groups that have been 
faring  particularly  badly  are mammals,  amphibians  and 
arthropods, while notably there are still knowledge gaps 
on the conservation status of species. 

The  main  pressures  are 
from  agriculture,  urban 
development,  changes  in  water  regime,  forestry  and 
other extraction of resources. 

Slovenia  has  been  under  an  infringement  proceeding 
since  July  2019  for  its  failure  to  address  unsustainable 
agricultural  practices  in  Natura  2000  sites,  which  is 
resulting in the deterioration of several bird species and 
a butterfly species. It is essential that Slovenia takes the 

(45) 

EEA,  ‘Conservation  status  and  trends  of  habitats  and  species’, 
19 December 
2021, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-

December 

accessed 

2019, 

necessary  measures 
requirements of the Habitats Directive. 

to 

fully  comply  with 

the 

To make significant progress in restoring and maintaining 
the favourable conservation status of protected habitats 
and species, Slovenia should focus its implementation of 
conservation  and  restoration  measures  on the  habitats 
and species in bad conservation status and/or declining 
trends, such as (i) grasslands and associated species, by 
addressing  agricultural  pressures; 
forests  and 
associated species, by addressing forestry practices; and 
(iii)  freshwater  habitats  and  associated  species,  by 
addressing changes in the water system. 

(ii) 

Little progress has been made since the 2022 EIR.  

2025 priority actions 

• 

Strengthen  the  integration  of  biodiversity  actions 
into other policies, e.g. energy, agriculture, fisheries, 
forestry,  urban  and  infrastructure  planning  and 
sustainable  tourism,  and  promote  communication 
between stakeholders. 

•  Reinforce  action 

for  habitats  and  species 

in 
unfavourable  conservation  status,  for  example 
through 
increased 
restoration  measures, 
connectivity,  better  policy  coordination  and 
integration, and increased funding. 

Recovery of ecosystems 

Agricultural ecosystems 

The  BDS  works  alongside  the  CAP  to  support  the 
transition to sustainable agriculture. 

The  strategy  has  set  five  common  agriculture-related 
targets for 2030, namely to: 

—  reduce by 50 % the overall use of – and risk from – 

chemical pesticides; 

—  reduce  by  50 %  the  use  of  more  hazardous 

pesticides; 

—  reduce  by  50 %  losses  of  nutrients  from  fertilisers 
(which  will result in a  20 % reduction in the use of 
fertilisers)  while  ensuring 
is  no 
deterioration of soil fertility; 

there 

that 

—  restore  at  least  10 %  of  agricultural  area  to  have 

— 

high-diversity landscape features; and 
increase the area under organic farming to at least 
25 %. 

The  Vision  for  agriculture  and  food,  adopted  by  the 
European Commission in February 2025, sets a roadmap 

nature-in-the-eu/article-17-national-summary-
dashboards/conservation-status-and-trends. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
to  an  agri-food  system  that  is  attractive,  competitive, 
sustainable and fair for current and future generations. 
To  ensure  a  sustainable  future  for  EU  agriculture,  it  is 
crucial  that  these  four  priority  areas  are  pursued 
together,  and  that  public  and  private  support  are 
adequately targeted toward this objective(46). 

The  CAP  and  national  CAP  strategic  plans  (SPs)  are  key 
instruments  to  facilitate  and  strengthen  the  efforts  of 
European  farmers  to  protect  biodiversity  and  the 
environment  at 
large.  The  Commission  approved 
Member  States’  CAP  SPs  in  2022  for  the  2023–2027 
programming period. CAP is the largest source of funding 
for  the  implementation  of  EU  environment  policy,  and 
this  is particularly true for biodiversity. SPs continue to 
support  the  protection  of  soil,  water,  air  quality  and 
biodiversity. 

indicators 

certain  CAP 

While 
focus  on 
result 
interventions favouring sustainable agriculture practices 
impact  of  these 
that  regenerate  ecosystems,  the 
measures  is  difficult  to  assess.  The  uptake  of  the  eco-
schemes is voluntary for farmers. 

The utilised agricultural area in Slovenia increased from 
479 650 ha in 2012 to 484 060 ha in 2020 and decreased 
to 479 430 ha in 2022 (47). 

‘share  of  agricultural 

Landscape features are fragments of non-productive and 
typically – but not exclusively – semi-natural vegetation 
present in or adjacent to agricultural land. They provide 
ecosystem  services  and  support  for  biodiversity.  The 
indicator 
land  covered  with 
landscape  features’  is  the  ratio  between  the  area 
covered by landscape features and the area covered by 
non-productive  agricultural  land.  Based  on  the  Land 
Use/Cover  Area  Frame  Survey 
landscape  features 
estimates, the share of agricultural land covered by non-
productive  landscape  features  in  Slovenia  is  5.9 %, 
slightly above the EU average. At the EU level, landscape 
features cover 5.6 % of agricultural land. 

In  2024,  the  CAP  basic  regulations  were  amended (48) 
regarding, inter alia, the standards for good agricultural 
and  environmental  condition  of  land.  These  changes 

(46) 

(47) 

(48) 

5 December 

European  Commission,  Vision  for  Agriculture  and  Food, 
https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/overview-vision-agriculture-
food/vision-agriculture-and-food_en  
Eurostat,  ‘Utilised  agricultural  area  by  categories’,  tag00025, 
accessed 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tag00025/de
fault/table?lang=en. 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1468 of the European Parliament and of 
the  Council  of  14 May  2024  amending  Regulations  (EU) 
2021/2115 and (EU) 2021/2116 as regards good agricultural and 
environmental  condition  standards,  schemes  for  climate, 
environment  and  animal  welfare,  amendment  of  the  CAP 
strategic plans, review of the CAP strategic plans and exemptions 

Slovenia  16 

removed the obligation for farmers benefiting from CAP 
area-related support to have a minimum share of 3–4 % 
of  non-productive  areas  or  landscape  features  on  the 
farm. The amended regulations set out an obligation for 
Member States to establish and provide support for eco-
schemes covering practices for the maintenance of non-
productive areas, such as land lying fallow, and for the 
establishment of new landscape features on arable land. 
Slovenia  has  therefore  introduced  a  new  eco-scheme, 
the non-productive areas and elements scheme. 

The recently adopted Nature Restoration Regulation (49) 
focuses on the restoration of agricultural ecosystems and 
requires  Member  States  to  put  in  place  measures  that 
aim to achieve an increasing trend at the national level in 
at  least  two  out  of  three  indicators  for  agricultural 
ecosystems (50). One of these indicators is the ‘share of 
agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features’. 

Organic  farming  practices  are  highly  beneficial  to 
biodiversity. As shown in  Figure 12, it is estimated that 
11.10 %  of  Slovenia’s  utilised  agricultural  land  area  is 
used  for  organic  farming.  This  is  slightly  above  the  EU 
average  of  10.50 % (51).  Slovenia  is  contributing  above 
average  to  the  EU’s  goal  of  having  25 %  of  agricultural 
land under organic farming by 2030. 

Figure  12:  Share  of  total  utilised  agricultural  area 
occupied  by  organic  farming  per  Member  State  (%), 
2022 

(49) 

(50) 

(51) 

from  controls  and  penalties  (OJ  L,  2024/1468,  24.5.2024), 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1468/oj. 
Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration and amending 
Regulation  (EU)  2022/869  (OJ  L,  2024/1991,  29.7.2024) 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1991/oj. 
The  three  indicators  are  ‘grassland  butterfly  index’;  ‘stock  of 
organic  carbon 
‘share  of 
agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features’. 
European Commission, ‘Agriculture biologique au sein de l’union 
européenne’, 
https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/document/download/c67458e
d-ec50-4762-ae68-341763ab93c2_fr?filename=factsheet-
organic-farning_fr.pdf&prefLang=en.  

in  cropland  mineral  soils’  and 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Source:  Eurostat,  ‘Area  under  organic  farming’,  sdg_02_40,  accessed 
5 December 
2024, 
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/sdg_02_40/default/
table?lang=en. 

2025 priority action 
• 

Implement  eco-schemes  and  agri-environmental 
measures 
the 
to 
environmental needs of Slovenia. 

practices 

address 

and 

Soil ecosystems 

Soil is an essential, finite and extremely fragile resource. 
Its  increasing  degradation  poses  a  threat  to  EU  food 
security  and  climate 
resilience,  adaptation  and 
mitigation. 

The EU soil strategy, adopted in November 2021, aims to 
support  soil  protection,  sustainable  soil  management 
and  the  restoration  of  degraded  soils  to  achieve  the 
Green  Deal  objectives  as  well  as  land  degradation 
neutrality by 2030. 

This entails: 

—  preventing further soil degradation; 
—  making  sustainable  soil  management  the  new 

normal; 

—  taking action for ecosystem restoration. 
The  proposed  directive  on  soil  monitoring  and 
resilience (52) aims to introduce the first comprehensive 
legislation on the protection of all soils in the EU. Should 
the  Directive  be  adopted,  Member  States  will  have  to 
transpose  it  into  national  legislation  and  implement  it, 
starting  with  putting  in  place  the  governance  systems 
and a sound monitoring framework building on existing 
national  soil  monitoring  frameworks.  The  objective  of 
the  proposed  directive  is  to  provide  better  and  more 
comparable  soil  health  data  with  the  view  of  attaining 
healthy soils by 2050. 

Degradation  of  soil  ecosystems  encompasses  several 
aspects. The proposed directive requires Member States 
to  assess  soil  health  according  to  a  set  of  common 
indicators  and  to  define  the  necessary  regeneration 
measures. The area of soil that is sealed is an important 
factor in monitoring land-use change and represents an 
important pressure on nature and biodiversity. Other soil 

(52) 

(53) 

of 

final 

5 July 

2023, 

Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the 
Council on soil monitoring and resilience (Soil Monitoring Law), 
COM(2023) 416 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:52023PC0416. 
Commission  staff  working  document –  Impact  assessment 
report: Annexes – Accompanying the proposal for a directive of 
the European Parliament and of the Council on soil monitoring 
and  resilience  (Soil  Monitoring  Law),  SWD(2023) 417  final  of 
5 July 
2023, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-

Slovenia  17 

loss  of 

soil  organic 

issues  related  to  land degradation  are  soil  erosion,  soil 
compaction, 
soil 
contamination, soil salinisation and the presence in soil 
of  nitrogen  and  phosphorus  in  excess.  The  impact 
assessment accompanying the proposal, which builds on 
the data available in the EU Soil Observatory, points to 
the following soil degradation issues in Slovenia (53). 

carbon, 

The greatest contributor to Slovenia’s unhealthy soils is 
high mercury concentrations exceeding 200 µg/kg, which 
affect 19 % of the land. 8 % of the national territory has 
a high or very high susceptibility to topsoil compaction. 
Both contributors to unhealthy soils are mostly found in 
the north-west of the country. 

In  the  2020–2030  NEAP,  Slovenia  sets  guidelines  and 
measures  to  upgrade  the  protection  and  sustainable 
management  of  soil  and  to  maintain  its  ecosystem 
services (54). 

Grasslands 

Grasslands  are  among  the  most  diverse  ecosystems  in 
the EU; they can contain as many as 80 different plant 
species per square metre and are home to a large variety 
of animals, ranging from small insects, birds and rodents 
to 
for 
large  herbivores.  Grasslands  are  essential 
agriculture and livestock herding. Natural grasslands also 
play  an  important  role  in  storing  carbon.  However, 
changes  in  agricultural  practices  and  land  uses  have 
caused  grasslands  to  disappear  at  an  alarming  rate, 
making  them  one  of  Europe’s  most  threatened 
ecosystems. 

In  Slovenia  there  are  extensive  areas  of  semi-natural 
grasslands,  including  several  habitat  types  listed  in 
Annex I of the Habitats Directive. Grasslands in Slovenia 
are also among the most threatened habitats, mainly due 
such  as 
to 
abandonment and intensification. Effective conservation 
of  these  habitats  and  their  biodiversity  requires  active 
management,  such  as  periodic  grazing  or  mowing,  to 
maintain their ecological value and prevent degradation. 

in  agricultural  practices, 

changes 

According to assessments of the latest reporting period 
(2013–2018) under Article 17, the conservation status of 
grassland habitats in Slovenia is predominantly ranked as 
‘unfavourable –  bad’ (55).  The  primary  pressures  and 

07/IMPACT 
REPORT_ANNEXES_SWD_2023_417_part4.pdf. 

ASSESSMENT 

(54)  National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, Resolution on the 
action  programme  2020–2030 
https://www.cbd.int/doc/world/si/si-nbsap-

national  environmental 
(ReNPVO20-30), 
v2-en.pdf, Table 2. 
Article 17  web  tool,  ‘Habitat  assessments  at  Member  State 
level’, 
nature-
art17.eionet.europa.eu/article17/habitat/report/?period=5&gr
oup=Grasslands&country=SI&region=. 

(55) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
threats  for  Slovenian  grasslands  include  agriculture, 
development and natural processes. 

Forest ecosystems 

Slovenia  18 

Wetlands/peatlands 

Wetlands act as water sources and purifiers; they are the 
planet’s  greatest  natural  carbon  stores  and  they  are 
crucial  to  agriculture  and  fisheries.  Peatlands  are  a 
special  type  of  wetlands  dominated  by  peat-forming 
plants such as Sphagnum mosses. Nearly all peatlands in 
the EU are habitat types listed in Annex I to the Habitats 
Directive. Drained peatlands under intensive agricultural 
use  constitute  only  3 %  of  the  EU’s  utilised  agricultural 
area. At the same time, they are responsible for 25 % of 
the  greenhouse  gas  (GHG)  emissions  from  the  EU’s 
agricultural  sector.  Restoring  peatlands  brings  multiple 
benefits,  as  peatlands  improve  water  retention  and 
quality,  store  carbon,  reduce  GHG  emissions  and 
increase biodiversity. 

In Slovenia, wetlands and peatlands are represented by 
several  habitat  types  listed  in  Annex I  of  the  Habitats 
Directive. The overall assessment of the latest reporting 
period  (2013–2018)  under  Article 17  shows  that  the 
is  generally 
conservation  status  of  these  habitats 
unfavourable (56). The main pressures on and threats to 
Slovenian  wetland  and  peatland  habitats 
include 
agricultural  activities,  forestry,  resource  extraction, 
human-induced changes in water regimes, mixed-source 
pollution,  natural  processes,  energy  production  and 
(e.g.  transport  system 
infrastructure  development 
expansion),  but  also  climate  change  and 
invasive 
species()57. 

These  pressures  reflect  the  broader  challenges 
in 
managing  and  protecting  Slovenia’s  peatland  and 
wetland 
focused 
require 
ecosystems,  which 
loss  and 
conservation  actions  to  mitigate  habitat 
degradation. 

(56) 

Article 17  web  tool,  ‘Habitat  assessments  at  Member  State 
level’, 
nature-
art17.eionet.europa.eu/article17/habitat/report/?period=5&gr
oup=Bogs%2C+mires+%26+fens&country=SI&region=. 

(57  )    Resolucija  o  Nacionalnem  programu  varstva  okolja  za  obdobje 

2020–2030 (ReNPVO20–30) (PISRS) 

22 

COM(2023)728, 

(58)  Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  on  a  monitoring  framework  for  resilient  European 
forests, 
2023, 
https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-
register/detail?ref=COM(2023)728&lang=en 
EEA, State of Nature in the EU: Results from reporting under the 
Nature  Directives  2013–2018,  Publications  Office  of  the 
European 
2020, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/state-of-nature-in-
the-eu-2020. 

Luxembourg, 

November 

Union, 

(59) 

Forests are important carbon sinks, and conserving them 
is vital if the EU is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. 
The EU forest strategy for 2030, adopted in July 2021, is 
a  plan  of  actions  to  promote  the  many  services  that 
forests  provide.  Its  key  objective  is  to  ensure  healthy, 
diverse  and  resilient  EU 
forests  that  contribute 
significantly to the achievement of the EU’s biodiversity 
and climate ambitions. About 27 % of the forest area in 
the EU is covered by habitat types listed in Annex I to the 
Habitats  Directive.  Moreover,  forests  host  several 
species  protected  under  the  Birds  and  Habitats 
Directives, 
is  a 
requirement  to  designate  Natura  2000  sites  and  to 
protect breeding sites and resting places. 

including  those  for  which  there 

Several Commission guidelines on forestry management 
were  published  in  2023.  They  covered  biodiversity-
friendly  afforestation,  reforestation  and  tree  planting; 
closer-to-nature  forest  management;  and  defining, 
mapping, monitoring and strictly protecting primary and 
old-growth  forests.  Further  guidance  on  payment 
schemes 
for  ecosystems  services  has  also  been 
published. 

In  2023,  the  Commission  proposed  a  new  forest 
monitoring law (58) that aims to create a comprehensive 
forest  knowledge  base,  address  information  gaps  and 
enable  a  better  response  to  growing  pressures  on 
forests. 

Assessments  show  that,  of  the  27 %  of  EU  forest  area 
protected under the Habitats Directive, less than 15 % is 
of  favourable  conservation  status (59).  The  share  of 
forested areas in the EU with a bad conservation status 
increased from 27 % in 2015 to 31 % in 2018. 

In Slovenia, forests covered 61.5 % of its territory in 2020 
(60) and more than 75 % of the assessments reveal a bad 
to  poor  status (61).  A  total  of  34 000 ha  in  Slovenia  is 
covered by primary forests (62). 

(60) 

(61) 

(62) 

2019, 

accessed 

December 

EEA,  forest  information  system  for  Europe,  ‘Countries –  FISE 
country  factsheets’,  forest  information  system  for  Europe 
website, https://forest.eea.europa.eu/countries. 
EEA,  ‘Conservation  status  and  trends  of  habitats  and  species’, 
19 December 
2021, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/biodiversity/state-of-
nature-in-the-eu/article-17-national-summary-
dashboards/conservation-status-and-trends;  Article 17  web 
tool,  ‘Habitat  assessments  at  Member  State  level’,  nature-
art17.eionet.europa.eu/article17/habitat/report/?period=5&gr
oup=Forests&country=SI&region=. 
European  Commission:  Joint  Research  Centre,  Mapping  and 
assessment  of  primary  and  old-growth  forests  in  Europe, 
Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg, 
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC124
671, p. 13. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Figure 13: Conservation status of forests protected 
under the Habitats Directive per Member State (% of 
assessments), 2013–2018 

Source: Commission staff working document – New EU forest strategy 
final  of  16 July  2021,  p. 24,  eur-
for  2030,  SWD(2021) 652 
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52021SC0652. 

The  EU  Timber  Regulation  (EUTR) (63)  prohibits  the 
placing  on  the  EU  market  of  illegally  harvested  timber. 
According  to  the  EUTR,  Member  States’  competent 
authorities  must  conduct  regular  checks  on  operators 
and  traders  and  apply  penalties  for  non-compliance. 
With the amendment of Article 20 of the EUTR, reporting 
every two years has been changed to annual reporting, 
and covers the calendar year as of 2019. 

Slovenia  19 

marine waters and cooperate with other Member States 
sharing  the  same  marine  region  or  subregion.  These 
marine  strategies  comprise  different  steps  to  be 
developed and implemented over six-year cycles. 
Since the 2022 EIR report, no additional data regarding 
Member  States’  set  of  GES  characteristics  for  each 
descriptor 
in  the  MSFD  have  become  available. 
Nevertheless, Member States have to report updates by 
October  2024,  and  these  will  be  assessed  by  the 
Commission.  In  the  context  of  this  next  round  of 
reporting, 
in  accordance  with  the  MSFD  and  the 
Commission  GES  decision (66),  Member  States  must 
include  as  part  of  their  set  of  GES  characteristics  any 
threshold  values  for  the  descriptors  in  the  MSFD  that 
may  have  been  established  in  cooperation  with  other 
Member States at the EU or regional level (67). 

The  Commission  assessed  the  updated  monitoring 
programme reported by Member States in 2020 (68). At 
that  time  their  updates  on  the  elements,  features  and 
parameters identified monitoring gaps. The Commission 
recommended  that  Member  States  should  prioritise 
work 
levels  of 
implementation of the MSFD. 

those  gaps  at  all 

to  address 

Member States also reported their updated programmes 
of measures, which are required under Article 13 of the 
MSFD  and  must  be  updated  every  six  years.  The 
Commission has assessed Member States’ programmes 
of measures. 

(EUDR) (64)  entered 

On  29 June  2023,  the  Regulation  on  Deforestation-free 
(65).  The 
Products 
regulation  seeks  to  guarantee  that  products  in  the  EU 
that  are  made  using  any  of  seven  listed  commodities 
have  no  links  to  deforestation.  The  EUDR  repeals  the 
EUTR.  

force 

into 

Marine ecosystems 

The  Marine  Strategy  Framework  Directive  (MSFD) 
requires Member States to achieve good environmental 
status  (GES)  for  their  marine  waters.  To  that  end, 
Member States must draw up marine strategies for their 

(63) 

(64) 

Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 of the European Parliament and of 
the  Council  of  20 October  2010  laying  down  the  obligations  of 
operators who place timber and timber products on the market 
(OJ  L 295,  12.11.2010,  p. 23),  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32010R0995. 
Regulation  on  Deforestation-free  products 
Commission. 

-  European 

(65)     The law will apply to large and medium-sized companies starting 
on  December  30,  2025,  and  to  micro  and  small  enterprises 
starting on June 30, 2026. 
Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848 of 17 May 2017 laying down 
criteria  and  methodological  standards  on  good  environmental 
status  of  marine  waters  and  specifications  and  standardised 

(66) 

(67) 

(68) 

methods for monitoring and assessment, and repealing Decision 
2010/477/EU 
(OJ  L 125,  18.5.2017,  p. 43),  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2017/848/oj/eng. 
Commission Notice on the threshold values set under the MSFD 
(Directive 2008/56/EC) and Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848 
(C/2024/2078). 
Communication from  the  Commission –  Commission notice  on 
recommendations on the 2020 updated reports for Article 11 of 
the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC), C(2023) 
2023, 
2203 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
04/C_2023_2203_F1_COMMUNICATION_FROM_COMMISSION
_EN_V5_P1_2532109.PDF. 

4 April 

final 

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2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
Figure 14: Level of adequacy of Slovenia’s updated 
programme of measures under Article 13 of the MSFD 
(2022 reporting exercise) 

Source: Technical assessment carried out by the European Commission, 
pursuant to Article 16 of the MSFD, based on the data reported by the 
Member State in January and March 2023. 

Slovenia’s  updated  programme  of  measures  revealed 
gaps for most descriptors, while D6 and D10 were found 
to be adequately covered. 

integrity 

For  sea-floor 
(D6),  additional  measures 
effectively tackle physical loss and disturbance, while for 
marine litter (D10), new measures target litter input from 
various  sources,  although  micro-litter  is  only  partially 
addressed. 

Measures for underwater noise (D11) mostly arise from 
regional  or  international  organisations,  without  a  clear 
explanation of their binding status in Slovenia’s waters. 

Moreover,  no  new  measures  were  defined  for  non-
indigenous  species  (D2),  commercial  fish  and  shellfish 
(D3) and contaminants in seafood (D9), leaving pressures 
on these descriptors inadequately covered. 

Slovenia  has  not  yet  ratified  the  Protocol  for  the 
Protection  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  against  Pollution 
Resulting  from  the  Exploration  and  Exploitation  of  the 
Continental  Shelf  and  the  Seabed  and 
its  Subsoil 
(Offshore Protocol to the Barcelona Convention). 

Slovenia  20 

2025 priority action 

its  targets  and 

•  Report  updates  on  the  assessment  of  the  state  of 
Slovenia’s  marine  waters, 
its 
determinations  of  GES (69),  which  are  expected  to 
include  any  threshold  values  for  the  descriptors  in 
the  MSFD  that  may  have  been  established  in 
cooperation with other Member States at the EU or 
regional level. 

Prevention and management of invasive alien 
species 

Invasive  alien  species  (IAS)  are  a  major  cause  of 
biodiversity  loss  in  the  EU.  Besides  inflicting  direct  and 
indirect damage on nature and the economy, some IAS 
also carry and spread infectious diseases, posing a threat 
to  humans  and  wildlife.  Regulation  (EU)  No 1143/2014 
(the  IAS  Regulation)  aims  to  prevent,  minimise  and 
mitigate  the  adverse  impacts  of  IAS  on  biodiversity.  It 
focuses action on a list of IAS of EU concern (the ‘Union 
list’), which is regularly updated (70). 

The third update of the Union list (71) entered into force 
on 2 August 2022. The fourth update is in preparation. 

The IAS  Regulation (72) currently lists 88 species subject 
to  restrictions  on  keeping,  importing,  selling,  breeding, 
growing  and  releasing  into  the  environment.  Member 
States are required to take measures to (i) prevent the 
introduction of IAS, (ii) ensure early detection and rapid 
eradication  of  IAS  and  (iii)  manage  species  that  are 
already widespread on their territory. 

This  aligns  with  target 6  of  the  GBF  to  reduce  the 
introduction of IAS by at least 50 % by 2030 and minimise 
their impact. 

Preventing  the  introduction  and  spread  of  IAS,  and 
including  through  eradication  and 
managing  them, 
control,  can  result  in  a  substantial  cost  saving.  Studies 
estimate  that  the  total  cost  of  IAS  in  Europe  (damages 
and  management)  amounted  to  EUR 116.61 billion 
between  1960  and  2020 (73).  More  recent  studies  have 
put  this  cost  at  USD 28 billion  per  year  in  the  EU, 

(69) 
(70) 

(71) 

In accordance with Article 17 of Directive 2008/56/EC. 
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/1141 of 13 July 
2016 adopting a list of invasive alien species of Union concern 
pursuant  to  Regulation  (EU)  No 1143/2014  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council  (OJ  L 189,  14.7.2016,  p. 4),  as 
amended  by  Commission 
Implementing  Regulations  (EU) 
2017/1263,  (EU)  2019/1262  and  (EU)  2022/1203  (https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:02016R1141-
20220802&from=EN). 
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1203 of 12 July 
2022  amending  Implementing  Regulation  (EU)  2016/1141  to 

(72) 

update  the  list  of  invasive  alien  species  of  Union  concern  (OJ 
L 186,  13.7.2022,  p. 10),  https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32022R1203. 
Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 of the European Parliament and 
of  the  Council  of  22 October  2014  on  the  prevention  and 
management  of  the  introduction  and  spread  of  invasive  alien 
species (OJ L 317, 4.11.2014, p. 35). 

(73)  Haubrock, P. J., Turbelin, A. J., Cuthbert, R. N. et al., ‘Economic 
costs of invasive alien species across Europe’, NeoBiota, Vol. 63, 
2021, pp. 153–190. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
increasing  to  USD 148.2 billion  by  2040 (74),  and  at 
USD 423 billion annually at the global level (75). 

The total number of IAS of Union concern in the country 
is 21. This includes 15 species recorded in the previous 
EIR  (2021),  4  species  that  were  present  previously  and 
added to the list later under Commission Implementing 
Regulation  (EU)  2022/1203  and  2  newly  detected 
species. 

Slovenia has not yet ratified the International Convention 
for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water 
and Sediments. 

Figure 15: Number of invasive alien species of EU 
concern, based on available georeferenced 
information for Slovenia, 2024 

As  required  in  the  2022  priority  action,  Slovenia  has 
taken appropriate measures to establish and implement 
action  plans  to  address  the  unintentional  introduction 
and spread of invasive aliens species in its territory and 
marine  waters, 
line  with  Article 13  of  the  IAS 
Regulation. 

in 

Slovenia  21 

2025 priority actions 

• 

Step  up  implementation  of  the  IAS  Regulation, 
including  with  regard  to  enforcement  and  the 
capacity of inspection authorities. 

•  Ratify the International Convention for the Control 
and  Management  of  Ships’  Ballast  Water  and 
Sediments of 2004 (BWM Convention). 

Ecosystem assessment and accounting 

The  BDS  calls  on  Member  States  to  better  integrate 
biodiversity  considerations  into  public  and  business 
decision-making  at  all  levels  and  to  develop  natural 
capital accounting. 

Similarly, target 14 of the GBF (76) aims to ensure the full 
integration  of  biodiversity  and  its  multiple  values  into 
policy  and  planning  and,  as  appropriate,  national 
accounting.  This  requires  effective  and  coherent 
biodiversity  observation  and  reporting  on  ecosystem 
condition in the EU (77). 

The amended Regulation (EU) No 691/2011 on European 
environmental  economic  accounts (78)  introduces  new 
requirements  for  Member  States  to  report  on  the 
condition  of  ecosystems  including  urban  ecosystems, 
croplands,  grasslands,  forest  and  woodlands,  coastal 
beaches,  dunes  and  wetlands.  Data  reported  by  the 
Member  States  will  feed  into  the  second  European 
ecosystem assessment, due in 2027, and can also be used 
to support policy decisions. 

An ecosystem assessment is an analysis of the condition 
of ecosystems and the pressures acting on them, as well 
as  the  benefits  that  they  provide  to  people,  either 
directly or indirectly through the economy. 

An 
increasing  number  of  platforms,  networks  and 
communities of practice involve businesses in protecting 
biodiversity,  including  the  EU  Business  &  Biodiversity 
Platform (79). These platforms and communities are key 
tools  for  promoting  and  facilitating  natural  capital 

(75) 

(74)  Henry, M., Leung, B., Cuthbert, R. N. et al., ‘Unveiling the hidden 
economic  toll  of  biological  invasions  in  the  European  Union’, 
Environmental Sciences Europe, Vol. 35, No 1, 2023, p. 43. 
on 
Platform 
IPBES 
Biodiversity 
for 
Summary 
Policymakers –  Invasive  alien  species  assessment,  Bonn,  2023, 
https://www.ipbes.net/document-library-catalogue/summary-
policymakers-invasive-alien-species-assessment. 

Science-Policy 
Services), 

(Intergovernmental 

Ecosystem 

and 

(76)  Decision 15/4 adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the 
Convention  on  Biological  Diversity:  Kunming–Montreal  global 
biodiversity 
framework 
(https://www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-04-
en.pdf). 
European  Commission:  Joint  Research  Centre  and  EEA,  EU 
policymakers, 
Ecosystem 

Assessment – 

Summary 

(77) 

for 

(78) 

(79) 

Publications Office of the European  Union, Luxembourg, 2021, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/81ff1498-b91d-11eb-8aca-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 
Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  amending  Regulation  (EU)  No 691/2011  as  regards 
introducing  new  environmental  economic  accounts  modules, 
COM(2022) 329 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2022:329:FIN. 
The  EU  Business  &  Biodiversity  Platform  (https://green-
business.ec.europa.eu/business-and-biodiversity_en)  aims  to 
promote  the  business  case  for  biodiversity  to  businesses  and 
financial institutions through workshops, seminars, reports and 
a cross-media communication strategy.  

11 July 

2022, 

final 

of 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Slovenia  22 

assessments  among  businesses  and  financial  services 
providers. 

Natural  capital  assessments  help  private  businesses  to 
better  understand  both  the  negative  and  positive 
impacts that they have on nature, and to appreciate how 
nature contributes to their success. Such understanding 
contributes to the implementation of the EU’s BDS. 

In 2022, Slovenia received a priority action to continue to 
support the mapping and assessment of ecosystems and 
their  services,  and  to  support  the  development  of 
national business and biodiversity platforms. 

There  is  still  no  Slovenian  business  and  biodiversity 

network  member  of  the  EU  Business  &  Biodiversity 
Platform.  Slovenia  has  signed,  but  not  yet  ratified,  the 
Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the 
Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their 
Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity. 

2025 priority actions 

•  Ratify  the  Nagoya  Protocol  on  Access  to  Genetic 
Resources  and  the  Fair  and  Equitable  Sharing  of 
Benefits  Arising  from  their  Utilization  to  the 
Convention on Biological Diversity. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Slovenia  23 

3. Zero pollution 

Clean air

EU  clean  air  policies  and  legislation  have  successfully 
reduced  emissions  of  key  air  pollutants  and  significantly 
improved  air  quality,  which  is  now  moving  towards  the 
levels  recommended  by  the  World  Health  Organization 
(WHO).  This  has  resulted  in  clear  health  benefits  and 
reduced adverse impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity. 
However, to achieve the WHO-recommended levels, more 
efforts  are  needed,  including  full  compliance  with  EU 
legislation.  To  guide  these  efforts,  the  EU  zero  pollution 
action plan sets targets for 2030 relative to  2005.  These 
are to reduce the health impacts of air pollution by 55 % 
and  to  reduce  the  EU  ecosystems  threatened  by  air 
pollution by 25 %. 

The EU has developed a comprehensive suite of air quality 
policies (80).  These  set  health-based  EU  air  quality 
standards (81)  and  stipulate  Member  States’  national 
emission  reduction  commitments (82)  for  several  air 
pollutants.  

Air  quality  in  Slovenia  is  generally  good,  with  some 
exceptions. 

The  latest  available  annual  estimates  (for  2022)  by  the 
EEA (83) for Slovenia attribute 1 300 deaths each year (or 
13 300 years  of  life  lost  (YLL))  to  fine  particulate  matter 
(PM2.5) (84); 140 deaths each year (or 1 400 YLL) to nitrogen 
dioxide (NO2) (85); and 340 deaths each year (or 3 600 YLL) 
to ozone (86). 

The  emissions  of  several  air  pollutants  have  decreased 
significantly in Slovenia since 2005, while GDP growth has 
continued  (see  Figure 16).  According  to  the  inventories 
submitted  under  Article 10(2)  of  the  National  Emission 
Reduction  Commitments  Directive  (NECD) (87)  in  2024, 
Slovenia has met its emission reduction commitments for 
2020–2029  for  the  air  pollutants  nitrogen  oxides  (NOx), 

non-methane  volatile  organic  compounds  (NMVOC), 
sulphur  dioxide 
(NH3)  and  PM2.5. 
(SO2),  ammonia 
According  to  the  latest  projections  submitted  under 
Article 10(2) of the NECD, Slovenia is projected to meet its 
emission  reduction  commitments  for  2030  onwards  for 
NOx, NMVOC, SO2 and NH3, but not for PM2.5. 

Nevertheless, for NOx and PM2.5 in 2020–2022 decreasing 
trends  slowed  down  or  stopped  in  the  road  transport 
sector. 

Slovenia  submitted  its  updated  national  air  pollution 
control  programme  (NAPCP)  to  the  Commission  on 
27 May 2024. 

Figure 16: Emission trends of main pollutants / GDP in 
Slovenia (%), 2005–2022 

200%

150%

100%

50%

0%

NH₃

PM2.5
PM2.5

NMVOC

SO₂

NOₓ

GDP

Source: EEA, ‘National air pollutant  emissions data viewer 2005–2022’, 
25 June 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/air-
pollution/national-air-pollutant-emissions-data-viewer-2005-2022. 

2024, 

(80) 

(81) 

(82) 

(83) 

(84) 

European  Commission,  ‘Air’,  European  Commission  website, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air_en. 
European  Commission,  ‘EU  air  quality  standards’,  European 
Commission 
website, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/air-quality/eu-air-
quality-standards_en.  
European  Commission,  ‘Reducing  emissions  of  air  pollutants’, 
European 
website, 
Commission 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/reducing-
emissions-air-pollutants_en. 
EEA, Harm to human health from air pollution in Europe: Burden of 
disease  2024,  briefing  No 21/2024,  Copenhagen,  2024, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/publications/harm-to-
human-health-from-air-pollution-2024. 
Particulate matter (PM) is a mixture of aerosol particles (solid and 
liquid) covering a wide range of sizes and chemical compositions. 
PM10  refers  to  particles  with  a  diameter  of  10 μm  or  less.  PM2.5 

refers to particles with a diameter of 2.5 μm or less. PM is emitted 
from many human sources, including combustion. 

(85)  Nitrogen  dioxide  (NO2)  here  pertains  to  a  group  of  gases  called 
NOx, which also comprises nitrogen monoxide (NO). NOx is emitted 
during fuel combustion – for example, from industrial facilities and 
the road transport sector. 
Low-level  ozone 
is  produced  by  photochemical  action  on 
pollution.  This  year,  for  the  first  time,  the  impact  of  long-term 
exposure to ozone has also been taken into account. In previous 
analysis by the EEA, only the impact of short-term exposure was 
estimated. 

(86) 

(87)  Directive (EU) 2016/2284 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  of  14 December  2016  on  the  reduction  of  national 
emissions of certain atmospheric pollutants, amending Directive 
2003/35/EC  and  repealing  Directive  2001/81/EC  (OJ  L 344, 
17.12.2016, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2016.344.01.0001.01.ENG. 

p. 1), 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Figure 17: PM2.5 and NOx emissions by sector in Slovenia 
(%), 2022 

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Waste

Transport

Residential,
commercial &
institutional

Manufacturing
and extractive
industry

Energy supply

Agriculture

PM2.5
PM2.5
2,14%

9,82%

NOₓ

0,09%

56,26%

71,14%

9,38%

13,00%

14,17%

2,68%

1,22%

11,10%

9,00%

Source: EEA, ‘National air pollutant  emissions data viewer 2005–2022’, 
25 June 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/air-
pollution/national-air-pollutant-emissions-data-viewer-2005-2022. 

2024, 

limit  values 
In  2023,  no  exceedances  above  the 
established  by  the  Ambient  Air  Quality  Directive 
(AAQD) (88) were registered in Slovenia. However, in two 
air  quality  zones, 
for  ozone 
concentrations have not been met (89). 

target  values 

the 

Persistent  breaches  of  air  quality  requirements,  which 
have severe negative effects on health and environment, 
are  being  followed  up  by  the  European  Commission 
through  infringement  procedures  covering  all  Member 
States  concerned;  this  includes  a  procedure  for  Slovenia 
for  exceedances  of  PM10  limit  values.  The  aim  is  that 
appropriate measures are put  in place to bring all zones 
into compliance. 

(88)  Directive  2008/50/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 21 May 2008 on ambient air quality and cleaner air for 
Europe 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32008L0050. 
EEA, 
Repository, 
Eionet 
https://cdr.eionet.europa.eu/. 

11.6.2008, 

Central 

L 152, 

p. 1), 

Data 

(OJ 

(89) 

(90)  Directive  2010/75/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial and livestock rearing 
emissions (integrated pollution prevention and control) (OJ L 334, 

Slovenia  24 

In the 2022 EIR, Slovenia received two priority actions. The 
first priority action was to further reduce emissions in the 
context  of  the  NAPCP.  Slovenia  has  made  substantial 
progress on this, as the latest reported data show that the 
2020–2029 emission reduction commitments are met and 
that  the  emission  reduction  commitments  for  2030 
onwards are projected to be reached. The second priority 
action  was  to  ensure  full  compliance  with  EU  air  quality 
standards and maintain downward emission trends. Based 
on the latest data, Slovenia has made substantial progress 
in  this  regard.  Full  compliance  has  been  ensured  for  all 
limit values and target values, with the exception of those 
for  ozone.  Since  2019,  downward  emission  trends  have 
been reported for all main pollutants. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

•  As  part  of  the  NAPCP,  take  action  to 
reduce emissions of air pollutants. 
Ensure full compliance with the current 
AAQD  standards,  also  in  light  of  future 
stricter requirements under the revised 
AAQD. 

Industrial emissions 

The  main objectives of EU policy on industrial emissions 
are to: 
(i)  protect  air,  water  and  soil  and  to  prevent  harmful 

effects on human health and the environment; 

(ii)  prevent and manage waste; 
(iii) improve energy and resource efficiency; 
(iv) clean up contaminated sites. 
The  cornerstone  of  the  policy  is  the  Industrial  Emissions 
Directive (IED), which was revised in 2024 (90). The revision 
improves the directive’s contribution to the zero pollution 
objective. It has a strong focus on innovation, and builds 
solid  links  between  depollution,  decarbonisation  and 
circularity, making it a key regulatory tool to accompany 
the green transformation of EU industry by 2050. 

The overview of industrial activities regulated by the IED 
below  is  based  on  data  reported  to  the  EU  Registry  in 
2022 (91). 

In  Slovenia,  around  270  industrial  installations  were 
required to have a permit based on the IED. The industrial 
sectors in Slovenia with the most IED installations in 2022 
were (i) metals production (24 %), (ii) waste management 

17.12.2010, p. 17), as amended by Directive (EU) 2024/1785 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council of 24 April 2024. Informal 
consolidated 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
text, 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02010L0075-
20240804&qid=1725983863299. 
Portal, 
Industrial 
European 
EEA, 
https://industry.eea.europa.eu/, 2022 being the baseline year for 
all reports. 

Emissions 

(91) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
(18 %), (iii) chemicals production (14 %) and (iv) intensive 
rearing of poultry and pigs (14 %). 

Figure 19: Industrial releases of pollutants to water and 
industrial activity in the EU-27 

Slovenia  25 

Figure 18  shows  the  damage  to  health  and  environment 
due to the main industrial air pollutants. As this depends 
on, among other factors, the size of the industrial sector in 
each  Member  State,  the  figure  also  shows  the  ratio 
between the damage and the industrial activity (expressed 
in gross value added (GVA)), which gives an indication of 
the emissions ‘intensity’. Although Slovenia has the 20th 
highest  damage  in  the  EU,  it  comes  14th  for  emissions 
intensity,  below  the  EU  average  of  EUR 27.5/EUR 1 000 
GVA. The main industrial contributors to emissions to air 
(92)  are  the  energy  sector,  the  mineral  industry  for  NOX 
emissions, waste management and the chemical industry 
for dust  emissions, and the energy sector, metals sector 
and mineral sector for SO2 and heavy metals. 

Figure  18:  Industrial air pollution damage and intensity 
per Member State, 2021 

Source: EEA, ‘Industrial pollution intensity indicators – EU large industry 
air  pollution  damage  costs  intensity’,  European  Industrial  Emissions 
https://industry.eea.europa.eu/analyse/industrial-
Portal, 
emissions-indicator. 

2024, 

Overall, the industrial emissions to water in the EU have 
decreased  over  time  for  all  the  main  pollutants.  On 
average in the EU, they appear to be decoupled from the 
industrial  activity,  which  has  increased  over  the  same 
period (expressed in GVA), as shown in Figure 19. 

NB: Cd, cadmium; Hg, mercury; Ni, nickel; Pb, lead; total N, total nitrogen; 
total P, total phosphorous. 

Source:  EEA,  ‘Industrial  pollutant  releases to  water  in  Europe’,  30 May 
2024, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/industrial-
pollutant-releases-to-water. 

Concerning  Slovenia  in  particular,  Figure 20  shows  the 
industrial emissions of heavy metals to water, taking into 
account  the  human  toxicity  of  each  metal,  as  well  as 
emissions  intensity,  based  on  its  ratio  with  industrial 
activity (expressed in GVA). Slovenia has the 20th highest 
emissions of heavy metals to water and is in 19th position 
for emissions intensity (below the EU average intensity of 
0.864 kg/EUR 1 billion GVA). 

Figure 20: Industrial releases and intensity of heavy 
metals to water (2022) 

Source: EEA, ‘Industrial pollution intensity indicators – EU large industry 
water  pollution  intensity’,  European  Industrial  Emissions  Portal,  2024, 
https://industry.eea.europa.eu/analyse/industrial-emissions-indicator. 

As shown in Figure 21, the main industrial contributors to 
emissions to water in Slovenia are the chemical sector for 
heavy metals, nitrogen and total organic carbon, the pulp 
and paper industry for total organic carbon and the metal 
production and processing sector for polycyclic aromatic 
hydrocarbons. 

(92) 

European  Environment  Agency,  LRTAP,  Air  pollutant  emissions 
data viewer (Gothenburg Protocol, LRTAP Convention) 1990-2022, 

https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/air-pollution/air-
pollutant-emissions-data-viewer-1990-2022. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
Figure 21: Relative releases to water from industry in 
Slovenia (%), 2022 

100%

75%

50%

25%

0%

Heavy Metals Ecotoxicity

Heavy Metals Human
Toxicity

Total organic carbon (TOC)

Chemicals

Ferrous metal

Pulp, paper and wood

NB: TOC, total organic carbon; COD, chemical oxygen demand 

Source: EEA, ‘Industrial reporting under the Industrial Emissions Directive 
2010/75/EU  and  European  pollutant  release  and  transfer  register 
Regulation (EC)  No 166/2006 –  ver. 12.0  Sep.  2024  (tabular  data)’,  EEA 
Geospatial 
2024, 
Catalogue, 
https://doi.org/10.2909/cf5e54c1-be99-4426-bcad-baa26c4f27a0. 

13 September 

Data 

IED  provisions  on  public  information  and  participation 
require Member States to adopt transposition legislation 
enabling members of the public to have access to relevant 
information  and  participate  in  the  approval  process  for 
potentially  polluting  installations.  Thus,  the  public  and 
(NGOs),  alongside 
non-governmental  organisations 
competent authorities, play a role in ensuring compliance 
of  these  permits  with  EU  legislation.  The  IED  contains 
mandatory  requirements  on  environmental  inspections, 
requiring a site visit to take place at least every 1–3 years, 
using  risk-based  criteria.  In  addition,  IED  enforcement 
provisions require Member States to determine effective, 
proportionate,  and  dissuasive  penalties  applicable  to 
infringements  of  IED-based  national  provisions.  In  the 
revised  directive, 
that  worst 
infringements can be sanctioned by fines of at least 3% of 
the annual EU turnover of the legal person. The revised IED 
also introduces a right to compensation for people whose 
health has been harmed by such infringements. 

the  provisions  set 

The development of best available techniques (BATs), BAT 
reference  documents  and  BAT  conclusions (93)  ensures 
effective collaboration between stakeholders and enables 
better implementation of the IED. 

Since  the  last  EIR,  the  Commission  has  adopted  BAT 
conclusions  on  (i) waste  incineration,  (ii)  the  food,  drink 
and  milk  industries  and  (iii)  surface  treatment  using 
organic solvents, including the preservation of wood and 
wood products with chemicals. 

Slovenia  26 

The  Commission  relies  on  the  efforts  of  national 
competent  authorities  to  implement  the  legally  binding 
BAT  conclusions  and  associated  BAT  emission  levels  in 
environmental permits. This should result in considerable 
and continuous reductions in pollution. 

2025 priority actions 

•  Reduce  industrial  air  pollution  damage 

• 

• 

and intensity. 
Engage with industry and environmental 
NGOs to ensure proper contribution to 
and implementation of BAT conclusions 
and  ensure  timely  updates  to  permits 
following 
the  publication  of  BAT 
conclusions. 
Ensure effective public participation and 
access to justice in relation to the IED. 

Major industrial accidents prevention – Seveso 

The  main  objectives  of  EU  policy  on  the  prevention  of 
major industrial accidents are to: 
(i)  control  major-accident  hazards  involving  dangerous 

substances, especially chemicals; 

(ii)  limit  the  consequences  of  such  accidents  for  human 

health and the environment; 

(iii) continuously improve the prevention of, preparedness 

for and response to major accidents. 

The cornerstone of the policy is Directive 2012/18/EU (the 
Seveso III Directive (94)). 

The overview below of industrial plants regulated by the 
Seveso III Directive (‘Seveso establishments’) is based on 
data  reported  on  eSPIRS  (e-Seveso  Plants  Information 
Retrieval  System)  for  2022–2024 (95)  and  the  report  by 
Slovenia on the implementation of the Seveso III Directive 
for 2019–2022 (96). 

In Slovenia, in 2024, of the 60 Seveso establishments, 26 
were categorised as lower-tier establishments and  30 as 
upper-tier establishments (UTEs), based on the quantity of 
hazardous substances likely to be present in them. UTEs 
are subject to more stringent requirements. The change in 
the  number  of  Seveso  establishments  is  presented  in 
Figure 22. 

(93) 

European Bureau  for Research on Industrial Transformation and 
Emissions,  ‘BAT  reference  documents’,  European  Commission 
website, https://eippcb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/reference/. 

(94)  Directive  2012/18/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  4 July  2012  on  the  control  of  major-accident  hazards 
involving  dangerous  substances,  amending  and  subsequently 

repealing  Council  Directive  96/82/EC  (OJ  L 197,  24.7.2012,  p. 1), 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2012/18/oj. 
https://espirs.jrc.ec.europa.eu/en/espirs/content; data extracted 
in September 2024. 
As provided for by Article 21(2) of the Seveso III Directive. 

(95) 

(96) 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Figure 22: Number of Seveso establishments in Slovenia, 
2018, 2022 and 2024 

NB: LTE, lower-tier establishment. 

2022, 

Sources:  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Assessment and summary of Member States’ implementation reports for 
(implementing  Directive 
Implementing  Decision 
2014/896/EU 
2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major  accident  hazards 
involving 
dangerous  substances),  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
Luxembourg, 
/publication/94d57d74-735b-11ec-9136-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF/source-search;  eSPIRS  data,  extractions  from  2022  and 
2024;  Analysis  and  summary  of  Member  States' 
reports  on 
implementation  of  Directive  2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major 
accident hazards involving dangerous substances according to the format 
established  by  Commission  Implementing  Decision  2014/896/EU  - 
Publications  Office  of  the  EU,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/9bd73087-e9b8-11ef-b5e9-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

Member  States  are  required  to  draw  up  external 
emergency plans (EEPs). These EEPs are essential to allow 
proper  preparation  and  effective  implementation  of  the 
necessary  actions  to  protect  the  environment  and  the 
population  should  a  major  industrial  accident  occur. 
According to Slovenia, in 2022, an EEP was required for all 
30  UTEs.  At  the  same  date,  all  of  them  had  been 
established  and  tested  over  the  last  three  years.  The 
summary of EEPs in Slovenia is shown in Figure 23. 

Figure 23: Situation regarding EEPs in Slovenia, 2022 

Sources:  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Assessment and summary of Member States’ implementation reports for 
(implementing  Directive 
2014/896/EU 
Implementing  Decision 
2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major  accident  hazards 
involving 
dangerous  substances),  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
Luxembourg, 

2022, 

Slovenia  27 

/publication/94d57d74-735b-11ec-9136-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF/source-search;  eSPIRS  data,  extractions  from  2022  and 
2024;  Analysis  and  summary  of  Member  States'  reports  on 
implementation  of  Directive  2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major 
accident hazards involving dangerous substances according to the format 
established  by  Commission  Implementing  Decision  2014/896/EU  - 
Publications  Office  of  the  EU,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/9bd73087-e9b8-11ef-b5e9-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

The  following  types  of  information  are  permanently 
available  for  all  UTEs  in  Slovenia:  (i)  information  for  the 
public  referred  to  in  Annex V  to  the  Seveso III  Directive, 
especially about how the public concerned will be warned 
if  there  is  a  major  accident;  (ii)  information  about 
appropriate  behaviour  in  the  event  of  a  major  accident; 
and (iii) the date of the last site visit. 

The  shares  of  UTEs  for  which  information  on  safety 
measures  and  requisite  behaviours  was  actively  made 
available to the public in 2022 in the EU-27 are presented 
in Figure 24. This provision on knowledge is an important 
provision of the Seveso III Directive, as awareness by the 
the 
public  of 
consequences of a major industrial accident. 

information  may  ameliorate 

this 

Figure 24: Share of UTE for which information on safety 
measures and requisite behaviours was actively made 
available to the public per Member State (%), 2022 

2022, 

Sources:  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Assessment and summary of Member States’ implementation reports for 
(implementing  Directive 
Implementing  Decision 
2014/896/EU 
involving 
2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major  accident  hazards 
dangerous  substances),  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
Luxembourg, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/94d57d74-735b-11ec-9136-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en/format-PDF/source-search;  eSPIRS  data,  extractions  from  2022  and 
2024;  Analysis  and  summary  of  Member  States'  reports  on 
implementation  of  Directive  2012/18/EU  on  the  control  of  major 
accident hazards involving dangerous substances according to the format 
established  by  Commission  Implementing  Decision  2014/896/EU  - 
Publications  Office  of  the  EU,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/9bd73087-e9b8-11ef-b5e9-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

In 2022, Slovenia received a priority action to strengthen 
control and enforcement  to  ensure compliance with  the 
those  on 
Seveso III  Directive  provisions,  especially 
information  to  the  public.  Data  reported  on  the 
implementation  of  the  directive  for  2019–2022  show  a 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
clear improvement in the numbers of EEPs established for 
UTE and tested over the previous three years in Slovenia. 

Slovenia will also need to ensure that the manufacture and 
export of mercury-containing lamps are prohibited by the 
deadlines set out in the Mercury Regulation. 

Slovenia  28 

Mercury Regulation 

The  Mercury  Regulation  establishes  measures  and 
conditions concerning the use and storage of and trade in 
mercury,  mercury  compounds  and  mixtures  of  mercury, 
the manufacture and use of and trade in mercury-added 
products and the management of mercury waste, in order 
to ensure a high level of protection of human health and 
the  environment  from  anthropogenic  emissions  and 
releases of mercury and mercury compounds. The revision 
of the Mercury Regulation adopted in 2024 sets out rules 
to address the last intentional uses of mercury in the EU 
by  phasing  out  the  use  of  dental  amalgam  by  1 January 
2025 except when deemed strictly necessary by the dental 
practitioner  based  on  the  specific  medical  needs  of  the 
patient,  and  prohibiting  the  manufacture  and  export  of 
additional mercury-containing lamps from 1 January 2026 
or 1 January 2027 (depending on the lamp category). 

The biggest challenge for Slovenia is likely to be the phase-
out  of  dental  amalgam.  Slovenia  has  made  use  of  the 
the  Mercury 
derogation  under  Article 10(2a)  of 
Regulation,  so  the  deadline  for  the  phase-out  is  30 June 
2026.  It  will  be  important  to  quicky  put  in  place  the 
measures laid down in the notification on the derogation 
so as to ensure a socially and economically sound phase-
out, 
insurance 
regulations,  amendments  to  the  financial  plan  of  the 
Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia to ensure adequate 
financial  and  staffing  conditions,  and  raising  awareness 
among  dentists  and  patients  about  the  changes  to  their 
rights. 

including  amendments 

to  health 

Noise 

The Environmental Noise Directive (98) requires a common 
approach to avoid, prevent and reduce the harmful effects 
of  noise.  The  designated  authorities  are  responsible  for 
making  and  approving  noise  maps  and  action  plans  for 
agglomerations,  major  roads,  major  railways  and  major 
airports.  Member  States  decide  on  noise  limits  that  are 
not  set  at  the  EU  level.  Nevertheless,  the  zero  pollution 
action  plan  sets  as  a  2030  target  a  30 %  reduction 
compared  with  2017  in  the  share  of  people  chronically 
disturbed by transport noise. 

Excessive noise from aircraft, railways and roads is one of 
the main causes of environmental health‐related issues in 
the  EU.  It  can  cause  ischaemic  heart  disease,  stroke, 
interrupted sleep, cognitive impairment and stress (99). 

In Slovenia, environmental noise is estimated to cause at 
least  around  70  cases  of 
ischaemic  heart  disease 
annually (100)  and  some  9 200  people  to  suffer  from 
disturbed sleep (101). 

Based on the latest set of information analysed, Slovenia 
has not  completed its noise mapping of agglomerations, 
roads and railways.  

Since Slovenia has failed to report to the Commission all 
relevant 
information  on  the  strategic  noise  maps, 
including noise exposure of the population, the European 
Commission  has  decided  to  open  an 
infringement 
procedure against Slovenia. 

Slovenia is gradually implementing the restriction to the 
use  of  amalgam  in  accordance  with  its  national  plan  on 
measures  for  phasing  out  dental  amalgam  use 
in 
Slovenia (97). 

Action  plans  for  noise  management  for  agglomerations, 
roads,  railways  and  airports  must  be  updated  and 
submitted  to  the  Commission  every  five  years.  The 
deadline for reporting noise action plans under the most 

(97)  Ministry  of  Health,  ‘Nacionalni  načrt  o  ukrepih  za  opustitev 
uporabe amalgama v zobozdravstvu’ [National plan on measures 
for phasing out dental amalgam use], 170-1/2021-2711-32, 2024, 
https://www.gov.si/assets/ministrstva/MZ/DOKUMENTI/razno/O
rganizacija-zdravstvenega-varstva/Izvajalci-zdravstvene-
dejavnosti/Nacionalni-nacrt-o-ukrepih-za-postopno-opustitev-
amalgama.pdf. 

(98)  Directive  2002/49/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council  of  25 June  2002  relating  to  the  assessment  and 
management  of  environmental  noise –  Declaration  by  the 
Commission  in  the  Conciliation  Committee  on  the  directive 
relating  to  the  assessment  and  management  of  environmental 
noise (OJ L 189, 18.7.2002, p. 12), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32002L0049. 

(99)  WHO, Environmental Noise Guidelines for the European Region, 
Copenhagen, 
2018, 
https://www.who.int/europe/publications/i/item/978928905356
3. 

(100)  These figures are an estimation by the EEA based on (i) the data 
reported  by  Member  States  on  noise  exposure  covered  by 
Directive 2002/49/EC for the round of noise mapping of 2022; (ii) 
European  Topic  Centre  on  Air  Pollution,  Transport,  Noise  and 
Industrial  Pollution  (ETC/ATNI),  Noise 
Indicators  under  the 
Environmental Noise Directive 2021: Methodology for estimating 
missing data, Eionet report ETC/ATNI Report No 2021/06, Kjeller, 
2021; and (iii) the methodology for health impact calculations 
in  European  Topic  Centre  on  Air  Pollution  and  Climate  Change 
Mitigation  (ETC/ACM),  Implications  of  environmental  noise  on 
in  Europe,  Eionet  report  ETC/ACM 
health  and  wellbeing 
No 2018/10, 
2018, 
https://www.eionet.europa.eu/etcs/etc-atni/products/etc-atni-
reports/eionet_rep_etcacm_2018_10_healthimplicationsnoise.  

Bilthoven, 

(101)  More information on the adverse health effects of noise pollution 

is available at: 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/human/noise/noise-2  

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
  
recent  reporting  cycle  was  18 January  2025;  these  plans 
have not been assessed yet. 

2025 priority actions 

• 
• 

Complete noise mapping. 
Complete  and  implement  action  plans  on  noise 
management. 

Water quality and management 

EU  legislation  and  policy  requires  that  the  impact  of 
pressures on transitional waters, coastal waters and fresh 
water  (including  surface  waters  and  groundwater)  be 
significantly reduced. Achieving, maintaining or enhancing 
a  good  status  of  waterbodies  as  defined  by  the  Water 
Framework Directive will ensure that EU citizens and the 
environment benefit from good-quality and safe drinking 
and bathing water. It will further ensure that the nutrient 
cycle  (nitrogen  and  phosphorus)  is  managed  in  a  more 
sustainable and resource-efficient way. 

Water Framework Directive 

The Water Framework Directive is the cornerstone of EU 
water  policy.  The  Water  Framework  Directive  and  other 
water-related directives form the basis of sustainable and 
integrated  water  management  in  the  EU.  They  aim  to 
achieve  a  high  level  of  protection  of  water  resources, 
prevention  of  further  deterioration  and  restoration  to 
good status. These objectives are very important for the 
EU’s  competitiveness,  strategic  autonomy  and  security, 
yet  have  become  even  more  challenging  in  the  face  of 
climate change affecting our precious water resources. 

The Water Framework Directive establishes a procedural 
framework for reaching good surface water ecological and 
chemical  status  and  good  groundwater  quantitative  and 
chemical status. This implies monitoring and classification 
of all waterbodies, assessment  of pressures and impacts 
and identification of the most cost-effective measures to 
achieve the objectives of the directive. The directive dates 
from 2000 and set an initial deadline of 2015 for achieving 
its objectives, with the option to extend the deadline to 
the  end  of  2027.  Every  six  years,  Member  States  must 
report their river basin management plans (RBMPs) to the 
Commission. They should cover river basin districts in their 
countries,  some  of  which  may  be  shared  with  other 
countries. The Commission has assessed the third cycle of 
RBMPs, which were to be submitted by March 2022, and 
reported  its  findings  to  the  European  Parliament  and  to 
the Council on 4th February 2024(102). 

Slovenia  29 

Slovenia failed to comply with its legal obligation and had 
not reported the third RBMPs in time, by 22 March 2022. 
The  Commission  opened  an  infringement  proceeding, 
which has been closed, as Slovenia provided the missing 
reports at the end of November 2023. 

the 

late  reporting, 

Nevertheless,  because  of 
the 
Commission  has  not  been  able  to  include  Slovenia  in  its 
report  on  the  assessment  of  the  third  RBMPs  to  the 
European Parliament and to the Council. Consequently, it 
has not been possible to update the 2022 EIR on that basis. 
Reference is made to the 2022 EIR (103) for an overview of 
the main issues. 

In  July  2024  the  Commission  initiated  an  infringement 
procedure against Slovenia  for violating Article 11 of the 
Water Framework Directive because it has not introduced 
periodical reviews of water permits and concessions. It is 
necessary  that  Slovenia  takes  measures  to  comply  with 
the requirements of the directive. 

2025 priority action 
• 

Ensure  periodic  reviews  of  permits  for  discharges, 
abstractions  and  other  water  uses, 
including 
hydropower pressures. 

Floods Directive 

Every six years, following the same reporting cycle as the 
RBMPs,  all  Member  States  also  report  their  flood  risk 
management  plans  (FRMPs),  based  on  the  flood  hazard 
and  risks  maps  (FHRMs)  and  the  preliminary  flood  risk 
assessments  drawn  up  during  the  second  cycle  (2016–
2021). 

The  Commission  assessed  the  FRMPs  and  reported  its 
findings to the European Parliament and to the Council on 
4th February 2025. 

There are two units of management in Slovenia, which are 
the same as the Water Framework Directive’s river basin 
districts. 

The  second  Slovenian  (national)  FRMP  improved  on  the 
first  insofar  as  it  provides  elements  that  can  be  used  as 
baselines for the plan’s measures. The second FRMP also 
describes  how  climate  projections  were  considered,  and 
refers  to  Slovenia’s  policy  framework  for  adaptation  to 
climate change. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

FRMPs  should  provide  details  on  how  the  FHRMs 
were  used  in  the  choice  of  measures  and  how  to 
consider pluvial flooding. 

(102)     https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/circabc-ewpp/ui/group/c04f478b-
d4dc-44f9-a211-087c01165b2c/library/faada4be-9fc3-4a48-
b972-f71e356019d5?p=1&n=10&sort=modified_DESC.  

(103)  European  Commission,  ‘Environmental  implementation  review’, 

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/law-and-
governance/environmental-implementation-review_en.  

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
•  Better explain the choice and implementation of flood 
prevention  and  protection  measures  (prioritisation, 
monitoring, costs of measures). 

• 

Improve  public 
involvement. 

consultation  and 

stakeholder 

Drinking Water Directive 

The  objectives  of  the  directive  are  to  protect  human 
health  by  ensuring  the  quality  intended  for  human 
consumption and to improve access to drinking water. The 
recast  Drinking  Water  Directive  is  now  applicable,  and 
Member States were required to transpose its provisions 
into their national legal systems by 12 January 2023. Since 
into  force  of  the  recast  directive,  the 
the  entry 
several  delegated  and 
Commission  has  adopted 
implementing  acts  establishing  (i)  a  watch 
list  of 
substances  and  compounds  of  concern  for  drinking 
water (104), (ii) a methodology for measuring microplastics 
in drinking water (105) and (iii) an EU system for testing and 
approving materials that will be allowed to be in contact 
with drinking water (106). Member States will have to take 
these  various  Commission  acts 
into  account  when 
implementing the recast directive. 

Finally,  the  Commission  has  now  received  data  from 
Member States on the quality of drinking water in 2017–
2019.  The  quality  of  drinking  water  (supplied  by  large 
in  Slovenia  does  not  give  rise  to 
water  suppliers) 
concern (107). 

From  January  2026,  the  European  quality  standards  for 
PFAS  in  drinking  water  will  apply,  ensuring  harmonised 
Member States’ reporting of PFAS monitoring data in the 
future. 

Bathing Water Directive 

The  Bathing  Water  Directive  requires  Member  States  to 
monitor and assess bathing water. It requires that, during 
the  bathing  season,  Member  States  disseminate  to  the 
public information on bathing water quality actively and 

(104)  https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/implementing-

decision-drinking-water-directive-watch-list_en.   

(105)  Commission Delegated Decision (EU) 2024/1441 of 11 March 2024 
supplementing  Directive  (EU)  2020/2184  of  the  European 
Parliament and of the Council by laying down a methodology to 
measure microplastics in water intended for human consumption 
(notified  under  document  C(2024) 1459)  (OJ  L,  2024/1441, 
21.5.2024), http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_del/2024/1441/oj. 
2024/365, 

23.4.2024, 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/365/oj; OJ L, 2024/367, 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/367/oj; 
23.4.2024, 
OJ L, 
23.4.2024, 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/369/oj;  OJ L,  2024/368, 
23.4.2024, http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec_impl/2024/368/oj; OJ L, 

(106)  OJ L, 

2024/369, 

Slovenia  30 

promptly. In particular, notices banning or advising against 
bathing should be rapidly and easily identifiable. 

In  2023,  out  of  the  47  Slovenian  bathing  waters,  37 
(78.7 %)  were  of  excellent  quality,  17 %  were  of  good 
quality and 2.1 % of sufficient quality. No bathing waters 
were found to be of poor quality. 

Figure 25: Bathing water quality per Member State, 
Albania and Switzerland (%), 2023 

Source:  EEA,  European  Bathing  Water  Quality 
No 04/2024, 
https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/european-bathing-water-
quality-in-2023/. 

in  2023,  briefing 
2024, 

Copenhagen, 

Nitrates Directive 

The  Nitrates  Directive (108)  aims  to  protect  water  quality 
across  Europe  by  preventing  nitrates  from  agricultural 
sources that can pollute groundwater and surface waters 
and by promoting the use of good farming practices. The 
latest  Commission  report  on  the  implementation  of  the 
Nitrates  Directive(109),  dating  back  to  2021,  warns  that 
nitrates are still causing harmful pollution to water in the 
EU. Excessive nitrates in water are harmful to both human 
health  and  ecosystems,  causing  oxygen  depletion  and 
eutrophication. Cleaning of waters by national authorities 
or  farmers,  where  it  has  been  undertaken,  has  had  a 
positive  impact  on  the  drinking  water  supply  and  on 
biodiversity.  It  has  also  benefited  the  sectors –  such  as 

2024/370, 
23.4.2024, 
http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/370/oj;  OJ L,  2024/371, 
23.4.2024,  http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg_del/2024/371/oj;  see 
the  Commission  web  page  on  all  six  delegated  acts  for  more 
information 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/delegated-acts-
drinking-water-directive_en). 
In summary, the compliance for all parameter groups in Slovenia 
was at least 99.40 % in 2017, 99.06 % in 2018 and 99.13 % in 2019. 

(107) 

(108)  https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/water/nitrates_en. 
(109)  Nitrates  Directive 
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52018DC0257).  

Implementation  Report 

(https://eur-

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
fisheries and tourism – that depend on biodiversity and on 
a good supply of drinking water. Nevertheless, excessive 
fertilisation  remains  a  problem  in  many parts  of  the EU. 
The report on the implementation of the Nitrates Directive 
covering 2020–2023 will be available in 2025. 

The analysis of Slovenia’s RBMPs has identified nutrients 
from  agriculture  as  an 
important  pressure  on 
groundwater /  surface  waters  that  is  affecting  these 
waters’ good status and as one of the main factors in not 
meeting the WFD objectives. 

Since  2017  Slovenia  has  received  a  priority  action  on 
tackling  nutrient  pollution,  especially  from  agriculture, 
through  the  implementation  of  the  Nitrates  Directive. 
Since  the  report  on  the  implementation  of  the  Nitrates 
Directive covering 2020–2023 will be available only later 
in 2025, the 2022 EIR priority action cannot be assessed. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

Tackle  nutrient  pollution,  especially  nitrates  from 
implementation  of  the 
agriculture,  through  the 
Nitrates Directive. 

Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive 

The  Urban  Wastewater  Treatment  Directive  (UWWTD) 
aims to protect human health and the environment from 
the  effects  of  untreated  urban  wastewater.  It  therefore 
requires Member States to collect and treat (secondary or 
biological  treatment)  waste  water  in  all  urban  areas  of 
more  than  2 000  people,  and  to  apply  a  more  stringent 
treatment 
than  secondary,  with  nitrogen  and/or 
phosphorus  removal,  to  the  waste  water  generated  in 
urban areas, also known as agglomerations, of more than 
10 000 people, before they are discharged into waters and 
their  catchments,  when  they  are  sensitive  to  nitrogen 
and/or phosphorus (i.e. eutrophic or tending to become 
eutrophic). 

In  Slovenia,  91  agglomerations  complied  with  the 
in  2020.  Another  32 
requirements  of  the  Directive 
population 
679 139 
agglomerations, 
equivalent of urban wastewater, did not comply with the 
requirements of the directive. 

generating 

Slovenia  31 

Figure 26: Proportion of urban waste water that fully 
complies with the UWWTD (%), 2020 

NB: No data available for Greece. 

Source: European Commission, 12th technical assessment of the UWWTD 
Implementation, 2024(110). 

In 2020, the Commission decided to refer Slovenia to the 
Court  of Justice because it  had not  applied the UWWTD 
properly. 
In  November  2023,  the  Court  of  Justice 
established that Slovenia is in breach of the UWWTD for 
the agglomeration of Ljubljana because of failure to treat 
all the collected  wastewater. It is essential that Slovenia 
takes  the  necessary  measures  to  fully  comply  with  the 
requirements of the directive. 

This  is  all  the  more  important  as  the  directive  has  been 
revised(111).  The  revised  directive  builds  on  the  current 
acquis,  strengthens  existing  treatment  standards  and 
establishes an additional treatment of micropollutants in 
urban  waste  water.  Other  new  requirements  relate  to 
moving  towards  the  energy  neutrality  of  the  sector, 
establishing  an  extended  producer  responsibility  system 
to  ensure  sustainable 
financing  of  micropollutant 
treatment  by  the  most  polluting  industries  and  ensuring 
access  to  sanitation,  especially  for  vulnerable  and 
marginalised  groups.  Slovenia  has  until  31 July  2027  to 
transpose the new directive into its national legal system. 

Since  2019  Slovenia  has  received  priority  actions 
concerning the necessity to implement the UWWTD, but 
despite  some  progress  made,  compliance  has  not  been 
achieved yet. 

2025 priority actions 

• 

the  necessary  measures 

Take 
full 
implementation  of  the  current  UWWTD,  taking  into 
account the new requirements of the recast directive. 

to  ensure 

(110)  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-

/publication/4c97f846-44b2-11ef-865a-01aa75ed71a1/language-
en  

(111)    Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  of  27  November  2024  concerning  urban  wastewater 
treatment (recast)   

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Chemicals 

The EU seeks to ensure that chemicals are produced and 
used  in  a  way  that  minimises  any  significant  adverse 
effects on human health and the environment. In October 
2020, the Commission published its chemicals strategy for 
sustainability  towards  a  toxic-free  environment (112), 
which  led  to  some  systemic  changes  in  EU  chemicals 
legislation. The strategy is part of the EU’s zero pollution 
ambition –  a  key  commitment  of  the  European  Green 
Deal. 

The  EU’s  chemicals  legislation (113)  provides  a  baseline 
protection for human health and the environment. It also 
ensures  stability  and  predictability 
for  businesses 
operating in the internal market. 

Since 2007, the Commission has gathered information on 
the  enforcement  of 
the  Registration,  Evaluation, 
Authorisation  and  Restriction  of  Chemicals  (REACH) 
Regulation and the Classification, Labelling and Packaging 
(CLP)  Regulation.  In  December  2020,  the  Commission 
assessed  the  Member  States’  reports (114)  on  the 
implementation 
these 
regulations (115).  It  is  apparent  from  the  Commission’s 
in  the 
report  that  there  are  still  many  disparities 
implementation  of  the  REACH  and  CLP  Regulations, 
notably 
law  enforcement.  Recorded 
compliance levels in Member States, generally quite stable 
over time, appear to be getting slightly worse. This may be 
because: (i) enforcement authorities  are becoming more 

in  the  area  of 

enforcement 

and 

of 

(112)  Communication 

to 

from 

the  Commission 

the  European 
Parliament,  the  Council,  the  European  Economic  and  Social 
Committee  and  the  Committee  of  the  Regions –  Chemicals 
strategy  for  sustainability:  Towards  a  toxic-free  environment, 
COM(2020) 667 
final  of  14 October  2020,  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2020%3A667%3AFIN;  Regulation 
(EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council 
of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of 
substances  and  mixtures,  amending  and  repealing  Directives 
67/548/EEC  and  1999/45/EC,  and  amending  Regulation  (EC) 
p. 1), 
L 353, 
No 1907/2006 
https://publications.europa.eu/resource/cellar/c6b6a31d-8359-
11ee-99ba-01aa75ed71a1.0004.02/DOC_2. 

31.12.2008, 

(OJ 

(113)  Namely,  Regulation 

(EC)  No 1907/2006  of  the  European 
Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  18 December  2006  concerning 
the  registration,  evaluation,  authorisation  and  restriction  of 
chemicals  (REACH),  establishing  a  European  Chemicals  Agency, 
amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation 
(EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as 
well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 
91/155/EEC,  93/67/EEC,  93/105/EC  and  2000/21/EC  (OJ  L 396, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
30/12/2006, 
content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32006R1907; and Regulation (EC) 
No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 
16 December  2008  on  classification,  labelling  and  packaging  of 
substances  and  mixtures,  amending  and  repealing  Directives 
67/548/EEC  and  1999/45/EC,  and  amending  Regulation  (EC) 
No 1907/2006 
L 353,  31.12.2008,  p. 1),  https://eur-
(OJ 
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02008R1272-20221217. 

p. 1), 

Slovenia  32 

effective in detecting non-compliant products/companies 
and (ii) more non-compliant products are being placed on 
the EU market. 

In August 2021, the Commission published a measurable 
assessment  of the enforcement (116) of the two main EU 
regulations  on  chemicals  using  a  set  of  indicators  on 
different  aspects  of  enforcement.  Since  2021,  the  list  of 
chemicals  subject  to  restrictions  has  been  expanded  as 
new entries have been added to Annex XVII to the REACH 
Regulation (117). 

In 2023, new hazard classes were added, and the revision 
of the CLP Regulation was tabled (published in November 
2024)  (118).  The  new  hazard  classes  cover  endocrine 
disruptors  and  persistence-related  hazards  while  the 
revision  of  the  regulation  encompasses  new  rules  on 
online  sales  to  better  tackle  non-compliances  observed 
over the years. Also in 2023, the Conference of the Parties 
of the Stockholm Convention (COP) decided to include, in 
its  Annex A  (which  lists  banned  substances),  three  new 
chemicals (119).  The  Commission 
is  working  on  the 
delegated acts to include these substances in Annex I to 
the  Persistent  Organic  Pollutants  Regulation  by  2025  at 
the latest. 

The  Member  States’  reporting  exercise  set  out 
in 
Article 117 of the REACH Regulation and Article 46 of the 
CLP Regulation is conducted every five years. The results 
of  the  coming  one  are  expected  in  2025,  hence  the 

(114)  European Commission, Technical assistance to review the existing 
Member  States  reporting  questionnaire  under  Articles 117(1)  of 
REACH and 46(2) of CLP – Final report, Publications Office of the 
European 
2020, 
https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/8ee3c69a-bccb-4f22-89ca-
277e35de7c63/library/a4abce8c-8425-455f-b7e6-
0ead917bde6b/details. 
In 
Article 46(2) of the CLP Regulation. 

line  with  Article 117(1)  of  the  REACH  Regulation  and 

Luxembourg, 

Union, 

(115) 

the 

European 

(116)  European  Commission,  Directorate-General  for  Internal  Market, 
Industry,  Entrepreneurship  and  SMEs,  REACH  and  CLP 
Enforcement: EU level enforcement indicators, Publications Office 
of 
2021, 
Union, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/e5c3e461-0f85-11ec-9151-01aa75ed71a1/. 
(117)  These are substances in tattoo inks and permanent make-up, N,N-
dimethylformamide, formaldehyde (and formaldehyde releasers), 
lead in PVC (polyvinyl chloride), siloxanes (D4, D5, D6) and, finally, 
microplastics. 

Luxembourg, 

(118)  Regulation (EU) 2024/2865 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council  of  23  October  2024  amending  Regulation  (EC)  No 
1272/2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances 
and mixtures, OJ L, 2024/2865, 20.11.2024, p.1 (Regulation - EU - 
2024/2865 - EN - EUR-Lex). 

(119)  These are methoxychlor, dechlorane plus and UV-328. In the case 
of the pesticide methoxychlor, there are no exemptions from the 
ban. However, for the two plastic additives, dechlorane plus and 
lists  some  time-limited  specific 
UV-328,  the  COP  decision 
exemptions. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
Slovenia  33 

absence  of  new  country-specific  data  on  enforcement 
since 2022. 

Figure 28: Number of REF-8 checks performed per 
100 000 inhabitants (EU average = 1.24) 

In  Slovenia,  only  four  full-time  equivalent  workers  are 
allocated  to  the  enforcement  of  the  REACH  and  CLP 
Regulations, with the aim of increasing the number to five 
in the near future. 

For  REACH  and  CLP,  the  levels  of  compliance  observed 
were similar in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Slovenia is devoting 
significant 
lectures  on 
implementing the REACH and CLP Regulations. Over those 
three  years,  the  compliance  level  observed  in  product 
checks varied between 65 % and 82.5 % for CLP. 

training  and 

resources 

to 

In  2020,  Slovenia  participated  in  an  EU-coordinated 
enforcement  project  on  products  sold  online,  called 
REACH-EN-FORCE (REF)-8 (120). The report was adopted in 
November 2021, so it could not be taken into account in 
the previous EIR. Since then, Slovenia has participated in 
all  REF  projects:  on  authorisation  provisions,  integrated 
chemical control of products and safety data sheets. 

Figure 27: Compliance of imported products – results of 
the REF-8 project (%) 

A  risk  approach  was  used  for  the  targeting  of  control 
measures in order to maximise the chances of identifying 
non-compliances.  Therefore,  the  non-compliance  rates 
presented above cannot be considered the average non-
compliance  rates  of  products  in  the  EU.  However,  the 
proportion  of  non-compliance  cases  found  in  the  REF-8 
project are of concern. 

Slovenian  participation  in  the  coordinated  enforcement 
project (REF-8) was below the EU average, which is rather 
low  because  of  the  lack  of  involvement  of  certain  large 
Member States. 

From this project and others conducted with the help of 
the European Chemicals Agency in the past years, online 
sales  have  been  proved  to  correspond  consistently  to 
higher non-compliance rates in checks performed across 
the EU, in particular when related to imported products. 

In  2022,  Slovenia  received  a  priority  action  related  to 
upgrading  administrative  capacities  in  implementation 
and  enforcement  to  move  towards  a  policy  of  zero 
tolerance  of  non-compliance.  In  the  absence  of  formal 
reporting since 2022, no progress has been shown and this 
priority action remains valid in 2025, partly because of the 
experience with the REF-8 project. 

2025 priority action 

•  Upgrade 

the 

capacities 

in 
administrative 
implementation and enforcement to move towards a 
policy of zero tolerance of non-compliance. 
Increase involvement in the activities of the Forum for 
Exchange  of  Information  on  Enforcement  of  the 
European  Chemicals  Agency, 
the 
in 
coordinated enforcement projects, called REFs. 
Increase customs checks and checks of products sold 
online  with  regard  to  compliance  with  chemicals 
legislation. 

including 

• 

• 

(120)  European Chemicals Agency, REF-8 project report on enforcement 
of CLP, REACH and BPR duties related to substances, mixtures and 
2021, 
articles 

Helsinki, 

online, 

sold 

https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/17088/project_report
_ref-8_en.pdf/ccf2c453-da0e-c185-908e-
3a0343b25802?t=1638885422475, p. 20. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
4. Climate action 

Slovenia  34 

and  the  Member  States  have  been  implementing  the 
legislation. 

The key strategic document at country level is the National 
Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) (123). Slovenia submitted 
its updated plan in January 2025 after the deadline set by 
the  Regulation  on  the  Governance  of  the  Energy  Union 
and  Climate  Action  (124).  The  European  Commission 
assessed  the  plan  and  the  extent  to  which  Slovenia  has 
followed the recommendations for the draft version. The 
findings from the assessment are: 

• 

• 
• 

• 

Emissions  under  the  Effort  Sharing  Regulation  will 
decrease  by  29%  in  2030  compared  to  2005,  and 
Slovenia will meet its target of 27%. 
Slovenia is in line with its LULUCF target.  
Slovenia  has  a  gap  to  its  target  for  the  share  of 
renewable energy. 
Slovenia  is  in  line  with  its  final  energy  consumption 
target. 

To minimise the impacts of climate policies on vulnerable 
people  and  sectors,  Slovenia  is  using  the  Just  Transition 
Fund,  Modernisation  Fund  and  will  use  Social  Climate 
Fund  from  2026  (for  more  information,  see  Chapter 5 
below). 

Figure 29: Total GHG emissions (excluding international 
aviation) (%), 1990–2022 

The impacts of climate change have continued to increase 
in recent years, inflicting damage and suffering in the EU 
and around the world. Globally, 2023 was the hottest year 
on  record,  while  Europe  has  been  warming  twice  as 
quickly  as  the  global  average,  and  is  now  the  fastest-
warming  continent.  The  frequency  and  severity  of 
extreme  climate  events  are  also  increasing.  Against  this 
backdrop, the EU has demonstrated its determination to 
implement  the  European  Green  Deal  and  to  become 
climate neutral and resilient by 2050, ensuring sustainable 
competitiveness  and  supporting  EU  industry  in  the  net-
zero  transition.  The  European  Climate  Law  is  the  EU’s 
response  to  the  need  for  action.  It  sets  the  objective  of 
achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and a midterm target 
of a reduction in GHG emissions of at least 55 % by 2030, 
and outlines the adaptation efforts necessary to adjust to 
climate  change’s  present  and  future  impacts.  Almost  all 
the  ‘Fit  for  55’  proposals  set  out  in  the  European  Green 
law,  and  the  European 
in 
Deal  have  been  agreed 
Commission  recommended  a  new  intermediate  climate 
target of a 90 % reduction in emissions by 2040. In 2024, 
the  Member  States  submitted  updated  national  energy 
and climate plans for 2021–2030, reflecting the increased 
ambition  of  the  revised  EU  legislation.  In  2024,  the 
European Commission also released, jointly with the EEA, 
the first-ever European climate risk assessment. 

its  Member  States  need 

Over  the  last  three  decades,  since  1990,  the  EU  has 
achieved  steady  decreases  in  its  emissions,  reaching  a 
running  total  in  2022  of  – 32.5 % (121).  However,  the  EU 
and 
their 
implementation  efforts  and  accelerate  emissions 
reduction to stay on track to reach their targets of a 55 % 
reduction  in  net  GHG  emissions  by  2030  and  climate 
neutrality  by  2050.  Between  1990  and  2022,  net  GHG 
emissions of Slovenia increased by 7 %, making it one of 
the countries with a net increase. 

to  step  up 

The  ‘Fit  for  55’  legislative  package  reflects  the  need  to 
speed up the green transition. It includes (i) strengthening 
and expanding the EU emissions trading system (ETS), with 
the  creation  of  a  new,  second,  ETS  for  transport  and 
buildings together with a dedicated Social Climate Fund to 
help  citizens  during  the  transition;  (ii)  increasing  targets 
under  the  Effort  Sharing  Regulation;  and  (iii)  a  revised 
Regulation 
for  Land  Use,  Land  Use  Change  and 
Forestry (122). The package has been almost fully adopted, 

The EU emissions trading system 

The  EU  ETS  is  the  key  tool  for  reducing  GHG  emissions 
cost-effectively across all Member States. It is the world’s 
biggest carbon market, covering around 40 % of the EU’s 

(121)  EU  net  domestic  emissions,  including  the  land  use,  land-use 
change and forestry (LULUCF) sector and excluding international 
aviation. 

(122)  A  full  overview  of  the  Fit  for  55  package  is  available  at 
https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-
2019-2024/european-green-deal/delivering-european-green-
deal/fit-55-delivering-proposals_en. 

(123)  More  information  about  NECP  is  on  the  dedicated  website 
https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-strategy/national-
energy-and-climate-plans-necps_en. 

(124)     Article  14  of regulation 2018/1999 on  the  Governance  of  the 

Energy Union and Climate Action 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
  
Slovenia  35 

total GHG emissions from electricity and heat generation, 
the  manufacturing  industry,  aviation  within  Europe (125) 
and, from 2024, maritime transport also. 

The system sets a limit or cap on the total amount of GHGs 
that  can  be  emitted  at  the  EU  level.  Within  this  limit, 
companies buy emissions allowances (one allowance gives 
the  right  to  emit  1 tonne  of  CO2  eq  (carbon  dioxide 
equivalent)),  in  auctions  or  through  trading  allowances 
with  others.  The  cap  is  reduced  annually  to  ensure  that 
overall  emissions  in  the  sectors  covered  decrease  over 
time. 

The emissions under the ETS decreased by 48 % from 2005 
to 2023. 

In  2023,  70 %  of  GHGs  emitted  by  Slovenia’s  ETS 
installations  came  from  power  generation,  significantly 
more than the EU average (57 %). Of the total emissions 
from  all  industry  sectors,  cement  and  lime  production 
emitted 53 %, 30 % came from other industries and 18 % 
came from the metals industry. Between 2019 and 2023, 
the power sector registered a higher emissions reduction 
(28 %) than the industry sectors (23 %). Between 2013 and 
2023,  GHG  emissions  declined  by  44 % 
in  power 
generation  and  by  18 %  in  industrial  manufacturing, 
leading to a total GHG reduction of 38 % in this period. 

From 2027, a new emissions trading system, called ETS2, 
for  buildings,  road  transport  and  additional  sectors 
(mainly  industry  not  covered  by  the  current  ETS),  will 
become  fully  operational (126).  Member  States  should 
have  notified  full  transposition  of  the  provisions  of  the 
revised  EU  ETS  Directive  related  to  the  new  ETS2  into 
law  by  30 June  2024.  Slovenia  did  not 
national 
communicate  full  transposition  into  national  law  by  this 
deadline (127).  The  Commission  therefore  started  an 
infringement procedure against Slovenia on 25 July 2024, 
for  failing  to  fully  transpose  the  provisions  into  national 
law. 

Slovenia  has  since  partially  notified  transposition  of  the 
relevant  provisions  of  the  ETS  2  Directive  to  the 
Commission.  The  monitoring  and  reporting  requirements 
and  the  obligation  to  hold  a  permit  to  carry  out  activities 
under ETS2 will commence on 1 January 2025.. 

On  25 January  2024 
the  Commission  started  an 
infringement  case  against  Slovenia  for  its  failure  to  fully 
transpose previous revisions of the ETS directive (128) into 
national 
law.  Slovenia  has  since  notified  partial 
transposition  of  either  one  or  both  revisions  to  the 
Commission. In the absence of a complete transposition, 

the Commission may decide to take the infringement case 
further. 

Effort sharing 

from  domestic  transport 

The  Effort  Sharing  Regulation  (ESR) (129)  covers  GHG 
emissions 
(excluding  CO₂ 
emissions  from  aviation),  buildings,  agriculture,  small 
industry and waste. Emissions from these sectors account 
for  around  60 %  of  the  EU’s  domestic  emissions.  The 
regulation  sets  the  EU-wide  target  to  reduce  emissions 
from the effort sharing sectors by 40 % by 2030 compared 
with 2005 levels. This overall target for the EU translates 
to  binding  national  emission  reduction  targets  for  each 
Member State. Slovenia‘s target is – 27 %. 

In  addition  to  the  2030  targets,  Member  States  have 
annual GHG emissions limits (annual emission allocations), 
reducing every year until 2030. 

There  is  some  flexibility  to  take  account  of  annual 
in  emissions,  by  trading  emissions  and 
fluctuations 
transfers from the ETS and LULUCF. 

Based  on  historical  emissions  and  the  most  updated 
projections  Slovenia  is  on  track  to  achieve  its  2030  ESR 
target.  Projected  emission  reduction  is  1.6 percentage 
points above the 2030 target. 

The largest  contributor is the domestic transport  sector, 
which accounted for 54 % of all effort sharing emissions in 
2022. And the share is growing even though net emissions 
decreased in 2021. Continued momentum is crucial for the 
take-off of zero-emission mobility in Slovenia. 

Around 1 % of the car fleet were battery electric vehicles 
in 2023 (the EU average is 1.2 %), and Slovenia has about 
2 000 publicly accessible charging points, or one for every 
six e-vehicles (above the EU average of 1:10). Rail plays a 
significant role in the transport of freight, accounting for 
34 %  of  freight  transported  (the  remainder  being 
transported  by  road).  However,  only  50 %  of  the  rail 
network  is  electrified  (EU  average:  56 %).  For  passenger 
transport, 85 % (130) of distances travelled are by car. 

Emissions from buildings decreased by 58 % from 2005 but 
Slovenia still needs to continue working towards reaching 
its 
long-term  renovation  strategy  target  to  reduce 
buildings’ energy consumption and to increase the share 
of renewable energy in heating and cooling. 

In contrast, emissions from agriculture decreased only by 
4 % from 2005. 

(125)  Flights between the Member States including departing flights to 

(128)  Directive - 2023/959 - EN - EUR-Lex and Directive - 2023/958 - EN 

Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. 

(126)  Directive 

(EU) 

2023/959 

(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-

- EUR-Lex. 
(129)  Regulation 

(EU) 

2018/842 

(https://eur-

content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2023.130.01.0134.01.ENG). 

lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/842). 

(127)  Slovenia notified a partial transposition.  

(130)  Statistical  Office,  ‘Dnevna  mobilnost  potnikov,  2021’,  Statistical 
Office website, https://www.stat.si/StatWeb/News/Index/10324. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
Figure 30: Effort-sharing emissions by sector (%), 2022 

Land use, land-use change and forestry 

The  Land  use,  land-use  change  and  forestry  (LULUCF) 
sector plays a significant role in achieving the EU’s climate 
neutrality goal. In the EU, this sector absorbs more GHGs 
than it emits, removing significant volumes of carbon from 
the atmosphere. Thus, it is the only sector with negative 
emissions. 

In Slovenia, LULUCF net removals decreased from 0.64 Mt 
CO2 eq to 0.17 Mt CO2 eq from 2019 to 2022. The country’s 
forests  are  responsible  for  a  major  share  of  these 
removals. 

Slovenia‘s target in 2030 is to enhance land removals by 
additional  −0.2 Mt  of  CO2  eq  compared  with  the  yearly 
average  of  2016–2018.  The  latest  available  projections 
show  a  surplus  over  the  target  of  −2.6 Mt  of  CO2  eq  in 
2030.  Therefore,  Slovenia  is  on  track  to  meet  its  2030 
target. 

Adaptation to climate change 

Halting all GHG emissions would still not prevent climate 
impacts that are already occurring. Therefore, adaptation 
to  climate  change  is  also  a  key  component  of  climate 
policy. 

Two out of the three regions of Slovenia are identified as 
hotspots  of  climate  risks  most  affected  by  climate 

(131)  EEA,  European  Climate  Risk  Assessment,  EEA  Report 01/2024, 
Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2024, 
https://climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu/en/eu-adaptation-
policy/key-eu-actions/european-climate-risk-assessment. 

(132)  Commission 

Staff  Working  Document – 

implementation 
accompanying 

review  2022 

country 

the  document  Communication 

Environmental 
report –  Slovenia 
the 
from 

Slovenia  36 

change –  Southern  Europe  and 
regions (131). 

low-lying  coastal 

The  country 
is  vulnerable  to  climate-change-related 
events  such  as  heavy  flooding,  windstorms,  heatwaves 
and  wildfires.  Agriculture  and  forestry  have  embraced 
adaptation strategies, but implementation has been slow 
and uneven. Furthermore, Slovenia has not yet identified 
further  vulnerabilities  beyond  these  sectors.  In  1980–
2020,  only  6 %  of  reported  losses  caused  by  climate-
related events were insured. Flooding is the highest risk, 
as  evidenced  by  the  floods  of  summer  2023,  but  its 
potential  economic  impacts  can  be  mitigated  by  good 
insurance  coverage.  Nature-based  solutions  are  key  to 
mitigating  the  impact  of  floods.  Integrating  adaptation, 
such  as  nature-based  solutions,  into  sectoral  policies, 
including for flood protection, is necessary, as are setting 
up  a  monitoring,  reporting  and  evaluation  system  and 
better coordination between sectors of government. 

Slovenia adopted its national adaptation strategy in 2016 
but has never updated it. There are no national or regional 
adaptation plans. 

The European Commission identified four priority actions 
in the 2022 edition of the review (132). 

There  is  a  progress  in  energy  efficiency  of  buildings, but 
leaving 
overall  efficiency  gains  have  slowed  down, 
significant  room  for 
in  the 
improvement,  especially 
transport sector, which remains an issue for Slovenia. Car 
fleet electrification is on track but more has to be done to 
increase  the  share  of  public  transportation  and  electrify 
the rail network. 

The  share  of  renewable  energy  remains  above  the  EU 
average but the pace is slowing down and there are still 
gaps (insignificant share of wind energy, low share of heat 
pumps). 

Slovenia  have  implemented  a  Law  on  renewable  energy 
sources  and  a  Decree  on  renewable  energy  sources  in 
transport, in line with EU Directives 2009/28/EC and (EU) 
2015/1315,  so  they  include  the  sustainability  criteria 
under the Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC). 

2025 priority actions 

• 

Implement all polices and measures that are needed 
to  achieve  targets  laid  down  in  the  Effort  Sharing 
Regulation  (ESR)  and  the  Land  Use  and  Land-Use 
Change  and  Forestry  (LULUCF)  regulation.  More 
detailed priority actions are set out in the assessment 

Commission  to  the  European  Parliament,  the  Council,  the 
European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of 
implementation  review  2022: 
the  Regions –  Environmental 
compliance, 
tide 
through 
Turning 
SWD/2022/273 
final  of  8 September  2022,  https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=comnat:SWD_2022_0273_FIN. 

environmental 

the 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
of  the  final  National  Energy  and  Climate  plan 
(NECP)(133).  

Slovenia  37 

(133)  European  Commission,  National  energy  and  climate  plans 
https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-

environment/implementation-eu-countries/energy-and-climate-
governance-and-reporting/national-energy-and-climate-plans_en  

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Slovenia  38 

Part II: Enabling framework: implementation tools 

5. Financing

The  EU  budget  supports  climate  investment  in 
Slovenia  with  significant  amounts  in  2021–2027, 
with revenues from the EU ETS also feeding into the 
national  budget.  During  2020–2022,  Slovenia’s 
revenues  from  auctioning  reached  EUR 366 million 
in total, with all of it spent on climate and energy. 

In addition, the annual investment needed to meet 
its environmental objectives in the areas of pollution 
prevention  and  control,  the  circular  economy  and 
waste,  water  protection  and  management,  and 
biodiversity  and  ecosystems  is  estimated  to  be 
EUR 1.8 billion per year in Slovenia. 

These  four  environmental  areas  currently  receive 
total  funding  of  around  EUR 1.2 billion  per  year; 
thus, there is a gap of EUR 0.6 billion per year. 

climate  action  in  2021–2027  (with  around  40 %  of 
this  via  the  ERDF),  with  a  further  EUR 10.7 million 
from 
the  European  Maritime,  Fisheries  and 
Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) (135). 

The  RRF  contributes  to  climate  finance  in  Slovenia 
with EUR 1.3 billion up to 2026, representing 48.9 % 
of the RRP (136). 

financing  across 

The  European  Investment  Bank  (EIB)  provided 
EUR 109.9 billion 
the  EU-27 
between  2021  and  mid  2024  to  support  energy, 
transport and industry projects that are aligned with 
the  EU’s  climate  objectives.  Of  this  amount, 
EUR 378 million  was  assigned  to  Slovenia  in  the 
reference period (137). 

National financing, including EU emissions trading 
system revenues 

investment  gap, 
Of  the  annual  environmental 
and 
EUR 0.2 billion 
ecosystems,  EUR 0.06 billion  pollution  prevention 
and  control,  EUR 0.3 billion  water  and  around 
EUR 0.1 billion the circular economy. 

biodiversity 

concerns 

Climate finance landmarks 

EU funding for climate action 

The EU budget supports climate action in the EU-27 
with  EUR 657.8 billion in the  2021–2027 budgetary 
period  across  the  various  programmes  and  funds, 
representing an overall 34.3 % contribution level. Of 
this, cohesion policy provides  EUR 120 billion (over 
half  of 
the  European  Regional 
Development  Fund  (ERDF)),  the  recovery  and 
resilience  facility  (RRF)  EUR 275.7 billion  and  CAP 
EUR 145.9 billion (134). 

through 

it 

In Slovenia, the EU cohesion policy (considering the 
EU contribution amount) provides EUR 1.3 billion for 

(134)  European  Commission,  Statement  of  Estimates  of  the 
European  Commission –  For  the  financial  year  2025, 
Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg, 
pp. 94-96, 
2024, 
https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/7a0
420e1-599e-4246-9131-
ccb7d505d6d9_en?filename=DB2025-Statement-of-
Estimates_1.pdf. 

(135)  See 

the 

Cohesion 

Open 

Data 

Platform 

(https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/). 

(136)  EU Commission datasets and the Recovery and Resilience 

Scoreboard 

from 

EUR 130 million 
in  2022 

the  auctioning  of  emission 
Revenues 
allowances  under  the  EU  ETS,  which  feed  directly 
into  national  budgets,  amounted  to  EUR 65 million 
in 
and 
2020, 
in  Slovenia,  totalling 
EUR 171 million 
EUR 366 million  in  the  three-year  period.  100 %  of 
the  auctioning  revenues  is  used  for  climate  and 
energy projects. Some projects receive funding later 
than  in  the  year  in  which  the  auctioning  revenues 
were generated (138). 

2021 

in 

into 

From the remaining part of the EU ETS revenues that 
feed 
the 
Innovation 
Modernisation Fund, further support is available to 
climate action at the EU level. 

Fund  and 

the 

It should be noted that investment in climate action 
also  supports  the  environment  and,  therefore,  the 
the 
environmental 
following  sections  cannot  be  regarded  as  entirely 
additional to climate investment (139). 

investments  described 

in 

(https://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/recovery-and-
resilience-scoreboard/index.html). 
list  of  financed  projects 

is  provided  by  the  EIB 

(137)  A 

(https://www.eib.org/en/projects/loans/index.htm). 
(138)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Climate 
Action, Progress Report 2023 – Climate action, Publications 
Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2023, 
https://climate.ec.europa.eu/news-your-
voice/news/climate-action-progress-report-2023-2023-
10-24_en. 

(139)  NB: indirect investments (from climate and other policies) 
in  support  of  the  environment  are  accounted  for  via  the 
tracking. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
Slovenia  39 

European 
Fund 
for 
Development 

Agricultural 
Rural 

EMFAF 

Other MFF sources 

RRF (d) (2021–2026) 

8.1 

106.1 (c) 

 860 

(a) 

(b) 

European  Commission,  2021-2027  cohesion  policy 
(planned) allocations in EU amount excluding national co-
financing, based on the tracking in the Common Provisions 
Regulation (CPR, 2021) Annex I. Please note potential data 
changes that may have arisen between the EIR preparation 
cut-off  date  (31  October  2024)  and  its  publication  date. 
information: 
Source 
https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/2021-2027-
Categorisation/2021-2027-Planned-finances-detailed-
categorisation/hgyj-gyin/about_data. 

further 

and 

Regulation  (EU)  2021/2115  of  the  European  Parliament 
and of the Council of 2 December 2021 establishing rules 
on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member 
States under the common agricultural policy (CAP strategic 
plans)  and 
financed  by  the  European  Agricultural 
Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural 
Fund  for  Rural  Development  (EAFRD)  and  repealing 
Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013 (OJ 
L 435 
https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2021/2115. 

6.12.2021, 

Annex XI, 

p. 1), 

EU 

Note that 2021-2027 combines factual data for 2021 and 
2022  and  expenditure  under  the  relevant  specific 
objectives (SOs) of the CAP strategic plans from 2023, using 
the 
methodology  
(https://commission.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
06/Biodiversity%20tracking%20methodology%20for%20e
ach%20programme%202023.pdf). 
Commission.  

biodiversity 

European 

tracking 

Source: 

(c) 

(d) 

Space  Fund,  Horizon Europe,  financial  instrument  for  the 
environment and the Connecting Europe Facility. 

Outside  the  MFF.  Note  that  the  RRF  applies  a  similar 
environmental tracking scheme (set in the RRF Regulation, 
Annex VI) as the EU’s cohesion policy. RRF dataset version 
used:  July  2024,  prior  to  2025  revisions.  Data  source: 
European Commission. 

in  addition 

to  receiving  EU 

Slovenia, 
funds 
earmarked specifically for it in 2021–2027, can also 
benefit  from  funding  programmes  that  can  be 
accessed at the EU level and are open to all Member 
States. These include the financial instrument for the 
programme 
environment 
(LIFE) 
(EUR 5.4 billion) (141), 
Europe 
(EUR 95.5 billion) (142), 
the  Connecting  Europe 

Horizon 

Environmental financing and investments 

This section describes Slovenia’s investment needs, 
current financing and gaps as they relate to the four 
climate 
environmental 
objectives,  namely  tackling  pollution,  the  circular 
economy  and  waste,  water  protection  and 
management, and biodiversity and ecosystems (140). 

objectives 

beyond 

The environment overall 

Investment needs 

The  overall  environmental  investment  needs  to  be 
sufficient to enable Slovenia to meet its objectives in 
the  areas  of  pollution  prevention  and  control,  the 
circular  economy  and  waste,  water  protection  and 
management,  and  biodiversity  and  ecosystems  is 
estimated  to  be  EUR 1.8 billion  per  year  (in  2022 
prices). 

A  significant  part  of  the  estimated  requirement, 
around EUR 701 million per year, can be attributed 
to  the  need  to  support  water  and  marine.  For 
biodiversity and ecosystems, the annual investment 
needs are EUR 326 million, for pollution prevention 
and  control  EUR 403 million  and  for  the  circular 
economy EUR 357 million (in 2022 prices). 

Current investments 

implement  the  environmental 

To 
investments 
needed,  the  available  financing  is  estimated  to 
currently reach an annual EUR 1.2 billion in Slovenia 
from  EU  and  national  sources  combined  (in  2022 
prices). 

Total  environmental  funding  from  the  multiannual 
financial  framework  (MFF)  is  estimated  to  reach 
around  EUR 1.3 billion  for  Slovenia  in  total,  during 
2021–2027 (or EUR 184 million per year). 

Table 1:  Key  environmental  allocations  from  EU 
funds to Slovenia (million EUR), 2021–2027 
Allocations 
Instrument 

Cohesion policy 
ERDF 
Cohesion Fund 
Just Transition Fund 

CAP 
European 
Guarantee Fund 

Agricultural 

817.9 (a) 
383.7 
382.0 
52.2 
357.3 (b) 
128.4 
228.9 

(140)  Research,  development  and  innovation  is  accounted  for 
under each environmental objective. The financing needs, 
baselines and gaps estimates are based on the Directorate-
General  for  Environment’s  internal  analysis  (of  2024). 
Throughout this chapter, specific references are provided 
to the most important data sources used. 

(141)  https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/programmes/life_en. 
(142)  European  Commission,  Horizon Europe  (https://research-

and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-
opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-
calls/horizon-europe_en). 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Facility (EUR 37.7 billion) (143) and funds that can be 
mobilised through the InvestEU programme (144). 

Slovenia’s RRP supports climate objectives  through 
funding of EUR 1.3 billion (48.9 % of total), with an 
additional 
the 
environment. 

EUR 0.11 billion 

(4 %) 

for 

The  EIB  provided  around  EUR 151.2 million 
in 
to 
financial  contributions 
environment-related 
Slovenia from 2021 to mid 2024, all of it in the area 
of  sustainable  energy,  transport  and 
industrial 
projects,  which  provides  significant  co-benefits  to 
reducing  air  pollution,  environmental  noise  and 
other pollution. 

EU’s 

total 

expenditure 

The 
on 
national 
environmental  protection  (operating  plus  capital 
in  2020  and 
expenditure)  was  EUR 298 billion 
EUR 321 billion  in  2021,  representing  around  2.2 % 
of  EU-27  GDP.  In  Slovenia,  the  total  national 
environmental 
expenditure  was 
EUR 1.3 billion  in  2020  and  EUR 1.2 billion  in  2021, 
representing 2.7 % and 2.4 % of GDP, respectively. 

protection 

Of the total environmental expenditure, the national 
capital expenditure (investment) on environmental 
protection amounted to EUR 54.5 billion in 2020 and 
EUR 59.9 billion  in  2021  in  the  EU-27,  representing 
around  0.4 %  of  the  EU’s  GDP.  In  Slovenia,  the 
investment 
national  environmental  protection 
reached 
and 
EUR 418 million  in  2021,  representing  around  0.8–
1.0 % of GDP. 

EUR 476 million 

2020 

in 

(of 

producers 

Split  by  institutional  sector,  33 %  of  Slovenia’s 
national  environmental  protection 
investment 
(capital  expenditure)  comes  from  the  general 
government budget, with 3 % coming from specialist 
environmental 
private-sector 
protection  services,  such  as  waste  and  water 
companies)  and  63 %  from  the  general  business 
sector,  whose  environmental  activities  are  usually 
ancillary to its main activities. At the EU level, 38 % 
of environmental protection investment comes from 
governments,  40 %  from  specialist  private-sector 
producers  and  22 %  from  the  general  business 
sector (145). 

total 

Slovenia’s 
for  environmental 
investment reaches an estimated EUR 1.2 billion per 
year  (in  2022  prices),  including  EU  funding  and 

financing 

Slovenia  40 

national public and national private expenditure. Of 
the total, the share of EU funds (including EIB funds) 
reaches 26 %, with around 74 % national financing. 
The  total  public  financing  (EU  plus  national  public) 
represents 51 % of the total. 

The gap 

To  meet  its  four  environmental  objectives  beyond 
climate change, the additional investment need over 
the current levels (i.e. the gap) reaches an estimated 
EUR 0.6 billion  per  year  in  Slovenia,  representing 
around  1.08 %  of  the  national  GDP,  being  higher 
than the EU-average (0.77 %). 

Figure 31: Environmental financing, needs and gaps 
per Member State (% of GDP) 

Source: Directorate-General for Environment analysis. 

The  following  table  provides  the  distributions  of 
Slovenia’s 
gap 
(expressed 
in  various  forms)  by  environmental 
objective. 

environmental 

investment 

Table  2:  Summary  of  environmental  investment 
gaps in Slovenia per year, 2021–2027 

Environmental 
objective 

Investment gap per year  

% of 
total 

% of 
GDP 

Million 
EUR 
(2022 
prices) 

Pollution prevention 
and control 

55 

8.8 

0.09 

(143)  The  Connecting  Europe  Facility  (Transport)  also  includes 
EUR 11.3 billion  transferred  from  the  Cohesion  Fund,  of 
which 30 % will be made available, on a competitive basis, 
to  all  Member  States eligible  for  the  Cohesion Fund. The 
remaining  70 %  will  respect  the  national  envelopes  until 
31 December 2023. 

(144)  The InvestEU Fund is set to mobilise over EUR 372 billion of 
through  an  EU  budget  guarantee  of 
investment  of  financial 

investment 
EUR 26.2 billion  to  back  the 
partners such as the EIB group and others. 
protection 
’Environmental 

(145)  Eurostat, 

expenditure 

accounts’, env_ac_epea. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Slovenia  41 

108 

 17.2 

0.18 

 260 

 41.6 

 0.44 

In Slovenia, the EU MFF provides an estimated 17 % 
of  the  clean  air  financing  (mostly  via  cohesion 
policy), with a further 18 % from the RRF, adding up 
to 35 % of the total. EIB loans reach 6 % of the total 
and national sources 59 % . 

202 

 32.4 

0.34 

The gap 

Circular economy and 
waste 

Water management 
and water industries 

Biodiversity and 
ecosystems 

Total 

 624 

100.0 

1.06 

Source: Directorate-General for Environment analysis. 

Pollution prevention and control 

Investment needs 

in  2021–2027.  Most  of 

In  pollution  prevention  and  control,  Slovenia’s 
reach 
investment  needs  are  estimated 
to 
(including  baseline 
EUR 403 million  per  year 
investments) 
this, 
EUR 352 million,  relates  to  air  pollution  control,  to 
comply with the clean air requirements for the five 
main  air  pollutants  under  the  NECD  by  2030.  The 
estimated  needs  to  reduce  environmental  noise 
reach  EUR 90 million  per  year,  most  of  which  is 
delivered  by  the  (same)  sustainable  energy  and 
investments  that  also  benefit  clean 
transport 
air (146). 
costs 
Protection 
EUR 26 million 
site 
remediation  an  estimated  EUR 11 million  per  year. 
Microplastics  pollution  and  the  chemicals  strategy 
require around EUR 6–8 million per year (each) (147). 

industrial 

radiation 

year, 

from 

and 

a 

Current investments 

The  current  investment  levels  supporting  pollution 
prevention  and  control 
reach  an  estimated 
EUR 349 million per year in Slovenia in 2021–2027. 
financing  concerns  clean  air 
Most  of 
from 
year).  Protection 
(EUR 288 million  per 
environmental noise receives around EUR 86 million 
per year, with a further EUR 12 million spent on site 
remediation(148). 

the 

(146)  2021 

Phenomena 

project 

assessment 

(https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/f4cd7465-a95d-11eb-9585-01aa75ed71a1) 
and the Commission’s 2023 Environmental Noise Directive 
implementation 
report 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2023-
03/COM_2023_139_1_EN_ACT_part1_v3.pdf). 

(147)  European  Commission,  Third  Clean  Air  Outlook,  Brussels, 
2022,  https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/clean-
air-outlook_en.  See  also  the  impact  assessment  for  the 
revision of the AAQD, available from the Commission web 
revision 
page 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/revision-
eu-ambient-air-quality-legislation_en). 

proposed 

the 

on 

(148)  Through the tracking of EU funds, EIB projects and national 
expenditure (EPEA accounts, Eurostat). Note that the bulk 

To  meet  its  environmental  objectives  concerning 
pollution  prevention  and  control  (towards  zero 
pollution),  Slovenia  needs  to  provide  an  additional 
EUR 55 million  per  year  (0.09 %  of  GDP),  mostly 
related  to  clean  air  and  noise.  The  adequate 
implementation  of  the  NECP  with  the  investments 
included for sustainable energy and transport would 
largely  deliver  this,  while  in  many  Member  States 
additional  measures  and 
investments  may  be 
required  to  comply  with  the  ammonia  reduction 
requirements. 

According  to  the 
latest  (2023)  NAPCP  review 
report (149),  Slovenia  complied  with  ammonia 
reduction requirements in 2020 and 2021, and it is 
not  at  risk  of  non-compliance  with  ammonia 
concerning  the  NECD  2030  emission  reduction 
commitments, based on the  policies and  measures 
in its NAPCP that take into account climate, energy 
and CAP plans and financing baselines. 

Circular economy and waste 

Investment needs 

relates 

investments).  Most  of 

Slovenia’s investment needs in circular economy and 
waste  reach  EUR 357 million  per  year  (including 
this,  around 
baseline 
EUR 280 million  per  year, 
to  circular 
economy  measures  in  the  mobility,  food  and  built 
environment systems, with a further EUR 77 million 
necessary  for  waste  management  (municipal  and 
packaging  waste),  covering  waste  collection, 
biowaste treatment, recycling reprocessors, waste-
sorting  facilities,  and  digitalisation  of  the  waste 
registry.  The  amount  for  waste  excludes  the 

of  clean  air  financing  is  provided  as  a  contribution  from 
climate  (energy  and  transport)  measures,  as  per  the 
tracking  schemes  in  the  Common  Provisions  Regulation 
Annex  I  and  the  RRF  Regulation  Annex  VI.  Further 
information 
tracking: 
https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/0a8
0484e-2409-4749-94c6-
3b23bc6bae8f_en?filename=Clean%20air%20methodolog
y_0.pdf 

clean 

on 

air 

(149)  European  Commission,  ‘National  air  pollution  control 
programmes  and  projections’,  European  Commission 
website, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/air/reducing-
emissions-air-pollutants/national-air-pollution-control-
programmes-and-projections_en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
investments needed for the uptake of circularity and 
waste prevention across the economy (150). 

Current investments 

Circular  economy investments across the economy 
reach around EUR 192 million per year in Slovenia in 
2021-2027,  with  a  further  EUR 57 million  provided 
for  waste  management  that  does  not  constitute 
circular economy. 

Around  1.7 %  of  this  combined  financing  for 
circularity and waste comes from the EU MFF, with 
a further 6.7 % contribution from the RRF. The share 
of national sources is overwhelming, reaching 92 % 
of the total financing (151). 
The gap 

To meet its environmental objectives concerning the 
circular  economy  and  waste,  Slovenia  needs  to 
increase  circular  economy 
investments  by  an 
estimated  EUR 88 million  per  year,  with  an 
concerning  waste 
additional 
management  action,  not  belonging  to  circular 
economy. 
to 
EUR 108 million  per  year,  representing  0.18 %  of 
Slovenia’s GDP. 

EUR 20 million 

Combined, 

amounts 

this 

Of the circular economy gap, EUR 23 million relates 
to  recent  initiatives,  such  as  the  eco-design  for 
sustainable  products,  packaging  and  packaging 
waste, labelling and digital tools, CRM recycling, and 
measures  proposed  under  the  amendment  of  the 
Waste  Framework  Directive,  and  EUR 65 million 
constitutes  further  investment  needed  to  unlock 
Slovenia’s circular economy potential. 

Water protection and management 

Investment needs 

investment  needs  reach  an 
The  annual  water 
estimated  EUR 701 million  (in  2022  prices) 
in 
Slovenia. This comprises investment needs both for 
the  water  industry  and  for  the  protection  and 

Slovenia  42 

management  of  water.  Of  the  total  annual  need, 
EUR 211 million relates to the management of waste 
water  (also  including  additional  costs  associated 
with the revised UWWTD). A further EUR 335 million 
is necessary for drinking-water-related investments 
and around  EUR 152 million for the protection and 
management of water (152). 

Current investments 

Water investments in Slovenia are estimated to be 
around EUR 441 million per year (in 2022 prices) in 
2021–2027.  Of 
this,  EUR 126 million  supports 
wastewater management,  EUR 281 million drinking 
water and around EUR 33 million the other aspects 
of 
(water 
management and protection). 

the  Water  Framework  Directive 

Of  the  total  financing,  7.4 %  is  provided  by  the  EU 
MFF (mostly through cohesion policy), with a further 
5.4 % from the RRF, reaching 12.7 % combined. The 
bulk  of  financing  comes  from  national  sources 
(87.3%) (153). 

The gap 

To  meet  the  various  environmental  targets  under 
the  Water  Framework  Directive  and  the  Floods 
Directive,  Slovenia’s water  investment  gap reaches 
EUR 260 million  per  year  (0.44 %  of  GDP),  with 
EUR 85 million 
linked  to  wastewater  measures. 
Drinking  water  measures  require  an  additional 
EUR 54 million per year and the other aspects of the 
Water Framework Directive around EUR  120 million 
per year over the existing levels of financing. 

Biodiversity and ecosystems 

Investment needs 

investment  needs 

for  biodiversity  and 
The 
ecosystems are estimated to be EUR 326 million per 
year (in 2022 prices) in Slovenia in 2021–2027. This 
includes the following financing needs: 

• 

Slovenia’s  prioritised  action  framework (154) 

(150)  See Systemiq and Ellen MacArthur Foundation,  Achieving 
‘Growth  Within’,  2017;  and  European  Commission: 
Directorate-General for Environment, Study on investment 
needs in the waste sector and on the financing of municipal 
waste management in Member States, Publications Office 
of 
2019, 
European  Union, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/4d5f8355-bcad-11e9-9d01-01aa75ed71a1. 

Luxembourg, 

the 

(151)  Waste  management  and  circular  economy  expenditure 
tracking in the EU funds, EIB projects and in the  national 
expenditure (Eurostat). Datasets: EPEA accounts (env_epi) 
and circular economy private investments (cei_cie012). 

(152)  See  European  Commission,  ‘Estimating  investment  needs 
and financing capacities for water-related investment in EU 
Member 
2020, 
https://commission.europa.eu/news/estimating-

28 May 

States’, 

investment-needs-and-financing-capacities-water-related-
investment-eu-member-states-2020-05-28_en; and OECD, 
Financing  Water  Supply,  Sanitation  and  flood  Protection: 
Challenges in EU Member States and policy options, OECD 
Publishing, 
https://www.oecd-
ilibrary.org/environment/financing-water-supply-
sanitation-and-flood-protection_6893cdac-en. 

2020, 

Paris, 

(153)  Water investment levels are estimated through tracking EU 
funds,  EIB  projects  and  national  expenditure  (EPEA 
accounts, Eurostat). 
(154)  European  Commission, 

‘Financing  Natura  2000 – 
Prioritised  action  frameworks’,  European  Commission 
website, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-
biodiversity/natura-2000/financing-natura-2000_en. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
Slovenia  43 

Figure 32: 2021–2027 contributions to biodiversity 
from  the  main  EU  instruments  per  Member  State 
(% of policy total) 

2000 

the  Natura 

areas: 
concerning 
EUR 85.9 million  per  year,  mostly  running 
costs; 
additional  BDS  costs (155):  EUR 156.5 million 
per year on top of the framework; 
sustainable  soil  strategy  management (156) 
costs: EUR 83.5 million per year. 

• 

• 

Current investments 

level  of  biodiversity  financing 

The  current 
is 
estimated  to  be  EUR 124 million  per  year  (in  2022 
prices)  in  2021–2027.  71.1 %  of  this  is  considered 
direct financing to biodiversity and ecosystems, with 
a 100 % coefficient in the tracking schemes. 

15.5 %  of  the  total  financing  is  estimated  to  come 
from  EU  cohesion  policy,  38.6 %  from  CAP,  4.7 % 
from  Horizon  Europe,  around  1.8 %  from  LIFE  and 
0.7 % from EMFAF. The EU MFF altogether accounts 
for  62 %  of  the  financing  and  the  RRF  for  10.4 %, 
adding up to a total of 72.4 % from the EU budget. 
The rest, 27.6 %, comes from national sources (157). 

Slovenia  has  dedicated  relatively  high  shares  of 
funds under the RRF (4.4 %) to biodiversity, as well 
as under CAP (21.5 %) and under its cohesion policy 
EU contribution amounts  (7.4 %, disregarding ESF+) 
in  2021–2027 –  all  well  above  the  EU  average  (see 
Figure 32). 

NB: ESF+, European Social Fund Plus. 

The gap 

To  meet  the  environmental  objectives  concerning 
the  protection  and  restoration  of  biodiversity  and 
relevant  cross-cutting 
ecosystems  and  other 
measures, Slovenia’s investment gap is estimated to 
be around EUR 202 million per year, corresponding 
to 0.34 % of its GDP. 

Public financial management 

Green budgeting practices 

Green budgeting refers to the use of budgetary tools 
to  achieve  climate  and  environmental  goals.  Some 
Member  States  already  use  green  budgeting  tools 
for  identifying  and  tracking  green  expenditures 
and/or  revenues  (158).  Green  budgeting  practices 
provide 
the 
environmental implications of budgetary policies.  

transparency 

increased 

on 

The  Commission  has  developed  a  non-mandatory 
green  budgeting  reference  framework  that  brings 
together methodologies for assessing the impacts of 
budgets on climate and environmental goals (159).  

To  help  Member  States  to  develop  national  green 
budgeting  and  thereby  improve  policy  coherence 

biodiversity  from  the  Classification  of  the  Functions  of 
Government accounts. 

(158)  European  Commission,  Green  Budgeting  in  the  EU.  Key 
Insights  from  the  2023  European  Commission  Survey  of 
Green  Budgeting  Practices,  2023,  https://economy-
finance.ec.europa.eu/economic-and-fiscal-
governance/national-fiscal-frameworks-eu-member-
states/green-budgeting-
eu_en#:~:text=European%20Commission%20Green%20B
udgeting%20Survey%C2%A0. 

(159)  European Commission, ‘European Union green budgeting 
https://economy-

reference 
framework’, 
finance.ec.europa.eu/economic-and-fiscal-
governance/green-budgeting-eu_en. 

2022, 

(155)  European 

Commission: 

Directorate-General 

for 
Environment,  Biodiversity  Financing  and  Tracking –  Final 
report,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union, 
Luxembourg,  2022,  https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/793eb6ec-dbd6-11ec-a534-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

(156)  Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of 
the  Council  on  soil  monitoring  and  resilience  (Soil 
Monitoring  Law)  COM(2023) 416  final  of  5 July  2023, 
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/publications/proposal-
directive-soil-monitoring-and-resilience_en. 

(157)  Based  on  biodiversity  tracking 

in  the  EU  budget 

(https://circabc.europa.eu/ui/group/3f466d71-92a7-
49eb-9c63-6cb0fadf29dc/library/8e44293a-d97f-496d-
8769-50365780acde),  and  national  expenditure  on 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Slovenia  44 

taxes and social security contributions (above the EU 
average of 5.0 %) (162). 

Figure 33: Environmental taxes per Member State, 
2022 

and  support  the  green  transition,  the  Commission 
facilitated  a  technical  support 
instrument  (TSI) 
project on green budgeting from 2021 to 2024 (160). 
Slovenia  participated  and  introduced  a  national 
green  budgeting  methodology  according  to  which,  
projects  financed  through  the  national  budget  are 
evaluated  with  respect  to  their  impact  on  the  six 
environmental objectives of the EU taxonomy. 

Slovenia has also been selected for the next round of 
TSI  projects  on  green  budgeting,  starting  in  2025, 
where the country will expand peer-to-peer learning 
through civil servants’ exchanges. 

to 

Beyond  green  budgeting, 
improve  policy 
outcomes,  the  Commission  has  also  drawn  up 
climate-proofing 
sustainability-proofing 
guidance (161),  as  tools  to  assess  project  eligibility 
and compliance with environmental legislation and 
criteria. 

and 

Green taxation and tax reform 

taxes 

amounted 

environmental 

Total 
to 
EUR 1.6 billion  in  Slovenia  in  2022,  representing 
2.9 %  of  its  GDP  (EU  average:  2.0 %).  Energy  taxes 
formed  the  largest  component  of  environmental 
taxes, accounting for 2.4 % of GDP, which is higher 
than  the  EU  average  of  1.6 %.  Transport  taxes,  at 
0.4 % of GDP, were around the EU average (0.4 %), 
while  taxes  on  pollution  and  resources,  at  0.1 %, 
were  slightly  above  the  EU  middle  value  (EU 
average:  0.08 %).  In  2022,  environmental  taxes  in 
Slovenia accounted for 7.6 % of total revenues from 

(160)  https://reform-support.ec.europa.eu/what-we-
do/revenue-administration-and-public-financial-
management/supporting-implementation-green-
budgeting-practices-eu_en. 

(161)  Commission  notice –  Technical  guidance  on  the  climate 
proofing  of  infrastructure  in  the  period  2021–2027  (OJ 
p. 1), 
16.09.2021, 
C 373, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/23a24b21-16d0-11ec-b4fe-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

(162)  Eurostat, ‘Environmental taxes accounts’, env_eta. 

The  EU  Green  Deal  emphasises  the  role  of  well-
designed tax reforms (e.g. shifts from taxing labour 
to taxing pollution) to boost  economic growth and 
resilience,  and  to  foster  a  fairer  society  and  a  just 
transition through the right price signals. The Green 
Deal  promotes  the  ‘polluter-pays  principle’,  which 
makes  polluters  bear  the  costs  to  prevent,  control 
and remedy pollution. 

According  to  a  2024  study (163),  Slovenia  applies 
environmental 
discourage 
environmentally harmful activities and behaviours in 
the fields of air, waste, water and mineral extraction. 

taxes 

used 

to 

Green bonds and sustainable bonds 

In  2023,  the  total  value  of  green  bonds  issued  by 
USD 245 billion 
Member 
(EUR 227 billion), 
USD 234 billion 
(EUR 198 billion) in 2021(164). 

was 
from 

States 

up 

During 2014–2023, 83 % of the green bonds issued 
by  European  countries  (excluding  supranational 
entities)  served  objectives  in  energy,  buildings  or 
transport, while 5 % supported objectives in water, 

(163)  European 

Commission: 

Directorate-General 

for 
Environment, Candidates for Taxing Environmental Bads at 
National Level, Publications Office of the European Union, 
Luxembourg, 2024, , https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-
detail/-/publication/35c1bbdf-2931-11ef-9290-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en, Annex 1. 

(164)   Climate  Bonds  Initiative  (www.climatebonds.net).  NB. 
Additionally  (and  not  included  in  this),  national  sources 
indicated EUR 544.8 million issuance for Croatia, in 2022-
2023,  and  a  slightly  higher  amount  for  Slovenia  (+0.27 
billion) during 2021-2023 in total. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
5.1 %  related  to  land use  (with  links  to  nature  and 
ecosystems)  and  3.8 %  to  waste  management.  By 
2023, the combined share of energy, buildings and 
transport has decreased to 73 %, the share of waste 
management  and land use had increased (to 5.9 % 
and 8.4 %, respectively) and the share of water had 
remained around 5 %. 

In 2021–2023, 31.7 % of the European green bonds 
(excluding  those  issued  by  supranational  bodies) 
was 
issued  by  financial  corporates,  29.1 %  by 
sovereign governments and 23.1 % by non-financial 
corporates.  8.3 %  of  the  issuances  was  linked  to 
government-backed entities, 6.4 % to development 
banks and 1.4 % to local governments. 

Between  2021  and  January  2023,  Slovenia  issued 
for  EUR 2.49 billion,  with 
sustainability  bonds 
EUR 765 million  of  the  (total)  proceeds  going  into 
green projects. 

Figure 34: Value of green bonds issued per Member 
State (billion EUR), 2021, 2022 and 2023 

Slovenia  45 

budgets  and  make  it  difficult  to  achieve  European 
Green Deal objectives. 

The  overall  downward  trend  of  FFS  mentioned  in 
past  EIRs  was  disrupted  from  2022,  due  to  the 
European  response  to  the  2021  energy  crisis  and 
subsequent increase in energy prices. 

to  EUR 109 billion 

As a direct consequence, annual FFS in the EU have 
from 
increased 
EUR 57 billion in 2020. From 2021 to 2023, there was 
a  marked  increase  in  annual  FFS  of  72 %  in  the 
EU (166). 

in  2023 

For  the  majority  of  the  Member  States  (16),  2022 
saw a peak in the amount of overall FFS. A decline 
was then observed in 2023 (167). In particular, FFS for 
coal and lignite, natural gas and oil increased in 2022 
and a strong increase was observed for natural gas 
subsidies. 

In  Slovenia,  the  energy  subsidies  were  stable  in 
2015–2021, and only showed significant increases in 
2022  and  2023, 
the  EU-wide 
phenomenon.  FFS  were  already  very  stable  all 
through 
at 
EUR 0.1 billion  per  year,  except  only  2022,  when 
they increased to EUR 0.2 billion. 

examined  period,  mostly 

line  with 

the 

in 

As a share of GDP, FFS in 2022 ranged from 1.8 % in 
Croatia to less than 0.1 % in Denmark and Sweden. 
Slovenia’s  value  reached  0.4 %,  below  the  EU 
average (0.8 %) (168). 

Figure  35:  Energy  subsidies  by  energy  carrier 
(billion EUR), 2015–2023 

Data source: Climatebonds.net, with some additional data from 
national sources (e.g. Croatia, Slovenia).  

Environmentally harmful subsidies 

Addressing  and  phasing  out  environmentally 
harmful subsidies, in particular  fossil fuel subsidies 
(FFS) is a further step towards achieving the eighth 
environmental action programme objectives and the 
enabling  conditions (165).  FFS  are  costly  for  public 

NB: RES, renewable energy source. 

(165)  Article 3(h)  and  3(v)  of  the  eighth  environmental  action 

(167)  16 Member States: BE, EE, IE, EL, ES, FR, HR, IT, CY, LT, HU, 

programme. 

NL, AT, PT, RO and SE. 

(166)  European Commission, 2024 Report on Energy Subsidies in 

(168)  European Commission, 2024 Report on Energy Subsidies in 

the European Union, COM(2025). 
https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-
register/detail?ref=COM(2025)17&lang=en. 

the European Union, COM(2025). 
https://ec.europa.eu/transparency/documents-
register/detail?ref=COM(2025)17&lang=en 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Source: analysis of Directorate-General Energy 
In  the  2022  EIR,  Slovenia  received  the  following 
priority actions. 

• 

• 

• 

Ensure  an  increased  level  of  financing  for  the 
environment  to  cover  the  investment  needs 
across the environmental objectives by  closing 
the investment gaps. 

Scale up the biodiversity support under the new 
cohesion  policy  and  the  common  agricultural 
policy  to  achieve  the  ambition  set  in  the 
interinstitutional agreement on the 2021–2027 
MFF on biodiversity. 

Ensure that cohesion policy and EAFRD funding 
and LIFE programme funding complement each 
other,  especially  as  regards  LIFE  integrated 

Slovenia  46 

projects  and  actions  certified  with  a  ‘Seal  of 
Excellence’. 

a 

similar 

currently 

Slovenia 
overall 
has 
environmental investment gap to that at the time of 
the 2022 EIR (at around 1.1 % of GDP, above the EU 
average),  with  most  of  it  related  to  the  water 
objective and biodiversity. 

2025 priority action 

•  Use  more  national  funding  (for  instance  by 
increasing  taxes  in  favour  of  the  environment 
harmful 
and 
subsidies),  EU  funding  and  private  funding  to 
help close the investment gap. 

environmentally 

reducing 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
Slovenia  47 

6. Environmental governance 

Information, public participation and access to 
justice 

Citizens  can  more  effectively  protect  the  environment  if 
they rely on the three ‘pillars’ of the Aarhus Convention: 
(i)  access  to  information,  (ii)  public  participation  in 
decision-making and (iii) access to justice in environmental 
matters.  It  is  of  crucial  importance  to  public  authorities, 
the public and businesses that environmental information 
is 
shared  efficiently  and  effectively (169).  Public 
participation  allows  authorities  to  make  decisions  that 
take public concerns into account. Access to justice is a set 
of  guarantees  that  allows  citizens  and  NGOs  to  use 
national courts to protect the environment, safeguard the 
citizens  and  ensure  accountability  of 
rights  of 
authorities (170).  It 
legal 
includes  the  right  to  bring 
challenges (‘legal standing’) (171). 

Environmental information 

This  section  focuses  on  the  implementation  of  the 
Infrastructure  for  Spatial  Information  in  the  European 
Community (Inspire) Directive. The Inspire Directive aims 
to set up a European spatial-data infrastructure for sharing 
environmental  spatial 
information  between  public 
authorities across Europe. It is expected that this will help 
policymaking  across  boundaries  and  facilitate  public 
access  to  this  information.  Geographic  information  is 
needed  for  good  governance  at  all  levels  and  should  be 
readily and transparently available. 

Slovenia’s  performance 
implementing  the  Inspire 
Directive is substantial and has been reviewed based on its 
2023 country fiche (172) (see Table 3).  

in 

Table  3:  Slovenia  dashboard  on  the  implementation  of 
the Inspire Directive, 2016–2023 

2016 

2023 

Legend 

Effective  coordination  and  data 
sharing 

Ensure 
effective 
coordination 

sharing 

Data 
without 
obstacle 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

Inspire performance indicators 

(i)  Conformity 
of metadata 

(ii)  Conformity 
spatial 
of 
datasets  

(iii) 
Accessibility  of 
spatial datasets 
through 
view 
and  download 
services 

(iv)  Conformity 
of 
network 
services 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■ 

■  Implementation  of 
this  provision  is  well 
advanced  or  (nearly) 
completed. 
Outstanding issues are 
minor  and  can  be 
addressed 
easily. 
Percentage > 89 % 

■  Implementation  of 
this  provision  has 
started 
and  made 
some  or  substantial 
progress but is still not 
being 
to 
close 
completed. 
Percentage = 31–89 % 

■  Implementation  of 
this provision is falling 
significantly  behind. 
Serious  efforts  are 
necessary to close the 
implementation  gap. 
Percentage < 31 % 

Source:  European  Commission,  ‘Slovenia’,  Inspire  Knowledge  Base, 
https://knowledge-base.inspire.ec.europa.eu/slovenia_en. 

Slovenia has made progress on the accessibility of spatial 
data,  but  more  efforts  are  needed  to  make  spatial  data 
more  widely  accessible  and  prioritise  the  environmental 
datasets (173). Hence, a priority action is proposed in 2025. 

(169)  The  Aarhus 

Convention 

(https://unece.org/environment-
policy/public-participation/aarhus-convention/text),  the  Access 
to  Environmental  Information  Directive  (Directive  2003/4/EC) 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32003L0004) 
Inspire 
Directive  (Directive  2007/2/EC)  (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32007L0002) together create a legal 
foundation for the sharing of environmental information between 
public authorities and with the public. 

and 

the 

(170)  These  guarantees  are  explained  in  the  European  Commission’s 
2017  notice  on  access  to  justice  in  environmental  matters 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:52017XC0818(02))  and  a  related 

citizen’s 

2018 
(https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/2b362f0a-bfe4-11e8-99ee-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF). 

guide 

(171)  This EIR focuses on the means used by Member States 
to  guarantee  rights  of  access  to  justice  and  legal 
standing  and  to  overcome  other  major  barriers  to 
bringing cases on environmental protection. 

(172)  European  Commission,  ‘Slovenia’,  INSPIRE  knowledge 
https://knowledge-

base, 
base.inspire.ec.europa.eu/slovenia_en. 

(173)  European  Commission, List  of  high  value  spatial  data 

sets. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
Public participation 

Public involvement  at both the planning and the project 
phase  maximises  transparency  and  social  acceptance  of 
programmes  and  projects.  Consultation  with  the  public 
(including  NGOs)  and  environmental,  local  and  regional 
authorities  is  a  key  feature  of  an  effective  impact 
assessment procedure. Such consultation also provides an 
opportunity for public authorities and project promoters 
to  engage  with  the  public  actively  and  meaningfully  by 
making information on the likely significant effects widely 
available. If carried out with due diligence and taking into 
consideration  useful  public  input,  this  process  leads  to 
better-informed decision-making and can promote public 
acceptance.  Making 
increases 
stakeholder  involvement,  thus  lessening  resistance  and 
preventing (or minimising) litigation. On the other hand, it 
is paramount that the procedure is effective. 

information  available 

This  section  examines  how  public 
involvement  and 
transparency are ensured under two instruments, namely 
the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive (174) 
and  the  Strategic  Environmental  Assessment 
(SEA) 
Directive (175). 

EU law provides for a flexible framework concerning EIAs. 
The aim of this framework is to ensure the application of 
the  necessary  environmental  safeguards,  while  enabling 
speedy  approval  of  projects.  The  Commission  has 
contributed to simplifying and accelerating permitting for 
renewable energy projects and continues to support the 
Member  States  in  this  regard(176).    Slovenia  has  already 
taken 
to  accelerate  permit-issuing 
procedures  taking  advantages  of  the  broad  flexibilities 
offered  by  the  EU 
legal  framework,  such  as  the 
establishment  of  a  single  point  of  support  for  investors, 
accelerated  short  deadlines  for 
issuing  permits  for 
renewable energy projects and the removal of regulatory 
barriers. 

steps  aiming 

The average speed in the EU for issuing permits involving 
an  EIA  procedure 
is  20.6 months,  with  a  minimum 
duration  of  11.4 months  and  a  maximum  duration  of 

(174)  Directive  2011/92/EU  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of 
certain public and private projects on the environment (OJ L 26, 
28.1.2012, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
p. 1), 
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32011L0092. 

(175)  Directive  2001/42/EC  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the 
Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain 
plans and programmes on the environment (OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
p. 30), 
content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32001L0042. 

(176)  Commission Staff Working Document (SWD/2022/0149 final), 18 
May 
(https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52022SC0149&qid=1653034229
953). 

2022, 

Slovenia  48 

(screening, 

scoping,  EIA 

75.7 months (177).  The  duration  of  each  step  in  an  EIA 
process 
report,  public 
consultation, reasoned conclusion, development consent) 
varies considerably between Member States and projects. 
The available data for Slovenia show that on average EIA 
procedures last around 7 months, which is faster than the 
EU  average  of  20.6 months (178).  Effective  use  of  EU 
procedures can positively influence the timely approval of 
activities  underpinning  the  decarbonisation  of  the 
economy on the way to net zero by 2050. 

A new report  is not  yet  available on the application and 
effectiveness of the SEA Directive in the EU. Nevertheless, 
a  support  study has been published with information by 
Member State (179). 

Although there is good access to information and guidance 
little  systematic 
on  public  participation, 
information on how public views are taken into account. 
No  aggregate  data  are  published,  and  decisions 
in 
individual  cases  do  not  indicate  how  public  comments 
have been taken into account. 

there 

is 

Access to justice 

Access to justice, guaranteed by Article 19(1) of the Treaty 
on  European  Union  and  Article 47  of  the  EU  Charter  of 
Fundamental Rights, is a fundamental right and part of the 
democratic process. It is vital to ensure the full application 
of EU law in all Member States and the legal protection of 
the  rights  of  individuals,  including  in  environmental 
matters.  Access  to  justice  is  essential  to  enable  judicial 
review of the decisions of public authorities and to allow 
the  correction  of  any  wrongdoing  committed  by  these 
authorities. 

This  section  provides  a  snapshot  of  the  state  of  play  of 
access to courts by the public, particularly when it comes 
to challenging plans, or the non-adoption of plans, under 
EU law, in the areas of water, waste, air quality and noise, 
irrespective of the form of the legal act (i.e. regulatory act 
or administrative decision). 

Impact  Assessment 

(177)  European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Collection of information and data on the implementation of the 
(EIA)  Directive 
revised  Environmental 
(2011/92/EU) as amended by 2014/52/EU), Publications Office of 
the  European  Union,  Luxembourg,  2024,  Tables 5  and  6, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
/publication/8349a857-2936-11ef-9290-01aa75ed71a1/. 
(178)  The screening process  for solar power plants is generally slower 
than for other renewable energy technologies and can take up to 
22 months. Note also that the EIA study has no data on the time 
taken to reach a reasoned conclusion or development consent. 

(179)   European  Commission:  Directorate-General  for  Environment, 
Lundberg, P., McNeill, A., McGuinn, J., Cantarelli, A. et al., Study 
supporting  the  preparation  of  the  report  on  the  application  and 
effectiveness  of  the  SEA  Directive  (Directive  2001/42/EC)  –  Final 
study,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  2025, 
https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2779/1615072 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
The Slovenian legal system does not provide for adequate 
access  to  justice  in  environmental  matters  as  laid  out  in 
the Commission notice from 2017 (180). There is no direct 
way to obtain an administrative review or challenge a final 
decision  about  a  plan/programme  (nature  conservation, 
water, noise or waste management) before a court. 

In July 2024, the Commission started an infringement (181) 
procedure against  Slovenia  for  failing to fully  implement 
the  requirements  of  the  Convention  on  access  to 
information,  public  participation  in  decision-making  and 
access  to 
in  environmental  matters  (Aarhus 
Convention).  This  is  about  the  ability  of  the  public 
concerned to request a review of plans and programmes 
by  a  national  court,  particularly  for  cases  concerning 
water, nature and air quality. Slovenia should fully comply 
with the requirements of the Aarhus Convention. 

justice 

In 2022 Slovenia received the priority actions to (i) better 
inform the public about their right to access to justice, in 
particular  by  referring  to  the  Commission  e-justice 
factsheets on access to justice in environmental matters 
on national judicial and administrative portals (182) and (ii) 
improve access to courts by the public concerned when it 
comes  to  challenging  administrative  or  regulatory 
decisions, in particular as regards plans and programmes. 
There has been no progress on the first priority action, as 
currently only the Environmental Defenders website (183) 
offers  useful  information.  On  the  second  priority  action 
there has been some progress.  

Nonetheless, Slovenia still does not provide for adequate 
access  to  justice  beyond  implementing  directives  with 
sectoral provisions, such as the EIA Directive. 

2025 priority actions 

•  Make  spatial  data  more  widely  accessible  and 
prioritise  environmental  datasets  in  implementing 
the  Inspire  Directive,  especially  those  identified  as 
high-value 
implementing 
spatial  datasets 
environmental legislation (184). 
Improve  access  to  courts  in  national  environmental 
cases by the public concerned and eliminate practical 
barriers, such as length of proceedings and excessive 
costs in some Member States. 

for 

• 

Slovenia  49 

Compliance assurance 

Environmental  compliance  assurance  covers  all  work 
undertaken by public authorities to ensure that industries, 
farmers and others fulfil their obligations to protect water, 
air and nature, to manage waste (185) and to remedy any 
environmental  damage.  It  includes  measures  such  as  (i) 
compliance  promotion,  (ii)  compliance  monitoring,  i.e. 
inspections  and  other  checks,  (iii)  enforcement,  that  is, 
steps taken to stop breaches and impose sanctions, and 
(iv) ensuring damage prevention and remediation in line 
with the polluter-pays principle. 

Compliance promotion, monitoring and enforcement 

Non-compliance  with  environmental  obligations  may 
occur for different reasons, including poor understanding 
or  lack  of  acceptance  of  the  rules,  opportunism  or  even 
criminality.  Compliance  promotion  activities  help  duty-
holders to comply by providing information, guidance and 
other  support.  This  is  particularly  important  in  areas 
where new and complex legislation is put in place. 

When  inspections  and  other  control  activities  identify 
problems,  a  range  of  responses  may  be  appropriate, 
the  use  of  administrative  and  criminal 
including 
enforcement tools. 

While detailed statistical tools for tracking environmental 
crime have not significantly advanced since the 2022 EIR, 
the State Prosecution Office’s annual reports continue to 
provide  aggregated  data  on  various  types  of  criminal 
cases,  including  environmental  crimes (186).  The  State 
Prosecution Office and the Slovenian Inspectorate for the 
Environment provide resources and occasional statistical 
data summaries on their official sites and annual reports. 

In  November  2023,  a  regional  conference  dedicated  to 
strengthening  the  fight  against  crime  affecting  the 
environment  was  held,  which  representatives  from 
Albania,  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  Bulgaria,  Croatia, 
France, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, 
Serbia,  Slovakia,  Slovenia,  Poland  and  Romania 
attended(187). 

The 2022 EIR recommended that Slovenia (i) improve the 
availability  of  online  material  for  duty-holders,  such  as 

(180)  Commission notice on access to justice in environmental matters, 
C/2017/2616  of  18 August  2017  (OJ  C 275,  18.8.2017,  p. 1), 
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=oj:JOC_2017_275_R_0001. 
INFR(2024)2051. 

(181) 
(182)  European  Union,  Access  to  justice  in  environmental  matters’, 
European 
https://e-
justice.europa.eu/content_access_to_justice_in_environmental_
matters-300-en.do. 

website, 

Union 

(183)  The  network  Environmental  defenders  -  Zagovorniki  okolja  | 

varstvo okolja, varstvo prostora 

(184)  European Commission, List of high value spatial data sets. 
(185)  The concept is explained in detail in the European Commission’s 
2018  communication  on  EU  actions  to  improve  environmental 
compliance  and  governance  (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52018DC0010)  and  the  related 
Commission 
(https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52018SC0010). 

document 

working 

staff 

(186)  https://www.dt-rs.si/letna-porocila. 
(187)   https://www.selec.org/strengthening-the-fight-against-crimes-

that-affect-the-environment-in-southeast-europe/  

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
land  managers,  on  practical  steps  to 
farmers  and 
implement  legislation that protects nature, and improve 
the visibility of information on the implementation of the 
Nitrates Directive and (ii) improve the public availability of 
information,  for  example  on  environmental  inspections 
and  on  the  prosecution  of  environmental  crimes. 
Concerning  compliance  promotion,  monitoring  and 
criminal  and  administrative  enforcement,  the  2022 
priority  actions  are  not  assessed  here  due  to  a  lack  of 
systematic  information.  Similarly,  the  Commission  is  not 
aware of whether information is easily available online at 
the national level for farmers regarding compliance with 
the Nitrates and Nature Directives, and hence the related 
2022 priority action is not assessed. 

The new EU Environmental Crime Directive 

  and  new  sectoral 

The EU has recently strengthened its legal framework on 
tackling  the  most  serious  breaches  of  environmental 
obligations,  notably  by  the  adoption  of  the  new 
Environmental  Crime  Directive  (ECD)  (2024/1203/EU) 
(188) 
legislation  with  stronger 
provisions  on  compliance  monitoring,  enforcement  and 
penalties. Issues important for the transposition and the 
implementation  of  the  relevant  new  instruments  are 
highlighted below; a detailed assessment of these  topics 
will be included in the next EIR once more implementation 
measures  are  put 
in  place  and  more  systematic 
information is available. 

The  new  ECD  replaced  the  2008  ECD  and  introduced 
several  new  offence  categories,  such  as  unlawful  ship 
recycling,  unlawful  water  abstraction,  and  serious 
legislation  on  chemicals,  mercury, 
breaches  of  EU 
fluorinated GHG and IAS of EU concern. It also covered the 
establishment  of  qualified  offences,  subject  to  more 
severe penalties where one of the offences defined in the 
directive  leads  to  serious  widespread  and  substantial 
damage  or  destruction  of  the  environment.  Concrete 
provisions on the types and levels of penalties for natural 
and  legal  persons  who  commit  an  offence  were  also 
introduced.  Other  provisions  will  help  considerably  to 
improve  the  effectiveness  in  combating  environmental 
crime  of  all  actors  along  the  enforcement  chain.  These 
include  obligations  to  ensure  adequate  resources  and 

(188)  Directive  2024/1203/EU  on  the  protection  of  the  environment 
(https://eur-

criminal 

through 
law 
lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2024/1203/oj/eng ), 

(189)  https://www.impel.eu/en. 
(190) 

LIFE+SATEC 
(https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/project/LIFE2
0-PRE-ES-000001/fight-against-environmental-crime-at-a-
strategic-level-through-the-strengthening-of-envicrimenet-
network-of-experts-in-environmental-criminal-investigations). 

project 

(191)  https://www.environmentalprosecutors.eu. 
(192)  https://www.eufje.org/index.php?lang=en. 

Slovenia  50 

investigative  tools,  specialised  regular  training  and  the 
establishment  of  cooperation  mechanisms  within  and 
between Member States as well as national strategies on 
combating environmental crime. 

including  by 

Member  States  are  required  to  transpose  the  new  ECD 
into national law by 21 May 2026 and to take additional 
measures  to  more  effectively  combat  environmental 
in  particular  through  training,  coordination, 
crime, 
cooperation  and  strategic  approaches.  The  Commission 
will  provide  support, 
facilitating  the 
identification  and  sharing  of  good  practices.  Member 
States are expected to ensure the necessary resources and 
specialised  skills  required  and  they  are 
invited  to 
encourage their authorities to support and cooperate with 
the  recognised  EU-level  networks  of  environmental 
enforcement practitioners, such as the EU Network for the 
Implementation  and  Enforcement  of  Environmental 
Law (189),  EnviCrimeNet (190),  the  European  Network  of 
Prosecutors for the Environment (191) and the EU Forum of 
Judges  for  the  Environment (192).  The  European  Union 
Agency for Law Enforcement and European Union Agency 
for  Criminal 
for 
cooperation on cross-border cases should be used more 
systematically for environmental offences. 

Justice  Cooperation  mechanisms 

Environmental Liability Directive 

The  Environmental  Liability  Directive  (ELD)(193)  aims  to 
ensure that environmental damage is remediated in kind 
at the expense of those who have caused it, in line with 
the polluter-pays principle. It helps to halt the net loss in 
biodiversity,  as  well  as  reducing  the  number  of 
contaminated  sites  and  protecting  the  environmental 
quality of groundwater and surface waters. The ELD is a 
cross-cutting 
for  better 
tool  and  a  key  enabler 
implementation of EU environmental law. 

The  ELD  addresses  cases  of  significant  environmental 
damage  to  protected  species  and  natural  habitats,  and, 
when caused by operators carrying out certain potentially 
hazardous  activities,  also  damages  to  water  and  to  soil. 
The  Commission  has  the  legal  obligation  to  periodically 
evaluate  the  ELD.  The  ELD  has  undergone  the  second 
evaluation (194), which will be finalised in 2025, and which 
was  supported  by  an  external  study (195),  containing, 

(193)  Directive 2004/35/EC on environmental liability with regard to the 
prevention and remedying of environmental damage (https://eur-
lex.europa.eu/legal-
content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02004L0035-20190626). 
(194)  Commission  staff  working  document  -  Evaluation  of  the 

Environmental Liability Directive, forthcoming 2025. 

(195)  European Commission: Directorate-General for Environment and 
Fogleman,  V.,  Study 
in  support  of  the  evaluation  of  the 
Environmental  Liability  Directive  and  its  implementation –  Final 
report,  Publications  Office  of  the  European  Union,  Luxembourg, 
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-
2024, 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
among  other  things,  evidence,  views,  reports  and  other 
relevant information gathered from different stakeholder 
groups, including Member States. 

indicators 

in  assessing 
One  of  the  most  relevant 
implementation  and  enforcement  of  the  ELD  is  the 
number  of  environmental  damage  cases  handled  under 
the  ELD,  especially  when  this  number  is  compared  with 
the  previous  reporting  period.  Fewer  ELD  cases  were 
reported in the second reporting period (2013–2022) than 
in  the  first  one  (2007–2013).  However,  the  downward 
tendency  in  the  number  of  ELD  occurrences  and  their 
overall low number do not necessarily mean that the ELD 
has  achieved  its  objectives,  as  it  needs  to  be  compared 
with the overall number of environmental damage cases, 
some  of  which  may  have  been  handled  under  the  other 
liability instruments. 

The ELD has not always been effective in ensuring that the 
polluter  pays,  because  the  liable  operators  often  lack 
financial  capacity  to  carry  out  remediation  measures. 
While the ELD does not provide for a mandatory financial 
security  system,  it  explicitly  calls  for  Member  States  to 
encourage 
financial  security 
instruments  and  markets,  with  the  aim  of  enabling 
operators  to  use  financial  guarantees  to  cover  their 
responsibilities under this directive. 

the  development  of 

From 1 May 2013 to 31 December 2021, Slovenia reported 
one  occurrence  of  an  imminent  threat  (water  damage 
case)  and  four  occurrences  of  environmental  damage 
under the ELD (one water and biodiversity damage case, 
one  land,  water  and  biodiversity  damage  case,  one 
biodiversity  damage  case  and  one  water  damage  case). 
The  report  stated  that,  in  2019  alone,  12  potential  ELD 
occurrences were assessed; eventually it was determined 
that  8  of  them  were  not  ELD  occurrences.  In  the  first 
reporting period, no environmental damage occurrences 
were reported under the ELD. 

Slovenia has not introduced mandatory financial security 
for ELD liabilities. Environmental insurance policies are not 
generally available.  Moreover, environmental extensions 
to general liability policies are not generally available and, 
even  when  available,  they  provide  cover  only  for 
remediating  off-site  pollution 
from  a  sudden  and 
accidental  incident  on  an  insured  party’s  site,  without 
liabilities  unless  non-ELD 
providing  cover 
legislation  imposes 
liability  for  remediating  land/soil 
pollution from a sudden and accidental incident and the 

for  ELD 

/publication/006d90e5-980a-11ef-a130-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en. 

(196)  See 

the  European  Commission  web  page  on  Compact 
(https://reform-support.ec.europa.eu/public-administration-and-
governance-coordination/enhancing-european-administrative-
space-compact_en). 

Slovenia  51 

liability overlaps with liability for remediating land damage 
under the ELD. 

The  2022  EIR  in  relation  to  the  ELD  recommended  that 
Slovenia  establishes  an  online  register  of  ELD  cases  and 
other  instances  of  environmental  damage,  providing 
information on damages and costs available to the public. 
Slovenia has made some progress in establishing an online 
register of ELD cases. 

2025 priority action 

• 

Encourage the use of training programmes provided 
by  the  Commission  (or  developed  at  the  national 
level)  covering  the  ELD  and  its  interaction  with  the 
other national liability-related instruments, to ensure 
more  efficient  ELD  implementation,  improve  the 
expertise  of  the  competent  authorities  and  raise 
awareness among all stakeholder groups. 

EU-supported environmental capacity building 

The Commission’s 2023 Compact (196) initiative to enhance 
the administrative space identifies the capacity to lead the 
green transition as one of three key pillars, along with the 
public  administration  skills  agenda  and  the  capacity  for 
Europe’s Digital Decade. Compact also recognises the role 
of  the  EIR  reporting  tool  in  improving  environmental 
governance. The two main capacity-building opportunities 
for 
the  European 
Commission  are  the  TSI (197)  and  the  TAIEX-EIR  PEER  2 
PEER tool (198). The technical assistance available through 
the cohesion policy is subject to shared management and 
is not dealt with in this subsection. 

the  environment  provided  by 

The Commission’s technical support instrument 

The  TSI  provides  Member  States  with  tailor-made 
technical expertise on the design and implementation of 
reforms.  The  support  is  demand  driven  and  does  not 
require national co-financing. 

The  TSI  had  annual  calls  in  2021,  2022,  2023,  2024  and 
2025.  The  following  environment-related  projects  have 
been selected in Slovenia: 

•  Upgrading  and  improving  the  RRF  implementation 
system in Slovenia, Office for Recovery and Resilience 
of Slovenia (2023); 

(197)  See 

the  European  Commission  web  page  on 

the  TSI 

(https://commission.europa.eu/funding-tenders/find-
funding/eu-funding-programmes/technical-support-
instrument/technical-support-instrument-tsi_en). 

(198)  See the European Commission web page on the TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 
(https://environment.ec.europa.eu/law-and-

PEER 
governance/environmental-implementation-review/peer-2-
peer_en). TAIEX: Technical Assistance and Information Exchange. 

tool 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia 

 
 
 
 
• 

Integration  of  environmental  dimensions  in  public 
finances – implementing the ‘do no significant harm’ 
(DNSH) principle in public funding programme, Office 
for Recovery and Resilience of Slovenia (2023); 

•  Capacity  building  in  the  Czech  Republic,  Saxony 
(Germany)  and  Slovenia  for  wildfire  prevention  and 
risk assessment, Ministry of Defence – Administration 
for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief (2023); 

•  Review of Slovenian industrial strategy 2021–2030 for 
green,  creative  and  smart  development –  Industrial 
ecosystems, Ministry of Economic Development and 
Technology (2023). 

• 

Implementing  Effective  Green  Budgeting  Practices, 
Revenue  Administration  and  Public 
Financial 
Management, Ministry of Finance (2025). 

Slovenia  52 

The Commission’s TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER tool 

The Commission launched the TAIEX-EIR PEER 2 PEER tool 
in 2017. It aims to facilitate peer-to-peer learning among 
Member  States’  environmental  authorities  through 
workshops  (single  or  multi-country),  expert  missions 
(where  a  delegation  of  experts  travels  to  the  requesting 
institution) and study visits (where a delegation from the 
requesting institution travels to a host country). Flagship 
multi-country  workshops  are  those  requested  by  the 
European  Commission  to  present  new  and  upcoming 
environmental 
in  all  Member 
legislation  and  policy 
States (199). 

Workshops involving Slovenia are as follows: 

•  New aspects in the cross-border cooperation against 
environmental crime (19–20 November 2024); 
•  Measures  to  reduce  air  pollution  in  transport  and 

residential energy (11–13 June 2024); 

•  Circular  public  procurement  and  circular  public 

• 

investments (7–8 November 2023); 
Future  challenges 
(24 November 2022); 

in  air  protection 

in  Europe 

•  Climate  adaptation  and  blue 

infrastructures: 
Examples  across  European  regions  (30 May–1 June 
2022); 

2025 priority action 

• 

Improve overall national environmental governance, 
in  particular  administrative  capacity  to  support  the 
green transition and coordination at the regional and 
local levels. 

(199) 

the 
  Water  Directive 

reporting  period 
flagship  multi-country  workshops in 
are: Recast  Drinking 
(3  April  2025); 
Environmental  compliance  and  governance  (18  March  2025); 
Planning  of  Renewable  Energy  Projects  (20  February  2025);  Air 
Quality:  Implementation  of  the  revised  Air  Quality  Directive  (16 
January  2025);  Industrial  Safety:  awareness  raising  of  emerging 
risks linked with climate change and decarbonation (12 December 
2024); Air quality: implementation of the NEC Directive to further 
mainstream  air  and  broader  pollution  reduction  in  agricultural 
policy  (25  September  2024);  Industrial  emissions  transposition 
and  implementation  of  the  revised  Directive  (12  September 
2024); Noise:  progress  towards  meeting  Member  States’  noise 
limit values and EU reduction targets (5 June 2024); Best practice 

uses of  environmental  footprint  methods  on  the  EU  market  (30 
May 2024); Sustainable finance (9 November 2023); Textile waste 
separate collection, treatment and markets (3 October 2023); EU 
environmental  funding  and  support  (13  June  2023);  Advisory 
service  for   businesses  to  go  circular  (24  April  2023);  Digital 
product  passport  implementation  (6  December  2022);  Public 
involvement  in  planning  and  approval  of  renewable  energy 
projects  (17  November  2022);  Environmental  compliance  and 
governance  (14  November  2022); Biowaste  management  (19-20 
September 2022); Renewable energy projects: permitting granting 
processes  (13  June  2022).   N.B.  the  first  flagship  workshop  on 
Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil, took place 9 February 2022. 

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Annex 
2025 priority actions 

Circular economy and waste management 
Transitioning to a circular economy 
•  Develop a unified circular economy strategy focusing on waste prevention and resource efficiency, 

especially for priority waste streams.  

•  Adopt measures to increase the circular material use rate. 

• 

Waste management 
Invest in waste prevention measures to reduce the total amount of waste generated, which has 
increased over the last 12 years. 
Increase the collection and recycling rate of waste electronic and electric equipment (WEEE). 
Introduce the deposit and return system(-s) (DRS), as mandated by the new Packaging and Packaging 
Waste Regulation, to capture more recyclable materials and improve the quality of recyclates. 
•  Ensure the achievement of the 2025 waste targets, following the recommendations made by the 

• 
• 

Commission in the early warning reports where applicable. 

Biodiversity and natural capital 
Nature protection and restoration – Natura 2000 

• 

•  Finalise the establishment of site-specific conservation objectives and measures for all Natura 2000 
sites (including by adopting their management plans) and ensure their effective implementation. 
Ensure the effective implementation of Natura 2000 management plans and sufficient administrative 
capacity  and  financing  both  for  Natura  2000  and  the  implementation  of  the  Nature  Restoration 
Regulation. Ensure implementation of Prioritised Actions Framework 2021-2027 (PAFs). Recovery of 
species 

Recovery of species 

•  Strengthen the integration of biodiversity actions into other policies, e.g. energy, agriculture, 
fisheries, forestry, urban and infrastructure planning and sustainable tourism, and promote 
communication between stakeholders. 

•  Reinforce action for habitats and species in unfavourable conservation status, for example through 
restoration measures, increased connectivity, better policy coordination and integration, and 
increased funding. 

Recovery of ecosystems 

Agricultural ecosystems 

• 

Implement eco-schemes and agri-environmental measures and practices to address the 
environmental needs of Slovenia. 

Marine ecosystems 

•  Report updates on the assessment of the state of Slovenia’s marine waters, its targets and its 

determinations of GES, which are expected to include any threshold values for the descriptors in the 
MSFD that may have been established in cooperation with other Member States at the EU or 
regional level. 

•  Step up implementation of the IAS Regulation, including with regard to enforcement and the 

Prevention and management of invasive alien species 

capacity of inspection authorities. 

•  Ratify the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and 

Sediments of 2004 (BWM Convention). 

Ecosystem assessment and accounting  

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•  Support the development of the national business and biodiversity network. 
•  Ratify the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of 

Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity. 

Zero pollution 
Clean air 

•  As part of the NAPCP, take action to reduce emissions of air pollutants. 
•  Ensure full compliance with the current AAQD standards, also in light of future stricter requirements 

under the revised AAQD. 

Industrial emissions 

•  Reduce industrial air pollution damage and intensity. 
•  Engage with industry and environmental NGOs to ensure proper contribution to and implementation 

of BAT conclusions and ensure timely updates to permits following the publication of BAT 
conclusions. 

•  Ensure effective public participation and access to justice in relation to the IED. 

•  Complete noise mapping. 
•  Complete and implement action plans on noise management. 

Noise 

Water quality and management 

Water Framework Directive 
•  Ensure periodic reviews of permits for discharges, abstractions and other water uses, including 

hydropower pressures.  

Flood Directive  
•  FRMPs should provide details on how the FHRMs were used in the choice of measures and how to 

consider pluvial flooding. 

•  Better explain the choice and implementation of flood prevention and protection measures 

(prioritisation, monitoring, costs of measures). 
Improve public consultation and stakeholder involvement  

• 
Nitrate Directive 
•  Tackle nutrient pollution, especially nitrates from agriculture, through the implementation of the 

Nitrates Directive.  

Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive  
•  Take the necessary measures to ensure full implementation of the current UWWTD, taking into 

account the new requirements of the recast directive.  

Chemicals 

•  Upgrade the administrative capacities in implementation and enforcement to move towards a policy 

• 

• 

• 

of zero tolerance of non-compliance. 
Increase involvement in the activities of the Forum for Exchange of Information on Enforcement of 
the European Chemicals Agency, including in the coordinated enforcement projects, called REFs. 
Increase customs checks and checks of products sold online with regard to compliance with chemicals 
legislation. 

Climate action 
Implement all polices and measures that are needed to achieve targets laid down in the Effort 
Sharing Regulation (ESR) and the Land Use and Land-Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) regulation. 
More detailed priority actions are set out in the assessment of the final National Energy and Climate 
plan (NECP). 

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Financing 

•  Use more national funding (for instance by increasing taxes in favour of the environment and 
reducing environmentally harmful subsidies), EU funding and private funding to help close the 
investment gap. 

Environmental governance 

Information, public participation and access to justice 
•  Make spatial data more widely accessible and prioritise environmental datasets in implementing the 

Inspire Directive, especially those identified as high-value spatial datasets for implementing 
environmental legislation 
Improve access to courts in national environmental cases by the public concerned and eliminate 
practical barriers, such as length of proceedings and excessive costs in some Member States.   

• 

Environmental Liability Directive 
•  Encourage the use of training programmes provided by the Commission (or developed at the 
national level) covering the ELD and its interaction with the other national liability-related 
instruments, to ensure more efficient ELD implementation, improve the expertise of the competent 
authorities and raise awareness among all stakeholder groups. 

Compliance assurance 
• 

Improve overall national environmental governance, in particular administrative capacity to support 
the green transition and coordination at the regional and local levels. 

2025 Environmental Implementation Review – Slovenia