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How to cite:
Marot, N. (2024): Country Profile of Slovenia. Hannover. = ARL Country Profiles. https://www.arl-international.com/knowledge/country-profiles/slovenia/rev/4203. (date of access).

Overview

Slovenia is a country in Central Europe. It is located at the crossroads of various geographical regions, including the Alps, the Mediterranean and the Pannonian flatland. The bordering countries are Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast and Croatia to the east. the country spans a total area of 20,273 km2, and the current population is 2,123,103 people (Statistical Office of the Republic Slovenia, abbreviated as SURS, 2024b). 

Geographically, various types of landscape are found in the country, such as mountains, plains, river valleys, hillocks and coastal regions. The settlement pattern is dispersed, with more than 6,000 settlements spread around the country (SURS 2024a). Slovenia has 46 km of the Adriatic coastline, and is geomorphologically also known for the specific Carst region in the southwest of the country. The capital is Ljubljana (population 297,432), while the other larger towns are Koper, Nova Gorica, Celje, Maribor, Kranj and Novo mesto (all have a population below 100,000 except Maribor). On average, the population has increased in the last five years (the population growth for the period 2023-2019 was 1.3%), however, the ageing trend is prevailing (the ageing index in 2023 is 143; SURS 2024b).

Ethnically, 90.3% of the population are Slovenians, and the remaining 9.7% are foreigners, mostly with citizenship of one of the former Yugoslavian countries (7.5%). Joining the EU has also increased immigration from other EU countries; however, this percentage is only minor (1.1% of the whole population); 1.1% are residents of other non-EU countries (SURS 2024b). The main language is Slovenian, which belongs to the Slavic group of languages. Besides Slovenian, the other official languages are Italian in the coastal region and Hungarian in northeastern Slovenia, both associated with the official minorities living in these parts of the country.

Slovenia was the first of the former Yugoslavian republics to gain independence, in 1991.The first decade was a period of transition from the socialistic political system to a democratic one, which influenced the transition of the planning system as well. In 2004, Slovenia became a member of the EU, and has used the euro since 2007. In addition to the financial and developmental advantages of EU membership, Slovenian citizens were enabled to work in other member states, and travelling within the EU after Slovenia’s entry into the Schengen area was greatly simplified. On 1 January 2007, Slovenia was the 13th member state to adopt the single European currency – the euro, which significantly simplifies cross-border transactions. Moreover, with its membership in the EU, Slovenia transferred the exercise of part of its sovereign rights to the EU and acquired the right to co-create the acquis and policies on an equal footing. Legal acts and decisions adopted at the EU level are transposed into Slovenian national law and thereby influence the lives of Slovenia’s citizens. Slovenia has twice held the EU Council Presidency: first in 2008, and then again in 2021 (Government of the Republic of Slovenia 2024c).

The country is a parliamentary democratic republic with a proportional electoral system. The last elections were held in 2022. Currently, the liberal Freedom Movement party holds the majority in the government and has formed a coalition with the Social Democrats and Levica (the left-wing party). The current government has significantly restructured the ministries, which now number 20, a change which is especially relevant for town and country planning. The tasks of the former Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning were divided among multiple ministries: the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning is responsible for strategic spatial planning and detailed national planning, however, some spatial planning responsibilities also lie with the Ministry of Infrastructure (e.g. preparing national spatial plans for the state’s priority infrastructure projects), the Ministry of the Environment, Climate Change and Energy (also responsible for preparing national spatial plans for the state’s priority infrastructure projects), and the Ministry for a Solidarity-Based Future, which is responsible for housing issues (Government of the Republic of Slovenia 2024d). 

General information

Capital Ljubljana
Population of the capital (2015) 250 239 (EUROPEAN COMMISSION)
Surface area (km²) 20,480.00 km² (World Bank)
Total population (2020) 2,102,419.00 (World Bank)
Total population (2010) 2,048,583 (World Bank)
Population density (2020) (inh./km²) 104.41 (World Bank)
Degree of urbanisation (2015) 33,88% (European Commission)
Human development index (2021) 0,916 (HDI)
GDP Current data can be found here: World Bank
Unemployment rate (2019) 4,4% (World Bank)
Land use Current data can be found here: European Environment Agency
Sectoral structure Current data can be found here: CIA The World Factbook

To ensure comparability between all Country Profiles, the tables were prepared by the ARL.

Administrative structure and system of governance

Administrative structure of Slovenia

The administrative framework in Slovenia consists of two levels: the national level and the local administrative level. On the national level the power is divided into the legislative, executive and judicial branches. Parliament represents the legislative branch, and consists of the National Assembly and the National Council. Executive power is vested in the government and judicial power is separated from both the legislative and the executive powers.

As the commander-in-chief of the country’s defence forces, the President of the Republic represents and defends the interests of the Republic of Slovenia in relation to other nations. The President is elected by citizens in direct elections for a term of five years. The president also nominates the Human Rights Ombudsman whose task is to protect an individual in their interactions with state authorities, local self-government bodies and holders of public authority, and to supervise the actions of these authorities. The Ombudsman reports to the National Assembly.

The government is formed by the prime minister and 20 ministers. The government possesses the executive authority and is responsible for the functioning of the state administration. It implements laws and other regulations adopted by the National Assembly. As the highest body of the state administration, it issues regulations and adopts the legal, political, economic, financial, organisational and other measures required for the development of the state and to ensure its sound functioning in all areas within its responsibility. Besides the ministries, there are several governmental agencies and offices that support the work of the government, e.g. the environmental agency, the office for youth, the public institute for nature conservation, the public institute for cultural heritage, etc. The state has also established 58 administrative units to perform the tasks of state administration, which must be organised and performed uniformly across all units in Slovenia. The areas of these units were designated based on the former division of Slovenia into municipalities (in 1991) and cover the country in such a way as to enable cost-effectiveness and efficiency in performing administrative tasks. One administrative unit area generally corresponds to the area of one or several local communities (Government of the Republic of Slovenia 2024a). The research, undertaken by Kovac et al. (2016) and based on the views of the heads of the administrative units and regional financial and police offices, compared to statistical data, demonstrates that the Slovenian administration considers good administration more as compliance with formal requirements instead of as proactive support of a party and the public benefit.

The National Assembly is the highest representative and legislative body in the Republic of Slovenia. Its prime function is to adopt changes to the constitution, to adopt legislation and other legal acts, and to adopt the state budget. In addition, it also fulfils the election function (elections, naming the persons for the highest functions in the country, e.g. the judges of the constitutional courts and the governor of the Bank of Slovenia) and the supervisory function (parliamentary investigations, etc.). It also ratifies international treaties, organises referendums, represents the interests of society, supervises the state budget and secures legitimacy. The National Assembly is composed of 90 members of the parliament, who are elected in eight election units. Each election unit can elect 11 members of parliament, while an additional two members are representatives of the Italian and Hungarian minorities in the country.

The National Council of the Republic of Slovenia is the representative body for social, economic, professional and local interests. It is composed of representatives of labour and social interests (functional interests), and representatives of local interests (area-based interests). Forty members of the National Council represent specific interests that cover all the main segments of society: there are four representatives of employers; four representatives of employees; four representatives of farmers, crafts and trades, and  independent professions; six representatives of non-commercial fields; and 22 representatives of local interests. They are not elected in general elections, but via indirect elections within the interest organisations or local communities, divided into constituencies.

The third pillar of the administration is the judiciary.The main tasks of the judicial system include deciding on the rights and obligations of citizens in specific cases and on the charges against them. The Slovenian Constitution requires that all courts be impartial, independent and established by law, and judges to be independent in the exercise of their office and bound only by the Constitution and the law. The uniform judicial system of the Republic of Slovenia is composed of general and specialised courts. Specialised courts preside over matters pertaining to labour, social and administrative law, while the general courts are divided into local, district and higher courts, and the Supreme Court (Government of the Republic of Slovenia 2024d).

There is no regional administrative level in Slovenia. Although there have been several initiatives to establish provinces, as envisaged in the Constitution, due to the small size of the country, the existing administrative apparatus and strong local interests, the provinces have yet to be established (Hacek/Kukovic 2020). At present, there are only regional councils and regional development agencies which were established to support regional development and act as the institutional support to absorb the EU funds on the regional level. 

Slovenian people exercise their right to local self-government in municipalities and local communities which are established within the municipalities. Municipalities are an equal partner of the state administration and are managed by three independent entities – the mayor, the municipal council and the monitoring committee. The mayor and the municipal council members are elected by the people in municipal elections every four years, while the monitoring committee is appointed by the municipal councillors. There are 212 municipalities in Slovenia, of which 12 have the status of city municipalities (Ljubljana, Koper, Nova Gorica, Celje, Velenje, Krško, Ptuj, Maribor, Murska Sobota, Kranj, Slovenj Gradec and Novo mesto). According to Slovenian legislation, municipalities are responsible for town and country planning and for spatial development within their catchment areas, for coordinating with other municipalities and the state (sectors) and for coordinating the associated implementation measures with national spatial planning (Local Self-Government Act 1993).

The governance framework officially consists of the national and the local governance level. As an exception and for the purposes of the regional development policy, the provisional institutional solution was established on the regional level, however, it has no official status within the governance framework. Most governance activity either materialises as a cross-sectoral interplay horizontally on the national level, or as a vertical exchange between the local and the national level. In general, the Slovenian governance framework is considered to be centralised, since most decisions about development are taken on the national level.

The Slovenian Constitution is the highest legal instrument. It was adopted and is amended by the National Assembly according to a special procedure which requires a two-thirds majority. It was adopted on 23 December 1991 and lays down a parliamentary governance system. This supreme instrument in the hierarchical order is followed by other legal instruments, ranging from the laws adopted by the National Assembly, government decrees implementing laws, regulations, guidelines and orders of the ministries intended to implement laws and government decrees, to the regulations of local self-governing bodies adopted by them to regulate matters within their respective spheres of responsibility. Slovenia is claimed to be an overregulated country, meaning that there is a high number of laws adopted regularly. Moreover, EU legislation is very rigorously transposed into national legislation, most often with even stricter rules than are intended by the EU directive itself (Marot/Kolaric/Golobic 2013).

The legislative procedure consists of the preparatory steps within the government of the Republic Slovenia, such as cross-sectoral negotiation and dialogue, as well as the steps relating to public consultations on draft legislation, and ultimately the final adoption of the law by the National Assembly. On top of that, the quality of the legislative procedure is supposed to be guaranteed through regulatory impact assessments and by following the guidelines of the Resolution on Legislative Regulation. The quality of the regulatory impact assessments has been evaluated as low, as has the capacity of the public to influence the content of legislation and co-create policies and legislation (Marot 2011; 2021). Thus, in 2022 the government initiated a project to revise the methodology for the regulatory impact assessments and to establish a digital platform to fully digitalise the legislative procedure (Government of the Republic of Slovenia 2024b). 

The 20 ministries on the national level prepare laws, national policies and the measures to execute these policies. They cooperate on the national level with each other, vertically with local government representatives, and other stakeholders. The umbrella national policy is the Slovenian Development Strategy 2030, the core objective of which is to provide good quality of life for all the citizens of Slovenia by delivering measures to achieve the following five major strategic aims: 1) an integrated, healthy, safe and responsible society, 2) a highly productive economy which creates added value for everyone, 3) learning for and throughout life, 4) a high level of cooperation, capacity and efficiency of governance, and 5) a preserved and healthy nature environment. Among the other core strategies on the national level are the Strategy for the Spatial Development of Slovenia 2050, the National Energy Programme, the Comprehensive Strategy for Transport (currently under revision), and others. Several studies of governance on the national level have demonstrated the following problems: a lack of human resources in relation to the tasks to be undertaken; a lack of dialogue between sectors, both in the preparation and implementation of policies; a lack of monitoring and follow-up of both legislation and policy; a slow absorption of EU funds; and others (Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning 2021; Marot/Golobic 2018). In addition to this, the governance apparatus is very rigorous and bureaucratic, which in some cases causes long delays in policy-making processes or implementation. 

The regional level functions as an informal level of governance established to support the preparation and implementation of regional development policy. The regional level is represented by 12 development regions (based on the 12 statistical regions). Each development region has a regional development agency which is in charge of preparing and implementing the regional development programme (Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development 2024). In larger regions like Goriška, Gorenjska and Savinjska, there are multiple regional development agencies, however, for each funding period of seven years (2021-2027) one agency takes charge or the lead can be divided among several agencies. The regional development programme is adopted by the regional council which consists of the mayors of the municipalities in the region. The regional development programme includes a vision for the development of the region, and development objectives and projects/measures to be implemented based on the available national/EU funding for regional development. The regional development programmes are confirmed by the national ministry responsible for regional planning and cohesion. Besides the EU funding, the government also allocates funds on a regular basis to the regions lagging behind or to remote regions (border regions, depopulation areas), or funds can be oriented towards vulnerable groups, like youth (The Promotion of Balanced Regional Development Act 2011).

On the local level municipalities govern on the basis of development strategies and the municipal spatial plan. The number and nature of the strategies depend on the size of the municipality. For example, a city municipality with a medium-sized city such as Nova Gorica has several strategies in place, e.g. a Comprehensive Transport Strategy, a Sustainable Urban Development Strategy, a Sport Strategy, a Local Energy Strategy, etc. The strategies are adopted and remain valid for various periods of time, and some are of unlimited duration. The roles and obligations of municipalities are set out in the Local Self-Government Act. One challenge arising from this Act is that while in Slovenia there are 212 municipalities, they vary in size from 100 inhabitants to 300,000 inhabitants, yet the act presumes that all municipalities deliver the same extent of tasks. To overcome this burden and a lack of human resources, especially in the small municipalities, the option of a joint municipal-administration office was offered as a solution. For a short period, municipalities which opted for this were also granted financial support towards this end. Beyond these aspects, the interplay of actors on the local level includes the representatives of municipalities, the public institutes and public utilities companies, the NGOs which are active on the local level, and other stakeholders which are invested in local development (Marot 2011; 2021; Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning 2021). 

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Figure 1: Administrative structure of Slovenia

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Figure 2: System of Powers of Slovenia

Spatial planning system

Although Slovenia only became an independent state in 1991, it can look back on a rich history of spatial planning since the 1960s.This is due to the Constitution of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1974), which enabled the federal republics to make self-governing decisions in the field of social and spatial planning. In 1967, the first legislative act was adopted in Slovenia, namely the Urban Planning Act, which together with the Regional Spatial Planning Act (of the same year) introduced comprehensive spatial management integrated into social planning. Apart from the socialistic     doctrine, the legislation included multiple elements of Western European planning legislation, including its methods, the principle of functionalism, technical guidance, decentralised planning and obligatory public transparency (Marot 2010; Pogačnik 1983). The first strategic development document for the entire area of the republic was finalised in 1974, and was followed by the adoption of the first comprehensive Spatial Planning Act in 1984. The 1984 legislation set a solid foundation for the further development of spatial planning in Slovenia after independence, and its influence can also be seen in current legislation. Indeed, some municipalities still have valid municipal spatial plans which are based on this legislation. 

Since 1991, the Slovenian planning system has been transformed to accommodate the shift from socialist-based planning towards the market-oriented system. Thus far, four planning laws have been adopted, the first being the Spatial Planning Act in 2002, followed by further acts in 2007, 2017 and 2021 (Spatial Management Act 2021). These planning laws mostly differ in what emphasis they place on strategic planning in relation to zoning. The planning act currently in place balances strategic planning with rational planning focused on land use (Marot 2021).

The majority of planning activity in Slovenia takes place on the national and local administrative level. There is no regional administrative level, however, a process to establish regional spatial planning has been ongoing since the adoption of the last Spatial Planning Act in 2021 (see below).

National level

On the national level, the ministry responsible for spatial planning is the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning.Apart from this ministry, planning-related issues are also covered by the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy as well as the Ministry for a Solidarity-Based Future and the Ministry of Infrastructure.The Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning plays a major role, performing its tasks within three directorates and four services. The ministry’s main aim is to promote and coordinate efforts towards sustainable development based on the efficient and economical use of natural resources and to ensure social wellbeing. This is done in the field of planning by implementing the Spatial Planning Act (2021, abbreviated as ZUreP-3 from ‘Zakon o urejanju prostora’) and the Spatial Development Strategy for Slovenia (2023, abbreviated as SPRS 2050 from ‘Strategija prostorskega razvoja Slovenije 2050’). The Directorate for Spatial Planning and Construction is responsible for spatial planning, construction and urban development. In relation to cooperation with the EU, the Directorate’s main activities include engaging in dialogue with cities, implementing the Urban Agenda of the EU, preparing sustainable urban strategies, cooperating with the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion and cooperating in other planning-related activities that connect either all EU countries or a certain group of countries, e.g. the countries of the Alpine area. Furthermore, the Directorate cooperates with other sectors if they prepare planning-related policies or legislation (Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning 2024b). 

According to the last Spatial Planning Act from 2021 (ZUreP-3), two new planning-related institutional forms are envisaged within the governmental framework, namely the Government Commission for Spatial Development and the Spatial Council. The Commission is a permanent governmental working body which on a cross-sectoral level provides coherence and fulfils the goals of spatial planning in Slovenia by providing opinions on the strategic guidelines, the action programme for the delivery of the strategy, regional spatial plans and other planning related matters. The Commission includes the state secretaries of the ministries responsible for spatial development and fields related to spatial planning, e.g. environmental protection and nature conservation. The Spatial Council provides professional support to the ministry and consists of representatives of professional and academic institutions in the field of spatial planning. The council provides opinions on differing options in national spatial plans, national spatial planning processes, local spatial plans and other matters. The Commission has not been established yet (as of August 2024), while the process of establishing the new Council started in June 2024. 

The Spatial Planning Act (ZUreP-3) defines spatial planning as an activity in the public interest which guides settlement development, preserves the identity of the place, and takes into account and coordinates various other aspects of development (e.g. the development of settlements, infrastructure). With the EU initiative, the harmonisation of land use is also expanding to the maritime area, so Slovenia adopted the Maritime Spatial Plan in 2021 (PIS 2021). The Spatial Planning Act defines the tasks and responsibilities of stakeholders at three planning levels – national, regional and local – and differentiates between two types of spatial planning document: strategic and implementation plans. Strategic plans are intended to define strategic goals, while implementation plans are intended for more precise planning per plot and serve as a basis for spatial interventions and obtaining a building permit. All acts must respect the principle of subsidiarity and be vertically consistent with each other. An important spatial planning tool is the spatial information system (hereinafter:PIS, short for ‘Prostorsko-informacijski system’). The PIS contains data on spatial documents, building construction, land, a list of legal regimes and other data for the implementation of land and spatial policy measures. The PIS is a digital platform (eSpace – one place for everything) and is publicly available at: https://pis.eprostor.gov.si/en/pis.html?changeLang=true.

The Spatial Development Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia 2050 was adopted in 2023 after an eight-year long revision process. According to the strategy, the vision for spatial development is: ‘Slovenia will thoughtfully manage its space and will provide its inhabitants with the optimal conditions for a safe and healthy environment and a high quality of life. It will base its development on its own spatial potential, recognisability and identity.’ The Strategy takes into account the paradigm of territorial cohesion, and defines five goals of spatial development in this regard: rational and efficient spatial development; the competitiveness of Slovenian cities; the quality of life in urban and rural areas; the strengthening of spatial identity and the multifunctionality of space; and spatial resilience and adaptability to changes (Spatial Development Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia 2050, 2023). The implementation of the Strategy is guaranteed via action programmes which will specify in detail the activities, actors, deadlines and means of implementing the measures such as territorial cohesion enforcement instruments, land use instruments, cross-sectoral integration, etc. Apart from the Strategy, other national strategies intervene in the field of spatial development with their objectives and measures, e.g. the national energy programme, the operational programme for the implementation of the European cohesion policy, the rural development programme, the national transport strategy, etc. (Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning 2024d).

The National Spatial Order (adopted in 2021) defines the basic and detailed rules for spatial planning, the implementation of land policy measures and other spatial planning tasks. The rules apply either to the whole country or to smaller territorial or functional units. Four professional manuals have been prepared to support the implementation of the National Spatial Order: The Typology of Buildings, Green Systems in Cities, Regulation Elements, and Recommendations for Stationary Traffic in Urban Settlements, which provide more detailed guidelines for spatial planning at the level of settlements and the landscape hinterland.

For the construction of state infrastructure, such as transport, energy, water and other infrastructure, national spatial plans (abbreviated as DPN, as short for ‘državni prostorski načrt’) are prepared. Between 2017 and 2020, 11 DPNs were adopted, of which six are for energy (four for gas and oil and two for power lines) and five are for road construction. Taking into account the period from 1996 onwards, there are currently 163 DPNs in force, most of them for transport infrastructure and energy. Only three DPNs were accepted for ‘protected areas, sports and recreation’ and only one for the economy. In addition to the national plans, the state may prepare a decree on the most appropriate variant, which determines the design of the planned spatial intervention, its area and restrictions, and decrees on the protection of spatial planning areas of national importance. Both types of decree may provide for a comprehensive permit established as a result of the transposition of the directive on projects of EU interest or for other projects if such a procedure is chosen by the investor (Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning 2021). 

Horizontal cooperation between the sectors most frequently takes place between the spatial planning sector and either the ministries or other governmental bodies in charge of the environment, energy, regional development, infrastructure, transport, health, tourism or other sectors. Some representatives of these ministries carry the official title of spatial planning authority, meaning that they provide the official opinions on the spatial plans and other relevant planning documents. The older version of the Spatial Planning Act from 2017 (abbreviated as ZUreP-2) had already increased the role of two national institutions, namely the Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia and the Geodetic Institute of Slovenia, which, as supporting professional institutions of the ministry responsible for spatial planning, prepare studies, manuals and the five-year report on the spatial development of Slovenia. Two such reports have been issued so far – one in 2016 and the other in 2021. The latter one focused on ‘quality of life’ (Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning 2021).

When directing spatial development at the national level, we must not forget about the building inspection authority, which ensures the proper implementation of spatial planning regulations. There are also a small number of non-governmental organisations operating at the national level that strive for environmentally and spatially acceptable interventions in the environment and sufficient representation of the public in the procedures for adopting spatial plans and policies (Marot 2021). 

Regional level

There is no regional administrative level in Slovenia, therefore, in accordance with The Promotion of Balanced Regional Development Act (Republic of Slovenia 2011), tasks are performed by Regional Development Agencies (of which there are 12 in total), decision-making Development Councils and the Regional Development Network. A Regional Development Agency is a legal personality governed by public law, established by municipalities as a public institution that performs general development tasks: promoting competitiveness, transferring state property for development purposes, co-financing regional projects or implementing other urgent measures of regional policy. The Development Council coordinates development initiatives and development interests in the region, while the Development Network facilitates the contractual cooperation of development institutions in the implementation of the region’s priorities. In addition to the preparation of RDPs, Regional Development Agencies should also take on the task of preparing the regional spatial plan. In addition to the above, development planning also includes commercial companies, service providers, environmental groups and, to a lesser extent, various societies, associations and residents. Like municipalities, regions can also interconnect, or partner integration can take place within a smaller area in the development of which there is a common interest.

According to the planning legislation, regions should prepare regional spatial plans to accompany the regional development programme. As a strategic spatial plan, the Regional Spatial Plan (hereinafter: RPP, short for ‘regionalni prostorski plan’) has two main functions at the regional level. First, it allows municipalities to jointly consider planning arrangements which span multiple municipality boundaries and/or are of regional strategic importance. Secondly, it represents an instrument of integration between spatial and development planning, as it contains guidelines for the spatial development of the region, especially guidelines for settlement development, the development of economic public infrastructure and landscape management with an emphasis on preserving the landscape identity, and it must be in line with national goals and regional development programmes (hereinafter RDP). Furthermore, it must take account of development prospects and/or development problems in the region in question. According to The Promotion of Balanced Regional Development Act, the basic instrument in support of regional development is an agreement on the development of regions, with which the state and municipalities agree on regional development priorities and projects, and for the time being represents the only form of implementation of regional development programmes. 

Despite the efforts of national representatives in the planning and regional sectors, no RPPs, except for three pilot projects for Goriška, Koroška and Juhovzhodna Slovenia, have been prepared so far. In 2020, guidelines for the preparation of RPPs were created, and on the basis of the draft SPRS 2050, the ministry responsible for spatial planning provided guidelines for each region separately. However, in order to put this document into force, the state has secured finance and established the groundwork for the regions to support the preparation of these plans and their adoption by 2026 at the latest (Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning 2024c).

Local level

Municipalities are the main spatial planning actors at the local level. Their duties and responsibilities vary only depending on whether they are an urban municipality (of which there are 12) or not. Compared to other municipalities, urban municipalities generally have more funds at their disposal (EU support for urban areas) and more human resources in the field of spatial management (a diversified, larger and more specialised municipal administration). Smaller municipalities find it more difficult to carry out all of their spatial planning tasks, as the person in charge of planning usually covers other areas as well. They try to solve this problem by engaging a municipal urban planner, who can either be contracted or regularly employed, whose tasks are to provide expert advice to the mayor, take charge of the integrated spatial development policy of the municipality, coordinate spatial preparation tasks and other tasks in relation to location verification procedures (Marot 2010). A municipal planner must meet the conditions prescribed by the relevant legislation for the field. Another possible solution for municipalities is to establish a joint intermunicipal administration that performs some of the tasks of local communities for several municipalities at the same time. In 2020, there were 52 such administrations in Slovenia, nine of which also cover spatial planning tasks (Lendava, Ptuj, Velenje-SAŠA, Moravske Toplice, Ormož, Šempter-Vrtojba, Kostel and Grosuplje). The largest administration comprises 22 municipalities (Ptuj), including the smallest two. In addition to these, three other administrations (Maribor, Slovenj Gradec and Slovenjske Konjice) are responsible for the environment. Other administrations are mainly intended for the joint inspection and police services. Only ten Slovenian municipalities are not part of any joint municipal administration. 

The municipality’s strategic development objectives are set out the municipal spatial plan, which is classified as a long-term spatial development plan. Most municipal plans have a strategic part (the strategic municipal spatial plan) and an implementation/zoning part (the land use plan), but this can vary according to which legislation the municipal plans were prepared. In general, the strategic plans provide an analysis of the current situation in the municipality and the framework for the long-term development of the municipality, while the zoning part of the plan provides a basis for issuing pre-decisions and building permits in accordance with the regulations governing construction, and lays down conditions for other spatial interventions, except in areas for which the preparation of municipal detailed plans is envisaged. Settlement network planning, investments in infrastructure, housing, service facilities and the long-term directions of settlement development are all among the challenges of spatial planning on the municipal level.

The time frames required to prepare municipal spatial plans vary widely. Research by Marot (2010) showed that while spatial planning legislation at the time envisaged a maximum preparation time of 14 months (including the Environmental Impact Assessment), the reality showed that smaller municipalities (with less complexity) managed to prepare their municipal plan in under two years, while the larger municipalities needed three to four years or even more, depending on the speed at which national sectoral guidelines are issued. Due to the frequent changes in legislation, municipal spatial plans can have different names and take different forms, and are regularly updated in accordance with the legislation. By the end of 2020, 182 municipalities, i.e 85%, had adopted a municipal spatial plan and all the others were in the process of adopting a plan (Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning 2021). The scope of spatial planning tasks actually carried out was supposed to be described every four years by municipalities in a spatial development report, but no such report has been produced so far. Detailed arrangements, such as the renovation of certain parts of the settlement, complex residential and commercial construction, tourist and recreation activities in the landscape, etc., are prepared at the local level with the help of a detailed municipal spatial plan. Expert background documents are also important planning documents at the local level: the urban design, landscape design and economics study. In addition to spatial plans, due to the absorption of European funds and the aim of more comprehensive and harmonious spatial development, municipalities have also adopted sustainable urban strategies, environmental protection strategies, local energy strategies and integrated transport strategies. Depending on the development trends or major issues present, municipalities may also have health protection strategies (e.g. Trbovlje, Ljubljana) and/or tourism development strategies (e.g. Kranjska Gora, Ljubljana, etc.), which must be in line with the spatial development plans.

Among the stakeholders engaged in planning are municipal services like utility companies, energy supply companies, housing companies, institutions providing public services (kindergartens, schools, health centres, hospitals, etc.) and NGOs. Most often, these NGOs focus on environmental protection or local initiatives that arise with the aim of opposing or supporting a certain development initiative. At the municipal level, it is worth mentioning some of the national governance solutions, for example some national public institutes have decentralised offices which are organised in the form of regional institutes and services, for example the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (seven regional units), the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation (seven units), the Surveying and Mapping Authority of the Republic of Slovenia (12 units) and others. Their role is to make more informed and spatially appropriate decisions regarding individual spatial arrangements and development initiatives by improving their knowledge of local conditions (Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning 2021).

In the first period from 1991 onwards, the planning process was very rigorous and followed the legally ‘prescribed’ steps. The planning process was not really open to the public, which only had an opportunity to participate in the public hearing phase when the amended draft plan was presented and discussed. The participation level was low and was identified as level 3 and 4 of Arnstein’s ladder of participation, namely informing and consultation. The flow of information was mostly one-directional and the impact of the public on the content of plans was negligible (Marot 2011). 

Following the participatory planning trend at the beginning of the 21st century and the establishment of various NGOs, the extent and influence of civic society increased and materialised in multiple ways. Firstly, the NGOs initiated multiple actions to argue against certain development projects, mostly from the perspective of the environmental impact. Secondly, some NGOs started to participate more in policymaking as participatory measures were introduced, including in ministries and municipalities. The use of participatory measures was also popularised through the planning research projects and the Interreg projects implemented in Slovenia from the 2006-2013 programme period onwards. Thirdly, as the concept of sustainability and other concepts relevant to planning gained traction, there was an increasing awareness of and demand for more transparent and environmentally-conscious spatial development. 

The result was that the legislation on planning, which had been in force since 2010, incorporated more options for the public to participate in the planning process, particularly starting at an earlier stage. However, in most cases the process of preparing municipal and national spatial plans has made few concessions to public participation and generally only fulfils the minimum legal requirements relating to the publication of the plan and the public hearing. The process of creating policies and strategies relating to spatial development usually facilitates greater public participation than the planning process itself does.When the most recent national spatial development strategy was created, the participation process included various workshops, focus groups, surveys, etc. which targeted different stakeholders. The idea was to properly open up the policymaking process, which started with an evaluation of the implementation of the previous national strategy. This is a good practice example of how to open up the strategic process, however, in the end, due to political instability and changing governments, it took eight years to complete this process and adopt the new strategy (June 2023; Marot 2021).

In regards to official planning instruments, the Spatial Planning Act envisages different types of plan and the related regulation, while there are informal instruments related to land-use management. Official instruments include strategic municipal plans, municipal plans, detailed municipal plans, municipal ordinances on the human settlements image and landscape image, location information inquiries and various guidelines to steer and assist the municipalities in the preparation and execution of their plans. As for informal instruments, the Spatial Planning Act envisages measures for the development of built land for living, work and recreation, the efficient use of land in the public interest, the acquisition of land and its associated rights, and securing proper land use. Among such measures are the provision of utilities to building sites, land consolidation (two types: contract land consolidation and administrative land consolidation), the municipal plan for the supply of land, the pre-emptive right to buy land, the compulsory purchase, and the definition/declaration of the public good and the public interest. There are two more groups of measures: the first is of a financial nature, such as the utility tax or the tax for unused built-designated land, and the second concerns renovation processes. The most commonly used measures are the pre-emptive right to buy land, the declaration of public good and public interest, and the utility tax (Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning 2024a).

The influence of EU legislation and policies could be evaluated as substantial, especially concerning the environmental directives such as the habitat directive. Moreover, the transposition of EU legislation into Slovenian legislation is often stricter than the EU legislation itself. In the case of environmental regulations, it restricts and limits planning activity and development. Slovenia is one of the EU countries where the outcomes of the strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment need to be followed. The only exception is when a potential investor initiates the process to prove the prevailing public interest. This can happen in three cases: 1) when the public interest prevails over the interest of nature preservation, 2) when a public interest prevails over another public interest, and 3) when the public interest prevails over the water use legislation. This interest needs to be proven through an established procedure following the environmental assessment.

In relation to the EU, the spatial development investments, e.g. in new infrastructure, are spurred and financed via different EU funding instruments, including the Cohesion Fund, the Interreg project, the LEADER programme, the European Investment Bank’s loans and initiatives, and other sources of finance available on the EU level. Also in relation to EU impact, Slovenia is among the front-runner countries in applying the Territorial Impact Assessment in the policymaking process. In 2023, a tool was developed to check the compliance of sectoral policies with the national spatial development strategy based on the Territorial Impact Assessment (Marot et al. 2023). The ministry responsible for planning has a strong interest in the implementation of this instrument and supports initiatives in this regard.

As for the current and immediate spatial challenges, the following should be highlighted (and are identified in the national spatial development strategy):

  • Dispersed settlements and the related costs of providing utilities and public services;
  • Adaptation measures for climate change and securing the resilience of municipalities and regions;
  • The continuous suburbanisation trend around larger towns and especially along motorway junctions, and the resulting degradation of the landscape;
  • The trend of agricultural land overgrowing continues, especially in mountainous and border areas;
  • The construction of transport and energy infrastructure, and business zones;
  • Various housing-related issues: too few non-profit housing projects, the constant increase in the price of housing in urban areas, etc. (Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning 2024b).

Further literature concerning the planning system in Slovenia

Information provided on the national ministry’s website:

Spatial development report (20162021, only in Slovenian)

Academic articles on the topic:

Marot, N. (2021): The Slovenian planning system 30 years later: Lessons learnt and lessons not learnt. European Spatial Research and Policy, 28(2), 63-81.

Marot, N.; Golobič, M. (2018): Delivering a national spatial development strategy: A success story? European Planning Studies, 26(6), 1202-1221.

Lampič, B.; Kušar, S.; Lamovšek, A. Z. (2017): A model of comprehensive assessment of derelict land as a support for sustainable spatial and development planning in Slovenia. Dela, (48), 5-59.

Marot, N. (2012): New planning jurisdictions, scant resources and local public responsibility: delivering spatial planning in Slovenia. In: Adams, N.; Cotella, G.; Nunes, R. (eds.): Territorial Development, Cohesion and Spatial Planning. Knowledge and policy development in an enlarged EU. London, 206-232.

Marot, N. (2010): Planning capacity of Slovenian municipalities. Acta geographica Slovenica, 50(1), 131-157.

Peterlin, M.; Mckenzie, J. K. (2007): The Europeanization of spatial planning in Slovenia. Planning, Practice & Research, 22(3), 455-461.

Planning System Slovenia

Figure 3: Planning System Slovenia 

Important stakeholders

Institution/ Stakeholder/ Authorities Research field/ Competencies/ Administrative area
Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning The main ministry which makes decisions about strategic spatial planning, prepares the national spatial development strategy, supervises the preparation of national spatial plans and evaluates municipal spatial plans. The ministry also provides information relevant to the preparation of various types of plan and spatial intervention, prepares the report on the current state of the country, consults with other ministries regarding spatial planning issues, etc.
Ministry of Infrastructure and other relevant ministries Initiate the preparation of national spatial plans for state-relevant infrastructure like roads, railways, power plants, etc.
Commission of the Government for Spatial Development and the Spatial Council (not yet in place) The Commission is a permanent governmental working body which on a cross-sectoral level provides coherence and fulfils the goals of spatial planning in Slovenia by providing opinions on the strategic guidelines, the action programme for the delivery of the strategy, regional spatial plans and other planning related matters.
Spatial Council (meets occasionally) The Spatial Council provides professional support to the ministry and consists of representatives of professional and academic institutions in the field of spatial planning. The council provides opinions on differing options in national spatial plans, national spatial planning processes, local spatial plans and other matters.
Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia Research institution in the field of planning with designated special status according to the Spatial Planning Act (Article 48). The institute can undertake development and technical tasks in the field of spatial planning in accordance with the ministry’s work programme.
Regional Development Agencies Regional Development Agencies are in charge of preparing regional spatial plans; however, this is a new role, which just commenced at the end of 2023. Otherwise, their main task is to prepare and implement regional development programmes for seven-year programming periods, and other tasks assigned to them by The Promotion of Balanced Regional Development Act.
Municipalities Municipalities prepare municipal spatial plans and other development strategies related to spatial development, and monitor spatial development, etc.
NGOs IPOP (Institute for Spatial Policies) is one of the main NGOs in the field of planning. It is an advocacy, consulting and research organisation for sustainable spatial and urban development. It also supports communities towards sustainable urban development.
Other NGOs relevant to spatial planning mostly concern themselves with environmental issues, but sometimes also get involved in spatial planning matters. They also organise various participatory workshops related to spatial planning.

Fact sheets

List of references

Government of the Republic of Slovenia (2024a): Administrative units. https://www.gov.si/en/state-authorities/administrative-units/ (accessed July 2024).

Government of the Republic of Slovenia (2024b): Digital transformation of the public sector and public administration. https://www.gov.si/en/registries/projects/the-recovery-and-resilience-plan/about-the-recovery-and-resilience-plan/digital-transformation/digital-transformation-of-the-public-sector-and-public-administration/ (accessed July 2024).

Government of the Republic of Slovenia (2024c): Slovenia as an EU member state. https://www.gov.si/en/topics/slovenia-as-an-eu-member-state/ (accessed July 2024).

Government of the Republic of Slovenia (2024d): State authorities. https://www.gov.si/en/state-authorities/ (accessed July 2024).

Hacek, M.; Kuković, S. (2020): Slovenija, država pestrih regionalnih delitev (Slovenia, country of diverse regional divisions). Lex Localis, 2020, 13-39.

Kovač, P.; Tomaževič, N.; Leben, A.; Aristovnik, A. (2016): Reforming public administration in Slovenia: between theory and practice of good governance and good administration. International journal of public policy, 12(3-6), 130-148.

Local Self-Government Act (Zakon o lokalni samoupravi) (1993): https://pisrs.si/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO307 (accessed July 2024).

Marot, N. (2010): Presoja vloge prostorske zakonodaje v slovenskem sistemu prostorskega planiranja (An assessment of the role of spatial planning legislation in the Slovenian spatial planning system). PhD thesis. Ljubljana, FGG. https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?id=83436&lang=slv (accessed July 2024).

Marot, N. (2011): Planning capacity of Slovenian municipalities. Acta Geographica Slovenica, 50(1), 131-157.

Marot, N.; Kolarič, S.; Golobič. M. (2013): Slovenia as the natural park of Europe? Territorial Impact Assessment in the case of Natura 2000. Acta Geographica Slovenica, 53(1), 91-116. 

Marot, N.; Golobič, M. (2018): Delivering a national spatial development strategy: A success story? European Planning Studies, 26(6), 1202-1221.

Marot, N. (2021): The Slovenian planning system 30 years later: Lessons learnt and lessons not learnt. European Spatial Research and Policy, 28(2), 63-81.

Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development (2024): Registry of regional development agencies. https://podatki.gov.si/dataset/evidenca-regionalnih-razvojnih-agencij (accessed July 2024).

Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning (2021): Report on spatial development; chapter about governance. https://www.gov.si/zbirke/projekti-in-programi/strategija-prostorskega-razvoja-slovenije/izhodisca/ (accessed February 2023).

Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning (2024a): Information about municipal spatial planning. https://www.gov.si/teme/obcinski-prostorski-akti/ (accessed February 2023).

Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning (2024b): Information about the Directorate for Spatial Planning and Construction. https://www.gov.si/en/state-authorities/ministries/ministry-of-natural-resources-and-spatial-planning/about-us/directorate-for-spatial-planning-and-construction/ (accessed July 2024).

Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning (2024c): Information about regional spatial planning. https://www.gov.si/teme/urejanje-prostora-na-regionalni-ravni/ (accessed April 2024).

Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning (2024d): Information about the Spatial Development Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia. https://www.gov.si/zbirke/projekti-in-programi/strategija-prostorskega-razvoja-slovenije/ (accessed February 2024).

PIS (2021): Maritime Spatial Plan (Pomorski prostorski načrt). https://dokumenti-pis.mop.gov.si/javno/veljavni/PPP2192/index.html (accessed February 2024).

Pogačnik, A. 1983: Urbanizem Slovenije: oris urbanističnega in regionalnega prostorskega

načrtovanja v Sloveniji (Urbanism in Slovenia: description of urban and regional spatial planning in Slovenia). Ljubljana, FAGG: 296 p.

The Promotion of Balanced Regional Development Act (Zakon o spodbujanju skladnega regionalnega razvoja) (2011): https://pisrs.si/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO5801 (accessed July 2024). 

Spatial Development Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia 2050 (2023): https://www.gov.si/zbirke/projekti-in-programi/strategija-prostorskega-razvoja-slovenije/ (accessed July 2024).

Spatial Planning Act (Zakon o urejanju prostora – ZureP-3) (2021): http://www.pisrs.si/Pis.web/pregledPredpisa?id=ZAKO8249# (accessed April 2024).

SURS, 2024a: Almost a half of all settlements have fewer than 100 residents. https://www.stat.si/StatWeb/en/News/Index/11155 (accessed April 2024).

SURS, 2024b: Data on demography. https://pxweb.stat.si/SiStat/en/Podrocja/Index/100/population (accessed April 2024).

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