Politika regionálního rozvoje ve Slovinsku

Abstract

The article deals with selected aspects of regional policy and regional development in Slovenia. Notwithstanding its territorial smallness and low number of inhabitants, Slovenia’s special features include its extreme natural, cultural and socio-economic diversity. The result of all these factors is the limited access to some areas, challenging settlement conditions and the diffi cult organisation of regional economic activities. Socio-economic diversities between regions are thus fairly signifi cant. Conducted analysis shows that over the last decade inter-municipal cooperation in Slovenia has been very poor, irrespective of the (bottom- up) constitutional possibility of forming regions. The fragmentation of municipalities during the last decade has also led to the weak fi nancial situation of municipalities, resulting in limited local budgets for public co-fi nancing that are available. As well, the ‘risk capital’ from local private co-fi nancing possibilities is rather deprived. From a subnational perspective, local actors are thus most important as mediators of knowledge about local and regional development problems. The article thus argues that provinces in Slovenia as administrative-political entities need to be established. The introduction of political-administrative provinces should close the gap between small municipalities and the state, which is excessively centralised and has too much power compared with the municipalities.