Today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Slovenia, Janez Janša, met the Mayor of Ljubljana, Zoran Janković, to discuss future action regarding the drafting of an agreement between the Slovenian government and the country's capital according to the Capital City of the Republic of Slovenia Act.
(Photo: Nebojša Tejić/Salomon 2000)
Today's talks – the first official meeting on closing an agreement between the Slovenian government and the country's capital following several informal discussions between individual ministries and senior officials of Ljubljana City Council (MOL) – saw the adoption of an agenda on future negotiations on the agreement. Both sides have prepared their respective negotiating positions, while negotiating teams for specific issues are expected to meet in the coming weeks.
It was agreed that by 10 March 2007, all the negotiating teams would have prepared coordinated solutions which would serve as the basis for implementing further procedures regarding projects for which agreement already exists. Meanwhile, neither side expects any significant problems in future negotiations. As far as development projects are concerned, both the government and MOL share their opinions and priorities; however, these must first be included in financing schemes, backed by a comprehensive financial plan with a viable time frame.
Also under discussion were changes in the system of financing municipalities, with regard to which the Mayor called attention to the shortfall of revenues normally raised from personal income tax and capitation in the 2007 budget. As a result of their differing estimates and calculations of the shortfall, both sides agreed to approach the resolution of this issue through a special negotiating team. In this way, it will be possible to determine more precisely the extent of the shortfall for the MOL. The new Financing of Municipalities Act envisages lower funding for Slovenia's four wealthiest municipalities, while allocating additional funds to the remaining local authorities. According to government representatives, this is a different, and above all, more just, system of distributing public funds. However, Ljubljana City Council, oppose this move, and filed a request for a constitutional review of the Act at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Slovenia some time ago. Given the difference of views on the issue, the government has agreed to try to find appropriate and workable solutions that might alleviate the financial problems in the capital through the Capital City Act.
