28 May 2021 – At the annual meeting, donor countries approved the Combined Strategic and Annual Report on the Implementation of the EEA and Norway Grants in Slovenia for 2020, which can be found here. On this occasion, we are also publishing the Status Report 2020, an information sheet summarizing developments under the Grants, especially the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation programme, the Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship programme and the Fund for Bilateral Relations, managed by the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy.
2020 was a challenging year requiring adaptation to new circumstances. Nevertheless, many activities under the programmes and funds were carried out and significant progress in the implementation of the EEA and Norway Grants in Slovenia was made.
Status Report: EEA and Norway Grants in Slovenia in 2020
National Focal Point
The Decree on the implementation of the EEA and Norway Grants 2014–2021 in the Republic of Slovenia was issued in November 2020.
Annual meeting with the Donor States was held in October 2020 to evaluate the progress in the implementation of the EEA and Norway Grants in Slovenia, especially in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most of information and communication activities in 2020 had to be adapted to the situation; certain activities were postponed to 2021, while others were implemented in an online format.
Programme Operator
The majority of the implemented activities were dedicated to preparing the Calls for proposals and making them ready to be published in 2021. The Call for proposals under the programme Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation is published here. The Call for proposals under the Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeship and Youth Entrepreneurship is published here.
The project Children’s House/Barnahus implemented by the Ministry of Justice under the Education – Enhancing Human Capital programme was approved. It is a pilot project based on the “Protection of Children in Criminal Procedure and their Comprehensive Treatment in Children’s House Act” which will ensure appropriate treatment of child victims, with a comprehensive support from highly qualified professionals provided in one place, in a child-friendly and safe environment.
Bilateral relations
The Fund for Bilateral Relations is an instrument designed to strengthen cooperation and increase mutual knowledge and understanding between the Donor and Beneficiary States. The purpose of the Fund is to financially support a wide range of activities that have a clear bilateral profile and contribute to strengthening bilateral relations.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, certain pre-agreed bilateral activities under the Fund were postponed or carried out in a different form. All of the planned activities under the bilateral initiative Research on equal opportunities in national diplomacies were implemented by the end of 2020.
Active Citizens Fund and other programmes and funds
For information on the Active Citizens Fund visit the Fund’s website. Visit the Innovation Norway website for information on the Social Dialogue – Decent Work programme. Visit also the Fund for Youth Employment website and the Fund for Regional Cooperation website that are also being implemented under the EEA and Norway Grants.