In August 2023, floods and landslides caused damage equivalent to 16% of Slovenia's GDP, making it the most devastating natural disaster in the country’s history (EEA, 2025). It was also one of the costliest climate-related disasters in Europe in recent years. Torrential rainfall caused major rivers to overflow, flooding 183 of 212 municipalities and causing landslides. The disaster claimed six lives and forced 8 000 people to evacuate, while damaging nearly 2 000 km of roads, collapsing seven bridges and affecting more than 13 000 buildings (GoRS, 2025; (JBA Event Response, 2023). Disruptions to major transport corridors rippled through supply chains across Europe. Three years later, Slovenia has made significant progress in its recovery, and its experience raises a critical question: does post-disaster reconstruction enable a safer future, or quietly rebuild the same exposure to climate hazards?

This year's International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction theme, "Resilience Starts at Home", offers a timely reminder that disasters are ultimately felt by people where they live. But while resilience may start at home, it cannot be built by households alone. Whether homes and communities can withstand the impacts of climate change depends on policy decisions made over many years: where buildings and infrastructure are located, how they are designed and how the natural environment is managed.

Slovenia's experience shows how recovery can provide an opportunity to build greater resilience. As the European country experiencing the highest climate-related economic losses relative to GDP, Slovenia faces growing risks from floods, heatwaves, droughts, storms and wildfires. The challenge is therefore not only to recover from disasters, but to emerge better prepared for the next one.

While working on the 2026 OECD Environmental Performance Review of Slovenia, we saw first-hand how the 2023 floods sharpened the country’s focus on resilience. The review highlights considerable environmental progress, from the high share of protected land, recycling rates and good water quality, while also identifying areas where further action is needed. One of these is adapting to growing climate risks and ensuring that recovery from disasters leaves communities more resilient.

A swift response by the government immediately followed the 2023 floods. Emergency measures protected lives and restored essential services, while a dedicated reconstruction office and new legislation were put in place to accelerate recovery. For us, Slovenia's experience also points to a broader lesson: recovering from a disaster does not automatically make a country resilient to the next one.

When rebuilding begins, two fundamental questions arise: where and how to rebuild. Following the floods, Slovenia issued removal orders for some damaged buildings in high-risk areas, helping to prevent reconstruction from recreating previous exposure. However, the OECD review found that many municipalities struggle to update and enforce spatial plans due to capacity constraints. This is a critical gap to close if future reconstruction is to leave communities safer, rather than merely restored. Guidance, tools and resources can help local authorities build back better, including building codes and public infrastructure requirements.

A cornerstone for resilience, Slovenia has developed a strong foundation of climate hazard data through climate projections and public information. However, the OECD found that climate data are not always fully tailored to users' needs or supported by the analytical capacity to turn data into decisions. Slovenia's planned national centre for climate analysis and forecasting could help bridge this gap, facilitating the integration of climate risks into planning and investment decisions.

At the same time, public policy should foster the conditions for households and businesses to invest in their own resilience. The 2023 floods caused an estimated EUR 10 billion in damages, yet only around 3% of losses were insured, one of the lowest rates in the EU (EEA, 2025; EEA, 2025). The review found that adaptation finance remains heavily focused on post-disaster recovery, while incentives for private risk reduction remain limited. Tying recovery support more closely to resilience objectives while expanding insurance coverage could help change this, shifting the focus from paying for disasters after they occur to preventing that damage in the first place.

Slovenia's recovery offers a powerful reminder of what “resilience starts at home” really means. Homes and communities are where disasters are felt most deeply. But whether they emerge safer after disasters depends on decisions taken well beyond individual households. These responsibilities sit with governments. As Slovenia continues its recovery from the 2023 floods, the real measure of success is not the pace of reconstruction. It is whether the next disaster causes less damage than the last. In a changing climate, that is the defining measure of resilience.

OECD Environmental Performance Reviews assess countries’ progress towards their environmental objectives and international commitments. They promote policy dialogue, peer learning and accountability, engaging not only governments, but also civil society and the wider public.

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On 11 September 2026, OECD Environment Director Jaime de Bourbon de Parme launched the second OECD Environmental Performance Review of Slovenia alongside Polona Rifelj, Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning in Ljubljana. Find the launch presentation and a summary of the key findings and recommendations here.