Building More Competitive Regions in Slovenia

4. Action plan to support regional development in Slovenia

Abstract

This chapter presents an action plan to support the implementation of key recommendations set out in chapter 2 and 3. It identifies practical actions for consideration, clarifies institutional roles and responsibilities, and provides indicative timelines for implementation. The proposed actions aim to strengthen international competitiveness, skills and attractiveness in Slovenia’s regions as well as strengthening the co-ordination of regional development policies at the national level.

Introduction

The action plan presented here is designed to support the Government of Slovenia with the implementation of selected recommendations from the OECD report Building More Competitive Regions in Slovenia. More broadly, the action plan can also support the implementation of the national regional development strategy and assist in the preparation and implementation of future National and Regional Partnership Plan. It was drafted in consultation with Slovenia’s Ministry of Cohesion and Regional Development (MCRD) and other regional development stakeholders throughout the country. Specifically, the action plan has been drafted to align with current institutional, legal and policy settings in Slovenia. Further, the proposed actions have been formulated to be achievable without legislative change or major increases in the financial resources of responsible ministries and agencies.

The policy recommendations contained in chapters 2 and 3 of the report form the basis for the action plan. With a focus on a small sample of high-priority recommendations, the action plan seeks to provide guidance on how these recommendations can be enacted in practice, and which government bodies should be responsible for leading implementation. Although not all recommendations could be included in the action plan, those presented provide a good example of the complexity, risks, and opportunities associated with policy adjustments, and the planning required to ensure their long-term success. In light of the report’s findings and the feedback received from Slovenian stakeholders, the action plan focuses on four policy recommendations (Table 4.1).

Priority recommendations for action and action plan methodology

Table 4.1. Priority recommendations for action

Report section	Recommendation
Chapter 2	Work with regional development agencies (RDAs) to assess major barriers to international competitiveness in each region. This could include reviewing publicly available research to develop a list of 15-20 criteria, such as infrastructure quality and workforce skills, that are critical to international business and therefore most relevant to the competitiveness of each development region. It could also entail launching a questionnaire to gather qualitative evidence from regional exporters and foreign investors to identify which of the 15-20 criteria are most present and most lacking in their region, and how their absence affects their operations; and using the information gathered to prioritise regional development projects and funding that can most directly build on existing opportunities and/or reduce or remove existing barriers to foreign investment and exports.
Chapter 2	Call for regions to undertake comprehensive assessments of their skills assets and shortages as part of future regional development programmes (RDPs), drawing on assistance from the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, and in consultation with regional employers. This could include establishing guidelines for the assessments, including for example the identified needs of regional employers, the most numerous occupational types and the necessary labour qualifications; as well as providing advice on ways to incorporate the short, medium- and longer-term impacts of demographic change and collaborating with the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia to increase the availability and accessibility of regional skills statistics which are currently only available at the national level. This could also include consulting periodically with local businesses, unions and industry associations to understand how employer needs are evolving and ensure that the assessments are realistically linked with regional development priorities.
Chapter 2	Establish a framework for assessing the attractiveness of regions to workers and firms from within Slovenia and abroad, which could also contribute to meeting objectives in the national regional development strategy. Such a framework could consist of economic, social, well-being and other dimensions of attractiveness, and be supported by agreed-upon quantitative indicators. It could be used to measure the relative strengths and weaknesses of each region in terms of its attractiveness to workers and firms. It could also serve as a guide for regions to prioritise projects and direct funding towards those initiatives that are most likely to increase the region’s appeal to potential residents, partly helping to offset future costs associated with ageing and population decline.
Chapter 3	Establish a high-level political body responsible for guiding and co-ordinating regional development priorities and resources across government: this could be a council for regional development and competitiveness, chaired by the Prime Minister or a Deputy Prime Minister, with the Minister of Regional Development as a vice-chair, and populated with a limited number of other line ministers. A working group of state secretaries from the permanently represented line ministries could support the council. Other stakeholders (RDA directors, chambers of commerce, municipal associations, etc.) could be invited on an ad hoc basis.

Action plan methodology

This action plan was developed in consultation with the MCRD, other line ministries, RDAs and representatives from business associations in four steps:

1. Identify implementing stakeholders: a lead institution responsible for overseeing the successful implementation of the action was identified, together with other stakeholders responsible for or involved in implementing each action. The implementing stakeholders considered were municipalities, RDAs, ministries, research institutions, other government agencies (e.g. the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia, SPIRIT Slovenia Agency), the Slovenian Research Agency, business association representatives (e.g. chambers of commerce and industry, chambers of crafts), municipal associations and civil society organisations (e.g. non-governmental organisations).

2. Define the specific action and expected outcome: a range of specific, tangible actions that could support the recommendation were considered for potential inclusion. These actions could include operational changes, additional investment, legislative reforms, and building new skills and capacities.

3. Set timelines and milestones: realistic timelines, with clear milestones, were established for each action. These timelines were designed to specify when each action should begin, its expected duration and key milestones that will mark progress. Defined timelines can help not only with preparation, but also with monitoring progress to ensure that implementation remains on track.

4. Consider risks and opportunities: potential risks or challenges that could hinder the successful implementation of each action were considered. Examples included resource constraints, stakeholder resistance and the need for political support. Identifying these risks in advance can help the implementing stakeholder plan for and mitigate them, improving the likelihood of success. The available opportunities (e.g. the data, know-how and expertise already present in the public sector) were also considered, to reduce duplication and ensure that actions did not conflict with existing policies and responsibilities.

Action plan to implement select recommendations from the OECD report

Recommendation 1: Work with RDAs to assess major barriers to international competitiveness in each region.

Aim of the associated action: to identify the main barriers to exports and foreign investment in each region, linking them directly to regional development priorities.

In 2023, the Osrednjeslovenska region alone accounted for 58.9% of foreign direct investment (FDI) and 51.2% of national goods exports, underscoring its dominant role in driving internationally oriented economic activity. No other region in Slovenia accounted for more than 10% of FDI or exports. However, both foreign investment and international trade can greatly accelerate economic development by creating new employment opportunities, introducing new technologies and boosting efficiency in existing firms through additional competition. Regions with low levels of international competitiveness, i.e. those that are less able to attract new investors or sell their products internationally, are therefore less likely to catch up economically.

Action 1.1. Develop evidence-based criteria to assess the barriers to international competitiveness

There exists a wide range of publicly available research, indices and other evidence documenting the strengths and weaknesses of specific jurisdictions from the perspective of international businesses and investors. These can include assessments of regulatory certainty, tax rates, infrastructure quality, labour laws and workforce skills. Some prominent examples include indices created by the International Institute for Management Development (2025[1]), the World Bank (2025[2]), the Tax Foundation (2025[3]) and the OECD (2025[4]).

The Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport could lead the development of a standardised list of approximately 15-20 criteria that best represent international competitiveness for Slovenian regions. These should include a balance of different elements, but should focus on the most direct barriers to export and other factors that might deter foreign investment. However, the criteria chosen should not attempt to capture all potential barriers that may be affecting international competitiveness. Instead, they should focus on the factors which, based on available evidence, are most important. For many of these criteria, such as access to suitable transport infrastructure, a simple quantitative measure is unlikely to be available. However, this should not prevent their inclusion, as qualitative assessments by business leaders with international exposure can be used very effectively to assess the criteria.

Action 1.2. Draft a questionnaire to collect qualitative evidence from regional exporters and foreign investors

Collecting qualitative data explicitly designed to measure the barriers to international competitiveness is essential, given the absence of established quantitative indicators both in Slovenia and internationally. RDAs could lead the drafting of a simple online questionnaire that can be answered by the managers of export businesses, foreign investors and other firms operating within each region. The Slovenia Chamber of Commerce and Industry should also be consulted on the questionnaire, so that the wording is clear and easily understood by business owners and managers.

The questionnaire could include general questions on the overall quality of the business environment (e.g. is region X a good place to start an export-oriented business, get a construction permit or ship goods internationally), as well as more specific assessments of the region’s strengths (e.g. does region X have good internet connectivity, sufficient industrial land or good access to an international airport). In both cases, questions should be clear, structured and replicable, so that the responses of multiple businesses can be fairly compared and aggregated, and progress can be measured over time. Further, to boost participation, the questionnaire should primarily consist of simple, closed questions focused on gauging businesses’ overall perspective, rather than testing their technical expertise.

Due to their strong connections with local businesses and geographic proximity, the dissemination of the questionnaire should ideally be led by RDAs, with the assistance of regional branches of the Slovenia Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The perspective of exporting businesses, as well as of firms with at least partial foreign ownership (i.e. recipients of past foreign investment) should make up the majority of interviewees. However, some large non-export-oriented and locally owned businesses should also be included in the sample and equally weighted.

Action 1.3. Rank the regional barriers in order of priority in future RDPs

With support and guidance from the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport and SPIRIT Slovenia Agency, RDAs could rank their region’s performance on the international competitiveness criteria established in Action 1.1. This would require a synthesis of available quantitative indicators (e.g. the total value of goods and service exports per capita), and qualitative evidence collected from the region’s business community and local experts. One approach could be to rank all criteria on a scale of 6, with 6 being highly competitive (i.e. very good) and 1 indicating a significant barrier to international competitiveness. For example, an RDA might rate the road network in its region as 4 out of 6, based on considerations such as surface quality, average speed and congestion. From this exercise, RDAs could then group competitiveness criteria by score, highlighting the competitive advantages and shortcomings of their region.

Although this assessment and ranking exercise has several potential uses, such as helping line ministries allocate their resources to areas of particular need or supporting the identification of additional areas for inter-municipal co-operation, its contribution to the design of RDPs would be particularly valuable. Low scores on specific criteria would very clearly signal regional competitiveness challenges that are holding back opportunities for greater exports and foreign investment, and will need to be addressed as a priority. In addition, regional development projects could be assessed in relation to these scores, prioritising proposals that address one or more major competitiveness weaknesses directly if funding is limited.

Recommendation 2: Call for regions to undertake comprehensive assessments of their skills assets and shortages as part of future RDPs, drawing on assistance from the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, and in consultation with regional employers.

Aim of the associated action: to build a standardised framework for analysing regional skills needs and shortages that can strengthen the analysis section of future RDPs.

The absence of appropriate skills can significantly hold back regional development by reducing labour productivity, deterring foreign investment and reducing the quality of government services. Among the development regions and measured as a share of total population, Pomurska (17.0%) and Zasavska (18.2%) have the lowest rates of tertiary qualifications. Osrednjeslovenska, by comparison, has the country’s highest rate (28.2%). An additional consideration is the uptake of digital skills, which can complement formal tertiary qualifications and boost productivity. For Slovenia overall, only 18.9% of individuals aged 16-74 recorded digital skills beyond a basic level (SiStat, 2023[5]). However, in some regions such as Posavska (9.2%) and Primorsko-notranjska (9.2%), the share of the adult population with well-developed digital skills was even lower, limiting the employability of its residents. In Osrednjeslovenska, by contrast, digital literacy was the highest, with 22.7% of the population reporting above-average digital skills.

These measures clearly show an overall disparity in the concentration of skills available in each region but provide few insights into which specific skills are needed, which skills are oversupplied, how they relate to regional employment opportunities, and what the emerging needs of regional businesses actually are. Further, they provide few insights into future skills needs, or the potential impact of demographic changes on the current workforce. A more in-depth assessment of regional skills, assisted by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities to ensure methodological consistency, could enable the formation of clearer links between existing skills shortages and emerging development priorities in each region.

Action 2.1. Extract and distribute regional breakdowns from national skills statistics

A wide range of indicators which are available at the national level can potentially be used to measure skill strengths and gaps within Slovenian regions. These include the number of working-age residents with specific qualifications, the quantity and types of vocational training courses available, advertised vacancies and several metrics of current labour-market conditions collected through the annual labour-force survey. In most cases, these indicators are not currently published at the regional level. However, the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities is currently developing a “labour-market platform”, which is expected to greatly increase the availability of regional employment, skills and education data (Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, 2025[6]).

The Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia (SURS), in consultation with the Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia, could lead the development of an annual standardised regional breakdown of these data. This would not involve collecting new statistics, but simply repackaging and communicating national statistics divided into regional shares. This breakdown may not be possible for some indicators owing to small sample sizes and privacy considerations, but for those that are available, it would form a valuable foundation for a subsequent regional skills assessment.

Action 2.2. Establish simplified job families to enable matching with educational qualifications

The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities could lead the development of a simple, standardised framework of job families in Slovenia, alongside their matching qualifications, for use in RDPs. This framework could be supported by the Ministry of Education and providers of employment services. Regional development policymakers could use these or job families, approximately 10-20 in total, to better understand and monitor regional demand for skills, based on existing employment patterns, without the need for extensive training. For example, construction could be chosen as one of the job families, with the typical qualification required determined to be a three-year vocational education certificate. This “family” would represent dozens of individual roles, skills and qualifications of varying lengths.

The purpose of this exercise is not to replicate the granular analysis of labour-market skills, competencies and shortages, which is currently undertaken at the national level. Rather, it is to create a simplified framework, with terms that are easy to understand by all regional stakeholders, that can assist consultations and strengthen strategic documents without introducing unnecessary complexity.

Other examples of potential job families are public-sector workers, medical workers and technicians, all of which would presumably be classified as requiring a bachelor’s-level degree. Professions (e.g. doctors, lawyers and accountants) could potentially form another job family, but with a typical educational requirement of a master’s or relevant professional (e.g. medical) degree. Rather than attempting to measure all possible dimensions of workforce capacity, these categories should be focused on easy-to-understand profiles and educational requirements.

Action 2.3. Consult with regional employers and labour organisations

Using the data from SURS and the simplified job families with associated qualification needs developed by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, RDAs should consult with regional employers, industry associations, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry to determine how the skills of employees in their region compare with national benchmarks. For example, the construction industry in one region might report that the typical worker has skills below the national benchmark (i.e. a three-year vocational education certificate), suggesting a skills deficit. Further, these consultations could help to identify reasons why skills in the region are higher or lower than is typical throughout Slovenia. Factors such as the average salaries available, the availability of educational courses, or the attractiveness of neighbouring regions and countries could be explored to better understand the determinants of the current regional skills endowment.

Action 2.4. Quantify aggregate skills assets available in each region and link these with development priorities

RDAs should include a regional skills assessment in future RDPs that links directly to their development priorities. This assessment could include three main components. First, it could feature an analysis of regional skills, employment, demographic and education trends. Using regional breakdowns of labour-force and education statistics, it could determine which industries are growing or declining, whether the number of student enrolments and graduations are in line with employment and population growth, and what qualifications are currently available at educational institutions based in the region.

Second, the job families and associated qualifications could be reviewed and overlaid with the quantitative indicators to identify instances of skills mismatches, shortages and (potentially) oversupply. This could include matching recent employment and labour-market data with established job families and qualitative evidence from employers. Finally, these insights could be linked to development priorities. For example, if vacancy rates are high and the number of workers with appropriate qualifications is low, a specific skills deficit could be connected with a regional development objective to encourage more skilled workers to relocate to (or be trained in) the region. Other development priorities – such as boosting labour productivity, attracting foreign investment or increasing research and development – could also be linked with existing skills assets that are in strong supply throughout the region to support their practical application.

Recommendation 3: Establish a framework for assessing the attractiveness of regions to workers and firms from within Slovenia and abroad, which could also contribute to meeting objectives in the national regional development strategy.

Aim of the associated action: to introduce a methodology for measuring the regional attractiveness of Slovenian regions that is replicable, allows direct comparisons across regions and can inform project prioritisation.

The OECD Regional Attractiveness Compass was created to help compare the appeal of individual regions for investors, skilled workers and visitors (Seunga Ryu et al., 2024[7]). In Slovenia, it is available at the TL2 (cohesion region) and TL3 (development region) levels, and can help the national government and other regional development actors assess regional strengths and shortcomings. The compass also allows comparing Slovenian regions with national and international peers. For example, the health, economy and natural capital of each region, alongside 11 other dimensions, is scored against all other Slovenian regions of the same classification, as well as against all comparable regions in the European Union. The Regional Attractiveness Compass can be particularly helpful for managing demographic change, which is a looming challenge for all Slovenian regions. In particular, it can provide insight into why residents may be leaving their region, as well as highlight region-specific barriers that may be discouraging the arrival of new residents.

Action 3.1. Determine a set of regional attractiveness indicators that are most suitable for Slovenian regions

The MCRD should lead the establishment of a regional attractiveness measurement that can be used to compare development regions and help manage the demographic transition. This framework could be directly based on the OECD Regional Attractiveness Compass or use a similar methodology, adapted to Slovenian needs and specifications. For example, Slovenia may wish to adjust its approach to focus entirely on regional attractiveness to potential new workers (i.e. not investors or tourists), because it prioritises demographic challenges. However, the OECD methodology also has significant advantages as it enables international comparisons, and the compass is regularly updated and publicly available.

The first step is for the MCRD to determine what dimensions it would like to include. The OECD currently uses 14 dimensions, and each of these could be reviewed for suitability. The second step is to consider what indicators should inform the chosen dimensions. Ideally, each dimension should be supported by at least three indicators, to provide a balanced score. Finally, once chosen, the dimensions and indicators should be shared with RDAs, SURS, SPIRIT Slovenia Agency, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry for feedback. RDAs should be specifically consulted on the relevance of the chosen dimensions and the ease of interpretation, which are the most important objectives of this consultation, and SURS should be consulted on the availability and accessibility of data.

Action 3.2. Annually update and share attractiveness scores with regional bodies and agencies

After establishing the attractiveness indicators, the MCRD should ensure that the measures of regional attractiveness are updated and communicated annually. This could entail replacing indicator values with the latest statistical releases, developing new charts and tables to allow inter-regional comparisons and publishing the attractiveness measures on the MCRD website. Most importantly, the measures should include a clear and easy-to-understand score for each region on each dimension.

Once updated, the MCRD should share the scores and underlying indicators with RDAs, Regional Councils, municipal associations and other regional development organisations. Although the updated measures of attractiveness, and the methodology supporting them, should be the primary focus, communication with the actors should also incorporate clear links between the measurements of attractiveness and the broader challenge of demographic change. Direct communication of the attractiveness findings will not only likely be of immediate interest to RDAs and other stakeholders, but will also assist in the future preparation of RDPs. In particular, greater familiarity with the measures among municipal and RDA staff will reduce misunderstandings and promote a consensus around which regional development dimensions should be prioritised in the future.

Action 3.3. Include attractiveness scores in future RDPs to help guide project prioritisation

When preparing the next RDPs, RDAs should include an analysis of the most recently available regional attractiveness scores. This could assist a broader understanding of the region’s strengths and weaknesses and provide context for the subsequent analysis that follows. It can also help regions identify opportunities to enhance or advance attractiveness dimensions that would contribute to their development, as well as address areas where performance is moderate-to-poor and which may need specific policy attention.

The RDAs should also use measures of regional attractiveness to inform project prioritisation. In practical terms, this would require the RDAs to designate which dimensions of regional attractiveness should be considered as high priority, based on their own attractiveness score. For example, if a region were to score very poorly on innovation, the RDP could explicitly prioritise innovation-supporting projects. This high-priority status could also be communicated during consultation with regional representatives, as well as in the call documentation when project proposals are requested.

Finally, once project proposals have been received and assessed, the RDAs could clearly indicate which proposals they consider the most relevant to helping the region overcome its attractiveness shortcomings. For example, all proposals could be classified based on whether their implementation would provide a large, medium or small boost to the region’s overall attractiveness. Further, how the proposal would directly help to attract new workers and residents could also be assessed. This would ensure that projects are not simply branded to align with priority areas, but are truly designed to ameliorate a regional weakness. However, this classification and accompanying assessment should not be the only consideration for project selection: each proposal’s overall impact, practicality and affordability would also need to be evaluated.

Recommendation 4: Establish a high-level political body responsible for guiding and co-ordinating regional development priorities and resources across government.

Aim of the associated action: to institutionalise cross-sector political and technical level co-ordination mechanisms, as well as a multi-level multi-stakeholder dialogue body with a clear focus on regional development, to improve government and stakeholder co-ordination and collaboration with the aim of improving cross-sector, multi-stakeholder, multi-level co-ordination and collaboration for regional development.

Regional development in Slovenia faces difficulties with cross-sectoral co-ordination, which can affect policy alignment and outcomes. Line ministries with sectoral activities supporting regional development (e.g. education, environment and transport) are primarily focused on their sectors and their national sectoral objectives. However, a mechanism to encourage these ministries to consider the territorial impact of sectoral policies and programmes appears to be lacking (OECD, 2024[8]). In addition, multi-level, multi-stakeholder dialogue is restricted to a few core actors and spread across groups. This adds to the fragmentation characterising multi-level governance for regional development in Slovenia and affects the ability of the subnational voice to be heard in a consistent and coherent manner. A more place-based approach would be highly beneficial because, despite the country’s small population and territorial size, regions face markedly different development challenges.

Action 4.1. Establish a high-level council for regional development, to be chaired and led by the Prime Minister’s Office

The Prime Minister’s Office should create a national-level ministerial council – for example, a council for regional development and competitiveness – to oversee regional development. This council should be focused on guiding the overall direction of regional development, and the strategy and policies supporting it. It should also guide resourcing for regional development, and ensure that the regional-level operations and investments of line ministries are coherent and aligned. The council could also include an explicit objective to enhance the competitiveness of regional economies. This could help reduce the time spent on topics that are highly important but rarely require political oversight. It would allow the council to remain focused on successfully steering regional development, and promoting new ideas and ways of working in so doing.

To enhance its decision-making capacity, the proposed council should be chaired by the Prime Minister or a Deputy Prime Minister, with the Minister of Regional Development as a Deputy Chair. It could have a small permanent membership consisting exclusively of ministers whose portfolios have a direct impact on regional development. In addition to the Prime Minister (the council chair), the council’s core membership could include the Minister of Finance; the Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development; the Minister of Economy, Tourism and Sport; the Minister of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning; the Minister of Public Administration; the Minister of Infrastructure; and the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation. Participation by other ministers would be ad hoc, determined by their relevance to specific aims in the national regional development strategy, the National Regional Partnership Plan and the council’s specific agenda.

An inter-ministerial working group to support implementation of the council’s decisions could also be established. The membership of this working group should mirror that of the council, with state secretaries from the line ministries making up the core membership. The overall objective of the working group would be to act as the operational/technical arm of the council, translating political-level decisions and strategic directions into clear actions, and ensuring cross-sectoral coherence. The working group could also communicate to the council any emerging barriers to implementation that they are encountering, providing a direct channel for bottom-up information which could assist ministers in their discussions. In addition, it should co-ordinate closely with, and when relevant include participation from, regional stakeholders on an ad hoc basis. Its most immediate focus could be to support the implementation of the national regional development strategy, as well as assist with monitoring its targets and objectives.

Action 4.2. Host regular meetings with ministers

A council secretary or small council secretariat, led by a representative from the Prime Minister’s Office, could be responsible for scheduling and managing regular council meetings, which could take place monthly. The secretariat or secretary would also be responsible for developing agenda items, taking minutes and distributing council action items.

Due to the potential unavailability of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Regional Development could be designated as vice-chair to ensure council meetings can take place at regular intervals. A further benefit of this approach is that the Minister of Regional Development, whose remit overlaps most substantively with the council’s objectives, would be given a central role in council leadership to help balance national considerations and regional priorities.

Action 4.3. Consider delegating authority for day-to-day cross-sectoral co-ordination of regional development to a ministry or state secretaries

To support the council and manage the day-to-day cross-sectoral co-ordination of regional development aims with sector policies, the national government could consider vesting formal authority to lead cross-departmental initiatives. For example, the Prime Minister’s Office could delegate responsibility for co-ordinating regional development policy across government to the MCRD. Clearly attributing to a single body the operational dimension of cross-sectoral co-ordination for regional development could strengthen the implementation of council guidance and decisions.

A further consideration is the potential for delegation to state secretaries. Although the council should primarily consist of ministers, state secretaries could also be delegated the authority to participate in the council in their absence. This delegation would support the continuity of council meetings and reduce scheduling challenges.

Action 4.4. Reinforce multi-level, multi-stakeholder co-ordination and dialogue to support implementation of the national regional development strategy at both regional and local levels

A multi-level co-ordination and dialogue body could cast a practical and technical eye on how policies and programming can or are advancing regional development objectives. Further, this body can serve as a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue. In addition to representatives from government ministries (e.g. those on the proposed council for regional development and competitiveness, see Action 4.1), representatives from RDAs, municipalities (either directly or through their association), and other stakeholders should also be included. Similarly to the proposed high-level council, this co-ordination body should operate with a clearly defined mandate, regular meeting schedules, a permanent chair and structured reporting mechanisms to ensure council directions and actions are implemented. This co-ordination body should become the source of “on-the-ground” information regarding the development needs in specific regions and sectors, and be a forum for discussion to coalesce subnational and national perspectives, priorities and aims. It would work closely with the proposed high-level council and working group of state secretaries, if these are established. The Working Group on Local Self-government could be expanded into such a body.

Action plan summary

Table 4.2 provides an overview of the suggested actions, the stakeholders responsible for them and the expected time required. The milestones and target end dates are to be determined by Slovenia.

Table 4.2. Summary of recommendations and actions

Recommendation	Actions	Institution responsible for implementation	Institutions supporting implementation	Time required (years)	Milestones and target dates	Target end date
Work with RDAs to assess major barriers to international competitiveness in each region. This could include reviewing publicly available research to develop a list of 15-20 criteria, such as infrastructure quality and workforce skills, that are critical to international business and therefore most relevant to the competitiveness of each development region. It could also entail launching a questionnaire to gather qualitative evidence from regional exporters and foreign investors to identify which of the 15-20 criteria are most present and most lacking in their region, and how their absence affects their operations; and using the information gathered to prioritise regional development projects and funding that can most directly build on existing opportunities and/or reduce or remove existing barriers to foreign investment and exports	Develop evidence-based criteria to assess the barriers to international competitiveness.	Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport		1-2
	Draft a questionnaire to collect qualitative evidence from regional exporters and foreign investors.	RDAs	Chamber of Commerce and Industry	1-2
	Rank the regional barriers in order of priority in future RDPs.	RDAs	Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport; Chamber of Commerce and Industry	3-7
Call for regions to undertake comprehensive assessments of their skills assets and shortages as part of future regional development programmes (RDPs), drawing on assistance from the Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, and in consultation with regional employers. This could include establishing guidelines for the assessments, including for example the identified needs of regional employers, the most numerous occupational types and the necessary labour qualifications; as well as providing advice on ways to incorporate the short, medium- and longer-term impacts of demographic change and collaborating with the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia to increase the availability and accessibility of regional skills statistics which are currently only available at the national level. This could also include consulting periodically with local businesses, unions and industry associations to understand how employer needs are evolving and ensure that the assessments are realistically linked with regional development priorities.	Extract and distribute regional breakdowns from national skills statistics.	Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia	Employment Service of the Republic of Slovenia; Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities	1-2
	Establish simplified job families to enable matching with educational qualifications.	Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities	Ministry of Education	1-2
	Consult with regional employers and labour organisations.	RDAs	Chamber of Commerce and Industry	1-2
	Quantify aggregate skills assets available in each region and link these with development priorities.	RDAs		3-7
Establish a framework for assessing the attractiveness of regions to workers and firms from within Slovenia and abroad, which could also contribute to meeting objectives in the national regional development strategy. Such a framework could consist of economic, social, well-being and other dimensions of attractiveness, and be supported by agreed-upon quantitative indicators. It could be used to measure the relative strengths and weaknesses of each region in terms of its attractiveness to workers and firms. It could also serve as a guide for regions to prioritise projects and direct funding towards those initiatives that are most likely to increase the region’s appeal to potential residents, partly helping to offset future costs associated with ageing and population decline.	Determine a set of regional attractiveness indicators that are most suitable for Slovenian regions.	MCRD	RDAs, Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia	1-2
	Update annually and share attractiveness scores with regional bodies and agencies.	MCRD		3-7
	Include attractiveness scores in future RDPs to help guide project prioritisation.	RDAs		8-10+
Establish a high-level political body responsible for guiding and co-ordinating regional development priorities and resources across government. This could be a council for regional development and competitiveness, chaired by the Prime Minister or a Deputy Prime Minister, with the Minster for Regional Development as a vice-chair, and populated with a limited number of other line ministers. A working group of state secretaries from the permanently represented line ministries could support the council. Other stakeholders (RDA directors, chambers of commerce, municipal associations, etc.) could be invited on an ad hoc basis.	Establish a high-level council for regional development, to be chaired and led by the Prime Minister’s Office.	Prime Minister’s Office		1-2
	Host regular meetings with ministers.	Prime Minister’s Office	MCRD	3-7
	Consider delegating authority for day-to-day cross-sectoral co-ordination of regional development to a ministry or state secretaries.	National government	Prime Minister’s Office	3-7
	Reinforce multi-level, multi-stakeholder co-ordination and dialogue to support implementation of the national regional development strategy at both regional and local levels.	National government	Prime Minister’s Office, National government ministries, RDAs, municipal associations	3-7

References

[1] International Institute for Management Development (2025), World Competitiveness Ranking, https://www.imd.org/centers/wcc/world-competitiveness-center/rankings/world-competitiveness-ranking/ (accessed on 29 October 2025).

[6] Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (2025), Future Labour Market Development and the Importance of the Labour Market Platform.

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