Digital Government Scan of Slovenia

1. Assessment and recommendations

Governance and public sector capacities for digital government

Slovenia has demonstrated robust commitment to strengthening its governance and capacities to advance digital transformation in the public sector. The Digital Services Strategy 2030 (SDJS 2030) serves as the main digital government strategy and sets a clear strategic direction, ambitious objectives and an action plan developed through broad consultation across government, academia, the private sector, civil society and citizens. Strong leadership and the political mandate of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, underpinned by dedicated coordination bodies, have strengthened oversight and coordination of the implementation of digital initiatives across levels of government. Concurrently, Slovenia has also made substantial investments to improve digital skills for both public servants and citizens through a wide range of courses in basic and professional digital skills.

However, the 2025 DGI results highlight structural shortcomings in the implementation of SDJS 2030 and in optimising the delivery of public value through digital public services. Monitoring and impact assessment of SDJS 2030 remain underdeveloped, with the absence of dedicated publicly available KPIs, user feedback loops and common methodologies to measure the societal, economic and environmental impacts of digital government. Decision-making responsibilities of the Ministry of Digital Transformation can be reinforced to advance coherent digital transformation. The Government Council for Digital Transformation’s current dual role as both formal coordination body and external advisory body may hamper the effectiveness of governance mechanisms in steering digital government agendas and engaging external stakeholders. Key fundamental digital rights and comprehensive legal provisions underpinning digital transformation have not yet been fully recognised, while digital initiatives are not yet systematically assessed for alignment with the new and existing laws. Slovenia also could benefit from systematically assessing digital skills needs and gaps across the public sector, limiting targeted upskilling and reskilling efforts for public servants.

Digital government investment

Slovenia demonstrates key strengths in the foundational stages of the digital government investments lifecycle, with the 2025 Digital Government Index confirming that it has an established, standardised value proposition method in place for digital investments. Slovenia also performs well in procurement, with cross-government guidelines for digital projects, and in project management, through the availability of a standard project management model for digital initiatives. Slovenia has also made efforts in strengthening its strategic positioning of GovTech within the country’s investments approach since 2023. Together these results indicate that Slovenia has many of the foundational tools in place to plan and initiate digital investments.

These results, however, also highlight some persistent areas that could be improved in order to strengthen Slovenia’s ability to manage digital investments coherently across the full investments lifecycle. Slovenia does not have dedicated funding mechanisms or co-funding arrangements for digital initiatives, not allowing for a tailored approach for digital project financing, and risk management also remains decentralised, with no whole-of-government approach for assessing investment-specific risks. Slovenia also lacks staged or risk-based approval processes, relying primarily on a single cost threshold regardless of a project’s content or complexity. The delivery and oversight pillars of digital investments also show key areas for potential improvement, where Slovenia does not possess agile project management approaches, ex-post cost-benefit analysis, project evaluation and monitoring systems, and also does not have a process in place for benefits realisation or portfolio-level visibility of digital investments. Collectively these gaps mean that while Slovenia has relatively strong mechanisms for approving digital investments, it currently has limited capacity to track delivery, manage risks, assess outcomes or demonstrate value for money. These gaps present a key opportunity for Slovenia to improve its digital investments approach, moving towards effective, outcome driven spending.

Digital public infrastructure

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) is central to Slovenia’s ambition to deliver efficient, secure and user-centred public services and to support the wider digital economy. Under the Digital Public Services Strategy 2030, Slovenia has established solid DPI foundations across key components such as cybersecurity. The consolidation of digital identity around SI-PASS and the eOsebna mobile application, as well as Slovenia’s eID compliance with the EU eIDAS regulation, represent major achievements supporting interoperability and trust in digital public services.

Despite these foundations, Slovenia’s overall DPI progress has not kept pace with that of other OECD countries. The 2025 Digital Government Index shows that Slovenia’s DPI score increased only marginally and now falls below the OECD average, suggesting that strategic gaps and implementation challenges are limiting the pace at which Slovenia is advancing towards a mature Government-as-a-Platform model. The availability of shared DPI components and enablers such as Government-to-Person (G2P) digital notifications, API and metadata management, as well as open-source frameworks remains limited, contributing to a slight decline in the Government-as-a-Platform dimension score of the Index. Cloud adoption and open-source use lack strategic momentum, and digital identity uptake remains low, with fewer than a quarter of eligible users actively using eID and only partial integration across public services and external providers.

Data access, sharing and re-use

Slovenia has made visible progress in strengthening its approach to data access, sharing and use, reflected in a 26% increase in its score on the OECD Digital Government Index’s data-driven public sector dimension. This improvement is driven by new strategic direction, a clearer institutional lead on data and the expansion of the national interoperability system. Slovenia also sustains important strengths, including fee-free data sharing within government, the maintenance of data inventories and documented data use cases. Its open data performance remains solid. Slovenia ranks above the OECD average overall and across all three pillars of the OURdata Index, with strong results on the availability and accessibility of high-value datasets. It provides full access to geospatial and meteorological data and ensures high metadata and update standards. Most high-value datasets are available through the central platform OPSI, in open formats and up to date.

However, these results also reveal structural weaknesses that limit Slovenia’s ability to turn data into sustained public value. Key leadership roles for government data are well established in practice but lack a legal basis, leaving them vulnerable to institutional change. The absence of mandated organisational-level data stewardship creates further inconsistency, and mechanisms for citizens to exercise data rights have not yet been introduced. Weak integration of local governments into the national interoperability framework restricts data exchange, while outdated public sector data inventories reduce clarity about the assets available for reuse. Limited recent initiatives to apply data in service design, delivery or policy monitoring mean that Slovenia’s growing data foundations are not yet translating into more effective or resilient policymaking.

Artificial intelligence in government

Slovenia has made solid progress in building the foundations for trustworthy AI in government. Its government AI-maturity score in the 2025 OECD Digital Government Index (0.63 out of 1.00) is tightly close to the OECD average (0.64) and has risen at a rate of 10%, reflecting sustained efforts to bolster strategies, governance and deployment of AI across internal processes. Slovenia is accelerating its AI adoption efforts beyond internal services, including in the areas of public services design and delivery, policymaking, and oversight and accountability. Examples of real-world AI use include deep learning techniques to enhance the Pladenj/Tray data exchange platform, automated court transcription, AI-assisted tools in the tax administration, traffic management analytics, document anonymisation tools, and predictive VAT controls. Several AI pilots are under development, including AI-enabled monitoring of public procurement, a virtual assistant for the eUprava portal, smart sorting of incoming mail within the Krpan document management system, and advanced analytics using machine learning (ML) through the Skrinja (“Chest”) data warehouse. The current national AI programme recognises government as both a user and co-creator of AI, while Slovenia has aligned closely with OECD and EU frameworks, adopted a law implementing the EU AI Act, developed guidance on generative AI and launched upskilling initiatives such as popular ChatGPT and AI ethics courses for civil servants. A draft National AI Strategy 2030 further sets out horizontal pillars on data and compute, data spaces, software infrastructure, competencies and ethics, signalling a clear commitment to scale AI use in public administration.

At the same time, there are several areas where Slovenia could build on this foundation to realise its full ambitions and further implement the OECD Framework for Trustworthy AI in Government. Implementation of the current strategy has been uneven, with objectives on deploying AI in public administration and strengthening infrastructure progressing more slowly than planned, partly due to fragmented responsibilities, limited cross-ministerial coordination and modest portfolio oversight. AI skills and capacities across the public sector are still developing, with scope to deepen advanced and domain-specific training, strengthen knowledge transfer and foster more enduring communities of practice. Funding and procurement arrangements for AI remain relatively ad-hoc, with opportunities to clarify investment criteria, explore more targeted funding instruments and provide stronger central support to institutions procuring AI solutions. On the governance side, Slovenia is well positioned to further embed emerging good practices, including more systematic algorithmic auditing, ex-ante and ex-post impact assessment tailored to government AI, stronger impact measurement and a more comprehensive public registry of AI systems, alongside more structured engagement with citizens and users around concrete AI deployments.

Service design and delivery

Slovenia demonstrates some key strengths in advancing a human-centred approach to service design and delivery, which have been consistent between the 2023 and 2025 editions of the DGI. Its service standards support agencies in creating a more consistent approach to digital service delivery and a better user experience for people and businesses. The ‘Resolution on Legislative Regulation’, ‘Decree on the provision and re-use of public information’ and the ‘Decree on the provision and re-use of public information’ establish a solid legal framework through which to encourage more user-centred design and delivery. The GOV.SI’ website hosts an accessible and public-facing service catalogue to help users find the support they need. Finally, Slovenia’s Standard Cost Model is a good example of guidance on how to measure the transaction costs of service channels to support strong monitoring and service improvements over time.

However, the DGI results highlight four areas where Slovenia could improve its approach to service design and delivery and ensure that its services that truly meet the needs and expectations of their users. First, the absence of an omni-channel strategy limits the coherence of user journeys across digital and non-digital touchpoints. Establishing such a framework would strengthen the inclusiveness and accessibility of services for all users. Second, Slovenia could enhance its service catalogue by incorporating richer performance, relational and data-flow information to support transparency and interoperability. Third, more systematic user engagement, testing and performance monitoring are needed throughout the service lifecycle to ensure services reflect real user needs and drive continuous improvement. Finally, Slovenia established a good central solution to operationalise the Once-Only principle for national and cross-border usage (especially within the EU, in line with EU Regulation 2018/1724), but lacks adoption of this solution throughout the public sector. This way it represents a missed opportunity to reduce administrative burden and improve service efficiency. Addressing these gaps would help Slovenia align more closely with OECD good practice and deliver more seamless, trustworthy and human-centred public services.

In view of the assessment above, which draws on the findings and analysis of this Scan, the Slovenian government could consider the following policy recommendations:

Table 1.1. Overview of the OECD’s policy recommendations

Digital Governance and public sector capacity
Recommendation 1: The government could enhance the monitoring and evaluation of the SDJS 2030 by devising a dedicated set of KPIs and making them publicly available. It could also create and apply common standards to assess the societal, economic, and environmental impacts of digital government to support better alignment with Slovenia’s digital transformation objectives. Recommendation 2: The government could promote systematic feedback loops to support agile adaptation in the implementation of digital strategies and projects, and to improve the quality and relevance of digital services in line with user needs. Recommendation 3: The government could reinforce its digital governance model by bolstering the decision-making responsibilities of the Ministry of Digital Transformation on co-founding, approving digital and ICT projects, and mandating external reviews. The government could also re-evaluate the current Government Council for Digital Transformation’s double role as both formal coordination body and external advisory body, as well as work together with the Inter-Ministerial Working Group to strengthen co-operation with sub-national governments and promote more coherent and well-coordinated implementation of digital agendas. Recommendation 4: The government could review and update the legislation for digital transformation by introducing or strengthening provisions on administrative simplification, green digital, ICT procurement, data and information life-cycle management, and experimentation in the public sector, while simultaneously enhancing the recognition of key fundamental rights in the digital age in its legal and policy framework. These include rights to interact and communicate digitally, algorithmic transparency, net neutrality, and self-determination in a digital context. Recommendation 5: The government could systematically assess whether implemented digitally enabled services and digital policies are aligned with the new and existing laws. It could also make strategic use of eLegislation to help ensure that digital initiatives remain consistent with the country’s legal framework and to strengthen regulatory impact assessment of digital policies and services. Recommendation 6: The government could improve public sector digital capacities by undertaking a systematic assessment on digital-skills needs and gaps. Then, it could provide targeted upskilling/reskilling efforts to improve digital skills needed in the public sector to equipped public workforce to drive digital transformation across the public sector.
Digital Government Investments
Recommendation 7: The government could move towards establishing a cross-government benefits management approach for digital investments, extending the current focus on ex-ante value propositions into a full benefits lifecycle, from initial identification to ex-post review. Slovenia could consider an approach in which major digital proposals are required to define clear, measurable benefits aligned with digital government and other relevant strategies, identify accountable owners responsible for realising these outcomes, and set out mechanisms for monitoring and reporting progress. Recommendation 8: The government could introduce staged and risk-based funding mechanisms for digital investments to support more coherent and sustainable implementation. Under a staged approach, funding could be released in tranches, with each stage contingent on evidence of feasibility, value, and alignment with intended outcomes. Recommendation 9: The government could consider establishing clear capex and opex funding models best suited for digital initiatives and projects, distinguishing between one-off investment costs and ongoing operational costs, to ensure sustainable and effective investments. This could include considering cross-government cost-sharing arrangements, dedicated budget lines for maintenance, resilience and innovation, and integration with any benefits management approach that is developed. Recommendation 10: The government could consider developing a whole-of-government risk framework or model for digital investments to ensure consistent identification and mitigation of financial, delivery and technical risks across ministries and projects.
Digital Public Infrastructure
Recommendation 11: The government could strengthen its DPI approach by adopting key enablers, including common standards for API-management and metadata, and shared infrastructure, including government-to-person (G2P) digital notification tools. Recommendation 12: The government could improve its strategic ambitions with regards to cloud infrastructure, and explore the development of initiatives encouraging the use of open-source software, where relevant, in the public sector. Recommendation 13: The government could increase population uptake of secure and user-friendly digital identity solutions by extending its digital identity strategy to other types of services providers, accelerate the onboarding process of private sector and user-friendly usage of SI-PASS, promote the mobile based solutions for eIDs.
Data Access, Sharing and Re-Use
Recommendation 14: Consider formalising government data leadership by legislating the role of a Government Chief Data Officer and agency-level Chief Data Stewards, while continuing data stewardship training. Recommendation 15: Develop a data quality and interoperability framework that ensures data, in particular core business data (e.g. data on people, businesses, land, environment, income), are managed and shared in a consistent way across the Slovenian public sector, including at the local government level. Recommendation 16: Prioritise closer engagement with key stakeholders on data governance and open data to foster a strong and inclusive data ecosystem in Slovenia. This should focus in particular on local governments, businesses and SMEs, academia, and civil society, including citizens.
AI in Government
Recommendation 17: Strengthen coordination, governance and leadership on AI adoption in government. Prioritise the establishment of the permanent interministerial co-ordination group foreseen in draft 2030 strategy and ask key ministries and major public bodies to nominate knowledgeable and accountable AI leads so that strategic priorities, implementation, and lessons from pilots are steered coherently across government. Ensures clear lines of accountability exist for AI implementation across government. Consider the establishment of a central Chief AI Officer (CAIO) or similar position to chair the group and champion AI in government efforts across the public administration. Recommendation 18: Strengthen monitoring and oversight of AI systems and initiatives across government. Establish a clear implementation monitoring framework for AI in government by tasking the planned AI observatory with tracking a consolidated portfolio of AI systems in government, using a small set of agreed indicators on uptake, risk level and impacts, and reporting regularly to the interministerial co-ordination group, the AI Forum and political leaders so that strategy commitments translate into concrete, measurable progress. Recommendation 19: Develop practical, enabling guidance. Develop cross-cutting and domain-specific (e.g., procurement of AI) guidance that helps public servants understand how to test and adopt existing solution or design, buy and operate AI systems in practice, not only what to avoid, for example step-by-step playbooks, model documents and checklists for AI-related procurement, risk assessment, contracting and lifecycle management, with concrete examples and templates that ministries can readily adapt. Recommendation 20: Develop AI skills in government and a cross-government community of practice. Build on recent efforts to promote AI-related skills among civil servants by further investing in training that covers currently under-served topics such as AI in public services or AI project delivery, procurement, evaluation and risk management. Establish a cross-government community of practice on AI that brings together practitioners from ministries, agencies and local government to share lessons, examples and practical solutions. Recommendation 21: Accelerate AI adoption through targeted support by the Competence Centre for AI. Ensure that AI adoption in government is a core, explicitly mandated focus of the envisioned AI Competence Centre by creating a dedicated government workstream with tailored advisory services, training and project support for ministries, and by prioritising high-impact use cases and shared solutions that can be scaled across the public sector. Recommendation 22: Consider an AI-specific funding mechanism for AI innovation. Consider creating a dedicated AI funding mechanism to back high-priority use cases and shared enablers, linked to clear criteria on public value, risk management and learning. Recommendation 23: Develop proportionate pre- and post-deployment impact assessment for AI in government. Design a standard, proportionate approach for ex-ante and ex-post impact assessment of AI systems in government, including simple templates and guidance that help teams identify potential and actual effects on service quality, costs, human rights and equity, and require high-risk systems to undergo more detailed assessment, documentation and follow-up learning. Recommendation 24: Develop a transparent public registry of AI systems in government. Establish and maintain a comprehensive public registry of AI systems used across government that discloses basic information on each system’s purpose, such as provider, data use, risk level and human oversight; and integrate it into routine project approval and reporting processes so that new and modified systems are systematically recorded, searchable and open.
Service Design and Delivery
Recommendation 25: An omni-channel approach for accessible services. Develop a coherent omnichannel strategy that ensures seamless, inclusive and consistent user experiences across both digital and non-digital channels that safeguards universal access to public services, prevents digital exclusion and ensures that all users can engage with government services in the way that best meets their needs. This should be supported also by a more comprehensive service catalogue to improve openness and accessibility of public administrative services. Recommendation 26: Greater user engagement in service design and delivery. Develop a more systematic and consistent approach to the engagement of all user groups through the service lifecycle, including with more comprehensive use of tools and testing approaches in the development and launch of a service, and the ongoing monitoring of data on service performance once it has gone live. Recommendation 27: Deliver more seamless services through the ‘Once-Only Principle’ by promoting its awareness and adoption. This includes: 1. Embedding the principle in the approval and funding process of new projects; 2. Making it a standard requirement in the value proposition or business case for all initiatives; 3. Integrating it into the standardised delivery and management framework of digital projects. Recommendation 28: Support more consistent service delivery by expanding the service standards created through the ‘Guidelines for the Development of Information Solutions’ and ‘Uniform standards for government websites’ and developing an ecosystem of scalable tools, practices and resources for the delivery of services at all levels of government and across borders.