Background information

Heavy rains between 4 and 6 August 2023 caused devastating floods that claimed several lives, destroyed homes, and swept away roads and infrastructure. Floods and landslides made many sites unreachable, and settlements cut off from access to water, gas and electricity. Half of Slovenian municipalities (or 17,203 square kilometres) were severely hit, particularly the Gorenjska, Štajerska, and Koroška regions. The government’s quick response was aimed at helping people with temporary accommodations, repairing the damage, and keeping people employed. The Act Determining Intervention Measures for Recovery from the Floods and Landslides of August 2023 (ZIUOPZP) from 1 September 2023 enhances the post-flood reconstruction endeavours by aiding households, municipalities, businesses, employees, and farmers.

Content of measure

The Act Determining Intervention Measures for Recovery from the Floods and Landslides of August 2023 (ZIUOPZP) provided several supports to households affected by catastrophic floods:

• Extraordinary cash social assistance to flood victims, regardless of their financial situation;
• Extraordinary cash assistance to cover the cost of rented accommodation;
• Exemption from paying kindergarten and free school meals;
• Market rent subsidy;
• Amendments to the value of property for the annual rights to social cash benefits;
• A loan deferral of up to 12 months or for a consumer credit deferral of up to 24 months if a flood victim suffered more than €10,000 in damage etc.

Exceptionally, the extraordinary cash social assistance is not a means-tested social benefit and is available to all food victims, regardless of their financial situation. The maximum aid is seven times the minimum income for a single person, which is increased proportionally for each additional household member. For example, a single person may receive a maximum of €4,918.62, a couple without children a maximum of €7,622.30 and a family of four (two adults and two children) a maximum of €11,466. However, the total aid cannot exceed the damage suffered by the natural disaster. Beneficiary must provide a proof of damage until 30 June 2024 or risk the repayment of cash benefit.

The aid is available from 4 August to 31 December 2023.

Use of measure

Slovenian Government has provided €521 million to aid population, municipalities, and the economy by 12 October 2023. Around €139 million has been already paid from the public budget to assist and recover from the effects of floods. The Government estimates that the overall cost of the exceptional cash assistance will be €42 million.

Until 14 January 2024, the Government paid € 48,969,285 in extraordinary cash assistance to citizens affected by floods and landslides

Target groups

Workers	Businesses	Citizens
Does not apply to workers	Does not apply to businesses	Other groups of citizens

Actors and funding

Actors	Funding
National government	National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

	Trade unions	Employers' organisations
Role	No involvement	No involvement
Form	Not applicable	Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

• No involvement
• Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

Employers’ organisations, members of the Economic and Social Council (Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia – GZS, Slovenian Chamber of Commerce – TZS, Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia – OZS, Association of Employers Slovenia – ZDS, Association of Employers in Craft and Small Business of Slovenia – ZDOPS) have blocked negotiations since 20 July 2023. The emergency law was thus prepared without prior negotiation with the social partners

Views and reactions

No information available.

Sources

• 20 July 2023: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia – GZS, Slovenian Chamber of Commerce – TZS, Chamber of Craft and Small Business of Slovenia – OZS, Association of Employers Slovenia – ZDS, Association of Employers in Craft and Small Business of Slovenia – ZDOPS, Letter to the Prime Minister Robert Golob and the president of the ESS Jakob Počivalše (www.ess.si)
• 01 September 2023: Act Determining Intervention Measures for Recovery from the Floods and Landslides of August 2023 (Zakon o interventnih ukrepih za odpravo posledic poplav in zemeljskih plazov iz avgusta 2023, ZIUOPZP (www.pisrs.si)
• 01 September 2023: IUS-INFO, Ukrepi za pomoč prizadetim v avgustovskih poplavah in plazovi (www.iusinfo.si)
• 05 October 2023: IUS-INFO, Prebivalcem, gospodarstvu in občinam več kot pol milijarde za odpravo posledic popla (www.iusinfo.si)
• 05 October 2023: The Government of Slovenia, More than half a billion euro to help people, businesses and municipalities to recover from flood (www.gov.si)