Funds for Slovenians abroad to increase in 2023, 2024

Presenting the budget proposal on behalf of Minister Matej Arčon, who could not attend today's session due to other obligations, State Secretary Vesna Humar said the new budget proposal allocated EUR 11.38 million to the office, which is 6% more than this year and EUR 79,000 more than originally planned.

In 2024, the office is to receive EUR 11.58 million or 8% more than in 2022.

Tanko said the office was not getting enough funds and that the supplementary budget increased overall expenditure by 25%, so the rise in the funding of the office was not high enough.

Humar said the office wanted to place more emphasis on the young and business cooperation with Slovenians abroad, and to learning Slovenian outside the country.

She said the Slovenian organisations in other countries had more problems with finding staff than with financing.

The Government Office for Slovenians Abroad also helps the Slovenian communities abroad with emergency funding and is prepared for the price hikes that will affect the associations that own real estate, MPs heard.

The 2023 supplementary budget envisages EUR 16.7 billion in expenditure, which is 25% more than was planned in the original 2023 budget passed last November.

In 2024, expenditure is expected to drop by 7.1% and EUR 15.5 billion will be available to all budget users.

Under the revised budget, the funding will go up the most to the Health Ministry (by 77%), Finance Ministry (49%), and the Economy Ministry (44%).

The Environment Ministry follows with a 34% rise, the Foreign Ministry with 25% and the Labour Ministry with 23%.

Other ministries will see their budgets increase by a few percent, while the public administration and justice ministry will receive almost 6% and 2% fewer funds, respectively.