Govt adopts changes to natural disaster relief legislation
Ljubljana, 5 August - The government adopted on Saturday changes to the Natural Disaster Recovery Act so that municipalities get financial state aid swiftly, before the final assessments of damage are made, Minister of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning Uroš Brežan told the press after the emergency government session.
This way local communities will be able to help people affected by the flash floods as soon as possible, he added.
The bill brings an option of the state paying the affected municipality in advance 20% of the initially assessed damage to carry out the most urgent repair works.
"This will speed up the allocation of funds in the form of advance payment before the final damage assessment and the final recovery programme are adopted."
The bill also changes some of the rules for damages in agriculture; for instance, farmers who have insured their crops will be able to get 100% payment for the lost crops based on the de minimis scheme.
An important change is retroactivity, said Brežan, explaining that the 20% advance payment rule will apply to damage from natural disasters suffered since 1 January 2023.
He said it now seems the bill will be fast-tracked through parliament next week. PM Robert Golob said earlier this could happen on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The changes the bill brings were presented to the press earlier this week as they were discussed with representatives of all three associations of municipalities.
The government was expected to adopt the changes after the summer recess on 17 August, but the latest flash floods prompted it to do it earlier.