25 November 2022 – An expert meeting ”Activating community to implement circular economy principles in Slovenia” took place at the Trebnik Mansion in Slovenske Konjice last Friday. Introductory remarks were delivered by dr Franc Trček, Secretary at the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy who took part in the discussion together with his colleagues at the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy. Dr Trček said: ”We’re excited about the StudioKroG project because it shows the right path and approach. This pilot project is implemented in the local/regional community and for its benefit and will continue to be implemented once the co-funding finishes. Sharing of expertise between the Slovenian and Norwegian partners makes such projects really important, also for the legislative and executive branch, as they provide an important insight and information on the necessary legislative changes needed to mainstream and upscale the results of pilot projects in different local environments.”
The discussion revolved around the Circular Economy Action Plan that focuses on waste reduction, circular design and announces initiatives along the entire life cycle of products. The new action plan is one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal, EU’s ambitious plan to make Europe a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 where resources are used efficiently and where economic growth is decoupled from the resource use.
The participants also took stock of the project’s progress made in implementing circular economy in practice through the reuse of discarded shipping containers for educational, tourism, business and other purposes. In order to establish partnerships between private and public stakeholders to increase circular use of resources, all key partners that were present at the meeting committed themselves to working together after the project completion. They signed an informal agreement to collaborate as a community on the basis of jointly identified challenges with the aim to ensure the durability and sustainability of the project and advance circular economy in Slovenia.
The expert meeting was held as part of the co-financed project StudioKroG. Its aim was to activate the wider community to advance circular economy principles. The meeting was attended by Mr Primož Poklič, Vice-Mayor of Municipality of Slovenske Konjice, mag. Aleš Brglez, Director of Slovenske Konjice Public Utility Company, Mr Jan Evensen, representative of project partner Fonix AS from Norway, mag. Zala Božič Strojin, circular economy manager for the City of Ljubljana, dr. Jure Kotnik, internationally renowned architect in the area of container architecture, associate professor dr Katja Pogačar, University of Maribor, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering and Architecture, and many other guests.