26 May 2021 – Donor States’ representatives, representatives from the Government Office for Development and European Cohesion Policy which acts as the National Focal Point and Programme Operator and other stakeholders held the 3rd EEA and Norway Grants Annual Meeting to discuss the progress made in the implementation of the EEA and Norway Grants in Slovenia in 2020.
At the annual meeting, already the second in a row to be held via videoconference, the participants approved the Combined Strategic and Annual Report for 2020 which is published on the dedicated website. The Donor States’ representatives and other stakeholders were updated on the progress made in 2020 in the implementation of the programmes Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Education – Enhancing Human Capital and Social Dialogue – Decent Work as well as in the implementation of the Active Citizens Fund and both horizontal funds, i.e. the Fund for Youth Employment and the Fund for Regional Cooperation.
The participants discussed, inter alia, the state of play of the two open calls for proposals under the programmes Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation and Education – Enhancing Human Capital, the initiatives and bilateral cooperation under the Fund for Bilateral Relations and the reallocation of the reserve, i.e. the unallocated amount still available to Slovenia under the EEA and Norway Grants. They also touched on other open issues.
Donor States’ representatives underlined that the Covid-19 pandemic profoundly affected the year 2020 and constituted an unprecedented challenge which nevertheless offered an opportunity to build back better. They welcomed the progress made by Slovenian authorities in implementing the EEA and Norway Grants and wished them every success in their future work, calling for further close and active cooperation with Slovenian authorities towards shared goals.