A year ago, an inter-ministerial task force was formed for this purpose and now it has evolved into the Partnership for Green Economy of Slovenia, which held its maiden session at Brdo pri Kranju today.

According to state secretary at the prime minister's office Tadej Slapnik, the head of the inter-ministerial task force, the idea is to bring together all the stakeholders, and create a platform for the exchange of know-how and experience so that new measures and policies could be formed.

Companies, local communities, experts, NGOs, investors and others who want to actively participate in the transition to a green economy are invited to join in.

At the meetings, the stakeholders will discuss the implementation of measures agreed and make plans for the next two years.

Slapnik underlined the importance of cooperation among all stakeholders, saying that the transition to a green economy entailed a change in policy, method of production, consumption and management.

Key goals are to ensure competitiveness, develop products with higher added value, increase energy self-sufficiency, ensure the quality of living and working environments, and create green jobs.

Slapnik also read a message from Prime Minister Miro Cerar, who highlighted that the transition to a green economy was a government's priority.

Economy Ministry State Secretary Aleš Cantarutti said that all stakeholders were invited to "roll up their sleeves and prepare concrete projects and actions".

Janja Kreitmayer McKenzie of the Environment and Spatial Planning Ministry said the goal was to achieve synergies and improve the legislation. "We should put our know-how into use, turn our experience into measures and improve access to financial resources," she said.

State secretaries from various ministries presented the measures and projects that are being implemented or are planned, including a waste management programme, cutting of red tape for spatial planning projects, co-funding of projects protecting cultivated land from overgrowing and modernisation of irrigation systems.

The measures promoting the transition to a green economy also include forest protection projects, the boosting of competitiveness of the forest-wood chain, the encouraging of eco innovations, social entrepreneurship, green public procurement, organic school gardens and sustainable mobility.