Just over EUR 45 million of the total funding comes from EU cohesion funds, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek said after signing a supplementary regional development agreement with Metod Ropret, the head of the Osrednjeslovenska Development Council.

A combined EUR 67.5 million will be invested in fourteen projects promoting multi-modal urban mobility, EUR 12.3 million in three projects in the water sector ad EUR 10.9 million in three projects stimulating entrepreneurship.

Ropret highlighted investments in business zones in Šmartno pri Litiji and Ljubljana, 100 kilometres of new regional cycling links and waste water purification infrastructure in Logatec and Brezovica.

"Osrednjeslovenska is the most developed Slovenian region, but even here it's necessary to continue to create the conditions to develop human potential, the economy and improve mobility," the minister said, adding that such projects also boosted inter-regional development and integration.

Regional policy is important for Slovenia's balanced regional development. "It's an efficient instrument for the financing of development projects, which represents a major challenge not only for the Economy Ministry but also for other ministries."

The minister expects that shortly supplements to the other 11 regional development agreements will be signed. All the agreements comprise 210 open projects valued at a combined EUR 682 million, of which EUR 410 million in EU funds.