Brdo pri Kranju - The government endorsed on Wednesday a draft of the seventh stimulus package mitigating the ramifications of the second Covid-19 wave. The draft will be finalised at one of the coming government sessions, a press release published after yesterday's session reads.

The package primarily aims to mitigate or tackle the repercussions of Covid-19 including in the economy, labour market, social security and healthcare, the government said.

The document includes a proposal by the Health Ministry for a value added tax exemption in the case of Covid-19 vaccines, coronavirus tests, testing and vaccination equipment and all related health services, the ministry announced ahead of Wednesday's session.

Meanwhile, the Economy Ministry proposed for the draft to include certain changes in granting investment boosts and the additional EUR 5 million for face mask procurement in the economic sector.

The ministry also suggested rising fixed-cost subsidies for companies hit worst to EUR 2,000 per employee per month. Another proposal was to amend the deadline for disbursing these subsidies to 20 January 2021 at the latest.

When it comes to helping the tourism industry, the ministry highlighted a proposal to set up a EUR 200 million loan fund that would be managed via SID bank, the state investment and development bank, and would aim to boost new investments in tourism.

Moreover, the ministry proposed the launch of a EUR 90 million fund for interest-free loans through the Slovenian Enterprise Fund and a guarantee scheme worth more than EUR 100 million managed by the same fund for loans available to small and mid-sized companies.