Ljubljana - Public Administration Minister Boštjan Koritnik and Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković have signed an agreement under which the government and Ljubljana will cooperate on 29 projects in 2020-2023. The deal is in line with the law on the Slovenian capital city. Janković hopes new projects will be added soon, which Koritnik is optimistic about.

In the next three years, the government is expected to allocate EUR 13.7 million for the projects in the area of Ljubljana which are of importance to the state.

Koritnik said at today's signing ceremony at Town Hall that the agreement will enable Ljubljana to become even greener and friendlier to its residents.

The agreement, which the government endorsed in January, features projects from fields covered by six ministries and the government secretariat.

They range from infrastructure upgrades of roads and railways, including the Ljubljana railway hub, to construction of a new courthouse and a new prison. Land and building transfers are also planned, alongside parking policy projects and noise barriers, while the city will exempt organisers of national ceremonies of local taxes.

Neither Koritnik nor Janković wanted to discuss the value of the projects, saying all procedures were yet to be carried out.

However, Janković said his "realistic estimate" was they would not cost less than half a billion euro.

Under the agreement, which serves as a timeline to carry out the agreed projects and tasks, each side will cover its share of the financial obligations in line with their powers and budgets.

The Public Administration Ministry noted in a statement that the first such agreement was concluded in May 2016 for 2016-2018.

The latest one is open to new projects, said Koritnik, while in Janković's view some 29 more would have to be added sooner of later.

The mayor said the deal proved cooperation was possible to enable development of the state and the Slovenian capital. "For good cooperation, it shouldn't be important who runs the government and who runs the municipality."

He also thanked Koritnik, saying there would be no agreement without his great effort.