Ljubljana - As Slovenia received the first batch of EU recovery funds, the newspaper Delo says in Saturday's front-page commentary that the country's problem is that each government is setting its short-term goals rather than thinking strategically.

This is why the state mostly lacks comprehensive plans for the key areas such as housing policy, energy transport, taxes, pensions, healthcare, security and economic development, and a comprehensive strategy of development in general.

Almost in all areas solutions come as urgent putting out of fire. If this continues, Slovenia will always lag behind the EU development-wise, the paper says.

Another important point is that the challenges of each individual area cannot be tacked separately, as areas are intertwined.

"Without a reliable public infrastructure and a competitive tax environment the economy will do worse than it could, which means less money or taxes for public infrastructure."

EU funds are foremost a push that is to move all these processes forward. "Slovenia must use them efficiently. Although they are grants we will be returning them to the EU budget ..."

That is why the money must reach businesses and people - the taxpayers, concludes the commentary entitled European Money to Taxpayers.