Ljubljana - Slovenian students often rely on subsidised meals to keep costs of living down, but the number of providers keeps falling. In 2023, both the price of a meal and the subsidy's value will increase, but students will pay more out of pocket.

Under legislation passed in April, starting January the maximum value of a meal will reach EUR 9, up by EUR 2, while the subsidy will stand at EUR 3.50, an increase of 68 cents. This means students will pay a maximum amount of EUR 5.50, instead of the current EUR 4.18 per meal.

Marko Ruperčič from the Slovenian Student Union told the STA the increase was a necessary measure if Slovenia was to keep its student meals system operating.

"During the last decade, the subsidised value remained stagnant, which has been problematic due to price hikes. Because the maximum value of a meal correlates directly to the subsidy it also remained at bay."

Also problematic is the decreasing number of student meal providers. This year there were only 345 compared to 548 in 2017, which Ruperčič attributes to rising food prices and higher labour costs.

Meanwhile, the average student meal cost went from EUR 5.40 in 2017 to EUR 5.57 in 2022, with the highest prices recorded in the capital where the average student meal is valued at EUR 5.70, EUR 0.39 more than in Maribor where student meals are the cheapest.