Slovenia has joined the Living-in.eu movement days after the the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU began. Boštjan KoritnikMinister of Public Administration, signed the Join Boost Sustain declaration at the Slovenian Presidency Conference “EU as a Community of People” on 8 July 2021, sending a strong signal on the importance of multi-level governance in progressing the digital transformation of cities and communities.  

“We are aware that it is only through cooperation and exchange of good practices between countries, regions, local communities and cities that we can transform our cities and communities into smart and sustainable places where people like to live and work. This is why Slovenia has signed the Declaration on joining forces to boost sustainable digital transformation in cities and communities in the EU, which aims at an inclusive and digital Europe that enables every community to benefit economically and socially from this transformation while ensuring that no one is ignored.”

Minister Boštjan Koritnik

The “EU as a Community of People” conference featured Slovenian and international experts who participated in two panel discussions, focusing on topics which are central to the Living-in.eu movement. The first discussed examples of good practice in creating "smart cities" that provide innovative solutions for their residents through new technologies; the second saw an exchange experiences on cross-border cooperation and municipalities working together in European groupings of territorial cooperation (EGTC), an instrument under EU Regional Policy.

On 9th July, the Living-in.EU Signatories meeting took forward some of these themes, focusing on best practice examples of cross-border cooperation on digital topics. Making the link with the Slovenian Presidency, Peter Geršič, expert for development and smart communities in Novo Mesto, presented his city’s experience of digital cooperation with other EU cities for urban nature-based solutions. See here for further information. [Link to news item]

Slovenia is the third country to join the Living-in.eu movement at National level, joining Finland and Estonia. Five Slovenian cities and municipalities are currently members of Living-in.EU, which is also supported by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia.