"Slovenia: New Government Restricts Rights of Environmental Groups", 21 May 2020

Environmentalists and nature protectionists are describing the recent developments in Slovenia, where the new government has restricted access to public participation and justice for environmental non-governmental organisations, as "a pogrom" and "a declaration of war on the protection of nature and environment" in Slovenia. In late April 2020, the government included in its coronavirus crisis stimulus package the provisions aimed at deregulation of construction legislation and speeding up of infrastructure investments during the economic recovery... According to the Slovenian Press Agency, such solutions allow to investors to override the public benefit of preserving the nature and environment with other public benefits... In Slovenia, non-governmental organisations that obtain the status of acting in the public interest in the field off environmental protection can be, according to Environmental Protection Act, parties in the procedures and can go to court and challenge the decisions in environmental matters. So far, several major investments, which would severely affect the environment, have been successfully challenged...  [Some media are] taking a critical stance, while major TV channels have invited the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning to confront representatives of NGOs. The minister is portraying the non-governmental organisations as a problem for the realisation of major infrastructure projects...