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A Day After Its Referendum Victory, The SDS Party Visited Residents Of The Savinjska Region

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On Monday, just one day after the referendum victory, the Slovenian Democratic Party (Slovenska demokratska stranka – SDS) parliamentary group visited the Savinjska region. They met with local representatives, business people and citizens. They visited several municipalities and learned about the current situation on the ground, as well as challenges and future plans in this beautiful part of Slovenia.

Part of the team visited Kozjansko and Obsotelje. Jelka Godec, Danijel Krivec, Andrej Kosi, Franci Kepa, Karmen Furman, Tomaž Lisec and Zoran Mojškerc started their visit with a working breakfast with the Mayor of Šentjur, Marko Diaci, the Mayor of Dobje, Franc Leskovšek, and the SDS councillors of the Municipality of Šentjur.

They drew attention to dangerous road sections without pavements, where the safety of people – especially children – is at risk. They also spoke about the financing of kindergartens, which is becoming an increasing burden for parents and municipalities. Safe infrastructure and accessible preschool care must be a priority.

The visit was followed by a meeting with representatives of the Šentjur Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry. President Marjan Bohorč pointed out that the economic crisis is already being felt quite strongly and that entrepreneurs were also concerned about the high wage burden. Namely, the employers would like to ensure decent pay for their employees, but the state is taking too much from them.

The next stop of their visit was the Kalobje school branch, where the MPs were welcomed by the headmaster Boris Čujež and the president of the local community Zdravko Hribernik. They also visited the construction site of a new school and kindergarten – an important asset for the town and its families. Unfortunately, the gym remains only a plan for now, as the project is at a standstill due to a lack of funds.

They also visited the Tajfun company in Planina pri Sevnici, where three key problems were highlighted by the leadership: – overcharging for wages, – too much red tape and lobbyists behind the tenders, – lack of support from Slovenian embassies abroad.

They also visited the Agricultural Cooperative Šaleška dolina, z.o.o., where they were welcomed by its Director, Ivan Drev. It is one of the few cooperatives that have its own production or farm. This year, a quarantine barn was built. They are proud of the Turn Fruit Centre, where they produce sparkling apple wine, apple brandy and organic bone beef soup, which has even won an award. They are thriving and emphasise: “Where there is a good cooperative, there are successful farmers.”

In Kozje, they also visited the Rajmax company, which produces top-quality windows – proof that top quality is also born in smaller environments. In Virštanj, they were welcomed by Mayor Peter Misja, who presented the Centre for the Promotion of Wine, Culture and Tourism, where local offer, heritage and tourism development are intertwined. “The field sessions are an opportunity to listen directly to the people, learn about their challenges and work together to find solutions,” the group of MPs wrote at the end of its visit on the social media X.

The other part of the group – Zvonko Černač, Franc Breznik, Alenka Jeraj, Andrej Poglajen, Jože Jelen, Jože Lenart, Franc Rosec, Alenka Helbl – met with the mayors of the municipalities of Ljubno ob Savinji, Gornji Grad, Mozirje, Nazarje, Žalec, Polzela, Prebold and Rečica ob Savinji, who pointed out the bureaucratic obstacles in the post-flood recovery process. There are still problems with replacement construction. Many procedures have been delayed for a year and a half, despite good proposals from the municipalities at the start of the recovery process after the floods. There have also been challenges in the construction of dry detention basins. “If another flood happens, we need to be properly prepared,” stressed the mayors. “People expect solutions and often think that municipalities are to blame, but the problems are at higher levels.”

The Mayor of Prebold, from the Social Democrats party (Socialni demokrati – SD), stressed that cooperation with the SDS party has been very good for years and that together, they are keeping the Savinjska region strong.

The MPs were welcomed at the Prodnik Inn by Mr Edvard Jurjevec, whose entire boathouse with 70 boats, including equipment and all the outbuildings, was swept away by the floods in August of 2023. He responded to the occasional criticism that he is too critical of the current government and that he praises the previous government too much by saying, “It is true that Janez Janša is not our God, because we are a Christian country, we have only one God. But we can say that Janez Janša was sent by God to save Slovenia.”

The MPs continued their day with a visit to the Podkrižnik Group, where they were welcomed by the founder and Director of the company, Iztok Podkrižnik.

The company started its path decades ago as a gunmaker, and today, it has a global presence in intelligent propulsion systems. They work with large companies such as Bosch and Siemens, as well as various companies in the marine industry. For example, their cylinders are used to lift the London Bridge, as well as the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia.

The production process is constantly being optimised and upgraded to reduce production times – giving them a significant competitive advantage. Iztok Podkrižnik pointed out that it is sad where left-wing governments have taken Slovenia. “We need to keep an eye on Slovenian companies so that they do not fall into foreign hands. It is not even worth losing words on the tax policy here – we are losing a lot of competitiveness due to high payroll taxes,” he warned.

The MPs also visited the Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant (TEŠ), where they were welcomed by Director Branko Debeljak. The Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant produces about 35 percent of Slovenia’s electricity. In times of crisis, it covers more than 50 percent of consumption, as it is a stable source of electricity. The power plant spends considerable resources on reducing emissions, dust and noise, as well as on protecting water quality, as demonstrated by the certificates it has obtained. MPs climbed to the very top of the building, where they had a bird’s-eye view of the complex from the platform, overlooking Družmir or Šoštanj Lake.

MPs Janez Janša, Suzana Lep Šimenko, Andrej Hoivik, Rado Gladek and Anja Bah Žibert formed the third group of MPs, and they visited Celje, where they met with mayors and vice-mayors. In Rimske Toplice, they visited the Aškerc Fruit Growing Company; in Celje, they visited the Etra company; and in Vojnik, they visited the Ostri company.

The following problems were also repeatedly raised on the ground: – complicated bureaucracy, – projects that are not solely the responsibility of municipalities and are therefore at a standstill, – humiliating funding for municipalities, – lack of interlocutors in ministries.

During their conversations with people from the Savinjska region, they also heard the following statement: “Sometimes, all the bureaucratic hurdles make you too tired to work at all. It is the idiocy of people who have never worked in their lives!”

During their visit to the Celje heating plant, the group was welcomed by Mayor Matija Kovač. He pointed out that the SDS party has been involved in many important projects in Celje – previously as part of the government, and now through its MPs – for which Celje is very grateful. The Mayor pointed out that the country is having great difficulties in drawing down European Union funds, and municipalities are trying to help as much as they can. He also highlighted the problem of the lump sum – although it has been increased, this increase has been cancelled out by the rise in civil servants’ salaries, leaving municipalities with insufficient funds for investments.

Sara Kovač

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