Implementing decision 2020/1356 - Granting of temporary support to Slovenia to mitigate unemployment risks following the COVID-19 outbreak - Main contents

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

L 314/59

On 7 August 2020, Slovenia requested financial assistance from the Union with a view to complementing its national efforts to address the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and respond to the socioeconomic consequences of the outbreak for workers and the self-employed.

The COVID-19 outbreak and the extraordinary measures implemented by Slovenia to contain the outbreak and its socioeconomic and health-related impact are expected to have a dramatic impact on public finances. According to the Commission’s 2020 Spring forecast, Slovenia was expected to have a general government deficit and debt of 7,2 % and 83,7 % of gross domestic product (GDP) respectively by the end of 2020. According to the Commission’s 2020 Summer interim forecast, Slovenia’s GDP is projected to decrease by 7,0 % in 2020.

The COVID-19 outbreak has immobilised a substantial part of the labour force in Slovenia. This has led to a sudden and severe increase in public expenditure in Slovenia in respect of short-time work schemes and similar measures, as set out in recitals (4) to (9).

The ‘Act Determining the Intervention Measures on Salaries and Contributions (ZIUPPP)’ (2) and the ‘Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Contain the COVID-19 Epidemic and Mitigate its Consequences for Citizens and the Economy (ZIUZEOP)’ (3), which are referred to in Slovenia’s request of 7 August 2020, introduced a wage compensation scheme for employees who did not work (or waited for work) due to a temporary incapacity of the employers to provide work for business reasons, force majeure or quarantine. The benefit payable under the scheme is capped at 80 % of the employee’s average wage in the last three months, but is not lower than the minimum wage in Slovenia, and is conditional on the retention of the employee during the employer’s participation. The scheme was in force from 13 March 2020 to 31 May 2020. On the basis of the ‘Act Determining the Intervention Measures to Mitigate and Remedy the Consequences of the COVID-19 Epidemic (ZIUOOPE)’ (4), the scheme has since been extended with some amendments from 1 June 2020 until 31 August 2020 with a planned further extension until the end of September 2020.

An exemption from the payment of social security insurance contributions for employees benefitting from the wage compensation scheme was introduced. That scheme was in force from 13 March 2020 to 31 May 2020.

A short-time work scheme has been created that allows employers to temporarily introduce part-time work, whilst employees are paid a full-time salary. The employer receives a fixed-amount subsidy for each employee’s non-worked hours, which is conditional on employee retention during the employer’s participation and for one additional month. The scheme is in force from 1 June 2020 to 31 December 2020.

For employees who remained in the workplace, the authorities introduced a scheme that subsidised the payment of pension and disability insurance contributions, including contributions for professional pensions. The...