Today, 29 March 2024, the Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina welcomed the Minister of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning Jože Novak for a familiarisation visit. In their conversation, he emphasised that a clean, healthy, and safe environment is a fundamental human right, which originates from the right to human dignity and is the basis for the implementation of all other human rights. They agreed with the Minister that protecting the environment, preserving nature, and a healthy life are equally important issues as proper planning of space and the development needs of the population. In their discussion, they raised the issue of the preparation and adoption of the necessary regulations, which will actually enable the realisation of the right to drinking water, which was already written into the Constitution of the Republic of Slovenia in 2016.

In the conversation, they touched on many open issues in the field of care for natural resources, environment, and space and agreed on active and operational cooperation. They agreed that in the area of ​​environmental and spatial management, communication between the authorities and potentially affected residents is extremely poor. "The Republic of Slovenia is hyper-regulated in certain areas, but lacks a legislative framework in others. The absence of clear rules that allow cheating, the lack of coordination of individual intertwining areas of the environment and space, excessively long decision-making procedures, and ineffective control of inspection services are just some of the systemic anomalies that demand effective solutions", emphasised Ombudsman Svetina. He welcomed the Minister's efforts to increase the efficiency of the inspection services under his jurisdiction, since it is precisely in the field of work of the inspectorate responsible for natural resources and space that the institution of the Ombudsman has been drawing attention to numerous violations of the principle of good governance and other violations of human rights for years.   

The Ombudsman also talked with the Minister about legal protection against spatial implementation acts and building and other permits; on the necessary elimination of the unconstitutionality of the provisions within the Act on Architecture and Civil Engineering Activities, which, according to the Minister's explanations, is already under consideration by the government; and about the practice of the Directorate for Water in the disposal of land that has been deprived of the status of water that is a public good, where the Ombudsman has discovered certain anomalies; about the findings of the Ombudsman at the shooting range and training ground of the Poček Training Ground; coexistence with large animals; about concern for the health of residents in Anhovo and about the course of remediation of some other degraded areas in Slovenia and the importance of involving the public in cooperation in the preparation of regulations, in accordance with the Aarhus Convention and other regulations. "There is no dilemma as to whether the public has the right to participate in environmental matters. This is based on normative foundations, it is an expression of good management of bodies and the democratic social order," emphasised Ombudsman Svetina. He also stressed that high-quality regulations are also important for proper spatial planning. "If they are of good quality, they are understandable, their implementation is easier and faster, and informing the public about the stages of preparation on the spot reduces possible objections," said Ombudsman Peter Svetina at the introductory meeting, who was pleased that he and the Minister shared similar views on most of the topics raised, as well as the Minister's intention to address all the listed issues operationally and efficiently.