The Savinjsko-Šaleška Region Development Agency, under which the SAŠA Just Transition Centre operates, organized the Savinjsko-Šaleška Region 2026 Development Conference yesterday, June 18, 2026, organized the Savinjsko-Šaleška Region 2026 Development Conference, titled “A New Direction Forward,” in the Logarska Valley. The event was attended by representatives of local communities, the business sector, education, science, the non-governmental sector, and development institutions, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Local Self-Government, Cohesion, and Regional Development. 
The conference was designed to facilitate a dialogue and exchange of views on key development challenges and opportunities that could accelerate a development breakthrough in the Savinjsko-Šaleška Region. With its Regional Development Strategy 2026–2050, Slovenia has chosen a scenario of polycentric and spatially balanced development that strengthens the role of regional centers. A stronger regional policy is expected to contribute to reducing development disparities by increasing the competitiveness of regions, based on their own potential. Guests and participants highlighted human capital —people, their knowledge, and skills—as well as energy, tourism, and forestry as the main development potentials of the Savinjsko-Šaleška Region. Job Creation with higher added value and an accessible network of high-quality public services are among the key objectives of the Strategy, which is intended to provide residents with a higher quality of life in all regions. Preserving quality of life must also be one of the main objectives of the regional development strategy. In the SAŠA region, there are noticeable differences between urban and rural areas, but this does not imply a lower quality of life in either one. The greater challenge lies in a reduction in the availability of market services in particular in the more remote areas of the Upper Savinja Valley, a situation that could also be improved through various innovative approaches. Tourism can also make a meaningful contribution to the accessibility of services and quality of life if it is planned and operated in a way that takes into account the needs and respects the interests of the local population, and if the local population actively participates in shaping and benefiting from local offerings. The transition from coal to other energy sources—and, consequently, the new opportunities for industry offered by this transition, the existing infrastructure, expertise, and the development of new technologies—are specific challenges facing the region. The future of the energy sector in the SAŠA region does not lie in a single source, but rather in a well-considered combination of multiple alternative sources. The energy sector certainly also presents an opportunity to strengthen entrepreneurship in the region. Knowledge, good energy infrastructure, and companies active in the energy sector are what participants identified as the greatest potential for the further development of this field. 
It is also necessary to ensure resilience—the region’s ability to turn setbacks into opportunities and find new ways to build a more diverse and resilient region, both in terms of self-sufficiency and protection against the effects of climate change. All further steps must be planned carefully enough to ensure they are sustainable in light of the changing climate and the global geopolitical situation. The underground infrastructure of the Velenje Coal Mine holds great potential, offering a platform for research and development activities once mining operations have ceased. It is essential to ensure flood resilience; the region is still recovering from the disaster of 2023. We also touched on food self-sufficiency, as well as the potential for agricultural production and food processing. 
In addition to the economy and education, local communities also play a key role in supporting development; they must primarily ensure the basic conditions: establishing business zones and other infrastructure, spatial planning for projects, ensuring quality of life, and providing support in policy-making and preparing the groundwork for securing funding. One such example is the collaboration on drafting the Regional Development Restructuring Act, which provides additional financial incentives for launching new activities and maintaining the quality of life in the region.
Among others, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Local Self-Government, Cohesion, and Regional Development, Mr. Rok Šimenc, who emphasized that the answer to the question of how to restructure the region must come not from the state, but from the region itself. He assured the audience that the Ministry of Local Self-Government, Cohesion, and Regional Development would remain a partner to the coal-mining region. 
Those present agreed that success requires knowledge, cooperation, and courage. A long-term vision and the identification of key development projects, along with the highlighted potential , form the foundation of the path that leads us into the future.
The conference marks the first step in developing a regional development program for the 2028–2034 programming period. 
The conference was designed to facilitate a dialogue and exchange of views on key development challenges and opportunities that could accelerate a development breakthrough in the Savinjsko-Šaleška Region. With its Regional Development Strategy 2026–2050, Slovenia has chosen a scenario of polycentric and spatially balanced development that strengthens the role of regional centers. A stronger regional policy is expected to contribute to reducing development disparities by increasing the competitiveness of regions, based on their own potential. Guests and participants highlighted human capital —people, their knowledge, and skills—as well as energy, tourism, and forestry as the main development potentials of the Savinjsko-Šaleška Region. Job Creation with higher added value and an accessible network of high-quality public services are among the key objectives of the Strategy, which is intended to provide residents with a higher quality of life in all regions. Preserving quality of life must also be one of the main objectives of the regional development strategy. In the SAŠA region, there are noticeable differences between urban and rural areas, but this does not imply a lower quality of life in either one. The greater challenge lies in a reduction in the availability of market services in particular in the more remote areas of the Upper Savinja Valley, a situation that could also be improved through various innovative approaches. Tourism can also make a meaningful contribution to the accessibility of services and quality of life if it is planned and operated in a way that takes into account the needs and respects the interests of the local population, and if the local population actively participates in shaping and benefiting from local offerings. The transition from coal to other energy sources—and, consequently, the new opportunities for industry offered by this transition, the existing infrastructure, expertise, and the development of new technologies—are specific challenges facing the region. The future of the energy sector in the SAŠA region does not lie in a single source, but rather in a well-considered combination of multiple alternative sources. The energy sector certainly also presents an opportunity to strengthen entrepreneurship in the region. Knowledge, good energy infrastructure, and companies active in the energy sector are what participants identified as the greatest potential for the further development of this field. It is also necessary to ensure resilience—the region’s ability to turn setbacks into opportunities and find new ways to build a more diverse and resilient region, both in terms of self-sufficiency and protection against the effects of climate change. All further steps must be planned carefully enough to ensure they are sustainable in light of the changing climate and the global geopolitical situation. The underground infrastructure of the Velenje Coal Mine holds great potential, offering a platform for research and development activities once mining operations have ceased. It is essential to ensure flood resilience; the region is still recovering from the disaster of 2023. We also touched on food self-sufficiency, as well as the potential for agricultural production and food processing. In addition to the economy and education, local communities also play a key role in supporting development; they must primarily ensure the basic conditions: establishing business zones and other infrastructure, spatial planning for projects, ensuring quality of life, and providing support in policy-making and preparing the groundwork for securing funding. One such example is the collaboration on drafting the Regional Development Restructuring Act, which provides additional financial incentives for launching new activities and maintaining the quality of life in the region.
Among others, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Local Self-Government, Cohesion, and Regional Development, Mr. Rok Šimenc, who emphasized that the answer to the question of how to restructure the region must come not from the state, but from the region itself. He assured the audience that the Ministry of Local Self-Government, Cohesion, and Regional Development would remain a partner to the coal-mining region. Those present agreed that success requires knowledge, cooperation, and courage. A long-term vision and the identification of key development projects, along with the highlighted potential , form the foundation of the path that leads us into the future.
The conference marks the first step in developing a regional development program for the 2028–2034 programming period.