On Wednesday, 15 October 2025, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning was visited by a large Polish delegation, which, as part of its study visit, wished to learn about Slovenia’s experience in the field of integrated water management.
The delegation was received by Dr Lidija Globevnik, Director-General of the Water Directorate at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, together with her colleagues and representatives of the Water Institute of the Republic of Slovenia. In a relaxed yet professional atmosphere, Slovenian solutions and experiences were presented in the areas of greatest interest to the Polish delegation. The Slovenian delegation also included representatives from the Institute for Water of the Republic of Slovenia (IzVRS), who work in the field of integrated water management, covering both inland waters and the sea. Dr Sašo Šantl, Head of the Inland Waters Sector at the Water Institute of the Republic of Slovenia, presented Slovenia’s experience of introducing the concept of green and blue corridors into the strategic planning and spatial planning phases. He emphasised that in most actual cases of restricting use in protected marine and coastal areas, positive effects are evident both on biodiversity and on the increase in stocks of fish species outside the protected areas. However, in terms of establishing blue and green corridors as a key element of a comprehensive network of blue and green infrastructure, current practice is still only at the stage of identifying them. By identifying these corridors, by emphasising their cross-border status and incorporating them into Slovenia’s Maritime Spatial Plan, has taken a significant step forward towards their implementation for a sustainable blue economy within the Adriatic ecoregion.
The Polish delegation was also interested in Slovenia’s constitutional framework governing the right to drinking water; so, in the second part of the meeting, a more detailed bilateral discussion took place solely with representatives of the Directorate for Water Management at the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure on the process of amending the constitution, the referendum and the harmonisation of other legislation governing the water supply sector.
The meeting saw a rich exchange of information and experiences, representing an important step towards strengthening cooperation between Poland and Slovenia in the field of sustainable water management.
Photo 1: visit by the Polish delegation
Photo 2: bilateral meeting