CSO SUSTAINABILITY: 3.7

Slovenia’s new right-wing government began its four-year term at the end of January 2012. Some of its actions and decisions have already affected the CSO sector significantly. For example, in line with its efforts to save money as a result of the economic crisis, the government decided to combine and reorganize ministries, abolish over 100 consultative bodies, pass a supplementary budget, and pass more than forty laws in thirty days. These actions have harmed CSOs’ financial viability and advocacy efforts.

In response to these actions, CSOs have formed coalitions, organized campaigns, and increased their visibility in the media. The sector’s public image improved due to the quick response of humanitarian organizations to the increasing number of poor people and advocacy activities criticizing the government’s decisions. In addition, youth and social organizations provided a variety of services during the public sector’s strike, which was organized due to budget cuts and the consequent decrease in salaries of public officials.

There are approximately 25,000 CSOs in Slovenia, including more than 22,500 associations (an increase of 500 in the last year), 2,350 private institutes (an increase of 350 in the last year), and 250 foundations (an increase of 10 in the last year). The majority of organizations work at the grassroots level. It is unclear how many of these organizations are actually active.