Managing of the Park

On June 10th 2003, the Government of Slovenia confirmed at its regular session the concession contract for the management of SSNP and use of this natural asset, which had on Saturday, July 12th 2003, been signed by Janez Kopač, Minister of the Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy, and Alojz Jurjec, Director of the Company for the Production of Salt. In January last year, the Government of Slovenia adopted the Decree on concession for the use of Sečovlje Salina natural asset as well as for the management of this nature park. The decree for both concessions stipulated the subject and the area of the concession, its contents, conditions that had to be met by the concessionaire, land management, sources of financing, beginning and time of the concession's duration, payment for it, the concessionaire's obligations, the manner in which the concession was obtained, the contents of the public call for proposals, its publishing and implementation, standards for the concessionaire's selection, concession contract, supervision over the concession's implementation, reasons and the manner for the concession's termination, transfer of the concession, and its extension.

In July last year, the Government of Slovenia selected, in compliance with the above mentioned Decree and on the basis of the public call for proposals to grant the concession for managing Sečovlje Salina Nature Park, which was published on march 15th 2002 in the Official Gazette, the firm Soline d.o.o. 

The concession contract stipulates the relationship between the concedent (government) and the concessionaire (Soline d.o.o) with regard to the concession for the management of the Park and use of the natural asset of Sečovlje Salina. By signing the contract, the concessionaire will acquire exclusive right to manage the Park and use the natural asset, while the concedent will do everything within the framework of the acts and other regulations that the concessionaire will get water rights for the use of water to the extent as needed for the implementation of both concessions in compliance with this contract. The concession contract stipulates that the concessionaire is liable to prepare, within a year after signing the contract and in cooperation with the Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation, a plan draft for the Park's management for the period of ten years and to transmit it to the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park's Committee for it to express its opinion and observations on the matter, and eventually, when suitably adjusted, also to the Ministry and finally to the Government. Every five years after adopting the Park's management plan, the concessionaire is liable to report to the Government of Slovenia about its implementation.

  

The concessionaire must prepare, by June 30th of the current year, an annual programme of the Park's work for the ensuing year. Each year by the end of February of the current year, the concessionaire is also liable to report to the Ministry on the implementation of the annual programme for the past year.

The contract also stipulates the sources of financing the managing of the Park, i.e.: funds from the national budget, income from the sale of goods and concessionaire's services in that particular part of its activities that is implemented as a public service, entry fees for the visit of the Park, donations, grants and other non-refundable funds, other sources such as parking fees, etc. The amount of annual funds from the state budget will be stipulated in the annual programme of the Park. For this purpose, the concedent and the concessionaire will sign a special contract each year. The concession contract also stipulates that the funds for maintaining the water infrastructure, which embraces the channels of Dragonja, Drnica and Jernej as well as the frontal levee that separates the pans from the sea, are fully provided by the concendent from the state budget.

 

With the concession contract, the concessionaire will gain a right to use the natural asset of Sečovlje Salina for the implementation of traditional salt-making. It will have to be implemented, however, in such a way that biodiversity, protection of natural asset and cultural heritage will not be endangered in any way and that the salina ecosystem will remain intact. Apart from implementing traditional salt-making, the concessionaire can also carry out the following activities in the park within the framework of the existing acts: tourist activities, letting of quays, growing of water organisms (mariculture).

Within the framework of the natural asset use for the implementation of traditional salt-making, the concessionaire can obtain up to 20,000 tons of salt, up to 400 m3 of salina mud (fango), and up to 1,000 m3 of mother water. In connection with it, however, the concessionaire is obliged to maintain and restore the facilities for the production of salt in traditional manner.

For the concession granted for the period of 20 years, with a possibility to have it extended for 10 years, the concessionaire will pay a concession duty once a year, which will amount to 100,000 tolars in the first year, and 1% of the income from the previous year. The payment for the concession will be divided between the state and the council, in the area of which the natural asset is located, in equal shares of the entire concession payment.