149th regular session of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia

SLOVENIA, April 10 - The Government has finalised the text of the proposed Psychotherapeutic Services Act. Psychotherapeutic services in Slovenia are currently unregulated, and comprehensive legal regulation is urgently needed. The absence of such regulation and oversight of psychotherapeutic services exposes users – both within the public health system and in the open market – to an increased risk of inadequate, poor-quality or potentially unsafe treatment. The proposed Act aims to regulate psychotherapeutic services to improve access to high-quality and safe psychotherapeutic care. To this end, the proposed Act defines:

• Psychotherapeutic services, methods and requirements under which it may be provided;
• The profession of psychotherapist as a regulated healthcare profession, including the qualifications required to obtain and renew a licence;
• Supervision of psychotherapist training;
• The duties of psychotherapists, and the roles and responsibilities of the Ministry of Health and the Slovenian Chamber of Psychotherapists;
• Supervision over the implementation of the Act.

The profession of psychotherapist is open to individuals who are professionally qualified and have the appropriate education and training to provide psychotherapeutic treatment, have obtained a licence as psychotherapists, and are entered in the register of psychotherapists. The proposed Act sets out two pathways to the profession: an academic route (an accredited specialised study programme at level 8) and a non-academic route. Psychotherapists will be subject to the primary health legislation, while the Act governing patients' rights and obligations will apply to clients receiving psychotherapeutic treatment. Professional tasks relating to the implementation of the Act, such as granting, renewing and revoking licences, conducting professional supervision through counselling in accordance with the Act governing health services, and maintaining the register of psychotherapists and candidates, will be entrusted to the chamber. The chamber will ensure that all approved psychotherapeutic approaches are represented. Once the Act comes into force, a one-year transitional period will begin. During this period, existing psychotherapy practitioners will be allowed to continue providing psychotherapy independently, provided their training meets the criteria set out in the Act in terms of content and method. Those who have not completed the required training will be able to provide psychotherapeutic treatment as supervised candidates, provided they meet the statutory criteria. Furthermore, those who do not meet the requirements set out under the new legal framework will no longer be permitted to present themselves as psychotherapists.

The Government has finalised the text of the proposed new Information Security Act (ZInfV-1) drafted by the Government Information Security Office (URSIV). The draft Information Security Act is a systemic law regulating information and cybersecurity and establishing a comprehensive national framework for managing such risks. It contributes significantly to raising the level of cybersecurity in both the public and private sectors, thereby strengthening Slovenia's resilience to cyber threats. Special emphasis is placed on sectors that are crucial for the smooth functioning of the state and the continued provision of essential social and economic services. The Act defines the responsibilities, organisation and tasks of key actors in the information security, including the competent national authority for information security, the authority for managing large-scale incidents and crises, the single point of contact for cybersecurity and computer security incident response teams (CSIRTs). It determines the liable entities, which are public or private entities listed in the annexes to the Act. In line with the NIS 2 Directive, it introduces several sectors and entities. Liable entities are required to comply with cybersecurity risk-management measures and to notify significant incidents. The Act also places a strong emphasis on the governance and accountability of these entities. Notable changes include the introduction of a self-registration platform for liable entities, a single incident reporting platform and a secure information sharing platform. The new Act regulates cyber defence and the cooperation between competent national authorities and CSIRTs, sets out cybersecurity risk-management measures and reporting obligations for entities, and allows for voluntary notification of incidents. The Act regulates the rules and obligations on cybersecurity information sharing and supervision, including for cybersecurity certification. It also requires the adoption of the Slovenian Cybersecurity Strategy and the National Response Plan, which will outline the objectives and procedures for managing cyber incidents, large-scale incidents and crises. In drafting the Act's proposal, the Government drew on past experience in incident management, lessons learned from crisis response exercises, and recommendations from cybersecurity stakeholders. The new Act attaches even greater importance to coordination and stakeholder involvement. In addition to transposing the NIS 2 Directive, it introduces and updates national provisions on information and cybersecurity aimed at strengthening the resilience of key entities in Slovenia. In this way, the Government continues to build a robust national cybersecurity system, improve response capabilities and develop cyber defence capabilities. The system envisaged by the new Act is expected to significantly improve the resilience of both society and the economy. The Act will enter into force on the fifteenth day following its publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia.