The bill still has to make it through all legislative procedures, but if it gets passed, there will be important changes in a number of areas. What is completely new in the proposal, are the provisions of community service or a prison sentence as a substitute. The offenders from whom the fine will not be collected – not even after exhausting all legal means – will be either sent to prison or ordered to do community service.

Will the state collect tens of thousands of euros in outstanding fines?
The decision about the community service will be made by the judges at the suggestion of the offender. Each 8 hours of work will reduce the fine by 84 euros, but the minimum workload is 40 hours, while the maximum duration of the community service is set at 720 hours. The service needs to be completed in three months' time at the latest.

Milder penalty for multiple offences
A new provision will allow the offender who in unable to pay the fine in a single payment to file a request for payment in instalments as long as the fine is paid off in 12 months.

Anyone who's ever had to pay a fine for an offence in Slovenia has probably paid it in the first eight days after being fined, since under these conditions the state grants a deduction of 50%. The latter is proposed to increase to two thirds under the new bill. The Ministry or Justice thus suggests for the offender to be allowed to pay a third of the fine if it is paid in eight days after being issued a remittance slip or an order of offence. If the fine is paid later than eight days after penalty takes legal effect, the offender will need to cover two thirds of the fine.

Andrej Čebokli, translated by K. Z.