Zoran Janković

Mayor of the Municipality of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Zoran Janković was overwhelmingly elected Mayor of the Slovenian capital in October 2006, receiving 62.99% of the votes. Since then, he was re-elected three times – in 2010, 2012 and 2014.
In addition to his office on Mestni trg (City Square), the people of Ljubljana can come across him seven days a week anywhere, at the market, sports fields, in nursery schools and on construction sites. His personal communication is still characterised by his broad smile and instantaneous perception of a problem, knowing how to listen to each application submitted, above all, how to solve multiple problems effectively, always for the benefit of the majority and never to the detriment of minorities. To straighten communication with residents of Ljubljana even more, he introduced Open day once per month in the first year of being elected. He listens to everyone, and therefore, the number of people who want to talk with him is growing. Open days are now being held up to three times a month. From 2007 to 2018, he met with more than 27,000 residents.
Under the leadership of the current mayor the city has gained new impetus; above all, as a European capital with an adopted vision of spatial development to 2025, he has given Ljubljana back its sense of optimism.
In strong competition between global capitals a UNESCO commission awarded Ljubljana the title of World Book Capital 2010, and in 2016, Ljubljana was the European Green Capital, the title awarded by European Commission. Ljubljana was 5th on Forbes magazine’s list of ‘Europe’s Most Idyllic Places to Live’, while Ljubljana won a Readers Digest magazine survey conducted to find the most honest city in the world. According to research data it is also the safest city in SE Europe.