The responsibilities and activities of the Ministry of the Environment, Spatial Planning and Energy relate to the protection of the environment and nature and spatial planning, and ensuring that various acts passed by local communities are in line with national legislation, water and water management; acquiring energy resources and the rational management of these resources; geological, seismological, meteorological and other geophysical and natural phenomena; nuclear safety; housing affairs; a development strategy in the setting up and linking of spatial information systems at national and local level; geodesy; and the control by inspectors of activities in all of these areas.

The main challenges for the Ministry are supplementing the Environmental Protection Act, drawing up a law on the removal of the consequences of natural disasters, setting up the Natura 2000 regional network, developing a spatial development strategy for the National Assembly and an order by the Government, preparing a National Energy Programme, and rescuing investments which have ceased to operate.

The Ministry co-operates with the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (ZVKDS) when cultural heritage issues overlap with natural environment issues, for example in the cases of Triglav National Park, Škocjan Caves World Heritage Site, Kozjansko Park, the Goričko landscape Park, the Logarska dolina Landscape Park, Notranjska Regional Park and Sečovlje Salina Nature Park (cf Museum of Salt Making, Sečovlje), where cultural heritage architecture (eg mills, farms, salt work museum) may be found.