Work on the revision of the Eurofunds progress very well and could be completed before the deadline set by the government in mid -June. European Commission (EC) Nor does it object to the idea of using part of these means to compensate for energy prices, The definitive opinion will depend on how exactly the aid mechanism is set. This was stated on Wednesday in Brussels by the Minister of Investment, Regional Development and Computerization of the Slovak Republic Samuel Migaľ (independent) after negotiations with the Executive Vice -Chairman of the EC for cohesion and reform Raffael Fitt.
“The European Commissioner has already been informed of the question and did not object to it. He noted that It is only on how we process it and how we set the conditions so that the means can be used for address aid as part of this revision, to compensate for gas prices, ”Migaľ said, saying that a series of discussions on this topic needs to be expected.” But the good news is that he has not refused such a thing and that we will simply continue this discussion, “added the Minister. He did not want to specify the amount of the funds needed for such assistance. The amount can be changed over time and can be hundreds of millions of euros.
The main topic of Wednesday’s negotiations was the upcoming revision of a part of the Eurofunds in order not to be transferred to new priorities and not to fall to Slovakia. It is a package of almost 1.3 billion euros, which the government temporarily blocked in mid -June. According to Migal, the European Commissioner did not object to the fact that Part of this freezing is also part of the means intended for self -government. “This revision continues very continuously and I think that, as we have committed to the government’s resolution, we may still be fulfilling the obligations we have made in the resolution,” the minister said.
As part of the revision, it is important to redirect Eurofunds to five current priorities set by the European Commission (EC). It is a dual use of resources for both defense and civilian purposes, increasing competitiveness, water retention measures, energy transformation and building available housing. According to Migal, Slovakia is already applying many of these priorities. “These topics are set by the EC, but they are also a priority of the Slovak government and our Ministry of Investment, Regional Development and Informatics (Mirri) SR, ”he stressed.
One of the specific proposals of the submitted EC was, In order for the investment in the construction of the D3 motorway to be counted as already realized within the EU funds. This technical step would reduce the volume of formally unused funds and opened the way to release 200 million euros, which were temporarily frozen for slow pumping.
“We are in intensive contact with the Ministry of Transport and we are doing everything we can to count the big investment in the revision. At the same time, he stressed that cities and municipalities must perform their tasks responsibly in order to avoid the risk of forfeiting the funds.
State Secretary Mirri Richard Maraček said in this context that the ministry in recent days It approved projects worth EUR 60 million, another € 34 million is ready for approval.
Another important topic of negotiations with the European Commissioner opened by the Slovak Party was the upcoming project Get Eurofunds “into every corner of Slovakia”. Mirri’s interest is, according to Migal, through a simple mechanism to get money in smaller volumes, but all the more efficient For example, to municipalities up to 1000 inhabitantsthat cannot currently use them. “He welcomed it very much, because he is just as fans of the cohesion policy to get into the last regions,” said the minister.
He also spoke to the European Commissioner about European support of regions bordering Ukraine, which is also an important topic for Slovakiaor about priorities for Eurofunds after the current programming period, which ends in 2027. They also talked about his upcoming visit to the Slovak Republic in November this year. “He should visit our invitation to Prešov, where we offered him to visit the building of the hospital in Prešov, which is just built through the so -called. Dual Use, and he welcomed it, ” added Migaľ.
