- Public administration reform is a strategic priority for the future of Slovakia, requiring specific steps.
- The position documents of local governments are supposed to speed up the search for the final form of the reform.
- The amendment of the constitutional law on budgetary responsibility is to be created by consensus in the parliament.
Public administration reform must not only be a topic for discussion, but also a reality in which concrete steps are taken. He emphasized this after Thursday’s meeting with representatives of self-governing organizations SR president Peter Pellegrini. He described public administration reform as a fundamental, strategic issue for the future of the country.
He appreciated the proactive approach of municipalities to the topic in the form of creating position documents. He considers them to be a basis that will accelerate the discussions on the final form of the reform steps. “I want to strongly support these discussions,” emphasized the head of state, according to which it is essential that the solution comes from a joint effort. “Those who are directly affected by this, who provide services to citizens in their place of residence and those who will ultimately approve the changes,” he pointed out.
At the same time, he expressed his belief that the reform of public administration should be combined with the discussion on the possible extension of the term of office of local and regional self-government representatives. “If the mandate of mayors and mayors should be extended, they should also have room to implement public administration reform measures,” emphasized Pellegrini.
He announced that expert meetings will be held on the position documents on the topic so that a final version can be created that will be presented to the political authorities. He also confirmed that after the meeting with local governments, he will also meet with government representatives on this topic. He also wants the reform of public administration to be part of the strategic document Vision and Strategy for the Development of Slovakia until 2040, which is prepared by the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
He also confirmed the support of local governments regarding the need to change the Constitutional Act on Budget Responsibility. He considers the best possible solution to be the creation of this proposal in the committee of the National Council so that it reflects the consensus across the political spectrum. It is therefore addressed to members of all political parties in the parliament. “I believe that they will be able to conduct a discussion with the municipalities that will lead to a consensus, so that the hands of the municipalities are freed up without jeopardizing the stability of public finances.” the president added.
