Slovakia needs strong coordination in drawing EU funds

The coordination of drawing European funds in Slovakia needs to be strengthened, says the head of the European Commission's (EC) Representation in Slovakia Dušan Chrenek, highlighting the need to simplify rules and improve public procurement processes. Chrenek spoke about several deficiencies in the use of European funds in Slovakia, such as the slow preparation of major projects in the field of environment or transport, low efficiency of their use, problems in public procurement and frequent personnel changes in individual operational programmes. He feels it's essential to reduce the red tape in the drawing of European funds. "Requirements in Slovakia are often much more demanding and complicated than those at the EU level," he said. According to Chrenek, Slovakia was one of the few countries to get about 10 percent more of European funds for the new period (2014-20), while the total EU budget has decreased. This is a big opportunity to reduce regional disparities and invest in key sectors. Slovakia's net income from European funds in this seven-year period should be as high as €13.5 billion, which roughly equals its annual state budget, stated Chrenek.