Slovak towns could become greener by virtue of €33 million

More greenery, healthier air, less noise, new parks and the use of rainwater are all areas via which towns and cities could acquire financial resources from the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry, said Agriculture Minister Gabriela Matečná at a press conference held along with head of the ministry's regional development programmes department Marek Mitošinka on Monday. "We'll be announcing a call [for projects] to be funded by the Integrated Regional Operational Programme (IROP), thanks to which our towns will be greener. In this manner we're maybe paying off our debt to towns because there was a great deal of construction work ... in the former programme period ... This call will incorporate protection from noise, climate change, higher levels of dust and will also involve rainwater retention, for instance, for creating greener parts of a town," said Matečná. As part of IROP, the ministry is thus launching a call to improve environmental aspects in towns, cities and urban areas (excluding Bratislava). A total of €33 million has been earmarked to this end, with the maximum sum for a single project being €800,000. Eligible applicants might include state administration organisations, towns, villages, self-governing regions, NGOs and private companies.