Slovakia to be able to draw loans from EU's SURE tool

Slovakia will be able to apply for loans from a European Union (EU) tool that could cover its expenditures on labour market assistance during the emergency caused by the coronavirus outbreak, according to a Finance Ministry-sponsored bill on extraordinary state guarantees approved by Parliament with 117 votes on Thursday. The EU adopted measures in response to the economic situation and set up a new tool for temporary Support to mitigate Unemployment Risks in an Emergency (SURE). SURE allows member states, including Slovakia, to apply to the EU for soft loans in order to partially cover their increased public spending on shortened working week schemes for employees and similar measures for the self-employed, as well as expenditures on certain health-related measures, chiefly in the workplace.