"Slovakia's Recovery and Resilience Plan has been greenlighted", European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday at a press conference in Bratislava, noting that the document meets the set criteria and is ambitious. Von der Leyen praised Slovakia for being among the first five states that submitted the plan, which also won plaudits for its quality. "Because speed is good, but the quality must be there as well and there's plenty of quality in this plan," said European Commission head. The plan will be financed through grants worth €6.3 billion.
The funding from the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility, which forms the core of the Next Generation EU programme, will support the implementation of key investments and reforms until 2026. Meanwhile, 43 percent of all resources from the country's recovery and resilience plan will be invested in matters concerning the climate. One of the largest investments, worth €712 million, will be devoted to the development of low-carbon transport. The plan also includes a reform of the pension system, improvements to the business sector and a reform of the judiciary.
"The most difficult part is still ahead of us and that's the implementation itself," stated Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OĽaNO). The realisation of the plan will call for significant determination in terms of organisation, collaboration and political finesse. "Our future hinges on the recovery plan to a large extent," he underlined.
Reproaching Prime Minister Heger for failing to defend Slovakia's priorities in the document, Smer-SD vice-chair and ex-finance minister Ladislav Kamenický stated, "the Slovak recovery and resilience plan isn't meant for Slovakia but for Brussels, as it doesn't deal with the areas that have been affected by the pandemic the most". In the ex-minister's opinion, the Slovak plan should have focused on "post-pandemic" problems that concern the economy and employment growth as well as social reconciliation. Kamenický added that he is concerned regarding the feasibility and implementation of several specific projects.
