Six ministries have cooperated on a document called the "Comprehensive Strategy to Make Slovaks Working Abroad Return to Slovakia", with the government expected to have dealt with it on Wednesday. Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák (a Smer-SD nominee) however, asked Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer-SD) to remove it from the Cabinet session's agenda. "I expressed my conviction that the ministries took a very formal approach to it," Lajčák told journalists. "I asked the prime minister whether their aim is to formally adopt a document or create a programme that will motivate people to return," he said. Pellegrini subsequently decided to adjourn the talks on the document and approach the issue seriously, stated the minister.
The Foreign Ministry met one of its tasks when it carried out a survey on how the issue of attracting people working abroad is addressed by other countries. The ministry's second task is to spread information on the terms of the return programme among Slovaks living abroad. "However, these terms must be prepared at home and created by all the remaining ministries," stressed Lajčák. According to him, the terms will decide how many Slovaks will actually return from abroad. As the foreign minister said, it would not be any one-off financial contribution, but a whole set of conditions that would help to settle personal and family affairs and start businesses, if these people are interested in doing so.
The original material planned to attract Slovaks living and working abroad to return home through promoting the online labour market guide and other information material. At the same time, it counted on prolonging the support scheme for the return of experts from abroad and the project "Come back to Slovakia".
The liberal Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party also criticised the document for being formal. They believe that Slovaks who want to return home don't need financial stimuli or an information campaign to do so. "No government stimuli can persuade those who don't want to return, as they are doing well abroad and view Slovakia as a poorly governed country with a bad government, low earnings, rampant corruption and Mafia," said MP Martin Klus (SaS).
The Foreign ministry plans to complete the document. "It will be completed and subsequently submitted for the Cabinet session. The deadline has not yet been set," said the ministry's spokesperson Peter Susko.
