Brussels (TASR) – On Wednesday, the presidents of four of Slovakia’s eight self-governing regions convened in Brussels with Raffael Fitt, the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission (EC) overseeing regional development and EU funds. They raised concerns about the Slovak government’s plan to redirect 400 million euros from EU funds intended for regional development towards large state projects, according to TASR’s correspondent.
This meeting was initiated by MEP Ľubica Karvašová (RE, PS), who serves on the European Parliament Committee on Regional Development.
Jozef Viskupič, head of the Association of Self-Governing Regions of Slovakia (SK8) and president of the Trnava region, informed TASR that the delegation spoke not only for SK8 but also with the backing of the Union of Towns and Communities of Slovakia. They emphasized the essential role of EU funds in fostering growth and addressing the investment shortfall in towns, municipalities, and regions, highlighting that self-governing bodies are dependable stewards of these funds.
“Regional funds must remain within the regions. We communicated this to the Vice-President of the European Commission, who, having previously chaired a region himself, understands our concerns. He assured us he would address the government’s consideration of reallocating 400 million euros from projects meant for regions, towns, and municipalities,” Viskupič stated. He also noted that they discussed the importance of maintaining flexibility with 15% of EU funds, adding that Fitt accepted an invitation to visit Slovakia for a closer look at the situation.
Juraj Droba, president of the Bratislava region, highlighted that the delegation presented a unified stance to the Commissioner last week, stressing the importance of retaining the 400 million euro allocation. “It is imperative that funds meant for the regions remain within these areas,” he asserted.
Rastislav Trnka, president of the Košice region, recalled that he and his colleagues had previously met in Brussels before the current programming period began, and praised their ability to find common ground with Fitt.
“The European Commission has adhered to the framework for accessing EU funds. I want to underline that projects should be developed from the grassroots level, without state interference in allocations or changes to the rules mid-process. However, it seems we are facing challenges,” Trnka explained. He pointed out that towns, municipalities, and regions are responsible for developing projects and expressed their surprise at the government’s intention to withhold 400 million euros for other priorities, such as defense.
Ondrej Lunter, president of the Banská Bystrica region, stressed that self-governing entities deliver 80% of the services that the state provides to citizens and expressed hope that they could secure the resources discussed in Brussels.
“We talked about the potential uses for this money, including road improvements, school renovations, kindergarten upgrades, and investments in social services. The Commission demonstrated interest in specific regional projects. For us, this is a continuation of our long-term struggle; the government cannot make unilateral decisions about funds intended for the people and their services without consulting us,” Lunter added. (May 14)
“Regional funds must remain in the regions.” Jozef Viskupič
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