Brussels/Bratislava – On Thursday, the European Commission (EC) announced the disbursement of the fifth payment to Slovakia from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), a key component of the EU’s Next Generation EU (NGEU) initiative. This payment amounts to 492 million euros and is part of Slovakia’s national recovery and resilience plan, as reported by TASR correspondent. Peter Kmec, Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery Plan and Knowledge Economy (Hlas-SD), indicated that this payment signifies Slovakia’s compliance with the required conditions.
The Commission noted that Slovakia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan is funded through grants totaling 6.4 billion euros. The payment was issued following Slovakia’s submission of its fifth payment request to the Euro Commission last December, which included 21 milestones and targets relating to 14 reforms. These reforms are aimed at decarbonizing electricity production, advancing hydrogen technology, improving public transportation, and enhancing electronic public administration services.
The request also detailed five investments, including teacher training, support for research, and modernization of energy distribution systems. The Commission approved the requested funds after a positive preliminary assessment of the request in May and a favorable opinion from the Economic and Financial Committee of the EU Council.
To date, Slovakia has received 3.96 billion euros through the recovery plan, which accounts for 62% of the total allocated funds
As of now, Slovakia has received 3.96 billion euros through the recovery plan, equaling 62% of the total funds designated for the country, with 42% of the milestones and targets of the national plan already achieved. Payments from the Recovery and Resilience Facility to Slovakia, as well as other EU member states, are contingent on performance and depend on progress in executing the recovery and resilience plan.
Deputy Prime Minister Peter Kmec highlighted that the fifth payment reflects the diligent efforts of his team.
“I am pleased that Slovakia has today received additional funds from the Recovery Plan. This demonstrates our fulfillment of the commitments outlined in the Recovery Plan. These funds will facilitate further essential reforms and investments to enhance the quality of life for people in Slovakia,” stated Kmec.
He also mentioned that Slovakia is awaiting approval for the 6th payment request, which is a historic sum of nearly 1 billion euros, officially submitted on June 30. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is preparing the 7th payment request, set to be submitted in the fall. The execution of the Recovery Plan will conclude with the submission of the final two requests, the 8th and 9th, in 2026. (July 10)
Leave a Reply