The last step separates Slovakia from drawing new European funds – euractiv.sk
In three weeks, the government took two important steps to start drawing new European funds. After the approval of the Slovakia program, Minister Veronika Remišová signed the Partnership Agreement with the European Commission, the basic document for the distribution of the 12.6 billion package.
More than four years have passed since the first articles of the EURACTIV Slovakia portal about the so-called Partnership Agreement, i.e. the key document for drawing the new package of Eurofunds for the years 2021 to 2027.
Only now has the Slovak government finally agreed with the European Commission on its final wording. The agreement was formally confirmed on Monday (July 18) by Deputy Prime Minister Veronika Remišová (For the People) with a representative of the European Commission: European Commissioner for Regional Policy and Reforms Elisa Ferreira and European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit.
The preparation of the Partnership Agreement was started by the former government, but it was already completed by the new Remišov Ministry of Regional Development (MIRRI). Out of the EU’s twenty-seven, Slovakia succeeded as the 16th country in the ranking.
After today, we already have a rough outline of Slovakia’s seven-year investment strategy, financed from a €12.5 billion Eurofund package. The document, which the government approved in April, defines how Slovakia will use the money within the main five investment priorities, or – in the language of the European Commission – political goals.
In the Partnership Agreement, Slovakia also had to justify the distribution of money and also promise concrete results. These two parts of the partnership agreement were the most important during the negotiations before the European Commission. In other words, the Commission wanted to know how Slovakia wants to improve the entire system of drawing European funds, which is binding in the program period 2014 to 2020.
The approval of the partnership agreement is so far only the first step that the European Commission requires from Slovakia, as well as other member countries, on the basis of European regulations. But it is a very important milestone for the government to be able to move forward in the case of a new program period.
Now Remiš faces the last, but perhaps even more demanding task – the completion of the operational Program Slovakia. This will again require the approval of the European Commission, but MIRRI may be even more clear to get its final form at government level.
The Slovakia program is already a more detailed document that allocates funds to specific activities. At the same time, it will also be more accurate regarding the settings of the implementation structure and drawing processes. The partnership agreement on the management of European funds and the division of competences of the joint bodies is still ongoing. Approval of the Slovakia MIRRI Program is expected in the fall. Subsequently, the first European fund calls can begin to be announced.
Key points of agreement
The European Commission on the negotiations on the Partnership Guard, in particular, followed the so-called thematic agreement on Slovakia, which means that they will allocate a minimum amount of money to individual priorities, on which the European Union can sustain itself as part of policy reform.
The government had to allocate almost a third of the funds to measures in the area of the territory and the environment, another 25 percent to scientific research projects and digitization, or eight percent to sustainable urban development. A quarter of the money from the European Social Fund is supposed to go to social inclusion.
Slovakia fulfilled all these conditions.
Transfers of money between individual funds and regions were also an important topic of the negotiations, which makes it possible to adopt Eurofund rules. Slovakia used this to transfer two percent of funds from the ESF and ten percent from the ERDF to the Cohesion Fund, from which large infrastructure projects can be financed, which is important for Slovakia, especially in transport.
Remišov’s department tried to persuade the EU executive to redirect more money to the Bratislava self-governing region, where, according to the allocation methodology, for which the GDP per capita indicator is the determining factor, only 24 million euros should originally go for seven years. In the end, the commission agreed with the team that the government should transfer five percent of the funds from the ERDF intended for less developed regions to the region, although Remišová asked for twice as much.
In the end, more than 500 million euros will be spent on projects in Bratislava and its surroundings, which, despite the total national allocation, is significantly more than in the catch-up program period.
In recent months, however, marginalized Roma communities have become the main issue of discussion between representatives of Slovakia and the Commission. After European Commissioner Ferreira, as well as a delegation of MEPs, gradually visited the Roma settlements in the east of Slovakia during the year, the Commission began to push for much more European funds to go to inclusion projects than Slovakia had originally planned, and at the same time wanted to hear from the government how effective their use was in this area.
In the end, Remišová’s department allocated more than 900 million euros for projects in Roma communities and re-set their implementation, which was finally confirmed. The Office of the Government Plenipotentiary for Roma Communities will have the main responsibility for these projects.
Distribution of money in the Slovakia Program
- A more competitive and intelligent Slovakia: 1.89 billion euros
- Greener Slovakia: 4.2 billion euros
- A more connected Slovakia: 2 billion euros
- A more social and inclusive Slovakia: 3.25 billion euros
- Europe closer to citizens: 400 million euros
- Fund for Just Transition: 459 million euros
- Technical assistance (financing of administrative capacities involved in drawing): 410 million euros
Mutual satisfaction
According to Veronika Remišová, the partnership agreement is the basis of a major reform intended to simplify and make the use of European funds more efficient.
“We are building on what worked, but we are bringing a new vision – simplicity, transparency, uniform rules, one program and one methodology,” she explained.
This means fewer bureaucratic structures for applicants and “faster, more efficient and easier drawing” of European funds.
Remišová also considers the transfer of decision-making powers from the government to municipalities to be a benefit. “We want the municipalities, cities and counties to decide what you need. If I need a kindergarten or a new road, repair of a hospital, we will support it. We will finance the part that corresponds to their competencies,” she said.
Slovakia finally managed to sign the Partnership Agreement in the summer, and now the situation when it reached this step is among the last countries, which was also appreciated by Commissioner Elisa Ferreira.
“Now is the moment from words to action. It’s time to prepare programs and prepare a stock of quality projects,” Ferreira.
The Commissioner also praised Slovakia for the progress in the preparation of the new program period, to which MIRRI includes a large number of important actors from municipalities, non-governmental organizations and other experts.
“I wish that this cooperation can be used to build the green, digital and more inclusive Slovakia that we all wish for,” she said.