Contracts consummated by state institutions can be reviewed by the public on a new website called OtvoreneZmluvy.sk (Open Contracts) as of October 24, the TASR newswire reported.
The project was developed by the Fair-Play Alliance (AFP) and Transparency International Slovensko (TIS) and was presented at a joint press conference of the two NGOs, with representatives of the British Embassy also in attendance.
As of January 2011, state authorities have been obliged to publish their contracts on the internet. A web portal called the Central Registry of Contracts (CRZ) was launched to that effect with around 80,000 contracts included at this point.
According to Eva Vozárová of the alliance, the publication of the contracts is among the best measures that the outgoing government has made. However, the measure was not flawless, she said.
"There are no standards as to who, where, what and how to publish. A number of state enterprises even believe that the obligation doesn't apply to them," said Matej Kurian of TIS. Consequently, contracts are often scattered over the internet. Many of the 9,000 organisations that are required to publish their contracts do that on their own websites.
The new website aims to bring all contract into a single website so that there can be better review by the public, said the NGOs.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
