INTERIOR Minister Robert Kaliňák at a press conference held on January 19 presented an Operational Programme for 2014-20 costing €335 million that is aimed at dealing with the lack of effectiveness in public administration and the low level of law enforcement in Slovakia, the TASR newswire reported.
Kaliňák expects the programme, which is financed mainly from the European Social Fund, to bring profound changes in services provided by the state.
“Each citizen pays taxes and should in turn receive services that are suitable in the 21st century,” Kaliňák, as quoted by TASR.
This Operational Programme is the first of its kind. It is dedicated solely to public administration, aimed mainly at the creation of conditions that are custom-made for the recipients, said Rut Erdélyiová from the Interior Ministry, adding that this programme is not dedicated to infrastructure investments and there is another parallel programme for such a purpose.
The European Commission (EC) approved the Slovak Operational Programme for Effective Public Administration at the end of last year. Michael Morass from the EC’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities underlined that the weak points of public administration in Slovakia that were summarised in a stance taken up by the Council were taken into consideration.
More than an eighth of the programme (€40 million) will be utilised in the judiciary via two priority areas that will be targeted at an increase in the effectiveness of the legal system and law enforcement, said Justice Minister Tomáš Borec.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Roman Cuprik from press reports
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