The first secretary of the European Commission (EC) delegation to Slovakia, Christian Bourgin, said on June 7 he considered the economic recovery program adopted by the Slovak government on May 31 to be a necessary step towards effective restructuring and subsequent economic progress in Slovakia. "It was high time for the government to approve it," stated Bourgin.
In his words, cooperation between Slovakia and the European Union (EU) has intensified since the new government in Slovakia took over in November 1998. Bourgin praised the progress that Slovakia had made in the accession process, and said he hoped that the Slovak Republic would join the first group of EU membership applicants after the Helsinki summit in December 1999. "However, you have no time to waste. You must work on adjusting your legislation quickly to catch up with the tempo of the first group," stressed Bourgin.
