THE PUBLIC broadcaster Slovak Public Radio (SRo) received a financial boost of Sk183 million (€4.7 million) from the Finance Ministry, much to the surprise of its cabinet partners, according to the SME daily.
"Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš acts as if it was his family budget," said Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) leader Béla Bugár.
At the end of August the coalition parties decided that Slovak Radio would not get the subsidy. Most MPs argued that the SRo had not introduced enough reforms to deserve further state support.
Bugár said that Mikloš had acted in contradiction with the Coalition council's decision.
Ľubomír Lintner, the ruling MP and member of the parliamentary media committee (from ANO) was also surprised about the subsidy.
"Apparently there are some reserves in the Finance Ministry that have emerged at the end of the year," he noted.
Finance Ministry spokesperson Mikuláš Gera said the ministry was able to set aside the money for the SRo thanks to savings in the budget for 2005. He added that all economic ministers approved the subsidy.
