Za Ľudí chair and Investments Minister Veronika Remišová. (source: TASR)
Slovakia will ask the EU to double the amount of funds it can draw to help deal with the energy crisis, the Deputy PM has said.
The European Commission has already approved a request to allow the country to use money it has failed to draw from allotted EU funds to help businesses weather the energy crisis.
But it has said the maximum sum it will allow to be transferred will be €1.5 billion - much less than the government had originally hoped for.
Veronika Remišová, Deputy PM who oversees the spending of EU funds, said the government would try to get the European Parliament (EP), which has yet to approve the transfer, to double the sum.
A similar transfer helped Slovakia cope with the coronavirus pandemic, with about €1.11 billion of EU funds which would otherwise have been left unspent being used in the fight against Covid-19.
Slovakia will be able to use European funds allocated for the period 2014 to 2020 to help small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the public.
Companies should receive funds through aid schemes, similar to those implemented to provide relief during the pandemic. Households are to receive aid through special payments to help with energy costs.
Heger and Matovič wanted more money
In an interview with the Financial Times last month, PM Eduard Heger (OĽaNO) said he wanted up to 5 billion euros from the EU to help Slovakia ride out the crisis. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Igor Matovič spoke of giving help to people which would "amount to billions of euros," Euractiv.sk noted.
Remišová has said Slovakia will ask the EP to give €3 billion, adding the current deadline to spend the funds is the end of this year.
The operational programs will have to be adjusted and challenges prepared in Slovakia to allow the money to be spent by the end of next year at the latest, she said.
"The EC has submitted its proposal, which must subsequently be approved by the EP. This is also a call to the EP to pass the European legislation as soon as possible," said Remišová, as quoted by Euractiv.
She added that measures to help companies and residents using both EU funds and from the state budget will be prepared simultaneously so money can be paid from both sources.
Bratislava Region may get aid too
Meanwhile, current rules barring developed regions from getting EU funds are expected to be relaxed for help with the energy crisis, meaning funds should also be available for residents and companies in the Bratislava Region.
These will apply retroactively, from February 2022.
