THE SLOVAK cabinet has approved a long-promised increase of wages to specialised bureaucrats who deal with the EU funds agenda.
In order to keep qualified bureaucrats in the generally underpaid state service, ministers approved Sk110 million (€2.7 million) increase on January 28 for the wages of 960 bureaucrats in 2004.
On average, each of the bureaucrats will thus get Sk7,200 (€177) a month more than they are currently paid. The increase represents about half of the national average wage.
Slovakia had difficulty last year with recruiting a sufficient number of people to the administrative positions that would deal with the Eurofunds agenda, due to the relatively low pay offered at that time.
