Reform of the state administration, the project called ESO (Efficient, Reliable and Open Government in Slovakia), will bring huge savings to
the state budget, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Wednesday, December 19, after the cabinet meeting.
"This is the way Slovakia must take. We must cut spending on the state
administration," he said, as quoted by the SITA newswire. On that day, the cabinet decided to dismiss as of December 31 all heads of regional environmental offices, regional construction offices, and regional school offices. It also terminated jobs for the heads of regional offices for road transport and roads. The cabinet will appoint heads of such district offices to deputise for them. "I stress that if Slovakia did not have a government composed of one party, such a decision could not have been taken," he said.
Winding down 64 specialised regional state administration offices is part of the first phase of ESO – the reform which should greatly simplify for citizens contact with government authorities so as to be able to handle any matter in one place. In the second phase of the reform, from January 1, 2014 onwards, all local state administration offices with various responsibilities should be integrated into a single state administration
office. As a result, 199 people should lose their jobs. The changes should reduce costs of the state budget next year by about €3.2 million. By 2016, the government plans to save €700 million via this reform.
(Source: SITA)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
