DUE to flaws in drawing European funds, the European Commission will not pay Slovakia some €166 million, according to a document that the cabinet debated. However, the final amount may yet increase, the Sme daily wrote on August 21.
The EC cites mistakes identified in an autumn 2013 audit. Separately, Brussels had already blocked co-financing over €400 million from an early financing from earlier programs, but recently announced that it will release €70 million from that money.
In a letter published by the Trend weekly, EC officials reproach Slovakia. The most criticised operational programme is the one concerning information technology. Generally, one of the EC’s complaints was that Slovak state does not check whether people form companies drawing the EU-funds have a criminal record.
The Slovak government can still make some remedial steps. “We do not underestimate the situation; late September will be of key importance,” Finance Minister Peter Kažimír said, as quoted by Sme.
Kažimír reminded that so far, the EC has already stopped the drawing of EU-funds 22 times – without big consequences most of the time. However, an expert on EU-funds, Ján Rudolf, told Sme that this information can also be interpreted as Slovakia’s tendency to repeat mistakes in drawing the funds, and an inability to learn lessons from mistakes.
(Source: Sme)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
