Increase EU Funds’ Absorption and provide result-oriented Investments in the 2021-2027 Period

The Commission will contribute to streamline procedures and to improve EU Funds’ implementation mechanisms and their performance. It is expected that this project will have a positive impact on the Slovak Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Context

The distribution and absorption capacity of EU Funds in the Slovak Republic has been encountering problems partly due to the complexity of the existing system of financial management and control of the EU Funds and to burdensome public procurement procedures.

However, the Slovak Republic is undertaking a reform of the governance structures that manage EU Funds:  the programmes will be combined into one, and the oversight will be centralised within one single managing authority in the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development and Informatisation.

Support delivered

This project will contribute to redesign the governance and implementation of EU Funds’ investments in the Slovak Republic. It will include a detailed review of the existing legal frameworks, management systems and guidance to reduce overlapping and extra requirements and administrative burden imposed on beneficiaries of EU funds by national and sub-national authorities beyond those deriving from the transposition of EU legislation.

Furthermore, the project will boost the administrative capacity of the various actors across the management, implementation and control systems. Furthermore, the project will put in place an action plan.

Results achieved

The project will contribute to results-oriented investments in the 2021-2027 period. Moreover, it will support the authorities in the implementation of the action plan for improving absorption of EU Funds.

To ensure the success of the project, the broad participation of stakeholders of the Funds’ ecosystem in Slovakia is crucial: representatives of government bodies responsible for the implementation of the Funds, the Managing Authority for Programme Slovakia 2021-2027, representatives of intermediary bodies, the Ministry of Finance, the Public Procurement Office, key public beneficiaries.