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Reform Support
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Helping Member States to design reforms necessary for the preparation and implementation of their national RRPs

Funding Programme
Technical Support Instrument (TSI)
Year
2021

Supporting the development of communication strategy for Slovakia’s Recovery and Resilience Plan

The Commission supported the Slovak authorities in developing a communication strategy on the implementation of the national Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) for the general public and piloting the strategy in the context of three key reform areas – justice, health and education. The project also provided targeted trainings to build the capacity of the Slovak authorities to carry out effective communication campaigns throughout the RRP implementation period of 2022-2026.

Context

In Slovakia, the RRP is perceived more in terms of immediate investments to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic rather than as a comprehensive package consisting also of beneficial reforms and a set of common values shared among the EU Member States. There is also a concern as to whether the public administration has sufficient capacities to use resources from the RRP efficiently, transparently and fully. The focus of a communication strategy on the RRP was thus to underline positive elements that reforms and investments will bring into citizens’ lives and explain the rationale and functioning of the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Support Delivered

The Commission provided support over 7-month period. The support measures consisted of:

  • Designing a communication strategy for promoting the implementation of the national RRP to the general public, including general communication messages and material;
  • Piloting the communication strategy in three specific reform areas – justice, health and education;
  • Conducting a survey to evaluate the results of the pilot;
  • Capacity-building workshops and trainings to put the strategy into practice and provide practical guidance to the ministries to be used when communicating on the RRP.

Result achieved

The project provided the Slovak authorities with a draft communication strategy which was piloted with the slogan “Get Slovakia into good shape”. The pilot campaign was introduced by the Prime Minister of Slovakia and three Ministers responsible for three key reforms in 2021 (judicial map, the hospital reform, higher education reform) during a press conference.

Throughout the pilot, communication material, narratives and visuals were produced, as well as a website explaining the rationale behind the RRP and its main priorities. The pilot was then evaluated leading to recommendations for future communication to be carried out by the Slovak authorities for adjusting the overall communication strategy. The project was concluded with a number of tailored trainings providing practical tips on how to work with the main communication narratives in the context of specific campaigns, social media, community management and media relations.

More about the project

Slovakia RRP website: https://www.slovenskovoforme.sk/