Slovakia - Regional Policy

Short-term priorities:

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Medium-term priorities:

• establishing the legal, administrative and budgetary framework enabling an integrated national policy to be implemented to tackle regional disparities, with a view to participating in EU structural programmes.

Assessment (October 1999)

No progress in this field.

Assessment (November 2000)

No progress in this field.

Assessment (November 2001)

Major efforts are required to improve administrative structures and preparation for the implementation of regional development programmes. The lack of qualified staff at the Ministry of Construction and Regional Development remains a cause of concern.

Assessment (October 2002)

Slovakia has made further progress in preparing for the implementation of an economic and social cohesion policy. As regards territorial organisation, in February 2002 Slovakia adopted, in agreement with the Commission, the provisional NUTS (Nomenclature of Territorial Statistical Units) classification: the Bratislava region, Western Slovakia, Central Slovakia and Eastern Slovakia correspond to NUTS II level. In February and in June 2002, the government adopted several decisions to designate the managing and paying authorities responsible for implementing the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund. Appointed to act as the future managing authority for the Community Support Framework (CSF), the Ministry of Construction and Regional Development is responsible for the co-ordination of programming. The Ministry of Finance will be the paying authority for all the funds. In June 2002, Slovakia adopted the schedule for the elaboration of the Development Plan of the six Operational Programmes (OPs) and the two Single Programming Documents (SPDs) for Objectives 2 and 3 in the Bratislava region. In order to ensure that the partnership principle is applied, a National Monitoring Committee is to supervise the preparation of the Development Plan. With regard to programming and evaluation, it is necessary to set up an information data system in line with the requirements of the acquis communautaire. Slovakia has already established the regulatory framework for budgeting, co-financing and financial management and control. An amendment of the Act on Budgetary Rules adopted in June 2002 enables multi-annual budgeting. Furthermore, internal audit units have been set up within almost all the ministries involved in the management of the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund. On the other hand, there has been no development regarding legislation and statistics.

Slovakia has provisionally closed negotiations on the regional policy chapter without requesting any transitional arrangements. In order to complete its preparation for membership, the country has to strengthen substantially its administrative capacity, mainly by means of recruitment and training. Although the setting up of institutional structures is well advanced, the allocation of tasks among them has still to be completed. Further efforts are also needed to strengthen inter-ministerial co-operation and partnership, to prepare an efficient project pipeline for future projects eligible for assistance and to improve systems and procedures for effective monitoring and evaluation. The government is finalising the specific procedures for financial control, auditing, certification of expenses and correction of irregularities specifically applicable to the Structural and Cohesion Funds. However, Slovakia has to strengthen the internal audit units established within the ministries concerned, by providing them with common guidelines and training human resources. With regard to statistics, further efforts are necessary to meet the requirements of the acquis communautaire.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Following the signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004.

REFERENCES

Decision 98/262/EC of 30.03.1998Official Journal L 121 of 23.04.1998

Decision 1999/853/EC of 06.12.1999Official Journal L 335 of 28.12.1999

Commission opinion COM(97) 2004 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission report COM(98) 703 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission report COM(1999) 511 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission report COM(2000) 711 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission report COM(2001) 700 final - SEC(2001)1754Not published in the Official Journal

Commission report COM(2002) 700 final - SEC(2002)1410Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2003) 675 final - SEC(2003) 1209Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

Last updated: 19.11.2004