Eurocommissaris Hübner bezoekt Slowakije: Europese ontwikkelingen in een tijd van financiele crisis (en)
Danuta Hübner i, European Commissioner for Regional Policy, will be in the Slovak Republic on 12-13 March to visit projects in Žilina and Trencin which have received investment support through the EU's Cohesion Policy. On 13 March, the Commissioner will meet the Slovak Prime Minister Róbert Fico, to discuss the package of measures taken by the European Commission in response to the financial and economic crisis.
Ahead of her visit, Commissioner Hübner stated: "I applaud the decision of the Slovakian authorities to devote €2.6 billion to research and development, innovation and information and communication technologies in 2007-2013. This figure represents nearly half of the country's allocation from the European Regional Development Fund and, for R&D, a hundred-fold increase compared with the previous 2004-2006 budgetary period. Support for the knowledge economy is a key priority to boost local economies and create jobs in these difficult times."
On the first day of her visit, Commissioner Hübner will meet Juraj Blanár, the President of Žilina region (Central Slovakia) to discuss its Cohesion Policy priorities. She will then visit the Technical University of Žilina, which has jointly developed a renewable energy biomass project with the University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic. The universities have set up a consultation centre for renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy savings and a website. The cross-border project received €206.000 in support from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) in 2004-2006. Several other R&D projects led by the University of Žilina will also receive EU support in the 2007-2103 period, including three centres of excellence focused on electronic power systems and materials, intelligent transport and transport construction (EU contribution: €3 million).
In Trencín (Western Slovakia), Commissioner Hübner will visit other EU-backed projects, including the hydro power plant at Trencianske Biskupice which has been built to exploit the potential of renewable energies (€1.1 million from ERDF). The Commissioner will afterwards hold talks on the region's priorities with Pavol Sedlácek, President of Trencín region, and representatives of local authorities.
Both Trencín and Žilina also benefit from the Cohesion Policy through a regional programme which covers Western, Central and Eastern regions of the country. This programme supports a wide range of projects to modernise infrastructure in the fields of education, transport, social services and tourism (see MEMO/08/99).
Meeting with Prime Minister Róbert Fico
On 13 March, the Commissioner will hold talks in Bratislava with Prime Minister Róbert Fico on the Cohesion Policy's role in helping to counter the financial and economic crisis. The European Commission has provided €931million in advance payments to Slovakia to accelerate project preparation and implementation; a further €150 million is due to be allocated under the European Economic Recovery Plan to support investment (total advances: €1.08 billion). Other measures in response to the crisis include immediate funding for major projects, increased flexibility and simplification in the management of the structural funds, and an extension of the deadline for using remaining funds allocated under the 2000-2006 budgetary period.
Slovakia will implement thousands of Cohesion Policy projects, selected by the regions and national authorities, in the next few years. European Commission approval is only required for major projects where total costs exceed €50 million (€25 million in the case of environmental projects). The Sverepec-Vrtižer highway is the first major project to be approved, last month; the EU will contribute 85% of the €263 million total cost of the road. Commissioner Hübner will urge Slovakia's authorities to carefully prepare other major projects in order to contribute to creating and maintaining jobs, especially in the construction sector.
Support for Roma
The Cohesion Policy in Slovakia also prioritises support for projects to help marginalised Roma communities across the country (€180 million from the ERDF).
Notes for Editors
The Slovak Republic has been allocated €11.6 billion under the Cohesion Policy in 2007-2013. It will receive €6 billion from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), €3.9 billion from the Cohesion Fund, €1.5 billion from the European Social Fund (ESF) and €227 million for territorial cooperation. This represents an average of €2,150 per inhabitant over the seven-year period. It will also benefit from €2 billion from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
Impact of EU Cohesion Policy: Since 2004, EU investment in the Slovak Republic has contributed towards providing 100 km of new railway track and 54 km of new roads. In the area of environment, EU funds helped pay for the construction of 1585 km of new sewerage pipelines, serving over 4 600 households. More than 400 small and medium enterprises received direct support, 16 industrial parks and 6 business incubators were built. 130 schools were renovated, as well as 8 hospitals and 37 cultural facilities.
For more information on Cohesion policy in the Slovak Republic:
http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/atlas2007/slovakia/index_en.htm