Cabinet Approves Higher Voluntary Contribution for Projects of Slovakia and OECD

Cabinet Approves Higher Voluntary Contribution for Projects of Slovakia and OECD

Bratislava, October 4 (TASR) – The voluntary contribution to co-financing joint projects between Slovakia and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will go up from €70,000 to €100,000 between 2018-20, according to a Foreign and European Affairs Ministry-sponsored document, which was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday.

Slovakia has been providing a voluntary contribution to the OECD’s projects since 2001. Between 2001-06 the country earmarked to this effect €68,600 each year, while the contribution has gone up to €70,000 since 2012. “Following the talks within the coordination committee for Slovakia’s membership in the OECD, the ministry is proposing to allocate funds worth €100,000 per year from the ministry’s budget between 2018-20,” reads the ministry’s report.

According to the document, the ministry finds it important to support Slovakia’s activities carried out in cooperation with the OECD via voluntary contributions in the upcoming years, as practice has proven that providing contributions of this type have a positive influence on the image of the member countries within the organisation.

Thanks to the OECD membership, Slovak experts from various state bodies are regularly taking part in the activities of more than 200 committees and working groups of this organisation during the year. The acquired knowledge is subsequently applied in the development and implementation of the national policies in Slovakia.

The country has been a member of the Paris-based organisation since 2000. In addition to the mandatory membership contribution, the member countries also provide a voluntary contribution that is used for joint projects. Its amount depends on how much each particular country can contribute.