Vazny: We Managed to Accelerate Drawing of European Funds

Vazny: We Managed to Accelerate Drawing of European Funds

Bratislava, February 8 (TASR) – Vice-premier for Investments Lubomir Vazny sees an accelerated conclusion of contracts, the drawing of European Funds and the prevention of huge losses of money from Brussels as the chief successes achieved during his term in office, TASR has learnt.

The priority task after I assumed my post in November 2012 was to provide processes for drawing European Funds for 2007-13 in order to complete the programme period successfully, Vazny told TASR a month ahead of the March general election.

“In close cooperation with the ministries and the European Commission (EC) we managed to ensure an acceleration in concluding contracts and drawing money and so prevent a significant loss of financial resources from the EU. At the moment we’re working on completing and settling the old period, and we’re satisfied with the results for now,” stated Vazny.

Vazny described the measures that have been adopted while he has held his post as successful. “The biggest success is in the plentiful number of simplifications that we’ve managed to negotiate with the EU. Other successes were an extension of the possibility to draw the 2011-12 commitment by one year, which prevented the loss of this money, and the option of drawing money for problematic projects that could not have been refunded from EU money by that time, such as financing first-category road repairs to a huge extent,” said Vazny.      

The vice-premier also mentioned his plans to deepen cooperation between the Public Procurements Office and steering authorities, which has been reflected in more efficient control of public procurements.

The second important task, according to Vazny, was to prepare a smooth transition into drawing funds in the new programme period of 2014-20. The Partnership Agreement that defines the strategy and priorities for investments amounting to €15.3 billion for the next ten years was approved by the EC in June 2014. “Slovakia managed to submit such a draft Partnership Agreement that ranked us among the first five EU-member states to have this document okayed,” stressed Vazny.