Fico: Total Revision to Recovery Plan Hard to Imagine

Bratislava, November 2 (TASR) - A total revision of the recovery plan is difficult to imagine, and there's no other choice but to build on what has been approved, Premier Robert Fico told a news conference on Thursday following his meeting with Vice-premier for the Recovery Plan Peter Kmec (Voice-SD), adding that Kmec's post might be changed into a regular cabinet member with his own office.
        "It's very difficult to imagine a total revision of the recovery plan, as we have deadlines - mid-2026, when the financing of projects from this tool ends. So, we can do nothing but build on what has been approved, while trying to be as flexible as possible," stated Fico.
        The premier would like to transfer to Kmec all the powers from the Government Office that he can use. "I don't want to create any duplication. Let everyone take care of what they are meant to, and the vice-premier's primary role is to implement the recovery plan," added Fico.
        The premier expressed his dissatisfaction with how the recovery plan was treated in the previous two years. "If we realise that over €6 billion from the recovery plan is available to us to improve life in Slovakia and then find data that only €400 million has reached end-users to date, it's a fatal failure by the previous government," stated Fico.
        According to Kmec, many milestones of the recovery plan haven't been connected to regions or the interests of the economy. "We'll have to look at the possibilities for adjusting the meeting of targets in order to deliver the money from the economic recovery plan after the coronavirus, economic and inflation crises to individual regions as quickly as possible," he said.