The European Commission has announced that the European Anti-Fraud Office a.k.a. OLAF will investigate the distributing of European funds involved in calls for research and innovation. Following an analysis of this situation, the Commission informed Slovak authorities that requests for payments will be processed only after inspection and selection processes are completed, with adequate corrective action being taken. "The European Commission takes all the steps necessary for the effective and sensible use of every euro from its budget," reads the statement.
The process of drawing European funds for research is to be amended. Parliamentary Chair Andrej Danko proposed that a controversial call for projects dealing with long-term strategic research and development should be scrapped and replaced with a new call oriented towards universities. "I'll recommend that the education minister should revise the drawing of European funds completely and terminate a [existing] call that can steer the flow of these finances to private companies," said Danko. The Parliamentary Chairman has already asked the minister to draft a special call designed only for universities, set to be launched in September-October.
The Opposition has asked the education minister to resign. Moreover, it requests the Slovak national party, which nominated him for this post, to give up responsibility for this government body. As it informed, the necessary signatures requesting an extraordinary parliamentary session have already been summoned. "Recalling Minister Plavčan from his position would be a minimal gesture of being fair towards the citizens," said Opposition MP Veronika Remišová.
The distribution of money from European funds is also being investigated by the National Criminal Agency (NAKA). The Ministry has not provided any statements regarding this police operation. Nevertheless, the minister welcomes the activity of these authorities.
The results of the ministry's call for supporting industrial research & development centres were first challenged by rectors from Slovakia's major universities and the representatives of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. Last month, they sent an official letter of protest, displeased that none of their projects were approved for part of the €300 million funding. Instead, money to support innovation would have been given to private enterprises, many with no previous experience in conducting research and some even lacking the financial capacity to do so.
