The first €822 million as part of the recovery plan is set to come to Slovakia in the coming weeks, Prime Minister Eduard Heger (OLaNO) said at the Government Office on Monday, adding that the funds would be aimed at health care, education and justice.
The so-called "reform autumn" will include, among other things, health care reform. It will begin with the optimisation of the hospital network. The prime minister also promised the construction of new hospitals and the reconstruction of older hospitals.
Health Minister Vladimir Lengvarsky is pleased that, in addition to the reform of the hospital network, the reform of the outpatient network is to be launched, too. He stressed that no hospitals would close.
Following the announcement that the first financial package from the Recovery and Resilience Plan is set to come to Slovakia in the coming weeks, the head of the Government Office's recovery plan department Livia Vasakova explained at the press conference that Slovakia had to meet 14 specific milestones before it can request the first payment. "Some of them have already been achieved, others are well underway and then there are some into which we need to put more effort, but they can still be met within the set deadline," stated Vasakova.
As for what will happen if there are delays in some of these milestones, Vasakova explained that there are ongoing talks on this issue, but the EC has promised that it willl be possible to delay the payment request and apply for the money at a later stage. Slovakia is not the only country to have these issues, according to Vasakova.
Among the 14 milestones, there are some legislative proposals which, if not approved through fast-track proceedings, will not enter into force in time. Slovakia plans to submit its first payment request in the first or second quarter of next year. "If these bills are approved by Parliament in January at the latest, we can imagine including these milestones in the first payment request," said Vasakova.
When asked by the media whether the state will be able to enforce the reforms included in the recovery plan, PM Eduard Heger answered that the Government is focused on making sure that the reforms are passed.
