SAV Backs NKU's Opinion that New Transformation Legislation Needed

Bratislava, December 18 (TASR) - The Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) welcomes the opinion of the Supreme Audit Office (NKU) that new legislative regulations are needed based on which SAV's institutions could be transformed into public research institutes without interrupting the continuity of legal relationships, TASR learnt from SAV spokeswoman Monika Hucakova on Tuesday. NKU chairman Karol Mitrik said on Monday (December 17) that the plans to transform individual SAV institutions into public scientific and research bodies weren't worked out in sufficient detail. According to Mitrik, Slovakia has experience with transforming 'budgetary and contribution organisations' into business entities, and if such a model had been followed, the deadlock concerning SAV could have been prevented. SAV in this context claims that this is an objection that should be directed at the legislative body and not SAV. NKU thinks that the problems in the transformation processes include, for example, a lack of clarity in the law on SAV in relation to the law on public scientific and research bodies as well as the time frame set for the transformation, which was only half as long as the one used in the Czech Republic. As part of the recommendations, Mitrik said that the transformation should proceed in line with the law on public scientific and research bodies, while the transformation of SAV's individual institutions could also be carried out on an individual basis and according to a voluntary principle. am/bub/df