Rasi: Slovakia Must Draw €27 million per Day If It Wants Use Up EU Funds

Bratislava, September 14 (TASR) - With less than four months to go until the end of the previous EU fund programme period, Slovakia still has more than €3.3 billion left to spend, Voice-SD vice-chair Richard Rasi claimed on Thursday, adding that the current monthly tempo of drawing funds must be more than tripled if the country wants to use up the resources completely. "If we want to draw them completely, we need to spend €830 million per month, which is €27 million a day. Even if we give up on €800 million of the €3.3 billion, we need to draw about €630 million per month, which is about €21 million per day," explained Rasi. According to the MP, Slovakia drew EU funds at a tempo of €54 million to €190 million per month when Veronika Remisova was the investment minister. The tempo has increased since the caretaker government took over, but it still reaches only €250 million per month, said Rasi. Rasi warned that chaos in drawing EU funds is also evidenced by the fact that the government at its session on Wednesday approved as the first item on the agenda a report on the status of implementing European structural and investment funds by August 31. "However, this isn't yet available to the public," he remarked. zel/df