Kmec: OECD's Economic Recommendations in Line with Government's Approach

Bratislava, March 19 (TASR) - The recommendations for the economic direction of Slovakia by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are in line with the government's approach, said Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and the Recovery Plan Peter Kmec (Voice-SD) following a meeting with OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, as cited by his spokeswoman Loretta Pinke on Tuesday. The spokesperson claimed that Slovakia agrees with OECD support for Ukraine and considers it to be an important element in the recovery and reconstruction of the country. At the same time, it wants to support Slovak entrepreneurs in reconstructing the Ukrainian economy and to establish a framework for financial support, in particular on the basis of an EU instrument and guarantees from other international financial institutions. The funding should be channeled through an export-import bank. "Ukraine's recovery and post-war reconstruction must go hand in hand with the implementation of necessary reforms and an integration perspective. It's essential to link the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure and economic recovery with sustainable reforms so that Ukraine as a candidate country can move forward on the path of integration," stressed Kmec. In the next few months, a joint OECD-recovery plan project named 'Building Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development at Central and Regional Level in the Slovak Republic' is set to be launched. According to the spokeswoman, the challenges that Slovakia faces together with other countries require inter-ministerial cooperation and a common vision. "This project opens up a unique opportunity to bolster the coherence of our policies via expert support and sharing of experience for Slovakia. We have high expectations and believe that this project will bring positive results. As deputy prime minister, I will give my full support to its implementation," claimed Kmec. zel/df