Opposition Accuses Government of Not Caring about Regions and Their Problems

Bratislava, 11 July (TASR) - The opposition has criticised the coalition partners for not coming to the parliamentary committee for public administration and regional development, which discussed issues related to the freezing of €200 million for local authorities on Friday. The committee wasn't quorate due to an insufficient number of MPs. Only Investments, Regional Development and Informatisation Ministry State Secretary Richard Maracek attended the meeting on behalf of the government. He stated that the ministry is working on unfreezing EU funds for local authorities, but it will take some time. Opposition MPs Jana Hanuliakova and Marek Lackovic (Progressive Slovakia/PS), Vladimir Ledecky (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS), Igor Janckulik (Christian Democrats/KDH) and Veronika Remisova ('Slovakia', 'For the People', KU caucus) said in response that the government doesn't care about the regions and isn't addressing their problems sufficiently. "Local authorities have no idea what projects the frozen €200 million relates to. The state secretary says that municipalities and towns can prepare those projects, but they have no idea whether they will eventually receive funding for them. And the self-proclaimed party of the regions, the Voice-SD party, is covering all this up because it suits it. Let it finally admit that Voice ministers will also be able to make arbitrary decisions about the €200 million that they have taken away, and that's why they've decided to freeze this money. They've done it in their own interests, without any debate with the representatives of municipalities and towns," said Hanuliakova, adding that if the money isn't returned to the regions, the municipalities will have invested in project documentation in vain. Lackovic added that the absence of coalition MPs from the committee session shows that they don't take any notice of the regions. That's why, according to him, PS will strive at the parliamentary session in September to ensure that these EU funds are unblocked and that projects for water supplies or social services are implemented in Slovakia and don't end up going to foreign arms companies. Ledecky agreed with this, calling on the government to return the money to local authorities and not take away their powers because they know best where to invest funds. am/df