Interior Ministry Responds to Krupa's Criticism of Crisis Management Analysis

Bratislava, 6 August (TASR) - The implementation contract for a crisis management analysis is based on a framework agreement signed by the Interior Ministry in 2020, during the term of the then government, the ministry's communication department told TASR on Wednesday in response to opposition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) MP Juraj Krupa's criticism about the ministry paying €1.2 million to a private consulting company for a crisis management concept. The ministry added that Krupa, now an opposition MP, was part of the ruling coalition at that time. "Using the services of a renowned international company is also connected to the vision of aligning the crisis management system with the standards seen in developed countries such as Italy, Australia, and the United States," the ministry argued. The changes in the crisis management of the state were driven by events which, according to the ministry, were not handled well during the previous election term, such as migration, earthquake or the pandemic. At a press conference earlier on Wednesday, Krupa lambasted the ministry for shelling out €1.2 million on a new crisis management concept which could have been drawn up by the ministry's internal staff instead. Krupa also said the existing concept will be valid until 2027 and that the concept will not be implemented in practice by the ministry despite having been okayed by the government. jrg/mcs/ko