Fico: Smer-SD Ready to Support Reducing Number of Regions from Eight to Four

Bratislava, 15 August (TASR) - Smer-SD is prepared to vote in favour of reducing the number of self-governing regions, the Slovak National Party (SNS), which came up with the proposal, is also ready to support it, while the matter now depends on the Voice-SD party, which didn't comment on it at the coalition council meeting on Thursday (August 14), stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) at a press conference on Friday. "We're ready to vote for this, we don't see any issues with it," he reiterated. According to the premier, reducing the number of self-governing regions is one way to save financial resources without jeopardising the functioning of the state. "I'm curious to hear what the opposition has to say about this," he added. At Thursday's meeting of the coalition council the SNS party proposed reducing the number of self-governing regions from eight to four. The proposed model would follow Slovakia's historical divisions and create four regions: Bratislava, West, Central and East. According to the party, the reform would generate savings of over €500 million by reducing the number of offices and eliminating redundancy. lin/df