Kmec Resigns to Protect Reputation of Voice-SD, Slovakia and Industry

Bratislava, 15 November (TASR) - Vice-premier for the Recovery Plan and a Knowledge-based Economy Peter Kmec (Voice-SD) confirmed at a press conference on Saturday that by leaving his post over controversial results of research and development grant calls, he wants to protect the reputation of Voice-SD, Slovakia and industry, though he admitted no major errors, TASR reported on the same day. On Friday (14 November), Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) announced on social media that he would ask President Peter Pellegrini to dismiss Kmec. "I've made my personal decision to accept my personal responsibility in order to protect the name of the party, the name of Slovakia and, above all, Slovak industry to put an end to politicking over these calls," stated Kmec. In his opinion, the fact that he wanted to include in the call not only large companies but also small- and medium-sized innovators was a mistake arising from his political inexperience. Kmec added that he did not personally engage in the evaluation of the call, leaving it up to the evaluation committee, which, he said, did a good job. Rejecting criticism from the media, the NGO sector and the opposition, Kmec added that the committee was "under enormous pressure from various interest groups". He described the criminal complaints submitted to the police in this matter as the effort of "negotiators" who were unsuccessful in the calls. According to him, the calls were intended to correct the mistakes of previous governments in that industry wasn't included in the Recovery Plan. "Today we see the results. The latest statistics show that countries like the Czech Republic and Poland are entering the growth phase, posting significant growth figures also thanks to the Recovery Plan, as well as by financing their industry, while Slovakia is lagging behind," he said. "Slovak industry was cut off and I attempted to use these calls, the new calls, to get the funds flowing into Slovak industry, especially towards its innovation capacity," explained Kmec, adding that the calls are now being inspected by the office's internal audit unit, with any potential errors to be handled on a case-by-case basis. He stressed that the committee wasn't required to address the links between companies and governing parties. The office can verify compliance with targets under individual projects and, in justified cases, may suspend the payment of subsidies or seek their recovery. The press conference was also attended by Vladimir Sotak, head of the Klub 500 business association representing businesses with more than 500 employees, who defended Kmec and said his resignation wouldn't solve anything. He stressed the importance of support for industry and described the research and innovation calls as an example of correct government decisions. jrg