Slovakia Drew 99.83 percent of EU Funds in 2014-20 Programme Period

Bratislava, 16 February (TASR) - Slovakia has officially closed the 2014-2020 programme period for drawing EU funds and ranks among the more successful countries in terms of absorption rates, having invested 99.83 percent of the allocated funds for a total of €14.5 billion, the Finance Ministry reported on Monday after sending the final accounts for eleven operational programmes to the European Commission. The ministry recalled that Slovakia and the European Commission concluded the relevant Partnership Agreement on 20 June 2014, with the document defining the strategy and main priorities for using the allocated EU funds. Slovakia has managed to implement more than 15,000 projects under eleven operational programmes, "With €14.5 billion from EU funds and €2.2 billion as co-financing from the state budget, the funds were used to support projects in such areas as strengthening the competitiveness of the economy, education, more accessible and safe transport, improving the quality of the environment, better quality of life in the regions, mitigating the impact of higher energy prices, provision of social services, as well as eGovernment," stated the Finance Ministry. Slovakia is currently in its fourth programme period, lasting from 2021 to 2027, with almost €12.8 billion allocated from EU funds for various projects. "Since joining the European Union, a total of €39.8 billion has been allocated to Slovakia during four programme periods," stated the ministry, adding that the largest volume of funds was available to Slovakia during the 2014-20 period. jrg/df