stavebníctvo, výstavba a regionálny rozvoj - EUROREPORT plus

SUMMARY
Excerpt from an Interview with State
Secretary of the Ministry of Construction
and Regional Development of the
Slovak Republic, Zsolt Lukáč
The European Union funds being so
much expected are avaliable at last.
Which Slovakia’s regions are of priority
for the Slovak Republic and which
are for the European Union? Is the
development of regions viewed in a
different way?
We do not share the same viewpoints. The
European Union is evaluating the destination
of support in compliance with statistical unit
and in Slovakia there are four statistical
units at the present, i.e., the east, the west,
central area and the district of Bratislava.
There were four units of priority determined
for 2004 to 2006, notably all regions except
of Bratislava region.
Under the starting stage of support, the
matter is to liquidate differences between
the regions and those being mostly in behind
are backed up first. District of Bratislava
takes the second place after.
It goes without saying that regions of
Košice and Prešov are extraordinarily in
need. Next, we’d like to back up the regions
mostly in behind in the south of central
Slovakia. Notwithstanding, our requirements
and ideas still differ. First comes first.
The European Union follows primarily the
statistics on unemployment rate, scope
of income of inhabitants, standards of
education and those which are on the move
now report significant differences from
district of Bratislava.
In other words, projects of these regions
are of priority and this is the way how terms
and conditions and criteria have been
determined. We are interested in preparing
sound projects within the framework of each
region being provided with the European
Union funds in order to use the funds
accordingly. We intend to have the projects
applicable. Many of them are being financed
in combination with other local, regional
and/or state resources.
What is the application standard
like? What sort of principle is being
applicable? Towns or villages are on
the move?
Application standard is much better in
comparison with those of pre-accession.
Projects and applications for financial
support from the structural funds have been
developed better due to numerous reasons.
We made every endeavours to promotion
and awareness of public and potential
applicants. We have been preparing the
themes being fully involved in any aspect of
the projects. And we really did a huge job.
Let me mention that any project is being
developed in compliance with the Slovak
legislation. In pre-accession projects
there had to be followed other
legislative standards and legal
rules than in current ones.
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How is the entire procedure of
approving the projects functioning? Is
it really transparent?
The system is functioning as follows: For
a certain period of time there is a specific
amount of applications and projects
submitted to the ministry, being classified
afterwards. Subsequently, each project is
being assessed whether it has got all the
requested formal essential elements, it is
being completed and reviewed. Afterwards,
the project will be sent to specialised
assessment experts who will review whether
the project is in compliance with the rules
and determined priorities. In the same
way each project is being reviewed from
technical point of view whether it complies
with all the required essential elements and
then it is also evaluated from the financial
viewpoint, notably whether the business
plan and/or financial plan of the institution
is covering the burden, whether the project
can be implemented and also whether
the respective entity is solvent sufficiently
because the European Union funds are just
the complementary resources and they do
not cover the project in its entirety.
Has it already happened that some
projects from pre-accession funds were
of short existence?
Yes, it has. And that is why we want to
avoid it. Thus, we follow mainly whether
the project is sustainable and whether the
respective entity has sufficient amount of
funds available, either resources of their own
or combined of numerous funds.
How are the Regional development
agencies functioning? How do they
enter the procedure of project
preparation?
Regional development agencies have been
functioning since 2000 and I think that it was
a smart idea. And not because of the fact
that it was our ministry which has introduced
them. The ministry has financed partially
their activities with the aim to introduce
know-how and relevant information in the
regions. And notably with the aim to make
any information available to public sfere.
The agencies are partially financed from
ministerial resources and the ministries
expect that the agencies will support public
sector free of charge. I appreciate very much
an approach of development agencies as
they played an important role in quality
standard of filed motions and applications.
Respective staff is highly qualified and in
locations and districts where the agency
performs there were sound projects born
and anybody is satisfied who is seeking for
required information.
So thus, it was just the plain hullaballoo
that we were not ready to withdraw
the European Union funds and huge
amount of Eur would be of waste?
If we did not launch such a vast campaign
notably in last two years, the forecasts
would come true most probably. There was
a certain threat that regions would not be
able to apply the existing support. But I have
to say that the Operation programme Basic
Infrastructure erased any original frights. And
I may say that it is valid for further operation
programmes as well. There were so many
applications submitted to the ministry that
they are exceeding our possibilities foreseen
for a period of three years.
That is good as just the best of the
best will be given the opportunity to
be allocated the funds on the basis of a
sound project submitted.
Exactly. There are precisely determined
criteria there. From the viewpoint of the
European Union the focus is more detailed
and cross criteria are also taken into account
accordingly. Let me mention the two topics
only: first, the matter is the support and
efficiency towards the marginalized groups
of inhabitants at the present and second, the
matter is the development of informatization
of a society. Both topics are of importance
for Slovakia.
What amount of money do we actually
speak about? What is the volume of
finance?
Within the framework of the operation
programme Basic Infrastructure, we have
566 million Eur available. Globally, the
European Union has allocated 1.7 billion Eur
for the Slovak Republic. There is an amount
of more than one billion Eur available for the
structural funds.
Let me sum up: there was roughly
1,500 applicants in our ministry and
their requirements exceeded a volume of
finance available in three times. Within the
framework of the Operation programme
Basic Infrastructure, the requirements are
amounting to ca 37 billion Slovak crowns and
for the time being, there were one hundred
and eighty projects approved amounting
to 5.2 billion Slovak crowns, regarding the
fact that concurrently the further projects
are being assessed, so thus, the figures are
changing all the time, to be exact.
Excerpt from an Interview with State
Secretary of the Ministry of Construction
and Regional Development of the
Slovak Republic, Štefan Kužma
How do you classify housing estate
development in the Slovak Republic?
Official statistical data say that
there are less new apartments built
up and decline in construction of
housing estate is obvious although
civil engineering is reporting boom
according to some other criteria...
Right you are. We may really speak about
boom in civil engineering but the topic is
not widely spoken as for example the topic
of development in automobile industry in
Slovakia. The reason is that people are not
well informed about the issue and that is why