Migal: European Funds Should Be Allocated Directly to Local Governments

Bratislava, March 19 (TASR) - The newly appointed head of the Investments Ministry Samuel Migal (a Smer-SD nominee), plans to allocate EU funds directly to local governments, focusing on cybersecurity and supporting applied research in practice, emphasising that EU funds must be concentrated in regions with the highest poverty rates. "We have three main pillars that we want to promote and implement. For instance, following the example of Poland, we want to allocate European funds directly to local governments, whether they are cities or municipalities, which know exactly where they need EU funds the most," Migal clarified. Migal also wants to focus on cybersecurity as part of his priorities. "This country can't operate on outdated software without any protection against external influences. We also need to protect our children in schools from various cyberattacks. At the same time, we want to focus on supporting applied research in practice," added the new minister. "It's in his hands, within his power, and dependent on his decisions to further accelerate its activities so that the Investments Ministry and the entire Slovak Republic can be successful," his predecessor, former investments minister Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) noted. lin