PS: Government Shouldn't Bypass Local Authorities When Deciding on EU Funds

Bratislava, April 17 (TASR) - The government shouldn't bypass local governments in discussions when deciding on EU funds, stated opposition MPs from Progressive Slovakia (PS) on Thursday, calling on the government to adopt a responsible and partnership-based approach towards the regions. The call is related to the European Commission's (EC) new draft priorities in the use of EU funds. Local authorities are concerned that the government may shift EU funds intended for them to new priorities without any discussion. The EC has proposed to EU-member states the possibility of reallocating some EU funds to new priorities such as defence, infrastructure, affordable housing and water management. However, according to MEP Lubica Karvasova (PS), this doesn't mean that the government should touch resources already earmarked for the needs of the regions. "Local authorities are afraid that they'll lose access to funds from integrated territorial investments. These are worth more than €2 billion. This mechanism directly supports the needs of the regions. It has proved its worth in other countries, including Poland, and the European Commission isn't proposing any changes to it. [Robert] Fico's government is unfairly blaming the regions for the slow pace at which these resources are drawn. It can therefore exploit the situation in order to take them away from them and use them elsewhere," she said. According to her, the use of money from integrated territorial investments should be decided by the regions themselves through the Partnership Councils. She stressed that any attempt by the government to get hold of this money without an open discussion with local authorities would violate the principle of partnership. am/df