Slovakia sends updated recovery plan to Commission for approval

The Slovak government agreed on an updated national recovery and resilience plan with a revamped REPowerEU chapter due to the increase in costs, particularly for construction materials, and sent it to the European Commission for approval.

Under the updated REPowerEU chapter, the Commission’s plan to reduce the bloc’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and diversify supplies, Slovakia is asking for an additional €403 million to implement six reforms and eight investments, divided into four areas – energy and permitting, building renovation and management, sustainable transport, and green skills development.

As part of the Commission’s plan to reduce the bloc’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels and diversify supplies, Slovakia is looking to speed up the Environmental Impact Assessment processes, prepare two areas for wind energy development or invest in public transport and building decarbonisation.

“Wind energy is something in which Slovakia lags far behind other European Union member states,” Lívia Vašáková, director of the Recovery Plan Department of the Government Office, has said.

“This will allow us to leap forward,” she said about the additional funds requested.

The total allocation, however, will be lowered by approximately €500 million and a total of €6 billion based on the allocation key of the Commission since the Slovak economy grew more than what was predicted last year.

At the same time, the government negotiated the postponement of some deadlines, like postponing the deadline for Slovakia to create several hundred new hospital beds being postponed by half a year.

The document is pre-negotiated with the European Commission, but after its formal submission, the Commission has two months to assess the proposal and ask any additional questions or make adjustments.

Following the Commission’s approval, another one from the Council is needed. According to Vašáková, this can happen next July.

(Michal Hudec | EURACTIV.sk)