Slovak NGOS boycott fake partnership in EU funds planning

Bratislava, Slovakia — In an unprecedented move, a wide range of non-governmental organisations in Slovakia have decided to suspend the participation of their representatives in the programming and monitoring of EU structural and cohesion funds in Slovakia in protest at the Slovak government’s flouting of the partnership principle which is enshrined in EU legislation [1]. The programming process will define how Slovakia’s anticipated EUR 10 billion EU funds allocation for 2007-2013 is used.

The Slovak NGOs believe that the government’s abuse of the partnership principle has the potential to lead to poorer quality programming documents and the inappropriate use of EU aid as a result. They consider that the government’s approach of completely ignoring NGO input during the programming process for EU structural and cohesion funds since last December has left them with no choice but to resign from the programming and monitoring committees.

The NGOs have submitted wide-ranging comments to the proposed National Strategic Reference Framework for 2007-2013, stressing the need for balanced support for marginalised regions and social groups such as Roma, improvements in the quality of life and sustainable development.

The NGO boycott comes two weeks after the European Commission published an evaluation of the partnership principle, concluding that «structural funds deliver more, faster and better when national, regional and local authorities work together with their economic and social partners and with civil society groups [2].»

In March 2001, Slovak NGOs were instrumental in revealing the systematic misuse of EU pre-accession funds in Slovakia, which developed into a corruption scandal. A lack of transparency allowed a limited group of individuals to steer EU aid to companies of their choice as well as for their own gain. The revelations led to a subsequent improvement in Slovakia’s management of the funds.

Helena Wolekova, NGO representive at the Committee for Sectoral Operational Program Human Resources and former Slovak Minister of Social Affairs, said: «The Ministry of Construction and Regional Development did not accept any of our principal comments. We invested a lot of energy and time to the whole process which, unlike that of the authorities, was done in our free time and was unpaid. Unfortunately our efforts to improve the quality of programming have fallen on deaf ears.»

Juraj Zamkovsky, of Friends of the Earth Slovakia/CEE Bankwatch Network and representing Slovak NGOs at the Committee for Structural funds and the Cohesion Fund, said: «Regretably, the authorities have reduced the partnership principle to purely formal NGO participation in the committees. In practice, however, they systematically ignore all our principal comments and suggestions without explanation. We have therefore decided not to legitimise such a process any longer and to stop our participation. The government emphasises in all its materials how transparent and democratic the programming process in Slovakia is and that cooperation with partners is effective. We have no desire to continue our role in this puppet theatre.»

The NGOs will only renew their participation after they see concrete progress in the approach of the authorities. The first opportunity will be a meeting with Zsolt Lukac, the state secretary of the Ministry of Construction and Regional Development, (which is coordinating the programming process) tomorrow (December 13) in Bratislava.

For more information contact:

Juraj Zamkovsky, Tel: +421 48 4193718 or +421 908 902257, E-mail

Roman Havlicek, Tel: +421 2 5244 2104 or +421 908 967633, E-mail

Martin Konecny, Tel: +32 2 542 01 85, Email

Source : Friends of the Earth