The FINANCIAL — On June 15 Slovakia announced that it will contribute €400 million to projects benefiting from finance by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), at the heart of the €315 billion Investment Plan for Europe, according to European Commission.
Slovakia is the seventh country to contribute to the Plan, even before the EFSI becomes operational, after Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg and Poland. The contribution will come via Slovenský Investičný Holding and Slovenská Záručná a Rozvojová Banka, Slovakia’s National Promotional Banks. Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, responsible for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness, was in Bratislava as part of the Investment Plan roadshow and received the news in person from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Peter Kazimir.
Vice-President Katainen said: “I am very glad to be here in Bratislava for the announcement that Slovakia will contribute to the Investment Plan. Two weeks ago we reached the political agreement on the EFSI Regulation, with Finance Ministers expected to formally approve it this Friday, and the European Parliament will take its final vote next week. Less than seven months after the Investment Plan got underway I now look forward to seeing the concrete results in the coming weeks – as I know our European citizens do as well.”
Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič, responsible for Energy Union said: “I welcome the decision of the Slovak Government to announce the contribution to the Investment Plan for Europe at the level of projects. Slovakia has the stable environment to invest: the Investment Plan brings great opportunities to businesses and public-private partnerships, notably in the fields of energy efficiency and infrastructure, be it energy, transport or digital”.