Slovakia - Strengthening of the institutional and administrative capacities

Short-term priorities:

• adoption of a Civil Service Law and development of a strategy for the reform of public administration, with the emphasis on strengthening the departments dealing with EU accession;
• reinforcement of institutions in the environmental, veterinary and phytosanitary fields (particularly as regards facilities at external borders);
• setting up the structures needed for regional and structural policy.

Assessment (October 1999)

These priorities have not been achieved.

Slovakia has prepared the way for a Civil Service Law by adopting a reform strategy, but the Law itself has not yet been adopted. Little progress has been made towards reinforcing environmental institutions or setting up structures for regional and structural policy. No progress has been made in the veterinary or phytosanitary sectors.

Assessment (November 2000)

The Civil Service law has not been adopted. There has been a delay in implementing public administration reform. Work on drawing up the national development plan and the rural development plan will continue.

Assessment (November 2001)

The Civil Service law has been adopted and the reform strategy has been implemented. The rural development plan has been approved and the national development plan is making progress. The judicial and administrative capacities needed to manage the pre-accession aid must be put in place. The Sapard organisation must be accredited. A law on financial control and the internal audit as well as the amendment of the law on the Audit Office have been adopted.

Assessment (October 2002)

These priorities have not been assessed. The section on the Partnership for accession in the 2002 report focuses on issues which require more work in order to prepare Slovakia for accession.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Medium-term priorities:

• reinforcement of the Audit Office, financial control arrangements and internal audit functions;
• improved operation of the customs authorities, the bodies supervising the banking and financial sectors, and the institutional structures and budgetary mechanisms for regional development;
• improved operation of the judicial system;
• reinforcement of justice and home affairs institutions (ensuring sufficient numbers of properly trained personnel);
• reinforcement of food control administration.

Assessment (October 1999)

No progress has been made in these fields.

Assessment (November 2000)

No progress has been made in these fields.

Assessment (November 2001)

The Audit Office has been reinforced. The number of staff in the internal audit departments and the central harmonisation and statistics department must also be reinforced.

Assessment (October 2002)

These priorities have not been assessed.

Assessment (November 2003)

Please refer to the fact sheets on the adoption of the Community acquis.

Following the signing of the Accession Treaty on 16 April 2003, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia,Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004.

REFERENCES

Council Decision 98/262/EC of 30.03.1998Official Journal L 121, 23.04.1998

Council Decision 1999/853/EC of 06.12.1999Official Journal L 335, 28.12.1999

Commission Opinion COM(97) 2004 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(98) 703 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(1999) 511 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2000) 711 finalNot published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2001) 700 final - SEC(2001) 1754Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2002) 700 final - SEC(2002) 1410Not published in the Official Journal

Commission Report COM(2003) 675 final - SEC(2003) 1209Not published in the Official Journal

Treaty of Accession to the European Union [Official Journal L 236, 23.09.2003]

Last updated: 19.11.2004