Slovakia's Ministry of Transport, Posts and Telecommunications has asked the Finance Ministry to increase its priority budgetary spending in the next three years by nearly SKK 44.816 billion (EUR 1.488 billion). Transport Ministry's spokesperson Marian Janosik further told SITA that the ministry is requesting an increase by SKK 14.832 billion (EUR 492.33 million) in 2009, by SKK 13.473 (EUR 447.22 million) in 2010 and by SKK 16.510 (EUR 548.03 million) in 2011. These resources should be directed chiefly into construction of highways and dual carriage ways, the preparation of highway public-private partnership (PPP) projects, and financing of loses from performing services in public interest in operation the national railway network operator Zeleznice Slovenskej Republiky (ZSR). Mr. Janosik expects discussions on the draft budget to continue.
According to the draft general government's budget for 2009 -2011, the Transport Ministry should have EUR 1.344 (SKK 40.489 billion) at its disposal in 2009, which is 30.9 percent more than this year. This should represent EUR 1.626 billion (SKK 48.985 billion) in 2010 and almost EUR 1.673 billion (SKK 50.401 billion) in 2011.
Mr. Janosik explained that the increase compared with this year came from European Union subsidies and respective co-financing from the state budget within the current programming period. The Transport operating program for the years of 2007 to 2013, which is to draw subsidies from the EU funds, has been approved already this year. Projects financed from the EU Cohesion fund will be approved in the next period. Therefore only SKK 2.708 billion (EUR 89.89 million) has been allocated from the 2007 -2013 programming period for the 2008 Transport Ministry's budget. Next year, this sum will represent SKK 15.145 billion (EUR 502.72 million).