During the 2021–2027 programming period, Slovakia has €12.6 billion available from European Union (EU) funds, of which €2.41 billion (19.2%) is allocated through the ITI mechanism, designed to finance strategic projects with significant territorial impact. These investments link multiple funds, programmes and priorities. The latest audit by the national authority for external control focused on the implementation of ITI at the level of the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development and Informatization (MIRDI) of the Slovak Republic, and pilot-tested implementation in the Košice Self-Governing Region and the Košice Sustainable Urban Development initiative for the period 2021–2024.

SAO auditors found that MIRDI, as the managing authority for the Slovakia Programme, failed to provide timely and clear conditions for the implementation of integrated investments. Calls for proposals were accompanied by weak planning and insufficient coordination. The initial allocation split in 2022 took place without consultations with local authorities and did not reflect the needs of the regions. The implementation of Integrated Territorial Development (ITD) was slowed down by repeated changes to the statutes of the Košice Region Partnership Board and the Košice Sustainable Urban Development Cooperation Board, causing delays in project approvals. Although the Integrated Territorial Strategy of the KSGR was adopted, the region did not ensure its proper monitoring for 2023. Projects supported by the boards lacked integrated and strategic character, often amounting merely to individual modernisation or refurbishment of assets. The boards also failed to establish clear selection criteria, undermining transparency. They prioritised speed of approval over actual regional impact. Staff of both board secretariats had limited access to project data in the ITMS21+ system, forcing them to obtain information via emails or phone calls, which prolonged processes and increased administrative burdens.

Many approved projects focused more on addressing investment and modernisation backlogs of local authorities rather than on sustainable, development-oriented investments with broader territorial impact. Both boards selected projects without clear rules, which admittedly sped up approvals but weakened the measurable contribution to the region. According to the audit office, one of the reasons for approving isolated and individual projects was a misunderstanding of the purpose of the instrument.

“Some local authorities misinterpreted the principle of equal access – assuming it meant spreading funds evenly across all towns and municipalities rather than supporting strategic solutions with regional benefits,” added SAO Vice-President H. Crkoňová.

A comparison of ITI implementation with the Czech Republic shows that Slovakia’s western neighbour is progressing faster and more efficiently. Slovakia lagged behind the Czech Republic in the adoption of binding methodological documentation by as much as 913 days. The first calls in the Czech Republic were launched 444 days earlier than in Slovakia. While Slovakia had not drawn any ITI funds by the end of 2024, almost all Czech ITI allocations were already included in calls; more than 21% was contracted and over 5% drawn. The Czech system is more interconnected and centrally coordinated, whereas Slovakia lacks central approval of Integrated Territorial Strategies (ITS). Although Slovakia’s allocation approach is more ambitious, it significantly lags in implementation and lacks assessment of the contribution to sustainable, targeted strategic development not only of local authorities but of wider regions.

The SAO recommends that the Parliamentary Committee on Public Administration and Regional Development require MIRDI to prepare the implementation framework for ITI after 2027 as soon as the proposal for the new European Structural and Investment Funds legislation is published. It also recommends updating the methodology for developing integrated territorial strategies and submitting an annual progress report on implementation to Members of the National Council of the Slovak Republic and to the public.