Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic

Bratislava, November 4, 2022 – The strategic development of transport remained to a large extent only on paper. Although the documents drawn up by the governments since 2005 logically followed each other, their ambitious goals were only partially met. Of the 231 projects processed in the Strategy for the Development of Transport in Slovakia from 2014 (phase I until 2020, phase II until 2030), in which road transport dominates, 38 have been implemented so far, which represents less than 17 percent. Projects aimed at more ecological rail transport are also lagging behind. The implementation of the strategy has only been improved in recent years by the adoption of the road and rail transport prioritization methodology.

The main problem with the development of transport is the lack of funds and the way in which the projects are managed. Key national transport activities are largely financed by European funds, which are limited to 2023. The European Union does not plan to support the development of road infrastructure in the new period. The Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic (SAO), which during the audit focused on the period of years from 2014 to 2021, found that 47 billion euros are missing for the completion of unrealized projects. Auditors point out that the key to better financing in the transport sector is the multi-source financing of projects. "The creation of a special-purpose fund for the sustainable financing of strategic transport projects is the only way towards the real fulfillment of the obligations that Slovakia has towards its citizens and the European community. Without a fund that could generate money from several public sources, the development and modernization of railway or road infrastructure will only be on paper, and the investment debt will soon reach over 50 billion euros," states Ľubomír Andrassy, ??president of the Slovak auditors.

The full text of the press release about this issue in Slovak language is available here. Use the Google icon in the top bar for automatic translation.