Skip to main content
European Commission logo
en
European Commission

Slovakia’s recovery and resilience – Supported projects: Reforms

Disclaimer: This page exclusively serves information purposes and is not an exhaustive database of projects funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Notably, the map provides a snapshot of projects based on the current status of their implementation. It does not reflect the distribution of the projects funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility across the different areas within Slovakia. The map will be regularly updated to include additional projects and information The showcase of the projects in this page is without prejudice to any future assessment by the Commission in the context of the verification of the satisfactory fulfilment of milestones and targets pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2021/241 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

The measure references mentioned below are those contained in the Annex to the Council Implementing Decision approving the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Slovak Republic and allow for easy identification of the measures

For more info on the projects, please contact the Commission’s representation in Slovakia.

ADDRESS: Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia; Palisady 29 811 06 Bratislava Slovakia; tel.: + 421 (2)54 43 17 18; e-mail:  rep-skatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (rep-sk[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)

Optimisation of the hospital network

(Reference SK-C[C11]-R[R1]-M[1]: in the Slovak Recovery and Resilience Plan)

The healthcare reform aims at creating a modern, accessible and high-quality hospital network, which introduces five levels of hospital care and establishes a minimum number of mandatory medical services for individual hospitals. This is to facilitate easy and adequate access to medical care for patients. A series of investments are expected as a follow-up to this reform, directed particularly at construction, reconstruction and equipment upgrade to make the new hospital network more effective.

In December 2021, the Slovak National Council approved the reform via the Law on the categorization of institutional healthcare. Based on this law, in December 2022, the Health Ministry carried out a first classification of hospitals that will apply as of 2024.

More information can be found at the links below:

Higher Education reform

(Reference SK-C[C8]-R[R4]-M[6]: in the Slovak Recovery and Resilience Plan)

The reform aims at improving the quality of Slovak higher education institutions. It includes the reform of the management of universities, by increasing the power of the rector and the Board of Directors. It also removes restrictions on the appointment of lecturers and professors, thus promoting openness of the academic environment towards professional and foreign candidates.

In March 2022, the Slovak parliament approved an amendment to the Higher Education Law. The first phase of the reform will be followed up by the introduction of performance contracts in 2023 to support the profiling and diversification of universities based on their strengths, their potential for development, the curricula, as well as the concentration of resources, further linked to investment support from the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Judicial map reform

(Reference SK-C[C15]-R[R1]-M[2]: in the Slovak Recovery and Resilience Plan)

This reform improves the quality and transparency of Slovakia’s judicial system, paving the way for better and faster court decisions. It streamlines the system of courts, thereby allowing for a greater specialisation of judges in criminal, civil, commercial and family law. It also comprises a new network of first instance administrative and ordinary courts (including municipal courts), appeal courts, and a Supreme Administrative Court.

The Slovak parliament approved the legislative amendments that define the new system of courts (judicial map) in April 2022. The new judicial map will take effect as from June 2023.

More information can be found at the links below:

Reform of governance in science, research and innovation

(Reference SK-C[C15]-R[R1]-M[2]: in the Slovak Recovery and Resilience Plan)

To address fragmentation in research, development and innovation (RDI) in Slovakia, the reform creates a new governance structure at the Government Office. This is composed of the Government Council for Science, Technology and Innovation and an increased presence of RDI experts. In particular, the reform aims to improve the strategic coordination of the support and experts´ evaluation of RDI projects.  

For this purpose, in March 2022, the Slovak parliament adopted amendments to the RD legislation. The reform is being followed by the adoption of an overarching National RDI Strategy (expected in the course of 2023) to set up objectives and measures to improve RDI performance. The new governance structure – Research and Innovation Authority (VAIA) and the Government Council – is now fully functional. The reform is accompanied by significant investments (EUR 633 million from the Recovery and Resilience Facility) to support excellence in science, cooperation of research institutions with businesses, scholarships and schemes on decarbonisation and digital transformation.

More information can be found at the links below: