Slovak Republic: macro-financial assistance

In adopting the report by Mr Albrecht KONECNY, the REX Committee took account of the improvement in the macro-economic situation in Slovakia, particularly in terms of the balance of payments, and, most importantly, the fact that the Slovak authorities had announced in April that they would not draw on the aid they had been promised to redress the balance of payments. The cancellation of the financial assistance was also the result of reservations concerning the current political and economic situation in Slovakia. The main problem was the attitude of the Slovak government towards the Hungarian minority and the institutional conflict between the country's President and its Prime Minister. There were also concerns regarding the slow progress of the privatisation programme. �