Lucia Yar: MEPs from PS urged EU institutions to investigate the misuse of EU funds in Slovakia
Brussels/Strasbourg – A six-member delegation of Slovak MEPs from the PS movement and the Renew Europe (RE) group has formally called on the European Commission (EC), the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), and the relevant committees of the European Parliament (EP) to stop potential misuse of EU funds in Slovakia. This was confirmed on Monday by MEP Lucia Yar from the EP Committee on Budgets to the Brussels correspondent of TASR.
Upon arriving at the May plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Yar specified that she and Michal Wiezik initiated a letter, which was also signed by four other members of the Slovak delegation in the RE group, in which they request European institutions for assistance in stopping potential misuse of EU funds.
She pointed out that there are suspicions regarding the “haciendas” near Nitra, Krupina, in Limbach, and in Lechnica, which were built with EU funds, that they are being used solely for private purposes and against European rules. Yar registered to speak on this topic in the plenary session of the European Parliament on Monday to present the situation to the other members of the EU legislative body.
“Government officials say that we MEPs are fighting against Slovakia. That we want to take away its EU funds. But it is precisely they who have turned the EU into a cash register for their own adventures or for friends. We are once again witnessing nepotism and suspicions of robbing the citizens of Slovakia. This must end, and that is why we are asking for help from the relevant European authorities,” stated the MEP.
The aim of the call addressed to the relevant EU institutions is to immediately request explanations from the Slovak managing authorities, the Agricultural Payment Agency, and the relevant ministries on how the projects were evaluated and whether they operate according to approved plans.
“We call for the initiation of an independent investigation into the possible misuse of EU funds. We also propose convening a joint hearing in the European Parliament to examine these cases and determine the necessary systemic changes,” explained Yar.
According to her, a mission from the EP Committee on Budgetary Control is expected to visit Slovakia at the end of May, which was originally supposed to monitor the spending of funds from the recovery plan, but she is convinced that the committee members will also be interested in cases related to pensions that do not serve as pensions.
“This scandal is not happening in a vacuum. But at a time of important negotiations on the future multiannual financial framework of the EU, from which billions of euros are supposed to flow to Slovakia. From the position of an MEP, it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to convince colleagues from Germany or the Netherlands that they should not only continue to provide us with EU funds but also increase them. Because I am also concerned about the increase in the current negotiations on the future European budget, which I oversee in the European Parliament as the vice-chair of the budget committee,” stated Yar. (May 5)
“Government officials say that we MEPs are fighting against Slovakia. That we want to take away its EU funds. But it is precisely they who have turned the EU into a cash register for their own adventures or for friends. We are once again witnessing nepotism and suspicions of robbing the citizens of Slovakia. This must end, and that is why we are asking for help from the relevant European authorities.” Lucia Yar
