First Annual Meeting of the Swiss-Slovak Cooperation Programme

On 28 May 2024, the first Annual Meeting of the Swiss-Slovak Cooperation Programme took place at the Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the Slovak Republic (MIRDI SR). From the Swiss side, representatives of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, the Swiss Ambassador to Slovakia, H.E. Peter Nelson, and representatives from the Swiss Contribution in Bratislava were present. From the Slovak side, in addition to MIRDI SR, which acts as the National Coordination Unit, the meeting was attended by representatives of the Paying Authority (MIRDI SR) and the Audit Authority (the Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic). Both sides appreciated the mutual cooperation to date.

The main goal of the Annual Meeting was summarise the milestones achieved in 2023 and set the milestones for this year. The meeting took place almost exactly one year after bilateral negotiations in Bratislava, during which the basics of the Framework Agreement for the implementation of the second Swiss contribution to selected EU Member States, including the outline of Support Measures, were agreed upon. The Framework Agreement was signed on 19 September 2023 in Bratislava, followed by intensified preparation of three Support Measures Proposals aimed at vocational education and training, tourism and biodiversity, and health with an emphasis on prevention. Other successes from last year include the first-stage approval of Support Measures “Vocational Education and Training” and “Tourism and Biodiversity.”

The key goal planned to be achieved by the end of this year is the second-stage approval of all 3 Support Measures and the signing of the respective bilateral Support Measure Agreements. Additionally, communication about the Swiss-Slovak Cooperation Programme will be increased, to which the launch of this Programme’s website will certainly contribute.