BRATISLAVA, July 27, (WEBNOVINY) — The Ministry of Economy and Construction does not want to give up control over foreign trade, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under Mikulas Dzurinda should gain based on a proposal to redefine competencies of individual government departments. “The Ministry of Economy and Construction is fundamentally against this proposal,” the press department of the ministry told SITA news agency. Having foreign trade, with the exception of military issues, moved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is based on the draft amendment to the Law of Competencies, which was submitted for interdepartmental review on Tuesday by Prime Minister Iveta Radicova.
Names and responsibilities of some ministries should be changed again in accordance with the draft amendment to the Law on Competencies. Departments of culture and economy should hand over some responsibilities, including tourism to the Transport Ministry, which should also gain responsibilities for the administration of European Union structural funds from the Cabinet Office.
As of November of this year, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism should return to its recently used name: the Culture Ministry. Similarly, the Ministry of Economy and Construction should be again the Economy Ministry. The name of the transport department will be changed to the Ministry of Transport, Regional Development, and Tourism.
SITA