BRATISLAVA, August 20, (WEBNOVINY) – Speaker of Parliament Richard Sulik visited the town of Presov in eastern Slovakia, where he held talks with Mayor Pavel Hagyari. It was Sulik’s first visit to the town since receiving the post of speaker of parliament. He intends to visit all mayors of regional towns in Slovakia in the near future. On Friday, he visited Kosice and Presov. The speaker of parliament commented that the visits were rather formal since he wanted to meet the mayors and county heads.
The representatives discussed the fall communal elections, the Roma issue, floods, the transfer of competencies from the central government to towns and villages, and the shortfall in income taxes which form the majority of self-governments‘ budgets. The topic of floods and landslides in Presov resonated at the meeting with Presov County head Peter Chudik. The speaker of parliament offered to provide the Parliament’s facility in Casta –Papiernicka for the holidays to children from families afflicted by floods.
Presov Mayor Pavel Hagyari told the press that he proposed to Sulik to turn Kosice and Presov into the second strong center of Slovakia. According to Hagyari, thirty to forty percent of state bodies and ministries should be gradually moved to Eastern Slovakia. It would create new jobs and increase the importance of the region which is far from the most industrial parts of Slovakia. The speaker of parliament argued that the central administration bodies should be in one place. It is important to complete the highway between Bratislava and Kosice as soon as possible in order to attract investors, according to Sulik.
SITA