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Commission Report 2002 (Slovakia)
Implementation of
the civil service law has now started, although delays have occurred in
issuing secondary legislation. As set out in the Action Plan, the Civil
Service Office has been established, even if some months later than
previously foreseen. The recruitment of the Office's staff is proceeding
according to schedule. The implementation of the public administration reform
strategy has continued; as regards the element of decentralisation, the first
regional elections took place in December 2001. Transfer of responsibilities
from state to regional level, however, does is not yet proceeding
satisfactorily hand in hand with fiscal decentralisation. The issues of
training and remuneration need to be tackled. Slovakia has made considerable
progress with strengthening the independence and the efficiency of the
judiciary by, inter alia, adopting a number of laws. As foreseen in the
Action Plan, the Act on the Judicial Council has been approved and the
relevant Council established. The training system for judges has received
attention, but no comprehensive training structure exists yet. The provision
of equipment and administrative staff is ongoing. A court case management
system has been introduced at pilot level. The amendment to the Code of
Criminal Procedure, foreseen in the Action Plan, which contains provisions to
avoid the overlap between the functions of the police authorities and police
investigators, has helped ensure the accountability and transparency of the
investigation procedures. Further legislative steps and implementing measures
were carried out to step up the fight against corruption and economic crime,
in particular through continuing to implement the Action Plan to combat
corruption. The function of a special prosecutor for the fight against
corruption and organised crime, as foreseen in the Action Plan, has not yet
been established. The situation of the Roma minority has improved
continuously through intensified implementation of the relevant strategy,
including increased financial support at national and local level, albeit
still insufficient. Employment opportunities, increased access to education
and better housing conditions need further particular attention. One
additional person has been recruited to the Office of Government responsible
for Roma project management, as envisaged in the Action Plan. Implementation
of the minority language legislation needs further to be pursued further. The
system for redress against police misconduct has been improved, inter alia,
by adopting a Code of Ethics, now being gradually implemented, as foreseen in
the Action Plan.Overall, the Accession Partnership priorities related to the
political criteria have been met to a considerable extent. Implementation of
the measures under the Action Plan is on track.
© European Commission; last modified 2003-05-22
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