BRATISLAVA, October 6, (WEBNOVINY) — This year’s budget of the Transport Ministry will be raised by EUR 51.42 million. The Cabinet decided on the hike at its Wednesday’s session. It comes as the result of the previous decision to walk away from the concessionaire contract with the company Slovenske Dialnice for implementation of the first package of public-private projects for construction of the D1 highway between Martin and Presov. Finance Minister Ivan Miklos should increase the ministry’s budget by the agreed upon sum by October 15.
The Transport Ministry has to pay EUR 31.93 million ex-VAT to the consortium for preparatory works done on the construction of highway sections. The remainder will cover further costs related to the halt of the project. Transport Minister Jan Figel had first requested a hike of EUR 81 million. According to the resolution the Cabinet approved, Figel must secure a thorough control of the executed works and only based on the results of the audit he will pay the concessionaire for done and properly documented works.
Transport Minister Jan Figel (KDH) decided to not prolong the deadline for the financial closure of the first PPP package for the construction of five D1 sections between Martin and Presov in early September. He explained that the concessionaire, the firm Slovenske Dialnice, which was supposed to build and operate the 75-kilometer-long sections for a period of thirty years, was unable to ensure the project’s financial closure until August 30, whereby the deadline has been postponed several times under the previous Transport Minister Lubomir Vazny.
SITA