100 days of ministry

100 million euros more will be spent on sports and tourism per year, says Minister Dušan Keketi

After three months of operation of the newly established Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Slovak Republic, the ministry presented the results of its work. The ministry will support the development of sports youth, the construction of infrastructure, and the system of redistribution of funds intended for professional athletes will also change. In tourism, the priority is the establishment of the Tourism Support Fund, its development in the regions and the attraction of foreign tourists. Several key laws will also change.

There is not much experience or instructions with the establishment of a new ministry in Slovakia. Nevertheless, after three months, we can say that the ministry is up and running, it will move to a new headquarters in a short time and is also working on amendments and preparations of new laws. According to Minister Dušan Keketi, it is good news that the newly established ministry has managed to attract experienced experts.

"100 million euros more will be spent annually on the development of tourism and sports. My priority is to bring measurable results, which is why we are making conceptual changes in tourism and sports, which are based on a clear strategy. Together with a team of experts, we aim to kick-start tourism, bring more resources to the regions and use the potential that Slovakia offers. In sports, we set up comprehensive support in order to improve conditions for everyone, for children and youth, as well as for professionals, so that they can develop their talents in dignified conditions. This also requires the adoption of high-quality legislation, so specific laws will go to the National Council in a short time," explained Dušan Keketi, Minister of Tourism and Sports.

From an organizational point of view, it has done a lot of partial work, such as supplementing the participation of MINCRS representatives in the advisory bodies of the Government of the Slovak Republic, preparing plans for the procurement of tangible assets, connection to the State Treasury, CES, RIS, or new instruments of incorporation to subordinate organizations of the NSC, SADA, ST, or the transfer of Tipos shares.

Administration is important, but the direction of the ministry is equally important. That is why a strategy and a vision have been created, which determine the functioning of the ministry not only for the next election period, but also for the future.

TOURISM

Tourism and sports cannot be managed from a table in Bratislava, but a number of meetings have been taking place since the beginning, such as with SK8 or the Union of Towns and Municipalities of Slovakia. No less important are meetings in the regions with representatives of various organizations, or directly with regional and regional tourism organizations.

A number of things cannot be completed in a short time and require a longer period of time.

Ongoing and ongoing projects:

• Payment of subsidies for OOCR/KOCR of less than 9.5 mil. EUR
• Launch of the eVisitor project
• Passporting of attractions in the Czech Republic
• Support for Incoming CR
• Revision of the possibility of using EU funds and the Recovery Plan as options for additional financing of the CR
• Legislative proposal for the establishment of the Fund for the Support of the Czech Republic
• Preparation of an amendment to the Act on the Support of the Czech Republic

Upcoming projects:

• Concept of support for education in the Czech Republic
• Development Strategy of the Czech Republic until 2035
• Castles/chateaux and connection to the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of the Environment

SPORT

In addition to the usual daily activities, the Sports Section is working on a number of projects, many of which are in some degree of development, some are planned:

Ongoing and ongoing projects:

• Increase in the contribution to recognized sports by 20% = approx. EUR 13 million
• Extraordinary support for major sporting events for 2024 – approx. EUR 2 million
• Advance payment of 80% of TOP TEAM contributions (instead of 50% so far)
• We are considering increasing the Sports Support Fund and the INFRA4 call, or another form of support for the construction of Infrastructure of National Importance
• Revision of EU funds and the recovery plan as an option for additional funding for sport
• Amendment to the Sports Act and the Act on the Sports Support Fund – change of the TOP TEAM, change of the formula of the Sports Federations, categorization of national associations, HKŠ, SADA, NŠC, Olympic annuity and pensions

Upcoming projects:

• Sport Strategy 2035
• Increasing the interest of private entrepreneurs in sports sponsorship
• Innovation and Digitization – Maximum Use of Informatization and Data in Sport

In addition, the Ministry financially supported 16 events of European and world importance, such as: the International Peace Marathon, the European Junior and U23 Championships – speed canoeing, the European Junior Championships and the U23 – water slalom, or the U18 European Athletics Championships.

One of the ministry's initial priorities was also the launch of the selection of a new headquarters. The most important thing was the efficient use of funds, so the primary search focused on premises that belong to state institutions. However, no building that met the requirements was available. Therefore, the search has expanded to the private sector, where as many as 11 bidders submitted their bids. Currently, the ministry is just about to sign the lease agreement, so it is not possible to provide further information at this time.