(Bloomberg) -- The European Union has for the first time approved payment of recovery funds to Slovakia since they were delayed over concerns about amendments to the country’s criminal code and the abolition of the special prosecutor’s office.
In a decision dated Tuesday, the European Commission shared its assessment on a package of laws on anti-corruption and strengthening the integrity of the justice system and decided to authorize the release of 799 million euros ($862 million).
“The amendments made by the Slovak Parliament to the Criminal Code have partly alleviated some of the Commission’s concerns,” Commission spokeswoman Veerle Nuyts said in a statement on Tuesday. “Discussions are still ongoing between the Slovak authorities and the Commission to clarify the pending issues.”
The Commission had been considering a procedure against Slovakia due to concerns about changes in the criminal legislation adopted by Prime Minister Robert Fico’s cabinet.
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