OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME INTEGRATED INFRASTRUCTURE

Operational Programme Integrated Infrastructure (OPII) is a programming document produced by the Slovak Republic to draw aid from the European Union in the transport sector and Information Technology for the period 2014-2020 (Cohesion Fund, European Regional Development Fund). Its global objective is to support sustainable mobility, economic growth, job creation and improving the business environment through progress in transport infrastructure, public passenger transport and development of an information society.

Implementation of OPII projects will contribute to making the country, its different regions and interconnection of them more accessible, reducing regional disparities and increasing the Slovak Republic’s competitiveness.

OPII was approved by the European Commission on 28 October 2014. The Strategic Development Plan For Transport Infrastructure in the Slovak Republic to 2020 was approved by the Government on 26 June 2014 and is the background document of the Slovak Republic for the development of OPII. Other documents and their strategies of setting priorities and transport policy objectives were taken into account in creating the OPII.

Areas of support within OPII:

• Modernisation and development of railway infrastructure,
• Modernisation and development of road infrastructure,
• Modernisation and development of water transport,
• Development of public passenger transport,
• Building an information society.

OPII’s total budget is € 4,666,641,621 (including national co-financing) for the 2014-2020 period. The Ministry of Transport and Construction appropriates EU funds and funds from the national budget for major transport projects such as construction of motorways and expressways, upgrading of first class roads, modernisation of railways, purchasing of new trains and ecofriendly public transport vehicles or urban integrated transport systems, but also for projects in the field of water transport, and informatisation of society.

OPII priority axes:

• Priority axis 1: Railway infrastructure (TEN-T CORE) and upgrading of rolling stock
• Priority axis 2: Road infrastructure (TEN-T CORE)
• Priority axis 3: Public passenger transport
• Priority axis 4: Water transport infrastructure (TEN-T CORE)
• Priority axis 5: Railway infrastructure (outside the TEN-T CORE)
• Priority axis 6: Road infrastructure (outside the TEN-T CORE)
• Priority axis 7: Information society
• Priority axis 8: Technical assistance

Priority Axes 1-6 of Operational Programme Integrated Infrastructure are not demand-oriented. Recipients are set in advance and calls for project proposals are announced, while the indicative list of OPII projects based on the Strategic Plan is respected. In the transport infrastructure construction and modernisation sectors, the beneficiaries (e.g. Slovak Railways, National Motorway Company, Slovak Road Administration, the City of Bratislava and Košice, Žilina City, City Prešov, Banská Bystrica city) are also the operators.. With respect to the modernisation of passenger rail transport rolling stock, these are the national rail passenger transport operator (Slovak Rail) and city transport operators (Bratislava, Košice, Prešov, Žilina). The beneficiaries in the case of waterway transport projects are the Waterborne Transport Development Agency and Public Ports. For the Informatin Society Priority, the beneficiaries are the different ministries of the Slovak Republic. For projects covered by the Technical Assistrance Priority Axis, the beneficiaries are the MTCRD SK, the Intermediate Body for Priority Axis 7 (Deputy Prime Minister’s Office for Investments and Informatisation of the Slovak Republic) and the Slovak Government.