Brussels, 08/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - After meeting the Slovakian prime minister, Robert Fico, on Monday 8 April, José Manuel Barroso, European Commission President, said there was a real need for Slovakia to improve the use of structural funds. Slovakia risks not being able to spend certain funds over the current programming period (2007-2013). It could therefore lose the money that finances projects aimed at economic growth and job creation, Barroso warned, considering that an effort must be made to avoid losing cohesion policy funding this year. Experts are working on ways to improve the absorption of funds and speed up implementation of cohesion policy programmes, Barroso explained. “We want to increase the absorption capacity so that these structural funds money is properly used for growth in Slovakia”, he added. He advised Fico to speed up the submission of projects for major infrastructure and the more effective use of funds already allocated for the most vulnerable groups of citizens. Barroso welcomed correct implementation of the European programme for combating youth unemployment. Slovakia will benefit from EU funding under the 2014-2020 initiative in favour of the young unemployed. (LC/transl.jl)