Hospital Operator Agel Misused €10 Million in EU Recovery Funds in Levice, Police Investigating

Slovak private hospital operator Agel improperly used €10 million from Slovakia's Recovery Plan — the country's allocation of post-pandemic EU reconstruction funds — at its facility in Levice, a town in southwestern Slovakia, in violation of the program's rules. Police have opened an investigation into the case. The Recovery Plan, formally known as the Recovery and Resilience Plan, channels billions of euros from the European Union to member states for investment in areas such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Strict EU and national rules govern how these funds may be spent, and misuse can trigger demands for repayment and jeopardize future disbursements. Agel is one of the largest private healthcare providers operating in Slovakia, running multiple hospital facilities across the country. The case carries broader implications for Slovakia's management of EU funds, an area where the country has faced scrutiny in the past. Any confirmed misuse of Recovery Plan money could prompt the European Commission to withhold future tranches of funding, affecting the government's ability to finance planned reforms and investments.