Lexmann: Slovaks Shouldn't Be Punished by EU For Electing Robert Fico Gov't (2)

Bratislava, April 18 (TASR) - Any politicking with the EU Funds as well as the attempt to punish the Slovak people for the election of Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) government by taking away EU funds are unjust and the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) rejects it, KDH European Parliament election slate leader and MEP Miriam Lexmann told TASR TV in an interview on Thursday. Lexmann pointed out that the EU Funds are the crucial instrument of support for the development of Slovak regions. According to Lexmann, KDH holds longstanding reservations towards the brand of politics conducted by Smer-SD and tried to do everything to prevent, for instance, the scrapping of the Special Prosecutor's Office (USP). However, the decision on the very existence of the institute falls exclusively into the remit of the EU's individual member states. "We don't want our people to get punished over their choice to elect the government of Robert Fico. Even though we disagree with its steps," she said. Lexmann claimed that the procedure to withhold EU funds from a country has strict rules and those must be respected. "KDH is against treating the taking away of the EU funds as some kind of punishment, used when we don't like something about a member state," she underlined and pointed out that KDH has conveyed this also to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a letter. Lexmann warned that when a mechanism was being approved in the European Parliament, based on which it has become possible to withdraw EU funds from countries, it received support both from Progressive Slovakia as well as Smer-SD MEPs. "I was warning already back then that this setting of the mechanism might lead to politicking with the EU Funds," said Lexmann, adding that neither of the two KDH MEPs had lent support to the motion. On the other hand, the European Commission has an interest in seeing the member states prosper and it is possible to hold a constructive dialogue with it, in Lexmann's view. She considers the communication of Fico's government with the European Commission regarding the meeting of individual Recovery Plan stages insufficient. As for the fact that the Recovery Plan was drafted during the governments of Igor Matovic and Eduard Heger and many of its stages have not been set up realistically, Lexmann responded that if the Prime Minister needs a more forthcoming approach from the European Commission in the plan's implementation, he should have started his dialogue with it in a different way. KDH disagrees with the EU migration pact, approved by the European Parliament. The party finds the sums that individual states must pay if they decide not to accept any migrants to be too steep and there are no guarantees the sums won't become even higher in the future. "This principle is not fair because it fails to take into account the solidarity that the member states have shown towards Ukrainian refugees," she warned. Lexmann also criticised the promotion of the right to abortion into the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. mf/mcs