Election24EP: Sulik: Economic Weight of EU Dropped by Half in Last 40 Years

Bratislava, April 25 (TASR) - The main issue that SaS intends to address in its European election programme is the decreasing competitiveness of the EU, the economic weight of which has shrunk globally by half over the last 40 years, SaS European slate leader Richard Sulik told TASR TV in an interview. The EU's share in the global GDP has been on a downward trajectory for decades and it's safe to expect this trend to continue. "If we won't be competitive with the rest of the world, however, we won't have economic growth. And if there won't be economic growth, there won't be any money for the protection of the environment or social policies," stated Sulik. "This is what we want to change. We're saying that the Green Deal can't become a dogma. Let's protect nature, but let's not ruin the European industry while we do it." It is in the EU's economic policy that Sulik perceives the greatest difference between SaS and another liberal party, Progressive Slovakia. "We're not progressive and we're not leftist but a centre-right party. Unlike PS, we've acted unequivocally in support of nuclear power," he claimed. "And we're saying clearly that the right to veto will stay home." Another difference lies in the fact that SaS, unlike PS, strictly rejects migration quotas, added Sulik. Sulik rejects the arguments raised by the coalition parties, according to which the opposition parties in the EU have promoted the cutting-off of Slovakia from the EU funds. "I find it unacceptable to hurt the country just so that I could make some extra gains in the political competition." Sulik believes that the EU shouldn't meddle with what politicians the Slovaks elect to power. "What it should legitimately take action against, however, is when an elected government - and it doesn't matter which one at all - starts to take steps that jeopardise the EU's financial interests," he pointed out. Voters planning to cast their votes for SaS can rest assured that the party will support the development of nuclear energy, oppose the ban on combustion engines and insist on the quantification of Green Deal costs. mf/mcs