'Slovakia': EC Harshly Criticises Slovak Government in Rule of Law Report

Bratislava, 9 July (TASR) – The European Commission (EC) has delivered a damning assessment of the Slovak government's approach to the rule of law in its latest annual report, describing Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) as viewing justice and the rule of law as an "undesirable state", claimed opposition party 'Slovakia', which voiced alarm over the findings at a press conference on Wednesday. MP Rastislav Kratky ('Slovakia'-For the People-KU alliance) criticised the government's frequent use of fast-tracked legislative procedures, noting that in just 20 months in power, the governing coalition has employed the process 58 times. "Only in nine cases did we agree that there was a valid reason. This reflects a decline in the rule of law," he said. Fellow MP Roman Mikulec pointed to what he called a dramatic drop in the prosecution of corruption cases, alleging that Fico has no genuine interest in implementing anti-corruption policies. Mikulec also cited the EC report's criticism of the recent dissolution of Slovakia's National Criminal Agency (NAKA) and the Special Prosecutor's Office — moves that the EC considered to be serious setbacks for justice in the country. He further highlighted the EC's concerns over the broad powers of the prosecutor-general, as well as the consequences of the revised Penal Code, which he claimed has contributed to a rise in retail thefts and premature releases of convicted criminals. MP Veronika Remisova ('Slovakia'-For the People-KU) urged the government to act swiftly on the EC's recommendations. "This isn't some opposition fabrication, as Fico would like people to believe," she said. "It's a factual account of the damage that his government has inflicted in a short time." The EC report concluded by stating that Slovakia has made minimal progress on key rule-of-law recommendations from the previous year. It issued seven new recommendations, including limiting the prosecutor-general's ability to override decisions made by investigators and prosecutors. The Justice Ministry has expressed reservations about the report, arguing that the EC's assessment fails to accurately reflect the country's situation. mf/df