KDH: Fico Weakened Slovakia's EU Position by Favouring Moscow over Talks

Bratislava, 15 July (TASR) – Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) chose visits to Moscow over negotiations with key European partners, weakening Slovakia's bargaining position within the European Union, the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) has stated in response to a letter sent by the prime minister. If KDH had led the negotiations, it would have focused on securing strong guarantees from the EU in case of potential disputes with Russian company Gazprom — specifically, compensation for arbitration due to the early termination of gas contracts. "KDH would also have focused on setting a realistic deadline for ending reliance on Russian nuclear fuel, taking into account production capacities," the party added. The Christian Democrats pointed out that in 2014, when Fico was also prime minister, the EU agreed to reduce energy dependence on Russia, but Slovakia has long lagged behind other EU countries in meeting this objective. Instead of pursuing coordinated strategies in line with EU agreements, Fico and his Smer-SD party continue to stir up tensions both domestically and internationally, claimed KDH. Rather than adopting a constructive stance, the government has pushed public discourse toward a potential EU exit — something that KDH strongly rejects. The party also criticised the Prime Minister's request for political parties to submit their stances on the EU proposal, noting that the request excluded the 'Slovakia' party. "If Robert Fico genuinely wanted to know our views, he should have asked before launching his 'four-directions policy,' which in reality is a one-direction policy — towards the East. The government has caused serious problems for Slovakia because of this approach, and now the prime minister is asking us what to do," stated KDH. On Monday (14 July), Fico announced that difficult negotiations with EU officials were nearing completion and that a written proposal of guarantees from the European Commission was on the table. The proposal involves the planned phase-out of Russian gas supplies to the EU, offered in exchange for Slovakia's support of the 18th sanctions package against Russia. He said the proposal was being sent to all relevant political parties and that he expected their responses soon. mf/df