Fico: Government Bears No Responsibility for State of Finances It Inherited

Borsa/Bratislava, 24 September (TASR) – My government bears no responsibility for the state of public finances in 2023, the worst in the EU, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) after an away-from-home session of the government in the village of Borsa (Kosice region) on Wednesday. According to Fico, his government handed over the finances in a very good condition in 2020 and will do everything it can to ensure they are in a good state again by 2027. "I believe that it is right to manage public funds responsibly. That is why I reject theatrics from people who were directly responsible for this situation," said Fico, referring to protests against fiscal consolidation. The prime minister also said that he'd prefer to abolish the public holiday on 15 September [Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows] rather than the one on 6 January [Epiphany]. "From the beginning, I have proposed 15 September as a suitable compromise," he stated, adding that he believes an agreement on this matter has been reached in Parliament. Fico described the idea of organising a general strike as "madness", claiming that such a strike would cause the state additional damage worth hundreds of millions of euros. "We are to be punished with a general strike for consolidating and cleaning up the mess they left behind," he said. Fico also wondered whether it was true that former foreign minister (2020-22) and Progressive Slovakia member Ivan Korcok has asked ambassadors not to assist the government in organising foreign trips. According to the prime minister, Korcok argued that such assistance helps to legitimise the government by enabling its representatives to visit certain countries. "We can easily verify whether this information is true or not," said Fico. At the same time, he called on the opposition to be constructive, to come forward with proposals and to refrain from causing harm to the country. mf/df