SaS: Slovakia's Membership of EU and NATO Should be Enshrined in Constitution

Bratislava, 16 November (TASR) - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party proposes that Slovakia's membership in the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) should be enshrined in the Constitution, with a group of SaS MPs having already submitted a draft constitutional amendment to Parliament, TASR reported on Sunday. According to the sponsors of the draft, it aims to reflect a broad and long-term political consensus on the necessity and significance of EU and NATO membership by explicitly stating in the Constitution that Slovakia is a member state of the European Union and NATO. "At the same time, it proposes that Slovakia's commitment to the values on which the EU is founded - corresponding to the values of the Slovak Republic as a democratic state governed by the rule of law - including its commitment to fulfilling the obligations under NATO membership, should be enshrined in the Constitution," explained the sponsors. It would also be an important signal to all citizens and Slovakia's partners, thus strengthening legal stability and providing a clear answer to questions concerning Slovakia's foreign-policy orientation. SaS also proposed adding a provision to clearly confirm that Slovakia recognises the primacy of EU law and international treaties over national legislation. According to another provision proposed by SaS, the country's withdrawal from these organisations could only be decided by a constitutional act which would have to be subsequently confirmed by a referendum. jrg