SaS: Solutions to Address Industry Problems Exist, Only Must Be Put to Use

Bratislava, 13 January (TASR) – The opposition's Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party welcomes Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) interest in kick-starting the Slovak economy, but at the same time claims that most of the problems were caused by his governments. SaS responded this way to the prime minister’s Tuesday press conference at the shut-down Slovalco aluminium plant in Ziar nad Hronom (Banska Bystrica region). According to the liberals, the solutions proposed by the prime minister that require EU cooperation take a long time, while options to support the economy already exist and only need to be used. "The solution has existed for a long time, a solution that would help our entire Slovak industry," said SaS MP Karol Galek. As an example, he cited the system of assistance with high energy prices in France, where the state allows companies to buy electricity directly from nuclear power plants at a preferential price. "The same situation exists here as well. We also have Jaslovske Bohunice, we have Mochovce. These are power plants built by our fathers, and in the case of the Mochovce 3 and 4 nuclear power plant, we all contributed through our taxes to their completion, because since the privatisation of Slovenske elektrarne we have not seen a cent in the state budget, everything went to their completion," Galek added. According to SaS, reviving the aluminium plant in Ziar nad Hronom is also one of its priorities, but Galek identified poor use of the Environmental Fund as one of the problems. From this fund, energy-intensive companies are refunded only a small part of their costs, while most of the money is used for other purposes. The fund receives money from ETS emission allowances, which increase energy prices. mf