PS: Fico Lost on Housing Affordability Issue, Only Making Excuses

Bratislava, 17 February (TASR) - The affordability of housing really is a major problem in Slovakia, but Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) is absolutely lost on this issue, as he hasn't come up with any solutions and is making excuses about the "invisible hand of the market" instead of taking responsibility for the 15 years of his governments that have brought Slovakia to this situation, opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party representatives told a press conference on Tuesday. They were responding to Fico's speech at an international professional conference on affordable rental housing held on Tuesday during which he claimed that housing has become a luxury, while the market has provided no solution and has failed in this regard. "The prime minister was once again making excuses. He began his entire speech by lamenting that the invisible hand of the market has allegedly failed, which is why we're facing a housing problem today. But he forgets that he was in power for 15 years while that hand of the market was in play," said PS MP Jan Hargas. According to him, when Fico first became prime minister in 2006, the average price per square metre in Slovakia was €973, compared to today's €3,262, which represents an increase of over 330 percent. "Meanwhile, there have been three Robert Fico governments; he's governed this country for 15 years, and yet he says that he's merely watched this entire increase as a bystander," said Hargas. He acknowledged that housing is becoming more expensive across Europe; but the rate of growth is significantly above the average in Slovakia. "Since 2010, housing prices in Europe have increased by 62 percent, but in Slovakia, it's been nearly double that increase - 116 percent. This means that prices are rising faster here. This is no longer a European problem, it is our domestic problem," stressed Hargas, adding that he's asked himself why Fico is suddenly taking an interest in housing and why he's chosen it as a priority. "The only reason he's chosen this as a prime minister's issue is EU funds. It's a problem in other EU countries as well. The European Commission is going to invest money in this, and Fico has caught a whiff of that money," stated Hargas. jrg/df