Monitor: Tomas and Dubeci: Conflict in Middle East Shows EU's Weakness

(STVR, 'O 5 minut 12', 1 March) The escalating conflict in the Middle East has shown the European Union's (EU) limited ability to act in addressing geopolitical problems and conflicts, Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) agreed with House Vice-chair Martin Dubeci (Progressive Slovakia/PS) on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. While Dubeci suggested that this might be due to procedural obstructions that allow two countries, such as Hungary and Slovakia, to prevent the EU from making strategic decisions, Tomas rejected the idea that the EU's ability to act could be blocked by just two countries, as the EU "has other instruments it should be using for this". Nevertheless, they agreed that international law has been breached by actions of the United States in Iran despite justified criticism of the ruling regime's dictatorial practices. Both also hoped that tensions in the Middle East region would de-escalate as swiftly as possible. Tomas said that one-fifth of extracted oil is transported through the Strait of Hormuz; therefore, he expects a significantly negative impact if supplies are blocked or restricted. "It's all the more necessary to do everything it takes to make sure that oil supplies start flowing to Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline again," stressed Tomas, criticising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's unwillingness to allow an inspection of the pipeline damage, as well as Ukraine's unfulfilled promises regarding the resumption of oil supplies. He views Slovakia's retaliatory move of suspending emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine as a last-resort solution, stressing that commercial electricity supplies to Ukraine are functioning as normal. The move was sharply criticised by Dubeci, who said that emergency electricity is actually "supplied in times of need, for example, to hospitals". He added that Ukraine has offered alternatives for oil transit, and claimed that the real motive behind Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) actions is to help Hungarian premier Viktor Orban in the upcoming general election. jrg