PS Wants Premier to Ensure Drivers Won't Pay More for Petrol Than Czechs/Poles

Bratislava, 9 March (TASR) - In connection with the situation in the Middle East, chairman of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party Michal Simecka has called on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to explain how he'll ensure that Slovak drivers won't pay more for petrol than Czechs or Poles, for example. "This is what Fico promised, because drivers are no longer interested in excuses, conflicts, and threats against Ukraine that he will block its loan or admission into the European Union," the PS leader told a press conference on Monday. "They're interested in what he'll do so that we won't pay more for petrol. And he doesn't know," said the PS chair, adding that there are several options. "There are things that they should have done two and a half years ago. That means diversifying supplies. He can pressure Slovnaft to reduce its margins," suggested Simecka, pointing out that Fico's acquaintance Miroslav Lajcak sits on the supervisory board of this company. According to Simecka, the prime minister could also come up with something regarding excise tax, which is higher in Slovakia than in some other countries. "But let him finally say what he wants to do for Slovak consumers, drivers and citizens when it comes to energy, because he's putting a lot of effort and time into helping Hungarian managers at MOL, because they are the ones who are profiting from so-called cheap Russian oil," he stated. The PS leader said that Fico is doing his best to help the Russians, but he should at least do something to help people in Slovakia, who are paying more for petrol than they should have to. "To help companies that pay for almost the most expensive petrol in Europe, but we hear nothing about that. That's our task for the prime minister for this week, we call on him to pay less attention to conflicts and videos and to submit a clear plan," said Simecka. am/df