NKU and PMU Warn of Increasing Attacks on Independence of State Institutions

Bratislava, 19 March (TASR) - Supreme Audit Office (NKU) head Lubomir Andrassy and Anti-monopoly Office (PMU) chair Juraj Bena have agreed that increasing attacks on the autonomy of independent state institutions could jeopardise their ability to duly perform their roles and weaken public trust in democracy and the rule of law, TASR was told by NKU spokesperson Daniela Bolech Dobakova on Thursday. Both offices have recently been experiencing a rise in pressure when performing their oversight activities, but they do not feel that they are receiving adequate support. According to Andrassy and Bena, the relevant state authorities should pay increased attention to this problem and provide independent state institutions acting in the public interest with appropriate support, hand in hand with ensuring that they have the right conditions for their work. "I'm also appealing to the Slovak president with this problem, as he's supposed to be the guardian of independent institutions and should fight for them to have a firm and independent position within the state's institutional system," stated Andrassy. Bena emphasised that a healthy market environment and sound public finances require strong and independent institutions that should be sufficiently equipped for performing their demanding activities. "Investments in these institutions should be a fundamental interest of the state," he added. According to the NKU spokesperson, both representatives have agreed to cooperate more intensively in the future and consult each other on overlapping issues that their experts deal with, while also providing each other with assistance and cooperation when addressing the eligibility of state aid and restrictions of economic competition. jrg/df