Fico Holds Talks with Soder, Describes Bavaria as Important Trading Partner

Munich, 7 May (TASR-correspondent) - Bavaria is an important trading partner for Slovakia; in fact, we export more to this German state than to France, Italy, the Netherlands, or even the United States, said Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Thursday in a speech at the Slovak-Bavarian Business and Expert Conference, TASR learnt from its special correspondent on the same day. The prime minister spoke at the conference following a meeting with Minister-President of Bavaria Markus Soder. According to him, it was an exceptionally open and detailed conversation. Fico said he discussed with him areas important to both Bavaria and Slovakia, such as the automotive industry. According to the premier, the Slovak government rejects the "ideological goal" of ending the production of internal combustion engines by 2035–2036. "And looking at what is happening in China, we must focus primarily on those areas where we cannot only compete but be better, and those are certainly hybrids and compression ignition engines," he stated. Fico went on to say that Germany and Slovakia are part of the "group of friends of automobile manufacturing", describing car production as one of the key pillars of European industry, and added that this "gem" must be protected. "We're closely monitoring the shift in sentiment in Germany regarding nuclear energy. I've offered the minister-president our cooperation. Because, in all modesty, I'd venture to say that Slovakia is a world leader in nuclear energy," said the Slovak premier. According to Fico, Slovakia is convinced that the challenge posed by pressure on energy consumption cannot be met without nuclear power plants. "Already, 85 percent of all electricity in Slovakia is carbon-free, clean. We've completely stopped generating electricity from brown coal," he pointed out. The Slovak prime minister also spoke with Soder about electricity prices, noting that this is an issue everyone in the EU considers the most urgent. In this context, he mentioned the huge disparities, noting that while electricity prices are very low in western countries such as Spain, Portugal, and France, they are exceptionally high in the region where Slovakia is located. According to the premier, Slovakia is unable to provide as much support to these sectors from the national budget as Bavaria or Germany as a whole can. He pointed out that such an approach will further widen the disparities within the European Union. Fico noted that his visit is of exceptional significance, as it is the first visit by a Slovak prime minister in 27 years, adding that Slovakia as a whole has established an intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation in Bavaria. am/mcs