Smer-SD: Goal of Progressive Slovakia and Its MEPs Is to Cause Harm

Bratislava, 25 May (TASR) - The goal of Progressive Slovakia (PS) and its MEPs is to cause harm, representatives of Smer-SD concurred at a press conference on Monday. They were also responding to a resolution in which the European Parliament called on the European Commission to assess possible serious violations of the European Union's fundamental values by the Slovak government. Parliamentary Vice-Chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) stated that the adoption of the resolution against Slovakia "is part of a manipulation of public opinion to the detriment of the governing parties" with the aim of influencing the election campaign and public opinion in favour of Progressive Slovakia. Gaspar claimed that it would be blatant if PS MEPs came and inserted texts into the resolution against Slovakia themselves, so they found people to do it for them. He pointed to Czech MEP Tomas Zdechovsky and German MEP Daniel Freund. During the press conference, Gaspar refuted some of the claims made in the resolution, calling them false and misleading. As an example, he cited the transformation of the National Crime Agency (NAKA) into the Office for Combating Organised Crime (UBOK). "All of those units - the so-called specialised units for combating corruption, organised crime, and financial crime, and thus also for protecting the financial interests of the European Communities - are also part of the structure of this UBOK. Just because someone changes the name of an institution doesn't mean they've scrapped it," stressed Gaspar. In response, PS MEP Martin Hojsik noted that what the European Parliament adopted last week is not the work of the two MEPs mentioned by Smer-SD, but rather the resolution is signed by an entire group of MEPs. "It is an effort to help Slovakia and defend European funds and the rule of law in Slovakia," he said, pointing out that "colleagues in the EU" see the problem and want functional oversight bodies in Slovakia. "For us in PS, this European Parliament resolution is a call to do even more to protect European funds in Slovakia. So that they truly go where they're supposed to, to help people, and not benefit a select few, like-minded oligarchs," added Hojsik. am