Opposition SaS to Initiate No-confidence Motion in Agriculture Minister Takac

Bratislava, 3 June (TASR) - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party has begun collecting signatures for a motion to dismiss Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD), party representatives told a press conference in Parliament on Wednesday, stressing that so many scandals, suspicions and failures have accumulated around his ministry that his continued tenure threatens not only Slovakia's credibility but also billions of euros in EU funds. According to SaS MP Alojz Hlina, the problems at the ministry can no longer be explained away by individual failures. "We have a conflict of interest at the Agricultural Payment Agency [PPA], the disbursement of hundreds of thousands of euros to 'Fafokan-like' projects [the Fafokan case was a scandal involving a private luxury villa disguised as a boarding house that was financed from EU funds] despite serious suspicions, scandals at [state-run forestry company] Lesy SR, frozen calls, and other upcoming projects that raise huge questions. Another symbol is the scandalous forest-liming project worth tens of millions of euros. All of this paints a picture of a ministry that has lost all credibility," he stated. Hlina emphasised that it's no longer just the opposition, the European Commission (EC) or the European Parliament (EP) pointing to these missteps. "We also have serious reservations from the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO). It seems that everyone can see the problem, but Minister Takac insists that everything is fine. That's why we consider it to be important to submit a motion for his dismissal. We must send a clear signal abroad that Slovakia doesn't condone this situation," added the opposition MP. Takac disagrees with the criticism and objections. "Based on the information I have, it is precisely this law that we drafted that has improved the protection of European funds," he emphasised, adding that the amendment to the law went through a proper legislative process that lasted a year and that everyone affected by the proposal had the opportunity to comment on it. According to the minister, the presumption of innocence is also important. "If a farmer is rightfully entitled to direct payments because he owns a farm and receives subsidies per hectare, and suppose criminal proceedings are brought against him - say, for a car accident or failing to pay something somewhere unrelated to this - it's probably wrong to withhold funds from him when those funds are intended for employees and for running that company," said Takac, stressing that all mechanisms for protecting European funds continue to function, however. The European Public Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday (2 June) published a statement regarding legislative changes on the provision of support and subsidies in agriculture and rural development in Slovakia, warning the European Commission (EC) of their negative impacts on the overall level of protection of the EU's financial interests. am/df