SAV Political Science Association Concerned about Institute's Dissolution (2)

Bratislava, 16 June (TASR) - The Slovak Association for Political Science at the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) is deeply concerned about the closure of SAV's Institute of Political Science, opining that this move will significantly weaken scientific research in the fields of political science, international relations, and security, particularly in the areas of democratic processes, civil society and state policy, according to a statement by the association that the institute itself published on social media on Monday (15 June) prior to the closure of the institute. The association also issued a statement on its website opposing the approved proposal, which included the following: "Since its inception, the Institute of Political Sciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences has been a key scientific institution in the field of political science research in Slovakia. It provides high-quality analytical materials for public debate and policy-making and supports professional education in the field of political science. It makes a fundamental contribution to the development of democratic values, which is particularly important at this time. In recent years - and at least since 2018 - the quality of its scientific outputs has improved significantly, as evidenced by the results of the 2022 International Evaluation Panel of the Slovak Academy of Sciences [...] or the increase in publications in recognised international journals and publishing houses," said the signatories in the association's statement. In their view, closing the department without allowing its employees to continue working at the academy would seriously jeopardise the continuity of political research at the Slovak Academy of Sciences and could negatively affect the quality and scope of research in social sciences. The move, approved by the SAV Congress on Tuesday, is part of efforts to reorganise SAV's workplaces, which the academy is implementing based on a government resolution from 2024. According to SAV's website, MEP for Smer-SD Lubos Blaha has been working there. In line with the resolution, the institute should go into liquidation in early 2027, SAV spokesman Jozef Bednar told TASR. MEP Lubos Blaha has responded on social media. "They wanted to destroy me so badly that they shut down the entire institute," he said, noting that he had worked there for more than 20 years. According to him, simply having a different opinion is enough. "Okay, it doesn't bother me; I'm going to teach at MGIMO [Moscow State Institute of International Relations] in Russia anyway. It's said to be the 'Harvard of the non-Western world'," stated Blaha. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the last paragraph. am/df