Cohesion and Agriculture to Be Slovakia's Priorities in New EU Budget (2)

Bratislava, 25 August (TASR) - Slovakia is among the European Union (EU) countries that support a strong cohesion policy aimed at removing regional disparities, as well as a strong agricultural policy, and because these areas will be among Slovakia's priorities in the EU's new multi-annual financial framework for 2028-2034, Slovakia doesn't support cuts in these key policies as proposed by the European Commission (EC), said Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) after talks with European Council President Antonio Costa, who began this year's tour of EU-member states in Bratislava on Tuesday. Fico stated that Slovakia appreciates and supports the European Council president's efforts to reach a political agreement on the EU's new long-term budget by the end of this year, as it could to be a significant stabilising factor for the whole of Europe. At the same time, however, he acknowledged that this will be a challenging task, as it requires aligning the views and priorities of 27 different countries. According to the prime minister, Slovakia's position on the budget came as no surprise to Costa. "Above all, we're among the countries that support strong cohesion. That's the cohesion so often spoken about: removing regional disparities. And we want the funding envelope, which has always been relatively large for reducing regional disparities, to remain in place. We're even saying that some extra funding should be found for countries in the eastern part of the EU, which, for example, share borders with Ukraine," said Fico, adding that Slovakia's second key priority was a strong agricultural policy. The Slovak government is also concerned about the EU's ability to compete with other countries, said Fico, adding that competitiveness isn't understood as introducing new tariffs or creating new barriers, but rather as an effort to be better and outperform others. "For example, I have a different view about relations between the EU and China. I don't think we should fight China by putting up barriers and treating it as an enemy. China is a country with which we should compete in a friendly spirit and strive to do better," stressed Fico. During his talks with Costa, Fico highlighted the issue of high energy prices, particularly for electricity. According to him, Slovakia regrets that it has to face high electricity prices despite being among the leading countries in terms of its energy mix, interconnections with other countries and electricity exports. Fico was pleased that he and Costa exchanged views on this issue "because the prevailing consensus in this part of Europe is that the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) is largely to blame". The Slovak premier was also pleased that Costa raised the issue of how other countries affect electricity prices in neighbouring countries. "In our case, it's primarily a problem involving Germany and the electricity exchange in Leipzig, which has a very negative impact on electricity prices in Slovakia," said Fico. The talks also covered EU enlargement, with Fico reiterating that the Slovak government supports anyone who wishes to become a member of the EU, but only subject to meeting all the criteria. "That means no exceptions and no shortcuts. And that also applies to Ukraine," he stressed, adding that it shouldn't be possible for Ukraine to jump ahead of countries such as Montenegro, Albania or Serbia in the integration process, as they've been preparing for accession for much longer. Furthermore, said Fico, the Slovak government is ready to share all the experience it's gained from its own integration process, but no exceptions should be granted to Ukraine in this regard. "The Slovak government will be absolutely strict on this," he said. Following the meeting, Costa stressed that it's very important for him to hear the views of every EU leader directly in their own country each year, adding that this autumn will be decisive for the EU, as the approval of the budget for the 2028-34 period will be one of the most important decisions of this political cycle. "The next budget must have competitiveness, industrial transformation, defence, security, and strategic resilience at its heart, and it must reflect the demands of the challenging times we live in," he said, adding that the "budget will need to have a completely different architecture" compared to previous budgets. "Moreover, the new budget must also ensure the effective use of funding for Cohesion Policy and the Common Agricultural Policy, as these instruments proved to be essential to promoting prosperity and balanced development across Europe," said Costa. He pointed out that Slovakia is both an industrial powerhouse and a strong player in agriculture, making it a perfect example of how the EU budget needs to reflect ambitions in different areas. Costa reiterated that it was crucial to reach an agreement on the next financial framework by the end of this year to avoid interruptions in EU funding in 2028. Though not an easy task, Costa said that he's encouraged by the constructive spirit among leaders. In this context, he also thanked Slovakia for its constructive approach to this debate, as well as for its support for the EU enlargement. NOTE: This story has been extended to include the final five paragraphs. jrg/df