Slovakia fails to pay CERN membership fees

Slovakia is failing to fulfill its obligations under international treaties, such as its obligations towards the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). The Slovak Academy of Sciences and several universities pointed this out on Wednesday. The Education Ministry confirmed for the TASR news agency that it is trying to pay its dues, "but the costs are growing faster than the budget allocated for this financing chapter." According to the ministry, CERN is Slovakia's most expensive foreign scientific cooperation, which annually costs around €5 million just in membership fees and another €950,000 in research activities in 2019. According to scientists, not paying its membership fees is an international shame for Slovakia and jeopardizes the acclaimed work Slovaks have done in international research projects.