During his inspection visit to the Agriculture Ministry on Tuesday Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stated that there are sufficient arguments for Slovakia not to support the pandemic agreement. He claims it contains elements that undermine the sovereignty of member states, disproportionately interfere with human rights, and includes annexes about which nothing is known, adding that the Slovak delegation acted strictly in line with the government's instructions.
"A decision was made by the government that the delegation would have a mandate to request a vote on the pandemic treaty and, in that vote, not to support the treaty,” the premier stated. According to him, not supporting the agreement in practice meant voting against it or abstaining. He claimed that this wasn't a "rash decision" by the government, but one made after serious consideration, with the Justice Ministry also providing its opinion.
Later on social media, Fico wrote that the coalition party Hlas-SD speaks of the treaty's potential. "There's none. Smer-SD will never support it. It's a bad and dangerous agreement. And I'm proud that we initiated a vote within the World Health Organization (WHO), joined by countries such as Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and Israel," Fico added. According to him, Hlas-SD had "begged on its knees" for Slovakia to abstain from the vote on the pandemic treaty [and not to vote against the pandemic treaty - ed. note].
On the same day, the PM met with Ombudsman Robert Dobrovodsky to discuss ways to improve access to exception-based medications for patients in urgent need, calling the issue serious and expressing readiness to hold talks with the relevant institutions.
"The Slovak Ombudsman informed Robert Fico that he had submitted a proposal to the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic to initiate proceedings on the compliance of legal regulations. According to him, the current legal framework governing the procedure of health insurance companies in approving exception-based medication reimbursements is unsustainable from a human rights protection perspective," the Government Office explained.
Also on Tuesday, the PM responded on social media to proposed measures by the association of employer unions (AZZZ) aimed at consolidating public finances. The Premier described the cancellation of social benefits, such as free trains and meals for students or the abolition of the 13th pension, as unacceptable.
"I respect employers. But I'm a left-wing oriented politician, and the abolition of the 13th pension or free meals and trains for students is unacceptable for me," said Fico. According to the premier, consolidation can't come at the expense of the most vulnerable, and employers must also participate in it.
Rastislav Machunka, the head of AZZZ, highlighted the importance of reducing the deficit to face future economic challenges and maintain investor and international trust. Proposed measures include gradually reducing unemployment benefits after three months to encourage faster reemployment, reducing bureaucracy, potentially abolishing a state holiday for savings, and more.
Source: TASR
