The European Parliament has no right to supervise the Slovak Republic or order us to do anything, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said in his press statement on Monday following his meeting with the EP’s monitoring group for democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental rights.
Sophie Wilmes, head of the EP monitoring group for democracy, rule of law, and fundamental rights, clarified before the meeting that the purpose of their visit was to follow up on the EU’s rule of law report, focusing on issues such as media freedom, judiciary independence, separation of powers, and civil society. Javier Zarzalejos, chair of the EP’s LIBE committee, added that the delegation seeks to engage with relevant stakeholders to assess the state of democracy and the rule of law in Slovakia.
Fico said hosting the delegation was a basic gesture of respect and noted that the discussion was factual. Topics included the recent visit of the EP’s Budgetary Control Committee, led by Czech MEP Tomáš Zdechovský, the abolition of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, and the relationship between the government and the media.
The meeting also addressed a proposed constitutional amendment emphasizing the primacy of national law in areas tied to national identity, such as marriage. Fico stressed that national legislation should prevail in such matters and he further claimed that the proposed NGO law is not subject to EU criticism.
Source: TASR
