Constitution must protect Slovak land from foreign buyers, says Prime Minister

The Slovak Constitution should be amended to protect the country's agricultural and forest land from being bought up by foreigners, Prime Minister Robert Fico said at a ceremonial parliamentary session marking the Constitution Day on Tuesday. "Lawmakers in 1992 couldn't have foreseen all aspects of Slovakia's development, so they weren't able to react to all risks that have appeared in the meantime. So I consider it appropriate to open the issue of constitutional protection of agricultural and forest land from being bought up by foreigners", said Fico, adding that domestic ownership of agricultural land is an important element in a country's quest for food self-sufficiency. Fico noted it isn't so easy for foreigners to buy agricultural land in Denmark, for example. Meanwhile, part of agricultural land in Slovakia is already in the hands of foreigners. "This can't be tolerated tacitly", the prime minister said. Fico in his speech also pointed to the fact that he's the only active politician who 23 years ago voted for both the Declaration of Sovereignty (July 17) and the Constitution (September 1). Fico was 27 at the time and was serving as an MP for the Party of Democratic Left, which was eventually (in 2004) absorbed by Smer, founded by Fico in late 1999.