Great Britain's decision to leave the EU has been the main topic of the weekend in Slovakia. Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico stated in a political debate on Sunday that a vision for the future of the European Union needs to be offered with the participation of all member states. According to Fico, talks on the EU's future with only the six founding members taking part would be a mistake. European Commission Vice-president for Energy Union Maroš Šefcovič stated that Great Britain's exit will greatly weaken the EU, however, he believes that if it is carried out in a cultivated and transparent manner, the bleakest scenarios won't become a reality. Culture Minister Marek Madarič (Smer-SD) on Radio Television Slovakia's Sunday politics show said that there is time for a friendly and constructive break-up with Britain, which is also in Slovakia's interest. However, a dialogue on the future form of the EU needs to be launched with ordinary citizens as soon as possible, he said. The chair of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee Frantisek Šebej (a Most-Hid MP), who was also on the show, had a contrary opinion: the decision-making on how to adjust the relationship with Great Britain should take time and deliberation, and not be swept by panic.
The Association of Slovaks Living Abroad reports that tens of thousands of Slovaks working in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland feel threatened by the new situation resulting from the referendum on the Brexit, said the associations chairman Vladimír Skalský in a statement on Friday. The association expects that the return of a large part of these Slovaks would be a burden for Slovakia, as a problem would arise in terms of creating appropriate and adequately paid jobs for them.
The Finance Ministry is drafting an analysis of Brexit impacts on the Slovak economy. Finance Ministry state secretary Radko Kuruc considers it premature at this point to talk about specific consequences. Nevertheless, according to the estimates, Brexit represents a negative risk for further economic developments.
