Slovakia’s governing coalition has agreed to repeal a controversial law that would have transformed the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers into a new institution. The cabinet approved the move on Wednesday. The legislation had already faced several obstacles. President Peter Pellegrini vetoed the law earlier, citing serious concerns. After parliament overrode the veto, the opposition challenged the reform at the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic. The European Commission later warned that the changes could breach principles of transparency and good governance and suspended 590 million euros from Slovakia’s recovery plan.
Prime Minister Robert Fico (SMER–SD) said he does not want to wait for the Constitutional Court’s ruling. He described the December law as a “legislative corpse” that is ineffective and should therefore be repealed, saying the government wants to clear the table and focus on what it considers important now before deciding how to set up the system in the future.
President Peter Pellegrini welcomed the government’s decision to cancel the reform. He recalled that he had raised serious objections to the law during the legislative process and later exercised his presidential veto after it was approved by parliament.
Opposition MP Zuzana Števulová from the PS party said earlier warnings that the legislation could be unconstitutional and financially damaging have now been confirmed. The opposition is also calling on Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (HLAS-SD), who introduced the bill in parliament, to resign.
The head of the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers, Zuzana Dlugošová, also welcomed the decision to repeal the law. In a statement, she said the government and parliament should have considered the economic risks already when adopting the legislation, but expressed hope that the next legislative process will be guided by professional expertise.
Source: STVR, TASR
