Brussels – The European Commission (EC) has found no indications that Slovakia is contemplating leaving the European Union. This clarification was provided by Paula Pinho, chief spokesperson for EC President Ursula von der Leyen, in a statement to TASR.
Pinho emphasized, “There is indeed constructive and productive cooperation between the European Commission and the Slovak government. President von der Leyen and Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) maintain regular communication.” She highlighted the collaborative efforts between the EC and Slovak authorities on a wide range of issues.
The speculation regarding Slovakia’s potential withdrawal from the EU surfaced after Tibor Gašpar, vice-chairman of the National Council of Slovakia, expressed his dissent in January over the opposition party SaS’s initiative to constitutionally protect Slovakia’s membership in both the EU and NATO. He noted that as these organizations evolve, it is prudent to be prepared for any extreme developments, though he made it clear that Smer-SD does not intend to leave either the EU or NATO.
In response, the opposition party Progressive Slovakia condemned any notion of Slovakia exiting the EU and NATO. “This validates our concerns that Prime Minister Robert Fico is setting the stage for Slovakia’s departure from Europe,” stated the movement.
Fico later reaffirmed that the current government has no intention of questioning Slovakia’s EU and NATO membership.
Earlier this week, President Peter Pellegrini convened a roundtable discussion on Slovakia’s foreign policy direction, which included leaders from the coalition parties Smer-SD, Hlas-SD, SNS, and the opposition party KDH. Following the discussion, Pellegrini confirmed that none of the coalition leaders, nor the KDH chairman, are advocating for or planning Slovakia’s withdrawal from the EU or NATO. Pellegrini identified this misconception as a significant cause of the current protests in Slovakia.
Demonstrations against the Slovak government’s policies, under the banner “Slovakia is Europe,” are set to take place in several cities across Slovakia and abroad on Friday evening (February 7).
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