Brussels, January 27 (TASR) – On Tuesday, the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) held a public hearing titled Protection of the EU’s Financial Interests in Slovakia. The session aimed to investigate the safeguarding of the EU’s financial interests in Slovakia, focusing on allegations of systemic fraud and the measures implemented to protect the EU budget, as reported by TASR.
Among those who testified to the committee were several politicians and activists, including former agriculture minister Zsolt Simon, Zuzana Petková from the Stop Corruption foundation, and former employee of the Agricultural Paying Agency (PPA) Zuzana Šubová. Notably, state representatives were absent from the hearing.
Petková highlighted that her foundation is closely observing the “hacienda” case, involving allegations that private residences were constructed using EU funds designated for rural tourism development. She indicated that the foundation is filing reports of any legal violations with the prosecutor’s office. The Ministry of Agriculture had previously acknowledged some errors following a review of the call but insisted these were minor or isolated incidents.
Simon, who served as agriculture minister from 2010 to 2012, pointed out what he views as systemic mistakes that arose predominantly during the “Fico governments.” He criticized the absence of public oversight and the lack of digitalization within the PPA. He echoed Petková’s concerns regarding proposals to suspend EU fund payments to Slovakia, warning that such actions could diminish the competitiveness of Slovak farmers.
Šubová informed journalists and MEPs that her presence at the EP was to highlight the ineffective control systems over EU funds managed by the PPA, where she previously led the anti-corruption section. She described these issues as “long-term systemic failures” rather than isolated incidents, similar to the “hacienda” case.
She alleged that organized groups within the PPA are misappropriating EU funds for personal gain, neglecting compliance with EU funding conditions and legal frameworks.
Slovak Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč (Smer-SD) last addressed this issue on January 18, stating that the PPA is fully cooperating with law enforcement and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) regarding the guesthouse call linked to the hacienda case. He noted that individual errors were identified and are being rectified, adding that this call has undergone multiple audits by the European Commission and was previously examined by the former Slovak government. He emphasized that under his direction, further inspections have been conducted, and problematic issues are being addressed.
“While the minister of agriculture insists that individual errors are to blame, I contend that this is not the case. The corrupt system and financing schemes—whether concerning direct payments, projects, or guesthouses—within the agency represent a long-standing, systemic issue where control mechanisms and audits fail,” Šubová remarked on Tuesday.
She expressed her primary objective is to urge the European Commission and the European Parliament to scrutinize Slovakia and reevaluate the entire fund disbursement system, as the EU’s financial interests should ultimately serve the benefit of citizens and farmers, rather than merely enriching select oligarchs or high-ranking politicians. (January 27)
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