When the fresh German Chancellor Friedrich Merz bequeathed to Hungary and Slovakia that the Union would not be able to conflict with them, it has significantly resonated in the local media environment. Prime Minister Fico then pointed out that Slovakia is not a “small pupil” to teach.
The Aktuality.sk portal therefore talked to the analyst Milan nothing working in Berlin, who works in the German Society for Foreign Policy (Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Auswärtige politician, DGAP).
“The statement Merza was unhappy and just thrown into a journalistic question. However, it was nervous about the vague attitude of Bratislava,” he says in an interview for Aktuality.sk about the words of Friedrich Merz on German public television, where he said “We cannot allow the decisions of the whole EU to depend on a small minority. And certainly there could be clearer words and perhaps harder conflicts,” said the German office a few weeks ago.
Robert Fico had a relatively pragmatic relationship with the former German socialist office Olaf Scholz. With the current conservative Friedrich Merz, he got into a public quarrel relatively quickly. Merz said that if the current attitudes of countries do not change, the EU will not be conflicted with Hungary and Slovakia. For this, Prime Minister Fico replied that Slovakia is not a small pupil to teach. Did this affect the current relationship of the Slovak and German government?
The public quarrel was only in Slovakia from Merza’s statement. It was not solved here, the German media from the television debate only dealt with the statements about Israel. What he said about Hungary was nothing new. Nóvum was that Slovakia added to it. But it was a relatively small nuance that did not disassemble in the German media. The shootout was only in our home.
Didn’t the German government respond to Robert Fico’s response to Merz’s office?
Of course, the German government and diplomats registered what was happening. But it was a scandal only in Slovakia.
But from those words of Friedrich Merz, it follows that the German relationship with Slovakia to Slovakia if our Prime Minister is different and more distinctive than before, for Olaf Scholz.
The relationship with the previous office was also due to the fact that the former German government had in the Slovak coalition of political partners. For the German SPD, the Slovak partner was a voice in which they saw a project of the new Social-Democratic Party with European Orientation (SPD is the socio-democratic Party of Germany, from which the exancelar Scholz comes and is now a coalition along with the Conservative CDU/CSU, Note. red.). Before the parliamentary elections, when it seemed for some time that the voice could form a new government, Scholz even accepted Petr Pellegrini as a promising future prime minister. When the government coalition was created in Slovakia under the leadership of Robert Fico, they realized in the German SPD that there were two left -wing parties and wanted to have good work relationships and contacts with it.
They were also wondering to what extent Robert Fico would be pragmatic in the government and whether he would really stop the export of ammunition and military equipment to Ukraine. He turned out to be a pragmatist, more interested in the amendment to the Criminal Code, in which he also kept advice that it would not be a European problem if he incorporated the reservations of the European Commission. From Fico’s working visit to Berlin, they had a direct line with the German office. With the departure of Olaf Scholz, however, Prime Minister Robert Fico lost her.
On the other hand, it is quite common that the new German office is gradually getting acquainted with his partners in the European Council and inviting them to bilateral visits.
So what is the current relationship of Berlin and Bratislava?
Speaking of EU level, Slovakia is a problem for Berlin, mainly because it is considering blocking the approval of the 18th package of anti -Russian sanctions. At the same time, it had reservations about the automatic renewal of the sector sanctions that occur. These are measures that are approved unanimously, and there Slovakia, together with Hungary, can produce the problem of the rest of the EU, which will have to be addressed mainly by large member countries headed by Germany.
That is why Merz said the statement on German public television to push on Bratislava?
The statement Merza was unfortunate and in my opinion a bit spoken from the volley in response to the journalist question. But there was also nervousness from the unclear attitude of Bratislava. Berlin considers increasing pressure on Russia as part of the efforts on the ceasefire and maintaining the EU’s political unity as a key issue of European security. If we block it, and, moreover, for reasons that other partners in the EU will not understand well enough, we will force a new government in Berlin to review relationships with us right from the start and look for different levers to push us. Moreover, at a time when the preparations for the new European budget and the rules of its drawing are being finished.
So far, Slovakia has approved all the existing packages of European sanctions. Now Prime Minister Fico signals that he has a serious problem with the commission proposal and needs the confidence of others to claim an exception. The pitch is that this happens shortly after his solo journey to Moscow, which has broken his trust in the Union. But it is still true that if something is changing in Slovakia about European sanctions so far, Bratislava must actively negotiate with other governments 27.
And since the new government is led by Christian Democrats in Germany, with which no part of the Slovak government coalition has party ties, Prime Minister Fico sent at least the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Berlin and his sash Marek Eštoka (Sherpa is a high -ranking official or diplomat who is preparing the European Council’s Summit on behalf of his Prime Minister or President, Note. red.). He came two weeks ago, had meetings with his counterparts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the Office of the Federal Office, and the willingness to pragmatic solutions was supposed to underline that Slovakia is not Hungary.
What did the Prime Minister send to Germany?
According to my information, he tried to arrange an appointment with office Friedrich Merz, even before the next European Council on 26-27 June. But he did not come in this. The deadline did not receive. Instead, he received a vague promise that a meeting of both government bosses could take place directly in the building of the European Council in Brussels just before the Summit and without photography.
And it will take place?
Apparently yes, if the problem is not solved before the lower level.
What signal is it for Robert Fico that he did not receive a deadline for Friedrich Merz?
This means that the German office office has other priorities at this hectic time. And that because of this attitude of Slovakia, which has not yet been well explained and justified, they will not quickly change the charged calendar of Friedrich Merz for the coming days.
Germany is the largest EU economy and at the same time we are very dependent on it. Could our relations with Germany be disrupted if we started with the policy of boycotting European unity, how is Hungary today? What will influence our relationships with the Germans?
Speaking of political level, because the economy works differently, it will now be very important how the relationships of the heads of both governments will set up. We are when the international system and geopolitics are changing fundamentally. In this respect, the NATO Summit, which will take place in a week where Slovakia will be represented by President Pellegrini, will be important.
Merz’s office does not want to waste more time on defense and safety. It shows that if Hungary continues to block joint decisions on fundamental issues of European security, he will also consider solutions to Germany as the rest of the Union can move forward without Hungary. It is a fundamental difference from the era of Merkel’s office, who has always patiently sought a compromise. Still, unlike Hungary, Slovakia has not yet completely lost confidence in relations with Germany. We should keep it, even at the level of key ministers, including defense. But it is true that if it goes wrong around sanctions and a ban on Russian gas import in the coming days and weeks, it will be difficult to correct.
Slovakia will have to communicate better with the commission if it has any reservations and explain to it what the problem is. The biggest question of this whole thing is that it is not clear for Member States what the attitude of Slovakia is. That is why Prime Minister Fico wanted to solve it with office Merz, but he had a diplomatically bequeathed him to deal with a lower level – ministers or ambassadors to the EU. And Slovakia has the same problem with other key partners.
It is not clear, and several partners perceive this why Robert Fico wants to support Slovakia’s next package of sanctions just to stop gas transit from Russia by the end of 2027, which is planning the EU.
Does Slovakia have such a strong position to afford to break the unity of the EU in the case of sanctions?
Today, Robert Fico is more in the corner than when he needed to get a sentence on the European Council about the gas transit between Ukraine and Slovakia a few months ago. Now, however, it is on the defensive especially for traveling to Moscow from 9 May, which many representatives of the Union did not understand. The coming days will show what the Slovak diplomacy in Brussels can still win after several Prime Minister Fico. Although it is a veteran of European summits, this time it is very badly played. And if our diplomats say that we are not Hungary behind the scenes and that we can still agree with us, they must now pray that Fico can handle the ending. But it will be fully in his direction.
