- The Slovak government welcomes the increase in the EU budget for the years 2028–2034.
- He is concerned about the EU’s conditions for the rule of law and fundamental rights.
- According to him, the draft EU agricultural policy may disadvantage large Slovak farms.
The Government of the Slovak Republic welcomes the fact that the total amount of the European Union (EU) budget for the years 2028 – 2034 has been increased to the amount of almost two trillion euros. However, he has reservations about cutting spending on reducing regional differences. Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said this at Tuesday’s press conference after a meeting with European Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafino.
“If we are talking about this cohesion policy or the money that should be allocated to the cohesion policy, to reduce regional disparities, then I must state that the Commission is proposing less money,” Fico said. According to the prime minister, the increase in the financial package intended for Slovakia to almost 20 billion euros is positive.
According to Fico, the finances for the next EU budget period should be discussed now also because the draft budget contains many novelties that may affect several member countries. The prime minister also recalled the negative attitude of the European Parliament.
According to the Prime Minister, Slovakia is concerned about the proposals of the European Commission, according to which the country will be able to draw funds on the condition that questions of the rule of law or fundamental rights, which are incorporated and regulated by the relevant charter, are not raised. “We are a bit worried here, and I want to say very frankly that I would be very unhappy if this conditionality, that is, that we will be able to take money from the state or restrict their access to money just because someone has a different opinion on issues of the rule of law or human rights,” said Fico.
According to the prime minister, the draft of the new Common Agricultural Policy, which puts large farms at a disadvantage, is also problematic. Slovakia is primarily a country where large agricultural enterprises operate, and therefore the government cannot accept that we should be punished for the fact that the structure of Slovak agriculture is set up in this way. In the matter of financing the elimination of regional differences, the Prime Minister expects the cooperation of several countries, which describe themselves as a group of friends of cohesion.
Fico added that he understands the European Commission, which is also looking for money for defense, wants to find money for Ukraine and to support competitiveness. However, according to the Prime Minister, this cannot be at the expense of cohesion policy and the Common Agricultural Policy. According to him, the interview with the European Commissioner was constructive. “I think that Commissioner Serafin is aware of the realities in this region, he was probably not surprised by what we told him under the circumstances,” added the prime minister.
