- President Peter Pellegrini will decide on the amendment to the Criminal Code after the holidays.
- He will examine the impact of the amendment on criminal law and investigations with experts.
- He expressed serious concern about the threat of European funds for Slovakia.
- Analyzes the impact of changes on relations between Slovaks and Hungarians.
President SR Peter Pellegrini will make a decision on whether or not to sign the amendment to the Criminal Code just before Christmas Day or shortly after the Christmas holidays. He said this on Sunday’s talk show TA3 In politics.
As early as next week, he will meet with experts in criminal law and representatives of the judiciary. According to his words, he will be strictly guided by expert opinions. He also justified the veto on the law on the transformation of the Office for the Protection of Whistleblowers (ÚOO) by serious concerns that the European Commission could suspend European funds for Slovakia.
According to his words, the President wants to go through paragraph by paragraph in detail and make sure whether the calls of those who ask him not to sign the law are fulfilled or not. “I reject any association with whether we will accommodate one side or the other,” he declared.
When changing the so-called institute the president will also ask the judiciary about the penitentas he will interpret a specific paragraph, “so that no right of a person to defend himself in his own problem is affected, but at the same time to what extent he should or should not be a credible penitent”. Pellegrini also wants to know whether the change in the law could jeopardize the investigation of mafia murders or the detection of fundamental criminal activity.
The President wishes that Slovakia does not return to the period between 2020 and 2023, when, according to him, politically motivated prosecutions took place. But at the same time, he does not look at whether the change in the law will affect the deputy speaker of the parliament Tibor Gašpar (Smer-SD).
When assessing the signing of an amendment to the Criminal Code, the president also looks at the issue of the so-called Beneš decrees. According to him, it is a sensitive topic that can start to make relations between Slovaks and Hungarians uncomfortable. “Why is it good that this topic was opened at all, what is its purpose and what will be its result?” asks the head of state.
According to his own words, the president was not on the side of the group of police officers when the sentence on the change of the ÚOO to a new office was given. Čurrils. He objected to the method of negotiation, he was concerned about European funds and the functioning of the crime victims’ agenda. He would prefer if such changes took place immediately after the formation of the government. “After two years, it felt strange, both purposeful and tacky, the way it was going,” stated Pellegrini.
He emphasized that he has information from the European Commission, that he is following the situation surrounding the change of office very carefully. The president is curious about what will fundamentally change in the country if the law regarding the new office comes into force and whether it will bring some “miracle of justice”.
He also responded to criticism from Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and SNS head Andrej Danek after he vetoed the law. “If the president wants to make a fair decision, he cannot, from the first moment he became president, calculate and make decisions in such a way that he will continue to be popular with part of the spectrum and already calculate that he will be re-elected as president,” he responded to Danko’s words about Pellegrini’s support for the next election.
“Then I wouldn’t be completely self-righteous,” he added. Pellegrini will decide who will support him in the next presidential campaign in 2029, and according to him, it will be questionable whether Danko’s statement on his support will still have “any weight” at that time.
IT WILL BE IMPORTANT HOW THE COALITION PREPARES THE CONSOLIDATION FOR THE YEAR 2027
From an economic point of view, according to Slovak President Petr Pellegrini, it will be decisive for the country how the coalition approaches consolidation for 2027. He emphasized that the government should prepare measures for economic growth. At the same time, he appreciated that the cabinet decided to follow the path of addressability in energy assistance. Pellegrini announced this in the Sunday talk show TA3 In politics.
“It should also be said that if the system today has some shortcomings in the start-up phase, but the government with its regulations, regulations and Mrs. (farms of Denis Sakova from Hlas-SD, note TASR) it has options to reverse these shortcomings and save even those who fall through the cracks,” stated about energy aid. The President thinks that Slovakia is in a specific situation in terms of gas imports. He pointed out that the country does not have access to the sea and thus cannot build a terminal for the import of liquefied gas. According to him, economic relations with Russia will be restored after the war in Ukraine.
He also stated that Slovakia has a gas supply contract with the Russian Federation. At the same time, according to the head of state, Slovakia is in such a financial condition that it cannot take on additional guarantees for the loan. The president thinks that refusing to guarantee the European loan for Ukraine is a legitimate position. According to him, peace must be negotiated. According to him, a definitive decision on the conditions for the end of the war in Ukraine can only be made with the participation of Ukraine.
The President also commented on the upcoming municipal elections. According to his own words, he is curious about how the coalition candidates, among others, will turn out. He regrets that the state has not yet been able to prepare the reform of self-government. “With such a huge number of mayors, mayors, deputies and mayors, we cannot function for a long time. We are fragmented, we slowly have the most municipalities per population in the developed world. A total of 22,000 deputies.” pointed out the president.
