- Gašpar called for caution when Slovakia joins the Peace Council.
- Gröhling described the Peace Council as an undemocratic and financially demanding initiative.
- Both discussed the transparency of the treaty with the United States and the possible participation of France.
- Trust in the police, the prosecutor’s office and changes to the rules of procedure were also discussed in the STVR session.
Deputy Chairman of the National Council (NR) of the Slovak Republic Tibor Gašpar (Smer-SD) calls for caution with the Peace Council, the leader of the opposition party SaS Branislav Gröhling he sees it as the business of US President Donald Trump. Both stated this on the STVR talk show O 5 minut 12.
Gašpar also indicated in the discussion that one of the topics of the upcoming meeting between Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and French President Emmanuel Macron may be the possibility of France’s involvement in the future construction of a new nuclear block in Jaslovské Bohunice. At the same time, he emphasized that the agreement with the United States does not bind Slovakia to anything.
“I am afraid that someone is preparing an umbrella, some kind of protection against further decisions, so that he can say that everything that will happen now is in the name of some kind of peace and will be covered by those countries that will participate in this council. The second important dimension, according to him, is the constitutional question of whether such an entry is possible at all.” spoke about joining the Peace Council Gaspar. According to Gröhlinga the Peace Council represents an “undemocratic” society. “I see it as a Donald Trump business plan, for which you still have to pay one billion dollars if you want to be part of it,” he added.
In connection with the agreement on nuclear energy, Gašpar rejected the interpretations of the “trade” and emphasized that the agreement with the United States does not bind Slovakia to anything. At the same time, he stated that the negotiations in Paris may also open up the question of how France could be involved in the future construction of the nuclear block.
Gröhling criticized that, according to him, the government communicates the construction of a new nuclear block without sufficiently clear information. “What kind of foreign policy is it that Robert Fico goes to America, makes a deal there for 15 billion euros (…). In the Czech Republic, the Koreans make a similar technology for eight billion, why should there be something for 15 billion euros in Slovakia?” asks the opposition MP.
Within the domestic policy topics, they also addressed trust in the police and the prosecutor’s office. Gröhling claimed that it is “debatable” whether the police’s hands are untied, and linked the decline in trust to the work of Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Voice-SD). “What I perceive is how he threatens prosecutors, police officers, but also students and does his business there,” he said.
Gašpar, on the contrary, emphasized that only law enforcement authorities, not politicians, should comment on individual accusations. In the case of the government representative for the review of the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, Petr Kotlára, Gašpar questioned whether his statements would fulfill the signs of spreading an alarmist message. “Do you have proof there that his opinion about covid vaccines is alarmist information? This is exactly like when some scholars said in the past that the earth is round, and those who said it is flat went to burn them,” he added.
The discussion also touched on the upcoming changes to the rules of procedure of the parliament. Gašpar announced the tightening of rules and sanctions, rejecting the label “muzzle law”. Gröhling, on the contrary, claimed that the proposal may limit the opposition’s ability to speak, especially in the case of legislation in abbreviated proceedings.
“We won’t be able to comment on this either before the proceedings or at the committee. If it comes to the National Council of the Slovak Republic and it is the same proposal as at the moment, we will have 50 minutes to say how the law will harm Slovakia. We normally shut our mouths.” he said.
