- Robert Fico met with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
- The leaders discussed nuclear energy, defense, the EU and the war in Ukraine.
- Fico confirmed cooperation in energy and participation in the nuclear summit.
- Slovakia demands a reduction in energy prices and a change in the approach to Serbia in the EU.
- The Prime Minister presented Macron with the priorities of the Slovak presidency in the V4.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Thursday. According to him, they had a confidential conversation that lasted almost two hours. They discussed nuclear energy, defense, competitiveness of the EU and Ukraine. The Slovak Prime Minister informed about it on the social network Facebook.
According to Fico, the meeting demonstrated the closeness of France and Slovakia based on the strategic partnership agreement. In connection with cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, the Slovak Prime Minister confirmed that he will meet with the highest representatives of Électricité de France (EDF) and Framatome. In March, he will also participate in the nuclear summit in Paris.
The leaders also addressed defense in the conversation. “Given the concept of a stronger, more independent and more sovereign EU, which I also support, it was natural that we also paid attention to the opportunities created by the advanced arms industry in France and the dynamically developing Slovak arms industry,” said the prime minister.
In the European agenda, the discussion was dominated by competitiveness. In this context, Fico asked Macron to consider the initiatives that Slovakia, together with other member countries, will present at the informal meeting of the European Council in February with the aim of reducing electricity prices. They also devoted themselves to the enlargement of the EU, especially to the countries of the Western Balkans. The head of the Slovak government emphasized that, according to him, the EU treats Serbia unfairly in this area.
Another topic of the negotiations was the war in Ukraine. The Slovak prime minister emphasized that he and the French president have different views on some aspects of the conflict. He presented to Macron his idea of the further development of the war and informed about the humanitarian aid provided by the Slovak Republic to Ukraine.
Fico also presented to the French president the priorities of the upcoming Slovak presidency in the Vyšehrad Four (V4) and emphasized the importance of a possible meeting between the Prime Ministers of the V4 and the French President in the second half of 2026.
Macron also commented on the meeting with Fico on the X social network. In the post in Slovak, he writes about “strategic awakening”. According to him, the purpose of the joint meeting was more unity and solidarity to ensure European independence. “Our European and bilateral program must allow us to accelerate progress in the essentials: in the field of energy, competitiveness, defense, but also the protection of our democracies, based on the values of the European Union,” said the French president.
