As he points out, in the case of Poland and Hungary, due to violations of the principles of the rule of law or corruption, there was a suspension of European funds, but not a suspension of voting rights. Only a qualified majority, i.e. the consent of at least 15 countries representing at least 65 percent of the population of the Union, is sufficient to suspend funds from European funds.
They defined their policy
However, according to expert Cirhan, the mention of Slovakia in the coalition agreement is not a clear threat, as claimed by Prime Minister Robert Fico. “In my opinion, rather than a specific procedure or threat, as the Slovak prime minister thematizes, it is a matter of defining the ideological view of the EU’s foreign policy within the framework of the agreement of the new Dutch government,” stated the Czech political scientist.
Cirhan does not expect the new Dutch government to make concessions after Fico’s reaction. He also does not think that Jetten’s coalition will address a fundamental reaction to the Slovak government. “If there was a reaction, I expect it to be purely rhetorical, for example criticism of the Slovak government in the media. However, I do not expect the Dutch side to make such emotional statements on this matter as Prime Minister Fico did,” Cirhan pointed out.
Did they throw out Slovakia and Hungary?
The Dutch parliamentary election in October was won by the liberal party D66. Already at the end of January, together with the CDA and VVD political groups, they presented . In the 67-page document entitled, among other things, they also mention countries that are supposed to disturb the unity of the European Union — that is, Slovakia and Hungary.
Therefore, they aim to simplify the process of revoking the voting rights of a member country in the Union according to Article 7 of the EU Treaty. In the agreement, the new government writes: “Countries that are actively undermining Europe, such as Hungary and Slovakia, will be dealt with forcefully by advocating in Europe to simplify the procedure under Article 7, so that countries’ voting rights can be taken away more easily.”
Article 7 has never been applied to any member country. In the manifesto, the Dutch mention that they would like to abolish unanimity in the field of common foreign and security policy. In practice, this means that smaller countries that do not agree with the Union’s policies would not be able to block them with a veto.
Fico: Smoke marijuana
The fact that the Dutch mention Slovakia in the coalition agreement did not escape the local government politicians either. The head of diplomacy, Juraj Blanár, was the first to react on Wednesday. “We strongly object to the absolutely false designation of Slovakia in the coalition agreement of the yet-to-be-appointed government as a country that is said to be ‘actively undermining Europe’,” the foreign minister told the Dutch. He also stated that maintaining unanimity in some areas is very important. He pointed out that maintaining the right of veto for certain policies cannot be a reason for attacking European partners or imposing sanctions.
According to Blanár, they communicated this to the Dutch through standard diplomatic channels. However, the party leader of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fico, chose a more forceful vocabulary. “You have a dangerous tendency to interfere in the internal sovereign affairs of other countries,” he told the Dutch. In a video from a government special, he addressed the incoming Dutch government to smoke marijuana and recognize 70 genders.
Fico claims that the Dutch are threatening to punish Slovakia for sovereign opinions. “The idea that we will abolish the right of veto in fundamental questions of the functioning of the EU and that big countries will make decisions by majority and tell smaller ones what to do is misguided,” he stated on board the government special, which he was aiming for an informal summit of the European Council in Belgium.
