The resolutions are not a surprise
It shows the seriousness of the situation, which should not be taken lightly. These “last warning” signals (and even at a lower intensity) have already led to the suspension of European resources in Hungary in the past. The situation should therefore not be underestimated, especially when the position of the strongest political groups is clearly critical towards Slovakia. In addition to the facts of the European People’s Party, the group of socialists, which itself excluded Smer from its ranks, has the sharpest formulations.
Both critical resolutions calling on the European Commission to freeze European resources for Slovakia were supported by European Parliament control missions from the Committee for Budget Control and the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. This was followed by public hearings in Brussels, where out of more than 200 suggestions for the misuse of European funds, scandals with haciendas resonated particularly negatively.
The resolutions on Slovakia are actually not a surprise if we realize the terrible state of making life easier for crooks at the expense of decent people with the amendment to the Criminal Code, the abolition of the anti-corruption institutions ÚŠP and NAKA, attention to Slovak links to a third of investigated European VAT frauds (!), persecution of non-governmental organizations and journalists, or political interference in public media.
Everything was nailed down by an absurd anti-European constitutional amendment, against which the European Commission has already started an infringement process, i.e. a procedure for breaching an obligation arising from EU law.
Was the enlargement of the EU successful at all?
On Tuesday, I gave a lecture at the Europa-Universität in Flensburg, and a great discussion with the students led to the topic of whether EU enlargement was actually successful, if corruption and its toleration are part of the mentality of post-communist countries. Smerák’s thieves are resonating throughout Europe and making our homeland an incredible shame…
Despite all the negative comments about Slovakia and the reminders of Meciarov’s analogies from three decades ago from colleagues and friends from abroad, I am witnessing the instilling of hope that if we “gave it” then, we will “give it” today.
The change is, of course, conditional on a critical mass of citizens understanding who is robbing them. And then by correcting exactly what the European institutions, which today protect citizens’ money in contrast to the Slovak executive, accuse us of. I believe that we will arrive at the point where no European resolutions on Slovakia will be necessary one day.
