- The Ministry of Education files a criminal complaint against members of Progressive Slovakia for defamation.
- The department claims that the X-Rock project received support based on strict criteria.
- Progressive Slovakia demands the stopping of the ten million dollar X-Rock project and its investigation.
The Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth (MŠVVaM) of the Slovak Republic files a criminal complaint against members of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) for slander and false accusation. State Secretary of the Ministry Róbert Zsembera informed about this at the press conference on Friday.
In response to Thursday’s (June 4) PS statements in connection with the scientific project X-Rock and the allocation of European funds, the movement also announced the filing of a criminal complaint. The Department of Education talks about half-truths, misleading and lies.
“I want to announce that we are filing a criminal complaint against the deputies of Progresívne Slovakia, on suspicion of the crime of slander and also of false accusation. I say it very clearly,” stated Zsembera, emphatically rejecting the intimidation of researchers, universities or the academic community with criminal reports.
He reiterated that the success of the project of the Technical University in Košice (TUKE), namely the Faculty of Mining, was determined by strict criteria and expert evaluation. The project finished ninth out of 83 participating projects, receiving a rating of 14.5 out of 15 possible points from two independent evaluators. Both evaluators, Slovak and Czech, recommended the project.
The ministry rejected any intervention in the selection of evaluators or the allocation of subsidies. It also refused to question the partners involved in the project. According to the Department of Education, they have a certificate to conduct research and were evaluated by other evaluators compared to those who evaluated the project itself.
According to the ministry, it was not a specific subsidy, but competitive financing, and TUKE, which it considers to be one of the top institutions of technical education in the European area, could also apply for funding. The request is submitted by the rector, the university will receive the funds, not one person, and the handling of the funds will be strictly controlled. The Ministry of Education did not see room for speculators in the given call financed by the Slovakia Program.
“I am convinced that the importance of this project will be the best proof of its importance and contribution to Slovak science and the Slovak economy, as well as energy security,” emphasized Zsembera. He also denied claims about TUKE favoring the previous period or other institutions.
According to TUKE, the project has been running since 2025, the duration of individual activities should be until December 2029. It also includes quarterly reports that are received by the authorities supervising the project. An annual monitoring report was also prepared at the end of the year.
The opposition PS movement announced on Thursday that it will file a criminal complaint in connection with the X-Rock project, which received support from the Ministry of Education. It is a ten million euro project. At the same time, the movement demands an immediate halt to the project, answers from the Minister of Education Tomáš Drucker (Voice-SD) and an investigation of this case by the competent authorities.
