The rule of law situation in Slovakia in the spotlight of the European Parliament

Brussels – Concerns about the rule of law in Slovakia surfaced today (April 11) in a debate in the European Parliament. Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders told MEPs of the Commission’s concerns about developments emanating from Bratislava. Most concerning Brussels are the issues of justice reform, state intervention in public television, and the freedom of journalists.

“In Poland, we know how difficult it is to repair the damage done by the populists,” said Socialist (S&D) MEP Łukasz Kohut, calling on Slovakia to cancel its reforms before it is too late. Despite warnings from the Commission to stop, the government of nationalist Robert Fico went ahead with the abolition of the office of the special prosecutor, a role responsible for investigating the most serious crimes (such as those related to organized crime and high-level corruption). Justice reform worries about how the government has weakened the role of the judiciary, risking to undermine the rule of law. Reynders warned that “we will not hesitate to take action to protect EU law,” stressing how the reform clashes with European principles.

The debate in the European Parliament comes just after the victory of the government candidate Peter Pellegrini in the presidential election. In this regard, Vladimír Bilčík, the Slovak member of the People’s Party (EPP), said, “The nationalists won by exploiting fear, but victory brings with it the responsibility to keep Slovaks in Europe.” Concerns about the situation in Slovakia have also been raised from Renew, with MP Martin Hojsík warning that “Fico is dismantling the rule of law, bringing us closer to Orban’s Hungary and Putin’s Russia.”

Opposing this discussion, on the other hand, were MPs from Fico’s party but not registered in the European parliamentary groups. Monika Beňová argued that these discussions are baseless, making  Slovakia more fragile.

Bitter was the discussion on the media. Commissioner Reynders raised the issue of the limited freedom of state TV, pointing out that according to some reports, journalists face too much intimidation that risks resulting in violent incidents. Miroslav Radačovský, a Slovak MEP who is not a member of any group in the European Parliament, on the other hand, argued that public TV is now freer: “The reform has freed the national broadcaster from the dictatorship of the liberal view,” adding later, “I was elected in 2019 as the fifth most popular since then public TV has never asked me for an interview, does that seem normal?”

EPP MEP Ivan Štefanec also spoke on the media issue, bringing to the attention of his colleagues how Orban’s Hungary influenced the presidential election. Budapest TV stations campaigned intensively pro-Pellegrini to influence the Hungarian minority residing in Slovakia (about 8.5 percent of the population).