European issues as well as events in Slovakia were high on the agenda of the talks in Brussels on Wednesday between Parliamentary Chair Peter Pellegrini (Voice-SD) and European Council President Charles Michel, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen and EC Executive Vice-President Maros Sefcovic.
Pellegrini pointed out that the negotiations were mainly dominated by European and budgetary topics, which the leaders of the member countries will talk about next week at the EU summit. As part of them, the EU is expected to approve a financial injection for Ukraine worth €50 billion.
« The package also includes funds for countries with the Schengen border, it isn’t just about changing the EU budget for Ukraine, » he explained.
Pellegrini
expressed the hope that a consensus of all 27 countries will be
reached at the summit, despite Hungary’s current reservations.
« There’s still time for Hungary’s demands to be negotiated so
that no special system of 26 or 25 countries is sought, which would
be very complicated, » said Pellegrini.
The Slovak
parliamentary head also spoke with Michel about support for the
European military industry, where he pleaded for the billions that
the EU gives to the defence industry to be spent in Europe to support
the domestic industry and reduce the dependence on overseas
suppliers. He added that if the European Commission comes up with a
proposal to create a fund to support the arms industry, including
modern weapon systems, Slovakia will apply for such resources.
The main purpose of the meetings, however, was to make clear to Brussels that Slovakia does not agree with the European Parliament’s decision to raise concerns about the closure of the Slovak Special Prosecutor’s Office and warn Slovakia that this move threatens the rule of law and the investigation of corruption cases. Pellegrini described the contested Slovak government draft as unfounded and merely a misleading attack by the opposition, despite the 496 MEPs voting in favour. The draft, which is being fast-tracked through the Slovak Parliament, could lead to a lack of transparency in the use of EU funds, according to MEPs.
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Pellegrini informed Michel and von der Leyen that a government-appointed diplomat will be available in Brussels from next week to liaise directly with the EU institutions and answer any questions on the forthcoming amendment of the criminal codes.
EU concerns about changes to the public service media were also raised, and in response to a question from a journalist, Pellegrini said that the government’s aim was not to restrict press freedom. Asked whether the ban on dual nationality could be amended, Pellegrini said that the issue would not be on the agenda in the coming weeks, but could be revisited later in the election cycle, when more pressing problems were being addressed.
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