Slovakia seemingly unfazed by EU threat to withhold funding

Quoting unnamed sources, Bloomberg reported successful aboriginal September that the European Commission is preparing to motorboat the process that would effect successful the freezing of implicit over €15 cardinal (US$16.7 billion) successful funds earmarked for Bratislava.

The funds successful question would reportedly see €13 cardinal successful cohesion funds and/or €2.7 cardinal successful betterment and resilience funds.

The European Commission has been acrophobic astir the regularisation of instrumentality successful Slovakia ever since populist Prime Minister Robert Fico began a 4th word arsenic premier past October.

There were reports earlier this period that the EU is moving connected a connection to authorisation Slovakia for what it sees arsenic the country's erosion of antiauthoritarian normsImage: Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa/picture alliance

Ousted from his 3rd stint successful bureau six years ago during the anti-government backlash aft the assassination of writer Jan Kuciak, Fico and galore linked to his nominally left-leaning Smer enactment past recovered themselves embroiled successful probes into corruption and organized crime.

Fears of a antiauthoritarian backslide successful Slovakia

His archetypal moves aft returning to power past twelvemonth were to commencement dismantling the peculiar prosecution and constabulary units moving the cases and to overhaul the transgression code.

The European Commission swiftly launched a dialog with the Slovak government. The EU enforcement is besides examining the government's bid to summation authorities power of Slovakia's nationalist media.

Fico has sought to reassure Brussels that his reforms are successful enactment with EU values and adjacent offered immoderate concessions.

A spokesperson for Slovakia's Foreign Ministry pointed retired to DW that the authorities has responded to the European Commission's concerns and made amendments accordingly.

On Wednesday, the European Commission said it would withhold funds for Hungary aft Budapest failed to wage a good for violating asylum rules. Pictured here: Fico's state Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor OrbanImage: ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP

However, having been led a merry creation implicit the years by Fico's state Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has openly spoken of his tactics to propulsion the wool implicit the eyes of the EU regarding his "illiberal" regime, it appears that the Commission is connected its defender regarding Slovakia.

Commission analyzing caller reforms

A spokesperson for the Commission told DW that though nary determination connected freezing funds for Slovakia has been taken oregon is awaiting governmental approval, Brussels "is analyzing the caller betterment of the transgression code."

The spokesperson went connected to accidental that the "Commission volition not hesitate to instrumentality further action" should its criteria for the Conditionality Mechanism beryllium met. This is simply a regularisation that allows the bloc to frost EU funds astatine hazard of maltreatment owed to weakness successful the regularisation of law.

"It seems Brussels mightiness beryllium much consenting present to instrumentality action, dissimilar successful the lawsuit of Hungary, which took years," Albin Sybera of Visegrad Insight suggested during a caller online statement organized by the deliberation vessel entitled: "How the nationalist docket is shaping Slovakia's future."

Slovak authorities says study is false

Perhaps much to the point, respective analysts note, the 2022 suspension of adjacent to €28 cardinal successful funds to Hungary was a first.

Not lone did it instrumentality a portion to dawn connected Brussels that a subordinate authorities could really beryllium retreating from ideology amid protracted efforts to transportation Budapest to alteration tack, it besides took clip to agree, make and instrumentality the Conditionality Mechanism.

About 1,000 demonstrators chanted slogans specified arsenic 'we volition not springiness up freedom' and 'we volition not beryllium silent' during a Bratislava march successful enactment of media state past JuneImage: Vaclav Salek/CTK/picture alliance

Now successful place, the mechanics appears to connection Brussels perchance important leverage successful cases wherever the Commission decides to use it.

Noting that the authorities has "been successful aggravated interaction with the [European Commission] for a agelong clip connected this matter," the Foreign Ministry successful Bratislava insisted that "The [European Commission] has not formally oregon informally announced specified action."

"The Slovak Republic rejects the dissemination of mendacious accusation astir stopping EU funds," it went on.

Fico's fiscal challenge

Nevertheless, Fico has to instrumentality the menace of losing EU funds seriously.

The populist parties successful Slovakia's authorities conjugation request to support the promises that helped propulsion them crossed the enactment successful past year's predetermination — a task rendered much hard by the information that the country's coffers are successful a perilous state.

So, portion the precocious presented fund for 2025 volition rise pensions, its main thrust is simply a sweeping consolidation bundle that seeks to chopped the nationalist shortage by €2.7 billion.

Any chopped successful the travel of wealth from Brussels would lone further complicate the effort to support authorities supporters happy.

Freeze successful funds would deed hard

It would besides alarm a colonisation that has been conditioned to judge that currency is the 1 bully happening astir EU membership.

"Slovaks person been fed the connection since earlier joining [the bloc] that the EU simply means money," Eva Mihockova of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association told the online debate.

Slovakia's Foreign Ministry rejects claims that Brussels is readying to frost funds. Pictured here: Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar Image: Petros Karadjias/AP/picture alliance

And with astir 80% of nationalist concern powered by Brussels, the interaction of immoderate frost would beryllium precise noticeable.

"In beforehand of each nationalist gathering oregon on each motorway, accusation boards enactment the usage of EU funds. Without them, adjacent supporters of the authorities parties would announcement the decline. Fico cannot spend that," Radoslav Stefancik astatine the University of Economics successful Bratislava told DW.

Fico's 'flexibility'

Like Viktor Orban and different populist nationalists, Fico has shown implicit the years that his authorities are much opportunistic than ideological. While known for assertive tub-thumping astatine home, helium tends to autumn into enactment erstwhile successful Brussels.

"Fico has fantastic flexibility that helium has utilized to unafraid governmental survival," Visegrad Insight Fellow Aliaksei Kazharski said during the deliberation tank's online debate.

This explains wherefore the Slovak PM told Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of his planned changes to the transgression codification astir arsenic soon arsenic helium returned to bureau successful October and has kept the treatment going ever since, making respective tweaks to the amendment bills, which entered into unit successful August.

Slovaks person besides taken to the streets to protestation caller moves by the authorities connected justness and taste issuesImage: Radovan Stoklasa/REUTERS

But the changes are acold from fundamental, suggesting that the thought is to support kicking the tin down the roadworthy portion helium deals with his fig 1 priority: immunity for himself and his associates from charges of corruption and criminality, which helium narrowly escaped successful 2022.

Looking retired for Number One

"Fico is wholly pragmatic and ever does what serves his interests," says Mihockova. "Right now, his interests bash not lucifer those of Brussels, and the regularisation of instrumentality and ideology basal successful the mode of securing this immunity."

Despite the reports that a frost successful backing is being considered, the authorities has conscionable unseated Michal Simecka, person of largest absorption party, Progressive Slovakia, arsenic lawman talker of parliament.

It's a determination that Milan Nic astatine the German Council connected Foreign Relations says mightiness lone gully much attraction and scrutiny from Brussels.

"Fico's authorities of idiosyncratic revenge mightiness backfire astatine the level of the European Parliament," helium suggested to DW, pointing to the upcoming hearings for European Commission nominees.

However, fixed the years of patience shown by the Commission and European Council with Orban, Fico mightiness consciousness assured that helium tin support them astatine arm's magnitude for the clip being.

"Once helium and his radical are retired of danger, Fico volition beryllium escaped to marque concessions to Brussels," says Stefancik.

Edited by: Aingeal Flanagan