For months, Slovakia’s right-wing populist government has been attacking the rule of law. Prime Minister Robert Fico is systematically weakening the very authorities tasked with combating corruption. In response, the European Parliament is now calling on the European Commission to protect the rule of law in Slovakia from further assaults.

For the first time, the European Parliament is demanding the launch of a procedure to safeguard the EU budget against Bratislava. This demand is included in the new discharge report on the Commission’s 2024 budget, which was adopted by the relevant committee yesterday. As part of the discharge process, Parliament reviews the Commission’s proper use of EU funds. This year, a Green MEP took the lead in drafting the report.

The misuse of EU funds in Slovakia has become a reality. Subsidies intended, for example, to promote tourism in rural areas have instead been funneled into luxury villas – properties never made accessible to the public. Instead, these funds have benefited individuals close to Fico.

Rather than curbing these abuses, Fico has dismantled the responsible prosecutor’s office and dismantled the investigative body tasked with addressing corruption. He is pushing to abolish protections for whistleblowers and has altered laws to allow convicted, corrupt criminals to be released from prison.