For years, EU funds have been systematically misused under Prime Minister Fico. That is why I travelled to Slovakia twice last year. Two weeks ago, I was back in Bratislava. The situation has deteriorated. This is why corruption in Slovakia was discussed yesterday in the European Parliament.

EU subsidies that were meant to promote tourism in rural areas have instead been used in Slovakia to build and renovate luxury villas. The owners are mostly people close to Prime Minister Fico. These properties were never genuinely accessible to the public, and there was no meaningful tourism to speak of. Absurdly, under current EU rules, such projects are even allowed to pass into private ownership after just five years. This practically invites abuse and corruption. These rules must be changed.

The so-called “Hacienda” scandal was co-exposed by whistleblower Zuzana Šubová. She worked at the authority responsible for distributing agricultural subsidies from Brussels in Slovakia. After speaking with me and a TV crew two weeks ago, police turned up at her door. Thirteen officers seized devices and documents and took Šubová into custody for a day. But the whistleblower was not intimidated. Yesterday, she appeared before Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee, accompanied by representatives of the Slovak organisation Stop Corruption.

The discussions in Brussels were urgently needed. Prime Minister Fico is currently doing nothing to stop the misuse of EU funds. On the contrary, the Slovak government is weakening the very authorities meant to fight corruption. Fico has dismantled the anti-corruption prosecutor’s office and broken up the relevant investigative body. He wants to abolish whistleblower protections and has changed the law in ways that allow convicted corrupt criminals to be released from prison.

For all these reasons, EU taxpayers’ money is no longer safe in Slovakia. It is time for the EU to act, freeze funds for Fico, and protect the rule of law in Slovakia.

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Here is the recording of the committee hearing with Zuzana Šubová.

I visited one of the funded villas. The video has since gone viral.

Germany’s public broadcaster ARD has now also reported on corruption in Slovakia.