Slovakia debates its place in EU and NATO amidst political tensions
The vice-chair of the Slovak parliament, one of Prime Minister Robert Fico's closest associates, Tibor Gašpar, admitted on Friday evening on the state television channel STVR that the country might exit the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This suggestion was rejected by President Peter Pellegrini.
Gašpar is also the vice-chairman of the strongest ruling coalition party, Direction – Slovak Social Democracy (Smer-SSD), and was a member of the official parliamentary delegation, which was in Moscow for three days at the beginning of the week.
On TV, he said that for Smer, leaving the EU or NATO is not currently a priority or goal of action. However, he stated that "the door should be left open for situations where we might consider extreme solutions."
It stirred up the country
Gašpar's declaration met with a quick response from the coalition partner, the Voice–Social Democracy (Hlas-SD) party, which emphasised its commitment to a "sovereign foreign policy," but simultaneously stated: "However, we reject any discussions about a possible Slovak exit from the EU or NATO."
The President of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, published on social media a fragment of the memorandum signed in September 2024 by the Prime Minister, the President, and the Acting Speaker of the Parliament, in which the highest-ranking politicians in the state declared that they will support unquestionable membership in the EU and NATO.
Fico, who visited Moscow on 22 December and spoke with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, declared two weeks later that he wants a new declaration on the directions of Slovakia's foreign policy. He argued that a debate on this topic is needed due to the rise in the EU of opinions different from those promoted by Brussels.
Opposition parties, on the other hand, want a strong confirmation of Slovakia's membership in the EU and NATO. One of them, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), stated on Friday that a provision about the EU and NATO should be included in the constitution.
