Latest news with #RobertFico
Russia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Veto ban would mean the end of EU
A reported EU plan to scrap member states' veto power on matters of foreign policy would spell the end of the bloc and could become 'the precursor of a huge military conflict,' Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has warned. Slovakia and its Central European neighbour Hungary have long opposed the EU's approach to the Ukraine conflict, criticizing military aid to Kiev and sanctions on Russia. Both governments have repeatedly threatened to use their veto powers to block EU actions they view as harmful to national interests. To bypass dissent, Brussels is reportedly weighing a shift from unanimous voting, a founding principle of EU foreign policy, to qualified majority voting (QMV), arguing that it would streamline decision-making and prevent individual states from paralyzing joint actions. Fico, however, condemned the proposal on Thursday during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Hungary. 'The imposition of a mandatory political opinion, the abolition of the veto, the punishment of the sovereign and the brave, the new Iron Curtain, the preference for war over peace. This is the end of the common European project. This is a departure from democracy. This is the precursor of a huge military conflict,' he said. EU sanctions on Russia currently require unanimous renewal every six months, with the current term set to expire at the end of July. Brussels is also preparing an 18th package of sanctions aimed at tightening restrictions on Russia's energy sector and financial institutions. Earlier this month, during a visit to Moscow for Victory Day commemorations, Fico assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that Slovakia would veto any EU-wide attempt to ban imports of Russian oil or gas. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has taken a similar stance. While Hungary has not formally blocked a sanctions package, it has delayed several rounds to extract concessions. Orban has also warned that removing the veto would strip smaller nations of their sovereignty. 'We want Brussels to show us, as all other member countries, the same respect, not only symbolically, but also by taking our interests into account,' he said last month. Both Slovakia and Hungary have resisted increased military support to Kiev, with Budapest blocking several key decisions citing concerns over national interests and the potential for escalation. Fico has emphasized the need for peace negotiations over continued military engagement.
Gulf Insider
a day ago
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Slovak PM Fico Warns EU's "Mandatory Political Opinion" Spells End Of Common European Project
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico delivered a stark warning to fellow European leaders during his speech at CPAC Hungary in Budapest on Thursday, declaring that the European Union's attempt to impose a 'mandatory political opinion' on its member states signals the collapse of the European project and a departure from democratic values. 'The imposition of a mandatory political opinion, the abolition of the veto, the punishment of the sovereign and the brave, the new Iron Curtain, the preference for war over peace. This is the end of the common European project. This is a departure from democracy. This is the precursor of a huge military conflict,' he warned. Fico's remarks came as he revealed both he and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had received threats from 'a particularly nervous new German chancellor,' who warned them that if they did not fall in line with Brussels' uniform view on military support for Ukraine and sanctioning Russia, ''You will be punished.'' 'No one in a peaceful and democratic project should have the right to treat other EU member states in this way, regardless of their size and economic strength,' he said. Fico, a veteran of Slovak politics who survived an assassination attempt last year, framed his overall remarks as a defense of national sovereignty in the face of what he described as increasing aggression from Brussels and major EU powers. 'I do not want to see our sovereignty and the national identity melt away in the generalist supranational, international structures, especially those in Brussels,' he said. While acknowledging his left-wing roots, Fico distanced himself from what he called the 'Brussels kind' of social democracy, instead describing himself as a 'rural socialist' focused on defending Slovakia's traditions, Christian heritage, and national interests. 'As a strong leftist, I have no problem spending the night with the people on the production line to support higher night shift allowances or wage increases,' he said. Click here to read more…
Russia Today
a day ago
- Business
- Russia Today
Veto ban would spell the end of EU
The EU's reported plan to scrap member states' veto power would spell the end of the bloc and could become 'the precursor of a huge military conflict,' Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has warned. Slovakia and its Central European neighbour Hungary have long opposed the EU's approach to the Ukraine conflict, criticizing military aid to Kiev and sanctions on Russia. Both governments have repeatedly threatened to use their veto powers to block EU actions they view as harmful to national interests. To bypass the dissent, Brussels is reportedly weighing a shift from unanimous voting, a founding principle of EU foreign policy, to qualified majority voting (QMV), arguing that it would streamline decision-making and prevent individual states from paralyzing joint actions. Fico, however, condemned the proposal on Thursday during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Hungary. 'The imposition of a mandatory political opinion, the abolition of the veto, the punishment of the sovereign and the brave, the new Iron Curtain, the preference for war over peace. This is the end of the common European project. This is a departure from democracy. This is the precursor of a huge military conflict,' he said. EU sanctions on Russia currently require unanimous renewal every six months, with the current term set to expire at the end of July. Brussels is also preparing an 18th package of sanctions aimed at tightening restrictions on Russia's energy sector and financial institutions. Earlier this month, during a visit to Moscow for Victory Day commemorations, Fico assured Russian President Vladimir Putin that Slovakia would veto any EU-wide attempt to ban imports of Russian oil or gas. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has taken a similar stance. While Hungary has not formally blocked a sanctions package, it has delayed several rounds to extract concessions. Orban has also warned that removing the veto would strip smaller nations of their sovereignty. 'We want Brussels to show us, as all other member countries, the same respect, not only symbolically, but also by taking our interests into account,' he said last month. Both Slovakia and Hungary have resisted increased military support to Kiev, with Budapest blocking several key decisions citing concerns over national interests and the potential for escalation. Fico has emphasized the need for peace negotiations over continued military engagement.
Al Jazeera
a day ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Slovakia's PM slams judge over conviction of central bank boss
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has criticised a judge who convicted the governor of the country's central bank in a corruption case. Reacting to the conviction of Petr Kazimir, his former finance minister, the combative premier suggested on Friday that the verdict was politically motivated, and that Specialised Criminal Court judge Milan Cisarik should be investigated for criminal acts. Since returning to power in 2023, Fico has torn down police and prosecutor units set up to investigate corruption during his previous years in power between 2012 – 2020. Kazimir was found guilty and fined 200,000 euros ($226,500) on Thursday for bribing a tax official during his tenure as finance minister in Fico's previous government. Claiming that the longstanding charges were fabricated, he denied any wrongdoing and said that he plans to appeal. 'The judge's decision raises the question whether it should have served political aims of the opposition to damage the ruling parties, because even a law faculty student must see fatal nonsense in the verdict,' the Slovak leader said on Thursday. 'I cannot shake off the feeling that it is justified to look at potential suspicion that the judge committed multiple criminal acts and at what the ruling was supposed to serve.' The court did not respond to Fico's remarks. The For Open Justice (ZOJ) NGO warned: 'Questioning a specific judgment through public statements by members of the government can also be perceived as indirect political pressure on the judiciary.' Fico fell from power in 2020 amid the scandal over the 2018 assassination of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak. The new government set up special units to investigate a suspected network of corruption around the former PM and his inner circle. Fico routinely complained that the measures were politically motivated. On returning to power in late 2023, he immediately began tearing up the units and amended the criminal code to lower punishments for corruption. Critics have accused him of becoming obsessed with exacting revenge on those involved in probes against his circle. Kazimir, was the first of Fico's former ministers to stand trial when he first faced the court in April 2023 accused of paying a bribe of 48,000 euros ($54,360) in 2017-18 to the chief of the country's tax office, in connection with an audit of a number of private companies. His term at the head of the National Bank of Slovakia ends on June 1, but he will stay on until a replacement is appointed.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Slovakia's Fico excoriates judge over central banker bribery conviction
May 30 (Reuters) - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico lambasted a judge who fined central bank Governor Petr Kazimir for corruption on Thursday, saying the judge might be politically motivated and should be probed for criminal behaviour. Specialised Criminal Court judge Milan Cisarik imposed a 200,000 euro ($227,680) fine on Kazimir for bribing a tax authority chief when he was finance minister in Fico's previous government, before he took on the central bank job and a seat on the European Central Bank's policymaking council in 2019. Kazimir denied any wrongdoing. "The judge's decision raises the question whether it should have served political aims of the opposition to damage the ruling parties, because even a law faculty student must see fatal nonsense in the verdict," Fico said late Thursday. "I cannot shake off the feeling that it is justified to look at potential suspicion that the judge committed multiple criminal acts and at what the ruling was supposed to serve." The court declined to comment. Fico regularly accused prosecutors and judges of improperly targeting him and his allies when he was in opposition in 2020-2023. The ruling is not final, as Kazimir flagged he would appeal to a higher court, and so it does not force him to stand down from the central bank. His term ends on June 1, but he will stay on until a replacement is appointed. There has been no political agreement for a process involving the government, parliament and president. Nationalist European leaders like Fico and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban have often attacked the judiciary and clashed with the European Union over the rule of law. In February, thousands of Hungarian judges, court staff and supporters marched to the ministry of justice to demand judicial independence, freedom of expression and better pay. ($1 = 0.8823 euros)
