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28th Mar 2024

Internal row in Slovakia threatens EU treaty

European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering has called on Slovakia to act responsibly, as the country locked in internal bickering is heading for a crucial vote on the EU's hard-fought Lisbon Treaty on Thursday evening.

"I call on all respective politicians in Slovakia to realise their enormous political responsibility," Mr Poettering said at the beginning of the parliament's plenary session on Wednesday (30 January).

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A similar message came from the parliament's two leading groups, the Conservatives and the Socialists.

"I totally reject the idea of making the Lisbon Treaty dependent on some national law. If all the countries do it, we would never have any progress in Europe," the Socialists' vice-chairman Hannes Swoboda said, describing the current deadlock in Slovakia as "negative and un-European".

The EU's treaty has been held captive by the Slovak centre-right opposition since Monday (28 January). Even though an overwhelming majority backs the document, they are refusing to vote in favour of the treaty unless the government redrafts a separate media bill.

They say the proposed law will curb press freedom - an argument backed up by Europe's democracy watchdog, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Wednesday saw a series of negotiations between the two camps, with the country's president also taking a part. However, no compromise has been reached and all three opposition parties are still set to walk out from the chamber if the treaty is put to the vote.

The vote is scheduled for 5pm CET on Thursday (31 January).

Without at least five votes from the opposition, Prime Minister Robert Fico's coalition government will not have the constitutional majority required for the treaty to be passed in the parliament.

Earlier this week, a European Commission spokesperson said it was not up to Brussels to say what issues may or may not be raised during the debate, but he added that the EU's executive hoped the debate would focus on European issues.

The EU's Lisbon Treaty, formally signed on 13 December in Portugal's capital, must be ratified by all EU states in order to enter into force on 1 January 2009. It marks the end of six-year long wrangle to reform the bloc's institutions.

So far, Hungary, Slovenia and Malta have approved the document.

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