Prime Minister Robert Fico’s push to dissolve the body that now oversees high-profile corruption cases poses a risk to the EU’s financial interests and would harm the work of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, Juraj Novocký, Slovakia’s representative to the EU body, told Euractiv Slovakia.
Fico’s government wants to pass a reform that would eliminate the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, reduce penalties, including those for corruption, and curtail the rights of whistleblowers.
Novocký points out that the reform would also bring a radical shortening of limitation periods: “Through a thorough analysis, we have found that if the amendment is adopted as proposed, we will have to stop prosecution in at least twenty cases for this reason,” Novocký of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) told Euractiv Slovakia.
“This has a concrete effect on the EPPO’s activities and indirectly on the protection of the financial interests of the EU because, in such cases, there will be no compensation for the damage caused,” Novocký added.
On Monday, EU Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi addressed the government’s push for reform in a letter to the European Commission, concluding that it constitutes a serious risk of breaching the rule of law in the meaning of Article 4(2)(c) of the Conditionality Regulation.
In the interview, Novocký also refuted one of Fico’s accusations towards the Slovak opposition.
Fico accused its representatives, including those in the European Parliament, of visiting the European Commission, where they “explicitly ask them to stop payments from European funds to Slovakia” or “revocation of voting rights”. Fico called them “traitors to the homeland”.
“As for the analysis and presentation of our conclusions to the EU Commission, it was our own initiative,” said Novocký, adding that EPPO is obligated to analyse legislative changes that directly affect its activities and must inform the relevant EU institutions in case it identifies any worrisome consequences.
While Fico’s government initially wanted to introduce the controversial reform by emergency procedure before Christmas, it now appears that the legislative changes will likely be postponed until January due to the parliamentary opposition’s blockade, one of the longest in Slovak history.
The government’s bill has also provoked three rounds of massive protests organised by the opposition, with thousands of people taking to the streets in eleven cities across Slovakia. Protesting citizens are also signing petitions and letters opposing the government’s plans.
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