Minister of the Interior of the Slovak Republic: The EP Budget Control Committee aims to prepare Slovakia for investment loss

Bratislava – The Delegation of the European Parliament (EP) Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) aims to deprive Slovakia of investments in infrastructure, healthcare development, education modernization, expansion of social services, and reduction of energy intensity for small and medium-sized enterprises. This was stated on Monday at a press conference by the Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Hlas-SD party, Matúš Šutaj Eštok, TASR reports.

“This is a consequence of the defamation of Slovakia abroad by our Slovak opposition led by Progressive Slovakia, with the assistance of Igor Matovič and MPs from the SaS party. Their motto is the worse for Slovakia, the better for our opposition. Therefore, with the help of European MPs and European bureaucrats and their own allies from other countries, they are trying to harm Slovakia through Brussels,” said Šutaj Eštok.

According to the party chairman, this is not a regular control mission. Šutaj Eštok questioned the fact that European authorities refused, despite repeated requests, the participation of MEP Branislav Ondruš (Hlas-SD) in this delegation.

“The second fact that confirms this is not a standard control is that the idea for such a mission arose at the moment when, after nearly a year of questioning our criminal justice reform, my colleague, Deputy Prime Minister Peter Kmec, managed to defend our high level of the rule of law and protection of European funds in Brussels,” he added.

Šutaj Eštok also criticized the program of the delegation, which is supposed to start with meetings with civic associations and journalists. “Although the parliament is a state institution, this group does not start meetings in the parliament or at ministries,” he emphasized. According to him, the mission is politically motivated. “We reject the non-transparent manipulation by the Slovak opposition and its Brussels allies,” he added.

The CONT committee’s mission is, according to MEP Ondruš, an example of an attempt to politically misuse the competence of this body. Ondruš again criticized the prevention of his participation in the mission. “This is not standard practice in the European Parliament, or at least it hasn’t been until now,” he stated.

SaS Chairman Branislav Gröhling responded by stating that Matúš Šutaj Eštok is covering up corruption in Slovakia. “I can ask, who embezzled millions for haciendas? Who is responsible for that? Who is currently in power? Who can investigate? Who is covering these deals? I don’t understand what Mr. Šutaj Eštok is afraid of, that he has so aggressively engaged with the European delegation,” said Gröhling. (May 26)