Slovak political tensions rise over EU and NATO membership talk
The Vice-Chair of the Slovak Parliament, Tibor Gašpar, a close associate of Prime Minister Robert Fico, suggested on Friday evening on the state television channel STVR that Slovakia might consider leaving the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This suggestion was promptly 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 part of the official parliamentary delegation that spent three days in Moscow at the start of the week.
On TV, he remarked that for Smer, leaving the EU or NATO is not currently a priority or objective. However, he mentioned that "the door should be left open for situations where we might consider extreme solutions."
Stirring the nation
Gaszpar's comments prompted a swift reaction from the coalition partner, the Voice–Social Democracy (Hlas-SD) party, which reaffirmed its commitment to a "sovereign foreign policy," but firmly stated: "However, we reject any discussions about a possible Slovak exit from the EU or NATO."
President Peter Pellegrini shared on social media a portion of the memorandum signed in September 2024 by the Prime Minister, the President, and the Acting Speaker of the Parliament. In this document, the state's highest-ranking officials pledged their support for unquestionable membership in the EU and NATO.
Fico, who visited Moscow on December 22 and met with President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin, expressed two weeks later that he seeks a new declaration on Slovakia's foreign policy directions. He argued that a debate on this topic is essential due to the growing variety of opinions within the EU, distinct from those promoted by Brussels.
Conversely, opposition parties are calling for a strong reaffirmation of Slovakia's membership in the EU and NATO. One such party, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), stated on Friday that the constitution should include a provision about the EU and NATO.
