EU Currents: Robert Fico’s Heel Turn

Background

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling for a conditionality mechanism against Slovakia. The resolution, which passed with 418 votes in favor and 207 against, is calling for EU funds earmarked for the Slovakian government to be frozen considering actions taken by Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Slovakian members of the European Parliament were among those who voted against the resolution; even members of the opposition KDH party sided with members of the ruling majority, citing that the resolution would do nothing to affect Fico and his government and would adversely affect Slovaks as a collective.

Fico’s government has been accused of advancing rhetoric and policies that are contrary to the rule of law and have been perceived as threatening to the financial interests and well-being of the EU bloc. Fico was given a chance to protest the decision in a meeting with MEPs in Bratislava.

MEPs were not moved by his testimony, MEP Daniel Freund explained.

“I didn’t have the impression that he was really trying to convince us during this meeting. He spent most of his time explaining to us how much worse the government before him was,” Freund said. “However, we were not there on a historical research mission, we came to see the current situation in the country.” 

Consolidation Of Power

Fico’s influence in Slovakia has been active for nearly two decades. He is the leader of the Direction-Social Democracy party (SMER-SD)  and has served as Prime Minister on four separate occasions. His most recent election in 2023 signaled a significant shift towards a more autocratic form of governance and an approach that is more contrarian to EU policies, akin to neighboring EU nations like Poland and Hungary. 

Fico has not wasted any time in remaking the government in his own image in this latest round of premiership, quickly moving to fundamentally change multiple facets of Slovakia’s government.

Immediately after his last election, Fico worked to push leadership changes in the national police force and in the Justice Department. EU leadership bristled at these changes, though they were deemed constitutional by Slovakia’s judicial system and pressure from Brussels eventually eased. 

Fico also worked to convince smaller parties in his ruling coalition to allow control of their respective ministries to fall under SMER-SD control. This decision gives the party control of nine ministries, more than half. The Hlas party took control of six ministries, and the Slovak National Party took charge of the remaining two.

Human Rights Concerns

Last September, Fico drafted an amendment to Slovakia’s constitution which moved to recognize only two genders, male and female, and enacted strict requirements for the adoption of children, limiting adoption to only married couples. The amendment reached the three-fifths majority required to pass within the National Council, crucially earning 12 of the required votes from conservative lawmakers within the opposition.

Amnesty International and the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty spoke out against the amendment. Amnesty International stated in a press release that the Slovak government “…chose to follow the lead of countries, such as Hungary, whose policies have led to an erosion of human rights.”

Meanwhile, O’Flaherty appealed to the notion of Slovakia’s responsibility as a member of the global community.

“Seeking to disapply specific rights because they touch upon ‘national identity’ would be fundamentally incompatible with the Slovak Republic’s international obligations,” he said.

One of the Fico government’s most recent proposals has encountered considerable resistance from Slovakians: a plan to end mail in voting for Slovaks that reside abroad. The move was met with demonstrations from concerned citizens when it was proposed last month. According to Fico, the proposal aims to “prevent fraud and manipulations.”

Many Slovaks do not agree with Fico’s stance, including Michal Šimečka, leader of the opposition party Progressive Slovakia.

Šimečka stated that the proposed legislation creates a situation where “tens of thousands of Slovaks living abroad will be prevented from voting” and went on to say that this legislation is being considered by Fico and his allies due to a fear of losing upcoming elections.

Indeed, in 2023’s parliamentary election, 59,000 Slovaks voted from abroad. Of those votes, Fico’s party received only 6.1% in their favor, while opposition parties garnered 80%. Though these Slovaks would still be able to exercise their right to vote by voting at an embassy, this act speaks to several hallmarks of Fico’s latest period as Prime Minister. Free expression and criticism in the media have been further curtailed under the Fico government, with many political news magazines being cancelled or reformatted. 

Erosion Of Trust

As a result of apparent attacks on freedom of expression and critical media perception, non-governmental organizations and independent media outlets have found themselves cast in an unfavorable light by the government, and that opinion has been trickling down to Slovak society.

In a 2024 Globsec poll, it was shown that public perception of NGOs has shifted. While 59 percent of Slovak respondents in 2019 agreed that the work NGOs perform is important for society, five years later that number dropped to 52 percent. Slovak NGO’s have found themselves used as political flashpoints in the run-up to elections and have been accused by their detractors of manipulating public perceptions and undermining elected officials.

The actions of the Parliament are not set in stone but are more of a political tool. Moreover, most member states would have to agree to any drastic financial moves. Such actions have taken place in Hungary and Poland, when instances of autocratic rule took hold, but funds were restored once certain parameters were met. 

As someone who considers himself to be the EU’s “black sheep”, Prime Minister Fico may find it necessary to build significant political capital to prevent economic malaise from rearing its ugly head in Slovakia.