Brussels, 19 June (TASR-correspondent) – Slovakia will participate in the debates on the EU’s long-term budget for 2028–2034 as a member of the Friends of Cohesion group and, along with the other Visegrad Four (V4) countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland), it will push for sufficient funding for cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) at the conclusion of the EU summit in Brussels on Friday.
The future EU budget “is supposed to be completely different from what it has been so far”, noted the premier, adding that there is interest in increasing the total volume of the long-term budget, with figures ranging from €1.985 trillion to €1.450 trillion, according to proposals from the European Commission and the Cypriot EU Presidency.
“The problem is that the European Commission is proposing cuts to the budget package for cohesion, the elimination of regional disparities and the common agricultural policy,” he said, pointing out that this is one of the reasons why the Group of Friends of Cohesion, in which Slovakia plays an “active role”, was re-established.
“There are 16 of us in total, and we maintain that reducing regional disparities isn’t only the essence of the EU; we also see it as a huge opportunity for competitiveness – we can’t pit reducing regional disparities against competitiveness,” he stressed, adding that there are countries arguing for more money for defence and new priorities, so he believes that it will be “challenging to put together the budget”, as “two different worlds” within the EU are negotiating it.
Fico confirmed that Slovakia is open to new budget priorities, such as forming a European Competitiveness Fund. He maintained, however, that this fund mustn’t be structured so that only ‘exceptional’ regions receive money from it, as that would further widen regional disparities.
According to him, Slovakia is also open to a proposal to strengthen regions along the EU’s eastern borders. “If such a proposal is put forward – projects aimed at strengthening and promoting interconnectivity between Ukraine and the EU – we won’t oppose them, because we can benefit from them as well,” he said.
However, the priority of the EU leaders’ discussions is to reach an agreement on the long-term budget by the end of 2026, for which, according to Fico, “everyone will have to make concessions”. This would make it possible to adopt legislative measures in 2027 so that the new multiannual financial framework can take effect on 1 January 2028.
“We’ll be constructive players; we’ll protect our interests, but at the same time, we must realise that only an agreement will bring us closer to having an EU budget,” said Fico.
