Kosovo: The EC report on the rule of law was more objective for Slovakia this year than in previous years

Bratislava – This year’s report from the European Commission (EC) on the state of the rule of law in Slovakia was, according to the Chairwoman of the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic, Marcela Kosová, more objective than in previous years. The Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic also acknowledged the EC report from this year at its meeting on Wednesday (August 13), TASR reports.

“I have nothing prepared that we could criticize,” noted Marcela Kosová. However, she wants to focus on what will be included in next year’s report. She is interested, for example, in whether it will include the dismissal of the former Chairman of the District Court Bratislava III, Roman Fitt, in 2022 by the former Minister of Justice and current Member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, Mária Kolíková (SaS).

The reason for the dismissal was, according to Kolíková, managerial failure. This was related to the actions of judges and the then Chairman of the District Court Bratislava III, Fitt, refusing to release an investigative file with a classified attachment to members of the National Criminal Agency.

The European Commission, in its annual report on the state of the rule of law published at the beginning of July, stated that Slovakia has made too little progress in implementing the recommendations it presented in last year’s report. Slovakia has recently been issued seven recommendations. Among other things, the Slovak Republic must also establish sufficient guarantees of independence in the dismissal of members of the Judicial Council of the Slovak Republic and ensure effective and independent investigation and prosecution of high-level corruption cases. (August 14)