Šefčovič: Slovakia as an EU member plays a balanced game with the world’s major players

Brussels – Slovakia’s accession to the European Union was one of the most important historical milestones for the Slovak Republic, and it is an advantage that Slovakia is a member of the EU at a time when the Union plays a balanced game in trade and economy with the biggest players on the global stage. This was stated by the European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Interinstitutional Relations, and Transparency Maroš Šefčovič, as reported by TASR.

He admitted that in the times before the arrival of democracy, he could not have imagined that “we would be able to travel without border controls across the entire European Union and that we would belong to the strongest trade and political bloc in the world”.

“Today, even from the position of the international trade portfolio, I see how important it is to be part of a strong team. How easy it is to push smaller countries into a corner and how often we have to deal with unpredictable developments, where stronger countries can assert their interests more forcefully,” he described the situation in his video address on the occasion of the 21st anniversary of the Slovak Republic’s accession to the EU, which citizens of the SR will commemorate on May 1.

In this context, he expressed the conviction that for Slovakia “it is absolutely vital to be part of the European Union”.

“We have the opportunity to play a balanced game with the biggest players on the global stage. I believe that in trade matters and economic security, this will play an extraordinarily important role in these days and in these years,” Šefčovič explained, who in recent weeks has been leading negotiations on behalf of the EU executive with the US administration on customs and trade policy, as well as important negotiations on strengthening trade relations between the EU and India, ASEAN countries, the Mercosur bloc, Mexico, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. (May 1)