THERE is no fundamental problem that would justify a postponement in the ratification of the EU’s permanent bailout fund, the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Prime Minister Robert Fico said following a meeting with the president of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, in Bratislava on June 12, as reported by the SITA newswire.
Fico informed van Rompuy that approval of the ESM will be high on the agenda of the next session of the Slovak parliament which will start on June 19.
“I have sent out invitations to all chairmen of parliamentary parties in order to win broader support,” he said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. “The topic of the talks will not only be [fiscal] consolidation but also the issue of ratification of the permanent bailout fund.”
Van Rompuy underscored that Slovakia has to continue its efforts to contribute to the eurozone’s stability.
“I welcome the Slovak government’s commitment to ratify promptly the agreement on the European Stability Mechanism as well as the new fiscal agreement,” van Rompuy stated, as quoted by SITA.
Opposition politicians have asked that a vote on the ESM be postponed to a date as late as possible.
They propose waiting to hear the opinions of the eurozone’s largest countries, in particular Germany and France. The German parliament is expected to vote on the ESM at the end of June.
Parliamentary approval of the ESM requires 76 votes and since Fico’s Smer party has 83 MPs, there is unlikely to be any delay in passing the measure.
