Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, in France for a one-day visit on Thursday, September 20, invited French President Francois Hollande to visit Slovakia. He said he hoped the French leader would be able to come to Slovakia as early as next year.
At their meeting, the two politicians discussed mainly European issues, with Hollande stressing that they share a common view on Europe, which must be 'serious and able to grow'. They also debated preparations for the upcoming European Council session, projects involving a banking union and the European budget, which – according to Hollande – must have enough resources to fund common agriculture and cohesion policies. Regarding bilateral co-operation, civil nuclear policy was discussed, with Hollande stating that French companies are ready to become involved in Slovakia.
"We wear the same political jersey, and we'll co-operate in this spirit," said the French president, as quoted by the TASR newswire.
Fico thanked France for its assistance in the decommissioning of two blocks of the Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear plant, something Slovakia agreed to do as part of its entry into the EU in 2004. The EU plans to provide €117 million for the process, but the actual cost is estimated to be more than €400 million. Fico said that Slovakia would like to negotiate a contribution equal to at least half the total cost.
Fico used the meeting to reiterate his support of the euro, the eurozone and the EU. He added that both Slovakia and France see a common future in these projects, while both countries will do everything to help them survive and succeed.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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