Government publishes coalition agreement

The four ruling parties have published the coalition agreement for the period 2016-2020, which was signed on March 23 by their chairmen.

Coalition government is in fact the default state for Slovakia. Coalition government is in fact the default state for Slovakia. (Source: Sme - Jozef Jakubco)

The coalition composed of Smer, Slovak National Party (SNS), Most-Híd and  Sieť (Network) published the agreement on April 13, the Sme daily wrote on that day. The chairmen (Robert Fico, Andrej Danko, Béla Bugár and Radoslav Procházka, respectively), agreed on the programme priorities, bodies of coalition parties, principles of cooperation or solving of mutual problems.

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In the preamble, the parties state that the coalition government has been created to ensure the stability and development of Slovakia; and also that they take on full responsibility for the correct and transparent administration of public affairs. They cite, according to Sme, the traditions and preservation of Slovak statehood and Slovakia’s membership in security and multinational structures including NATO and the European Union.

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In relation to foreign policy, they want to achieve a dignified and successful course of the country’s presidency of the EU Council, update Slovakia's defence strategy and boost the care provided by Slovakia to Slovak expats.

In the anticorruption programme, the parties want to pass an anti-shell law applying to all public resources and a law obliging public officials to prove the source of their property; and to apply open governance. The government also plans to introduce personal individual material responsibility of people handling public resources and to make public administration more professional and a less political matter.

Other goals include lowering the income tax of legal entities to 21 percent; abolishing tax licences by January 1, 2018; reducing red tape for entrepreneurs; approving a long-term concept for education system, increasing investment in schools, and finding new ways of financing sport and culture from private sources. Civic education against extremism should be intensified, and dual education improved.

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In health care, the opposition will have representatives in the supervisory bodies of the biggest state players, public resources will be spent more transparently, and health care will be improved. The profits of private health insurers will be limited and waiting times reduced.

Goals and priorities of coalition agreement

Less developed regions will be supported and boosted, and the spa sector will receive special stimuli.

Independent oversight and audits of the activities of the police and courts will be strengthened institutionally and parliamentary supervision of appointing the police president will be boosted, as well as public control over the judiciary. The personal responsibility of judges will be expanded, and the effectiveness of courts improved. A new law on intelligence services is to be drafted and passed; and a constitutional law on how to create the Slovak Constitutional Court pushed through.

The coalition’s plans also include creating 100,000 jobs, decreasing the unemployment rate to less than 10 percent, increasing the minimum wage, Christmas bonuses for pensioners, stricter conditions of social benefits for people refusing to work, and strengthening the fight against usury.

Some of the issues the parties face include new law on strategic businesses, a fund for financing minority cultures, anti-flood measures and how to tackle climate change in compliance with the Paris Treaty of December 2015.

A coalition council has been formed for cooperation and the coordination of the activities of coalition sub-councils; it will also negotiate solutions to potential disputes between the coalition parties. The council has four members, who are the chairmen of the coalition parties. It adopts decisions by a consensus of all coalition parties, and is expected to have a session once a month, but in case of need, it can be summoned within three days by any member of the coalition council. 

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