When Fico’s first government took office in 2006, we had some of the highest wages among comparable EU countries. Now, under the fourth Smer government, we earn the least. (source: Sme)
In the summer, a report passed through Slovak media with almost no attention, surprising me in two ways. First, the content of the report itself, and second, the minimal reaction it received in public discussion, let alone in political debate.
The report stated that, according to official Eurostat data, Slovakia has the lowest net wages in the entire European Union, even lower than Bulgaria, a country we have traditionally relied on in international comparisons to reassure ourselves that we are not at the bottom.
One would expect this to be a political and media bombshell. It is not.
Graphs won’t satiate us
For some time now, I’ve been highlighting that, due to the irresponsible and incompetent governments led by Robert Fico’s Smer party (and later compounded by the 2020-2021 coalition led by Slovensko’s leader, Igor Matovič), Slovakia has been steadily declining in all areas, particularly in competitiveness and economic performance. This decline has resulted in a loss of economic growth momentum, leading to a lower standard of living and quality of life.
