Slovakia has one of the most generous benefit systems in the family area in the world. (source: TASR)
Zuzana Števulová is the director of the Human Rights League
The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party has proposed an amendment to the law on the residence of foreigners. Its aim is to give couples, where one is a Slovak citizen and the other one a citizen of a non-EU country, the possibility of requesting permanent residence for the partner who is the foreigner.
Today, only the husbands and wives of Slovak state citizens living in heterosexual marriages are able to acquire permanent residence, which enables them to lead a family life in this country. The only exception applies to the situation where an EU citizen (including a Slovak returning home from abroad) comes to Slovakia with their partner: a foreigner.
The problem is that this proposal, even if passed (highly unlikely half a year before elections), would only solve a tiny part of the problem.
