President Andrej Kiska met with EP delegation on March 8. (source: TASR)
A delegation of six MEPs arrived for a two-day visit to Slovakia on March 8, to look into the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová.
The delegation is composed of members of six political factions: co-chair Ingeborg Grässle (European People’s Party, Germany), co-chair Claude Moraes (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, United Kingdom), Ryszard Czarnecki (European Conservatives and Reformists Group, Poland), Sophia in’t Veld (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, the Netherlands), Benedek Jávor (Greens-European Free Alliance, Hungary), and Marco Valli (Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy, Italy).
The decision to send a delegation to Slovakia was made on March 1, while the programme and members were approved on March 7.
After returning from Slovakia, the MEPs will write a report that will be submitted to the EP president and leaders of the political factions and then published, stated press attaché Soňa Mellak of the European Parliament’s Information Office in Slovakia.
Kiska: The murder investigation is in Slovakia’s interest
The MEPs have already met with President Andrej Kiska and the representatives of non-governmental organisations dealing with the fight against corruption.
“I’m glad that our partners have expressed a sincere interest in helping us investigate this horrible crime,” Kiska said after the meeting.
He hopes they will experience so much sincerity at the other planned meetings and receive answers to all their questions. The president stressed that the murder investigation of these two young people is in the interest of their families, Slovakia and the EU.
Kiska officially confirmed his participation in a March 9 meeting with Speaker of Parliament Andrej Danko and Prime Minister Robert Fico at Bratislava Castle. He will propose signing a joint declaration to calm the situation and end the political crisis.
Meeting with journalists and state representatives
Later on March 8, they will meet with PM Robert Fico, Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák, Finance Minister Peter Kažimír, Deputy PM for Investments and Informatisation Peter Pellegrini and Agriculture Minister Gabriela Matečná on March 8. Meetings with journalists are planned.
Early on March 8, they met with the representatives of non-governmental organisations involved in the fight against corruption. The delegation asked them about the EU funds agenda and how corruption is penalized here.
The next day, a meeting with Police Corps President Tibor Gašpar, head of the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) Peter Hraško, Justice Minister Lucia Žitňanská, General Prosecutor Jaromír Čižnár and representatives of the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) is planned.
The delegation will visit the village of Veľká Mača (Trnava Region), where they will pay tribute to Kuciak and Kušnírová.
The murder and the protection of journalists in Europe will be discussed at next week’s EP session in Strasbourg, Mellak said.
