SLOVAK Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is in Ireland for an official visit, met his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern on November 13 in Dublin. During their talks the leaders focused on Irish-Slovak relations as well as cooperation within the EU, especially the mutual experience of using financial resources from the EU.
Ahern and Fico agreed that Ireland would pass on its experience in this area to Slovakia and familiarise it with specific steps on how to use these resources effectively, said Fico’s spokeswoman, Silvia Glendová.
The parties also agreed that during the next visit of Slovak Deputy PM Dušan Čaplovič to Ireland, scheduled for December, Slovak experts will form groups whose task will be to learn the Irish model, since EU resources have been of major importance in Ireland's phenomenal economic development in recent years.
Fico also praised the Irish government's decision not to restrict the free movement of labour from new EU member countries. He noted that 25,000-30,000 Slovak citizens are currently working in Ireland.
Fico also met Irish President Mary McAlees while in Dublin.
