PM Robert Fico (source: TASR)
It would be a pity for Slovakia to pass up the opportunity to make the most of its current momentum and its major accomplishments in the transformation process thus far, or if it failed to join the list of EU countries advancing at a brisker clip than the remainder, said Prime Minister Robert Fico on March 16.
Fico was speaking at the 17th Annual Conference on Slovakia's Foreign and European Policy, which was taking place in Bratislava. The event is organised annually by the Slovak Foreign Policy Association along with Slovakia's Foreign and European Affairs Ministry.
"It's plain to see that the EU countries that aim for a faster pace of progress will be disinclined to be held back by countries that won't be able to keep up," said Fico, as quoted by the TASR newswire, drawing on a line of reasoning informed by the current discussions among EU leaders.
Fico noted that Slovakia has attained the greatest possible measure of integration, and the country's Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of last year, demonstrated that the country has what it takes to engage in, and even manage, complex processes.
"A formal remark must, therefore, be worked out into a clear-cut strategy and priority in foreign policy for Slovakia to be part of the very core of European affairs – a circle of countries that is sound economy-wise and is pressing ahead with fiscal discipline; that is, in areas in which we feel comfortable," said the Fico.
