MEP Judita Laššáková and a slide from her presentation: “If we want to leave, we must first understand how the European Union works, so that we can then negotiate what happens upon exit.” (source: Facebook - Nie v našom meste)
Judita Laššáková, a Member of the European Parliament representing Slovakia’s ruling Smer party, has been touring towns across Slovakia giving lectures on the European Union. But to the surprise of some attendees, including secondary school students, her talks have included explicit remarks on how Slovakia might one day leave the bloc altogether.
In a video posted on Thursday by former prime minister and Progressive Slovakia MEP Ľudovít Ódor, Laššáková is seen addressing a gathering at the Žilina Town Hall. “If we want to leave, we must first understand how the European Union works, so that we can then negotiate what happens upon exit,” she tells the audience.
Her remarks appear to clash with repeated assertions from senior government officials that an EU withdrawal is not being contemplated. Prime Minister and Smer chair Robert Fico has previously criticised both the opposition and civil society for “spreading lies” about a supposed government plan to take Slovakia out of the EU or NATO — claims that featured prominently in a wave of anti-government protests earlier this year.
In January, Smer MP Tibor Gašpar stated that while EU and NATO membership were not being questioned at present, Slovakia should “keep the door open” for a potential exit. Fico later defended Gašpar’s remarks, but reiterated that leaving either organisation was not government policy.
Laššáková, a law graduate and former assistant to far-right MEP Miroslav Radačovský, has positioned herself as part of the Eurosceptic wing of Slovak politics. She is also a close collaborator of far-right influencer Daniel Bombic, who was detained by police on Wednesday.
The first to raise public concern over Laššáková’s messaging was Naďa Bohinská, a former regional manager for Progressive Slovakia, who attended one of the MEP’s lectures at a private grammar school in Lučenec, southern Slovakia.
Have you heard these claims? “Dictates from Brussels!” “Unelected von der Leyen!” “Loss of sovereignty!” “We must return to the economic union we originally joined!” - a slide from Laššáková's presentation. (source: Facebook - Nie v našom meste)
MEP Laššáková focused on the powers of the EU and the digital euro in her lecture at a school in Lučenec on 16 April 2025. (source: Facebook)
According to testimonies and recordings from multiple events, Laššáková frames her discussions about the EU in terms of preparing citizens for a potential departure. “We need to educate ourselves on the mechanisms of the Union,” she says in one video, “so we’ll know what we’re talking about when the time comes.”
While Smer maintains that departure from the EU is not a goal, Laššáková’s remarks may fuel existing anxieties among pro-European Slovaks that the governing party is flirting with the idea of a “Slovexit”.
