Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák (source: AP/TASR)
Metod Špaček will be the new government proxy for the proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning the Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros waterworks dispute between Slovakia and Hungary, according to a decision made by the cabinet at its regular session on January 15.
Špaček will be replacing Drahoslav Štefánek, who became head of the Council of Europe’s Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo on January 16. Štefánek has served as proxy since 2003.
Before taking this position, Špaček served as director of the International Law Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was nominated for the proxy post by Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák.
The ministry cited his rich experience with the agenda as a reason for Špaček’s nomination. He has been a member of the Slovak government delegation for negotiations on implementing the ICJ verdict, and since 2005 he has headed the Slovak part of the Slovak-Hungarian working group for legal issues related to implementing the ICJ verdict. Špaček has been actively involved in the Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros dispute since 2000.
