European Parliament Adopts Most Comprehensive Resolution Yet Criticizing Slovakia's Democratic Backsliding

The European Parliament on Wednesday approved its most extensive resolution to date on Slovakia, condemning the misuse of EU funds and expressing deep concern over the deteriorating rule of law, media freedom, democracy and fundamental rights in the country. The resolution criticized multiple government reforms implemented by Prime Minister Robert Fico's administration, including the dissolution of anti-corruption agencies, amendments to the Criminal Code, and constitutional changes. The document also indirectly referenced the controversial Beneš Decrees, post-World War II legislation that stripped citizenship from ethnic Germans and Hungarians in former Czechoslovakia. Slovakia has been under increasing scrutiny from EU institutions since Fico's Smer-SD party returned to power in late 2023, forming a coalition government that has systematically rolled back judicial and media oversight mechanisms established by previous administrations. The European Parliament's resolution represents the strongest institutional rebuke yet of Slovakia's democratic trajectory, signaling growing alarm among EU lawmakers about the country's departure from European democratic norms and potentially setting the stage for formal EU proceedings against Bratislava.