BRATISLAVA, July 1, (WEBNOVINY) – On Friday, Parliament failed to vote to reduce the mandate of Finance Minister Ivan Miklos before this weekend’s talks of euro zone members on Greece. The plenum failed to finish the discussion on the proposal initiated by SaS while it turned down as well Speaker of Parliament Richard Sulik’s procedural proposal to vote on the suggestion this Friday. MPs should return to the topic next Wednesday when they also should vote on the SaS proposal. Four more lawmakers are yet to take the floor within the discussion.
Within the Friday discussion on a proposal for adopting a parliamentary resolution on the Slovak government’s steps in providing the second bailout package to Greece via the European Financial Stability Facility, which is the official name of the SaS proposal to curtail the Finance Minister’s mandate all poltical parties in fact confirmed their thus far stances.
Finance Minister Ivan Miklos considers the proposal of SaS deputies on explicit participation of the private sector on restructuring of the Greek debt through a write-down of the principal the worst possible solution that would mean an uncontrolled default that could bring down also other countries with a potential debt problem, such as Spain and Italy.
The controversial point of the material is the definition of the private sector’s participation in the bailout package for the debt-ridden Greece. While the SaS wants to oblige the Slovak Finance Ministry to insist on a cut in the principal of the Greek debt, which would in fact mean the declaration of the country’s bankruptcy the SDKU-DS led by Prime Minister Iveta Radicova and minister Miklos support voluntary participation of the private sector in the bailout of Greece. Miklos however admitted that a voluntary participation of the private sector could mean nothing but buying time. He is afraid Greece will not be able to cut spending sufficiently to be able to repay its debts
SaS leader Sulik however believes that Greek default is the only right way and any prolonging of the agony in Greece will lead to greater damages. He claims that the euro is a good project, but rules must be obeyed, while Greece never fulfilled the Maastricht criteria. According to Sulik, no one has confirmed that Greece will be able to repay the second bailout. “I guarantee you that none of you would send their own money to Greece under these conditions. I do not understand why we should irresponsibly handle taxpayers’ money,” Sulik added.
The opposition SMER-SD will not support the SaS proposal to reduce the mandate of the finance minister for negotiations on the second bailout of the indebted Greece. The party deputy leader Pavol Paska accused the coalition of threatening the Slovak position within the EU and also criticized the prime minister and the finance minister for the change of their position on the Greek bailout.
SITA