BRATISLAVA, December 16, (WEBNOVINY) — At the unscheduled tenth parliamentary session on Thursday, convened at the request of the opposition SMER-SD party and dedicated to the construction of highways in Slovakia, deputies approved a coalition draft resolution to preparations and construction of highways and dual carriage ways. Thus, the original draft of the instigator of the session was not approved.
“The government of Robert Fico did not fulfill its aim to complete the highway between Bratislava and Kosice by 2010,” reads the approved resolution, which during the debate representatives of the ruling coalition submitted. The parliament considers the steps taken by the previous government in preparations of PPP projects for the construction of highways as unsuitable, overly indebting the country and damaging the interests of its citizens. According to the coalition, this wording of the approved resolution better characterizes the situation in preparations and construction of highways and dual carriageways in Slovakia.
Of the 136 deputies present, sixty-nine voted for adoption of the coalition draft resolution, 58 were against and seven refrained from voting. SMER’s draft resolution was supported by sixty deputies, seventy-four were against it and three refrained from voting
At the end of the parliamentary session, Transport Minister Jan Figel (KDH) reminded that when deciding about funding highways, the government has to keep in mind the interests of the country and its citizens. „That is why we have to evaluate through their eyes what we are building, how we are building it, for what we are building. I would like to underscore that since the beginning I have been saying: security, quality, affordability, and other relations are our criteria. I am saying that we not only want to, but were are building and will be building them, too,” he said. According to him, the extent of highway construction in the present election term will be comparable to the previous one. „We have to be very sensible and in many issues literally continuous,” Figel said, adding that no one directs him in his decision-making, only his own conscience and common sense.
Opposition leader Robert Fico offered a helping hand to the government in highway constructions. He went on to say that if the ruling coalition submits draft bills and measures that will speed up the process of highway construction, SMER-SD will support them without turning the issue into a political competition. He concluded by saying that the aim of the parliamentary session dedicated to highways was to open a discussion and create pressure on the transport minister and the Cabinet in order to submit such drafts. Fico refused to react to statements of the coalition deputies.
Deputy Speaker of Parliament Pavol Hrusovsky (KDH) ended the over seven-hour debate on highways. It was the last session of the parliament in the current calendar year. The next parliamentary session should start in early February of next year.
SITA