BRATISLAVA, February 1, (WEBNOVINY) – Council of Europe’s ant-corruption group GRECO will evaluate Slovakia’s halting the work on the new Election Code as well as postponing its validity or inactivity regarding the planned amendment to the law on political parties and movements as the country’s failure to meet promises. The Interior Ministry warns about such scenario in an informative report that was on the Cabinet’s table on Wednesday.
Slovak representatives informed GRECO that the planned effectiveness of the new Election Code is January 1, 2013. According to their information the amended law on political parties and movements should be submitted to the Cabinet in the third quarter of 2012 in a form which will address GRECO’s recommendations yet not implemented. Were these promises not fulfilled, a procedure on not implementing the group’s recommendations would be resumed, when more letters will be sent to Slovak representatives.
In 2007, GRECO evaluated Slovakia for the third time, focusing on criminal sanctions for corruption in Slovak legislation and on regulation of transparency of political funding. The GRECO final report approved in March 2010 states that Slovakia fulfilled only one of sixteen recommendations in both fields. Following the report GRECO opened a procedure against Slovakia. The country replied by announcing the expected deadlines for the election code and the amendment to the law on political parties. In December 2011 the anti-corruption group acknowledged that Slovakia had fulfilled all recommendations previously not implemented and temporarily halted the procedure against the country.
SITA
