BRATISLAVA, June 17, (WEBNOVINY) — The third session of the Slovak Parliament during its current term, which Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paska (SMER-SD) convened for Tuesday, June 19, will open with a speech by European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic. He will address the Slovak Parliament at the invitation of its speaker. After a month break, a 71-point program is awaiting legislators at their June session.
The program includes several legislative proposals that MPs at the last session voted to move to the second reading. They will also discuss some new parliamentary and Cabinet drafts and they will also decide on ratification of the European treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). Prime Minister Robert Fico said last week that the ESM will be ratified before the end of June. He had agreed on this with all but one opposition parties at their meeting on Thursday, June 14.
Parliament should also consider a proposal to cancel criminal immunity of MPs, based on a draft constitutional amendment presented jointly by all parliamentary. As the draft amendment states, if approved, from September 1, the date of the twentieth anniversary of the Slovak Constitution, MPs will no longer be protected by criminal immunity. The faction of Ordinary People and Independent Personalities is presenting to Parliament its the draft constitutional bill aiming to reduce the quorum of eligible voters required for a referendum to be valid. In the first reading, a draft bill will be presented that reduces contributions paid from the state budget to the political parties for achieved election result.
A deputy draft bill should also be discussed in the first reading establishing a lifelong pension for athletes who significantly contributed to extraordinary sporting success of the Slovak Republic at major international sports events. Parliament should discuss a draft bill tightening procedures for post-graduate programs for graduates who have completed university studies abroad and obtained a title similar to the Slovak „master’s degree“. MPs should discuss simplification of divorce, where applicants want to reduce the interference of courts of law into their private sphere of individuals in divorce.
The Slovak Parliament will hear annual reports for 2011 of the Supreme Audit Office, the National Property Fund, and the Ombudsman. They will elect a Deputy Governor of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS). Jan Toth is nominated for this post. The final point on the agenda should be the election of the chairman of the Public Procurement Office.
SITA