The political force of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has suggested holding a referendum on supporting the European decision to increase defense spending.
According to Aktuality, the Member of the European Parliament from Fico’s party Smer-SD and vice-chairman of the political force, Erik Kalinák, stated that Slovak citizens should express their opinion on this matter through a referendum if the EU decision does not include provisions for non-military uses of the increased defense spending.
Kalinák emphasized that if the additional funds are solely allocated for the purchase of weapons and ammunition, rather than infrastructure projects such as rebuilding bridges or constructing hospitals, a referendum should be held. He noted that it is important to have a clear mandate from the citizens before agreeing to such an increase in spending.
Meanwhile, a Member of the European Parliament from the party of the current president, Peter Pellegrini’s Hlas-SD, Branislav Ondruš, called the European Commission’s plan for 800 billion euros “insanity,” stating that Europe does not have the resources for such investments. He believes that security can be strengthened in other ways, without increasing spending on weapons, which he argues would lead to cuts in funding for social programs and regional development.
Recently, Robert Fico also stated that he could block further European sanctions against Russia if they threaten a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine.
