ZARZALEJOS, TOGETHER WITH THE RULE OF LAW MONITORING GROUP OF THE LIBE COMMITTEE, TRAVELS TO SLOVAKIA HIGHLIGHTING PERSISTENT RULE OF LAW CHALLENGES

The Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE), Javier Zarzalejos (EPP, Spain), led an official mission to Slovakia with the Rule of Law Monitoring Group to assess the impact of recent legislative reforms in criminal law, media pluralism, and the protection of fundamental rights in the country.

During the visit, which took place on June 2–3 in Bratislava, Zarzalejos emphasized that “the relationship between Slovak authorities and the European Commission has been constructive in ensuring the compatibility of criminal law reforms with EU law.” However, he warned that “serious concerns remain, such as the state’s actual capacity to address corruption and organized crime, the deterioration of media pluralism, pressure on civil society organizations, and the potential impact of certain reforms on unresolved corruption cases.”

The European Parliament delegation held a key meeting with Prime Minister Robert Fico and completed a high-level agenda that included meetings with representatives of Slovak parliamentary political groups, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ombudsman, and the Supreme Court.

The visit concluded with a press conference at the European Parliament Office in Bratislava, where MEPs reiterated the Parliament’s commitment to closely monitoring respect for the rule of law in all EU Member States.