BRATISLAVA, October 5, (WEBNOVINY) — Chairman of the junior ruling coalition member SaS party Richard Sulik refused once again on Wednesday to take stance regarding possible compromises that would secure his party’s votes in parliament in support of the eurozone’s European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) extension. “We will definitively not support the bailout fund in this form as it would massively harm Slovak taxpayers,” said Sulik at a news conference. According to him, bailout fund negotiations led by Prime Minister Iveta Radicova proceeded well and successful. “Unfortunately, they were made more complicated to say the least . I do not want to further elaborate on the issue,” Sulik stated. His wish was that Slovakia votes on the extension of the EFSF capacity as the last eurozone country. “This was fulfilled. Coalition partners were fair and honored our agreement,” he said. The coalition voted to have the parliamentary vote on the bailout fund on October 11. “I have no reason to protract it, it would be unfair towards other countries,” Sulik stated.
Defense Minister Lubomir Galko also for the SaS thinks that the coalition still has enough time to strike an accord over the bailout fund. “Any topic however serious it may be can take a U-turn also at the last moment,“ he said. “Therefore, he keeps on saying there is still enough time to reach an agreement that would ensure that Slovak taxpayers really do not lose the famous single cent in this, and that Slovakia does not block its partners in Europe.
The defense minister said that negotiations on their support to the bailout fund are progressing while also the SaS has changed its original opinion. It however insists said Galko that it will not support increased capacity of the bailout fund in the current form.
Coalition leaders agreed on Tuesday that a vote in parliament on the expansion of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) is to take place on the first day of the next parliamentary session, starting October 11, in spite of the fact that no coalition agreement on the support for the fund’s enhancement has been reached.
The Cabinet of Iveta Radicova passed a new annex to the framework agreement on the EFSF on September 7 without SaS votes. The new annex also comprises changes that were included in the first annex, ratification of which, however, has not been completed. The original annex to the framework agreement mostly concerned extension of bailout fund’s capacity. Slovak guarantees in EFSF should have, according to this annex, increased from the original EUR 4.37 billion to EUR 7.72 billion. The guarantees in the system should altogether increase from EUR 440 billion to EUR 779 billion. EU leaders agreed with increasing the EFSF because the effective loan capacity of 440 billion euros was not achieved, as some members included in the system do not have the highest AAA rating.
SITA