The Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) is still in a critical condition, as the Education, Science, Research and Sport Ministry hasn't complied with a demand in an earlier protest to include SAV on the Registry of Public Research Institutions, stated organisers of a protest in front of the Cabinet Office in Bratislava on Tuesday.
According to the organisers, SAV's individual institutes have been paralysed, and their future is uncertain, while the ministry's arguments against enrolling SAV's units on the registry "are irrelevant in principle". SAV chairman Pavol Sajgalik described the ministry's refusal to enrol SAV's bodies on the list as unlawful, as has also been suggested by a legal analysis carried out on SAV's behalf.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister for Investment and Informatisation Richard Raši (Smer-SD), who is also chairman of the Government's Council for Science, Technology and Innovations, announced at the request of Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (also Smer) that a meeting will take place on Thursday to discuss the situation on "neutral ground". Responding to SAV's determination to resolve the situation via the Prosecutor-General's Office, Education Minister Martina Lubyová (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) described it as inappropriate.
"We don't want to see chaos at SAV. We're taking steps, writing and speaking to everyone, but we're labelled as the worst ones, simply due to our efforts to observe laws, to ensure that state property is transferred under transparent conditions and that the laws concerning registration are respected," said Lubyová.
