The government of Robert Fico dismissed the advice of the European Commission when it announced it plans to close the Special Prosecutors Office, on Wednesday.
The day before, on Tuesday, The European Commission had asked Slovakia to reconsider the amendment of the Criminal Code. In a letter signed by European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders and European Commissioner for Internal Affairs Ylva Johansson, the European Commission asked the Minister of Justice Boris Susko to "not continue with the intended amendments" and in particular, "not resort to an accelerated procedure without proper and thorough consultation with interested parties at national and European level".
"The wide scope of the proposed amendments and the numerous areas of affected EU law require a thorough and solid analysis," they said.
But on Wednesday, the Slovak government proposed a plan to close the special prosecutor's office, which specializes in organized crime and corruption. The government also announced that police officers would no longer be eligible for protection as whistleblowers. And in a separate amendment, the government proposed to shorten sentences for corruption, bribery, money laundering and accounting fraud.
The EC Spokesman Christian Wigand told press agency TASR that the European Commission is ready for further political and technical discussions with the Slovak government. The Commission also advised the Slovak government to consult the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe.
The Venice Commission advises member states who want to bring their legal and institutional structures into line with European standards of democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
