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Inter-coalition Squabble Erupts over So-called Double Standards
Tuesday 23 March 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, March 23 (TASR) - The Slovak National Party (SNS), which has seen several of its environment and construction ministers removed during this term has accused the Prime Minister Robert Fico-led Smer political party of using double standards – treating its junior government partners SNS and LS-HZDS by one standard and its own ministers by another.
Deputy Chair Anna Belousovova referred during a news conference to the Minister of Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Viera Tomanova (Smer-SD nominee) who is under fire from the European Union for the deficiencies found in the sector's social enterprises designed to bring down the global recession-triggered high joblessness. Former SNS minister of construction and regional development Igor Stefanov was sacked recently over a similar report from Brussels.
Tomanova is 10th on the Smer's list of candidates for the June 12 general election, so whatever turns up against her she does not stand to lose her government post, said Belousovova, hinting that most Smer-SD-linked ministers have so far got away with yellow- and red-card warnings.
[The football allusion echoes back to what Premier Fico said in June when it was revealed that Finance Minister Jan Pociatek was on a private yacht owned by J&T finance group while the European Bank was getting to announce the euro-entry level of the Slovak koruna to the euro. J&T apparently made a bundle by buying crown in advance. - ed. note]
The EU executive European Commission auditors therefore suggested that Slovakia not be repaid €25 million, which the ministry undertook to spend on the social project in question, on the grounds of the state's higher-than-permissible aid already paid out on it.
Of that amount the Slovak finance ministry has remitted €11.3 million to the accounts of the social enterprises, the bulk of which came from the state budget.
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