EU’s Jourová and team ‘amused’ by Fico’s goat analogy, decline to escalate

7 months ago 31

EU Commissioner for Values and Transparency Vera Jourová and her team “were amused” by Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s comments saying she “loves” his government “like a goat loves a knife”, the press office of Jourová who took over the Slovak rule of law file from EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders temporarily, said on Tuesday.

At a press conference on Monday, Fico said Jourová “made several public statements about me and the government, and she obviously hates us,” adding that “she loves us like a goat loves a knife.”

“We were amused by Prime Minister Fico’s comparison, but we will not respond to it in this way,” Jourová’s team said in response to Fico’s comments to Euractiv Slovakia.

Nevertheless, the Commissioner later posted a video on social media denying the allegation:

“I heard that there is someone in Slovakia who says, ‘I love like a goat loves a knife.’ That is not true! I stand for constructive and decent communication and cooperation with the Slovak government,” Jourová said, adding that “Slovakia and its citizens have a place in her heart.”

In an April interview, Jourová told Czech news service Seznam Správy she is caught by surprise by the speed Slovak government is implementing its new controversial laws, saying, “Fico wants to do in ten months what Viktor Orbán did in ten years.”

At Monday’s press conference, Fico also criticised Reynders for his earlier comments, saying his words were “exaggerated” and “potentially a part of his campaign” to be elected Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

“There has been a certain shift in Slovakia since October, which is associated with serious concerns, and we are in close contact with the Slovak government in this regard,” Reynders said last week.

Since Fico came into office in October 2023, Slovakia has passed several controversial laws, which have sparked mass opposition-led protests nationwide.

These include the reform of the Criminal Code, which abolished the Special Prosecutor’s Office, a bill to tighten state control over the public broadcaster and one that would introduce the labelling of some NGOs as “organisations with foreign support”.

Reynders explained that the European Commission is examining the changes to Slovakia’s Criminal Code to determine whether they affect the bloc’s financial interests.

Fico admitted his government leads “tough discussions” with Brussels over the changes to the Criminal Code and the abolition of the Special Prosecutor’s Office.

However, he later said that talks with Brussels were “only technical” and that, in his view “, there is no reason for Slovakia to lose access to EU funds.”

(Natália Silenská | Euractiv.sk)