Fico’s government working to gain absolute control of arms industry, says opposition

9 months ago 36

Changes to the Competition Law, one of the first laws approved by Robert Fico’s government, will create a tunnel towards the defence industry takeover, the opposition’s For the People party and former deputy Prime Minister Veronika Remišová warned, adding that the new legislation gives the defence minister ‘unlimited powers’.

One of the first laws of the new government coalition in Slovakia will be the law on the organisation of the government’s activities, the so-called competence law. Robert Fico’s government presented it to parliament in abbreviated (fastened) legislative proceedings.

Remišová warned that the government is “subtly amending“ up to three other laws regarding armaments, weapons, ammunition and similar products. She points out that the new legislation gives Robert Kaliňák, Smer’s Minister of Defence, “unlimited powers“ in the arms control decisions.

The current legislation entrusts the control and regulation of the market with weapons and similar products or materials usable in the arms industry to the competence of the Ministry of Economy.

That decides on the issuance of licences for their cross-border trading. However, when issuing licences, the Ministry of Economy has been bound by the opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Slovak Secret Service.

Under the new law, both institutions’ opinions will not be required for either of the key licences and the Ministry of Defence is gaining more competencies.

“The Ministry of Defense will have a monopoly on licensing decisions, which will have the new competence to stop any licence on the market for weapons and similar materials, “the opposition claims.

The opposition cites “a huge conflict of interest“, as Kaliňák has been an active arms businessman since he left the Fico’s government, following the nationwide protests after the killing of a journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiance. Moreover, the fact that he supposedly did not terminate his management duties at the arms company within the statutory deadline will be reviewed by the Parliamentary Committee for the Incompatibility of Functions.

The government has justified the changes in the law by the enhancement of support to domestic production capacities.

Remišová called on President Zuzana Čaputová to veto the new law.

Arms export controls and increasing transparency in the arms trade have been an ongoing issue in Slovakia, according to several studies, especially during previous Fico’s governments.

(Lucia Yar | Euractiv.sk)