EU Escalates Pressure on Slovakia Over Rule of Law Concerns (euobserver.com)

• Dismantling of key judicial institutions in Slovakia
• Parliamentary warnings regarding financial conditionality
• Comparative oversight with Hungarian democratic backsliding

"European Parliament members are threatening to withhold EU funds from Slovakia, citing the Fico government's systematic dismantling of judicial oversight. Key concerns include the abolition of the National Criminal Agency and the Special Prosecutor’s Office, alongside moves to undermine whistleblower protections. This approach mirrors the mechanism used against Hungary to ensure adherence to EU values. The European Commission faces increasing pressure to apply financial conditionality to Bratislava to prevent further institutional capture and a drift away from European legal standards."