A Czech Member of the European Parliament has triggered an unprecedented wave of scrutiny over Slovakia’s management of European Union funds, submitting more than 300 formal reports of suspected abuse to EU oversight bodies following a high-level fact-finding mission. Tomáš Zdechovský, a delegate from the European People’s Party and leader of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control mission to Slovakia, alleges that credible evidence of irregularities exists in nearly every Slovak district, with particular concern centred on the Pôdohospodárska platobná agentúra (PPA), the national body responsible for disbursing EU agricultural subsidies. His claims add pressure to a growing body of evidence: according to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), as of 31 December 2024, Slovakia was the subject of 69 ongoing investigations into the misuse of EU funds, involving an estimated total damage of €681.2 million.
The complaints submitted by Mr Zdechovský, based on information from whistleblowers, former public officials, and private citizens, have been delivered to the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the EPPO, and the European Commission. In response, Slovakia’s political leadership launched a campaign to discredit the inquiry, with the interior minister calling the visit a “punitive expedition” and the prime minister describing the Czech MEP as a “foreign hitman” allegedly deployed by the opposition—language Mr Zdechovský denounced as an attempt to delegitimise EU oversight. Amid escalating tensions, he has formally appealed to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to safeguard the independence and integrity of parliamentary inspection missions, warning that political intimidation by member states threatens the EU’s financial governance framework.
Czech Member of the European Parliament Tomáš Zdechovský has submitted over 300 reports of suspected misuse of European Union funds in Slovakia to three key EU bodies: the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), and the European Commission. The reports stem from a broad collection of information following a recent fact-finding mission to Slovakia led by Mr Zdechovský as part of the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT).
According to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), Slovakia was already the focus of 69 ongoing investigations into suspected fraud involving EU funds as of 31 December 2024, with the estimated financial damage totalling €681.2 million. While this figure is not directly linked to the specific complaints submitted by Mr Zdechovský, it underscores the broader scale of concerns surrounding the management of EU subsidies in the country.
According to Mr Zdechovský, the allegations encompass nearly the entire country. Of Slovakia’s 79 administrative districts, only three were free of suspicion, a figure he described as highly concerning. The reported cases involve a wide range of alleged irregularities, including questionable construction projects, opaque subsidy allocations, and suspected networks of clientelism in the distribution of EU funds.
The data underpinning these complaints reportedly originated from whistleblowers, former employees of public institutions, officials within agencies responsible for disbursing subsidies, and private citizens. Mr Zdechovský stated that he and his office spent more than a month reviewing the materials before presenting them for further investigation.
A central focus of the complaints concerns the Slovak Pôdohospodárska platobná agentúra (PPA), the national agency tasked with managing EU agricultural payments. Mr Zdechovský raised specific concerns about the PPA’s internal operations and urged the European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, to open a review into the agency’s practices.
The mission to Slovakia, however, reportedly encountered resistance from within the Slovak government. Mr Zdechovský stated that members of the Slovak administration made repeated attempts to discredit the European Parliament’s delegation, including public criticism and what he described as media-driven conspiracy narratives. In response to these developments, he submitted a formal request to Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, calling for safeguards to ensure the protection and legitimacy of parliamentary inspection missions.
Public reactions from Slovak political leaders were markedly critical. Minister of the Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok, a senior figure within the ruling Hlas party, referred to the mission as a “punitive expedition.” The prime minister went further, referring to Mr Zdechovský as a “foreign hitman” allegedly hired by the opposition, although he did not mention the Czech lawmaker by name. In later remarks, the prime minister described Mr Zdechovský as “that odd fellow from the Czech Republic,” claiming not to remember his name. Mr Zdechovský responded to these statements by characterising them as “disgusting lies” intended to delegitimise the mission’s work.
President Peter Pellegrini took a more restrained position, stating that such language was not part of his political vocabulary and indicating that he would not have used similar expressions.
Mr Zdechovský has indicated that he is awaiting an official response from the European Parliament’s president regarding his request for protection of EU missions. The timeline for such a response was not specified.
Source:
Aktuality.sk
Slovakmonitor.com
