Brexit is actually happening, says Slovakia, current EU president

Brexit is actually happening, says Slovakia, current EU president

The Slovak Prime Minister, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, thinks that British politicians should take all necessary steps to fulfil the wish expressed by their compatriots to leave the EU. “We might imagine a situation in which this process [Brexit, editor’s note] could be halted in one way or another,” said Mr Fico on Sunday (3 July) during a televised debate with his Czech counterpart Bohuslav Sobotka. Fico leads a Centre-Left government.

“It is theoretically possible, but I cannot really imagine British politicians going against the referendum result,” he added in front of the camera on Czech public television.

Slovakia, a country with 5.4 million inhabitants which joined the EU in 2004 and the eurozone five years later. It acceded to the EU presidency on July 1st - for six months.

This came a week after the Brexit referendum. Slovakia will host a European Summit in Bratislava, on September 16th, for “the 27” to discuss the future of the EU without the United Kingdom.

Following the British referendum of 23 June, an extreme right Slovak party - Our Slovakia - which made a major breakthrough by obtaining 14 parliamentary seats out of 150 announced that it would begin collecting signatures - 350.000 are needed - in favour of a referendum to leave the EU.

On June 30th, in the neighbouring Czech Republic, the president Milos Zeman called for a referendum on his country leaving the EU - and NATO. He said that this was in the name of freedom of expression, whilst claiming to be opposed to such a form of divorce.

(Source: Belga)


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