Coalition Reaches Agreement on Social Measures and Distraints
Bratislava, May 4 (TASR) – The Coalition Council met at the Government Office on Thursday to discuss a coordinated course of action for the next Parliament’s session regarding distraint proceedings, a package of social measures and the Slovak contribution to the fight against terrorism, TASR learnt on the same day.
Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) invests with great importance the agreement on distraint procedures, which bedevil a plethora of Slovaks. “We’re facing the burden of 3.7 million distraint proceedings currently sitting at courts. There are people bearing the weight of probably dozens of small distraints on their shoulders and that hinders them from leading normal lives. It is one of the reasons why we identify 40,000-60,000 people who don’t want to land a job for fear that repo men would instantly snatch them and enforce the reimbursement of debts,” he said.
Therefore, a political agreement is likely to see the light of the day that will enable Justice Minister Lucia Zitnanska (Most-Hid) to submit an analysis of the issue including a proposed course of joint action at the nearest Coalition Council session. “All three of us [coalition party chairs – ed.note] voiced our support to the Justice Minister. We’re confident that she will prove able to facilitate people’s lives,” said Slovak National Party (SNS) chair and Parliamentary chair Andrej Danko.
Most-Hid chair Bela Bugar pointed out that recently approved legislation resolved the issue of distraint proceedings with an outlook towards the future. “Currently, we’d like to fix distraints that do not fall under the new bill, but are rather ‘old’. It’s true that it’s not worth it for some people to seek employment because, based on the old rules, they would lose everything they earn,” said Bugar, adding that this should be tackled by the analysis, courtesy of the Justice Ministry, which is set to guide the Government’s joint legislative approach.
Another significant deal among coalition partners was arrived at regarding the upcoming package of social measures, said Fico. “All three chairs share the same opinion: as long as the country prospers, it’s our responsibility to seek solutions aimed at improving the living standards of people. Of course, strict financial discipline must be maintained,” he concluded.
