PS Blasts Land Registry Amendment, Warns of New Restrictive Measures

Bratislava, 22 April (TASR) – The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has criticised a government draft amendment to the Land Registry Act, arguing that it introduces several restrictive measures that would interfere with the right to information and the public's ability to scrutinise public officials.

Parliament is due to begin debating the amendment on Wednesday afternoon.

PS MP Zuzana Stevulova said on Wednesday that, if passed, the amendment would remove key data from publicly accessible records, including dates of birth and property owners' addresses, making it impossible to verify whether individuals are being correctly identified.

She added that access to land registry data would only be possible via a mandatory electronic ID card or user account, thereby enabling authorities to track who has accessed the data, when and for what purpose. "This would create critical lists of activists, journalists and organisations that could be easily identified by any government acting in bad faith," she said.

Stevulova also described the proposed ban on asset profiling as a serious blow to transparency. She warned that reporting on whether politicians' declared assets correspond to land registry records could result in fines of up to €10,000 for individuals and up to €50,000 for legal entities, foundations or publishers.

She noted that the Let's Stop Corruption Foundation has collected 20,000 signatures from people who oppose the amendment and are calling on the government to withdraw it.