Slovak politicians and economists argue that the measures “have by no means labored” and backfired on the nations that imposed them
Slovakia hosted a convention on Saturday calling for the removing of EU sanctions towards Russia, with politicians and economists warning that the measures have backfired on the nations that imposed them – together with Slovakia.
The occasion – For Slovakia With out Sanctions – was held in Bratislava and promoted a petition for a referendum geared toward persuading the Slovak authorities to push for the removing of the sanctions on the EU stage.
The petition, initiated by the left-wing Celebration of Slovak Revival and the right-wing Homeland Celebration late final yr, has to date gained greater than 300,000 signatures, the organizers stated.
Pavol Slota, the chief of the Homeland Celebration and one of many authors of the petition, argued that Slovakia’s future is determined by ending the sanctions.
“It’s about our entire nation, all Slovak residents, about us combating for our personal future. We should do all the pieces in order that our message reaches each single Slovak citizen,” he stated.
“If we go away all the pieces as it’s, it could occur in order that we could not get a second probability… I’ve to ask you, do you respect weak individuals who adapt, who by some means simply associate with the group? Or do you respect the robust individuals who respect themselves?” Slota stated, urging folks to assist the marketing campaign in protection of “our values, our traditions, our households, our nation.”
Economist and professor Peter Stanek informed attendees that analysis, together with from Western sources, has proven that the sanctions are ineffective.
“There are dozens of research that clearly present that sanctions have by no means labored,” Stanek stated. “They all the time affected those that imposed them… They drove the vitality sector loopy.”
He added that European vitality costs have been rising since 2021, warning that new US tariffs on EU exports and Brussels’ personal expensive militarization and local weather applications will additional amplify the financial fallout.
“These sanctions start to tackle a very completely different dimension [due] to the cretinism reigning in Brussels and the European Fee,” he stated. “I can’t name it the rest, as a result of they’ve in all probability run out of frequent sense.”
Former Slovak Justice Minister Stefan Harabin additionally addressed the convention, accusing the EU of “upsetting the Russians” with sanctions and escalating the battle by arming Kiev.
Underneath Slovakia’s structure, the president can name a referendum if a petition gathers 350,000 legitimate signatures. The organizers pledged to proceed accumulating signatures. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, a critic of EU coverage on Ukraine, has known as the sanctions counterproductive. He urged Brussels to re-engage with Moscow and warned that the bloc’s confrontational method is hurting its personal member states.
Supply hyperlink
