Fico: The Slovak government will request EU assistance for car production instead of armaments

Bratislava – The Slovak government is aware of the strong dependence of Slovakia on car production, and instead of armament, it will ask the EU for help for the automotive industry. This was stated on Friday by the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Robert Fico (Smer-SD), on social media in response to criticism from the opposition regarding the announcement by US President Donald Trump about imposing a 25% tariff on car imports to the USA. TASR reports this.

“We are very clearly aware of the concentration of car production in Slovakia, and instead of massive armament of Europe, we will ask the European Union for massive help for the automotive industry,” clarified the Prime Minister.

American tariffs on car imports, which are set to apply from Wednesday (April 2nd), will have a significantly negative impact on the Slovak economy, gross domestic product, and employment. The government should strive at the EU level to prevent the escalation of a trade war, but at the same time, it should support new investments and repeal measures that discourage companies from doing business in Slovakia. This was stated on Thursday by the opposition parties SaS and PS.

PS leader Michal Šimečka reminded that a large number of jobs are at risk. “We must protect not only the jobs of these people but also help the Slovak automotive industry because it is still the backbone of our economy,” emphasized Šimečka. The PS leader added that the retaliation for tariffs must be European, but also reminded of Fico’s trip to the USA, where he was supposed to strive to avert the tariffs. “So if the goal was to avert this trade war and avert the imposition of tariffs, the result is zero,” added Šimečka. (March 27th)