Bratislava joins the stabilisation fund – finally

“No more limits on shoring up the euro – or on our budget either,” headlines SME. On 15 July, the Slovak government finally agreed to contribute €4.7 billion to the eurozone stabilisation mechanism set up to reassure the markets. But Bratislava refuses to lend money to Greece. “The situation is critical,” declares the new prime minister, Iveta Radičová. “By the end of the year this country’s budget deficit will be close to that of Greece.” Athens, the Slovak daily reminds us, has pledged to cut its deficit to 8.7% of its GDP by year’s end.