Brussels squeezes Slovakia on rescue plan

“Brussels putting pressure on Slovakia: make a decision on the ‘stability fund for the euro’, leads Pravda, recalling that Slovakia has decided to put off till December the vote in Parliament on the Greek bailout. It’s a decision that could undermine the European response to the crisis in Greece, writes the paper. For the European Commission, “the speedy approval of the agreements from the special summit on July 21 in the eurozone on expanding the powers of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) is also in Slovakia’s interest,” the daily writes. Prime Minister Iveta Radičová, however, lacks support within her coalition government. The Parliamentary Speaker, Richard Sulik, meanwhile described the EFSF as a “tool to produce more debt” and declared that in setting up a “bulwark for the euro” the EU is becoming like the Soviet Union. “If Brussels puts on the pressure, it’s solely because all [the leaders of the eurozone] agreed ahead of time” on the bailout, adds the Bratislava newspaper, which concludes that “the hesitation can only drive up the final sum.”