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At the Eurozone summit on 26 October, outgoing Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radičová negotiated an exemption for her country, which will not be providing additional aid to Greece, although Bratislava will continue to guarantee its share in the 109 billion euro bailout negotiated in July. Radičová, whose government fell over the ratification of the July agreement on the reinforcement of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), believes that she has saved 200 million euros.
However, for SME, “the exemption is not such a good bargain.” Highlighting what it ironically describes as “a new tradition,” the daily remarks: “Every time a Slovak political leader succeeds in delaying a European plan, he/she boasts about how much has been saved and who has made savings.” But as rival daily Pravda points out, “In giving less for Greece, we will have to fear being obliged to pay more for other countries.” The newspaper adds that the money would have been placed in the EFSF, and not directly handed over to Greece.
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