Slovaks reluctant to pick up Greek tab

Slovakia to wait before bailing out Greece, headlines Sme. Prime minister Robert Fico is calling on Greece to show it can cut its national debt before unfreezing the Slovak share of the EU/IMF €110 billion bailout package. “Given the political situation, it’s nearly impossible to reach an agreement in parliament,” reports the Bratislava daily, what with Slovak general elections coming up on 12 June. Unless its European partners tighten the screws, the roughly €800 million cheque (1% of its GDP) Slovakia is supposed to give Greece won’t be signed till the new government gets voted into office on 12 June. Slovakia was the last country to join the euro club in 2009, which adds fuel to the populist slogan “we’re to bail out a richer country!”, notes Sme.