Opposition Party Warns of Billions in Lost EU Funds for Eastern Slovakia

Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), a liberal opposition party in Slovakia's parliament, has warned that eastern Slovakia could lose billions of euros in European Union funding due to government inaction. The party pointed to the current government's failure to take necessary steps to secure these funds, though specific details about which programs or deadlines are at risk were not provided. Eastern Slovakia, which includes cities like Košice and surrounding regions, has historically been one of the country's main beneficiaries of EU structural and cohesion funds aimed at reducing regional disparities and promoting economic development. The warning comes amid ongoing political tensions between the opposition and the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Robert Fico's Smer-SD party.