EUROPEAN COMMISSION Luxembourg, 13.7.2022 SWD(2022) 525 final COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 2022 Rule of Law Report















Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Slovakia Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 2022 Rule of Law Report

















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Abstract Slovakia has continued efforts to reform its justice system, building on the constitutional reform noted in the 2021 Rule of Law Report. The Parliament approved the reform of the judicial map. The Supreme Administrative Court has become operational and a draft act on the establishment of lower administrative courts was adopted. These reforms were covered in the RRP. The Ministry of Justice is preparing an amendment to restrict the power of the Prosecutor General to annul prosecutorial decisions in individual cases. Concerns remain as regards the regime of dismissal of members of the Judicial Council and the regime of criminal liability of judges for ‘abuse of law’, although the latter contains some safeguards. The Bar Association reported that lawyers encounter threats and harassment in the course of their practice. Public perception of judicial independence remains very low. Efficiency of proceedings continued to deteriorate, notably in administrative cases. Progress in key areas for preventing corruption continues to be slow, although a number of topics are covered in the RRP. While work on a new anti-corruption strategy post-2023 has been launched, an update of the 2019 National Anti-Corruption Programme remains pending. Lobbying remains unregulated but the government plans to present a new bill on lobbying by the end of 2022 and to establish an Office for the Protection of the Public Interest in charge of lobbying, conflicts of interest and asset declarations. Slovakia’s dedicated Whistleblower Protection Office has taken up its functions and has already protected whistleblowers against dismissals from work. Efforts to fight high-level corruption continued, with several former high-ranking officials charged with bribery offences. However, the use of the Prosecutor General’s discretion to close cases has raised concerns particularly with a view to several high-level corruption cases where the legality of the criminal charges in some instances had also been upheld by higher level courts. Allegations of politically motivated decisions to open corruption investigations risk eroding law enforcement cooperation, the effectiveness of the fight against corruption as well as the public’s trust in the integrity of the institutions. The Media Services Act and the Publications Act both adopted in June, 2022 respectively promote media pluralism and enhance transparency of media ownership. The Act on Slovakian Radio and Television provides a solid legal framework for the establishment, governance and operation of public service media but politicisation of appointments and dismissals of managers and board members thereof is an issue of concern. Legislation geared at securing media ownership transparency is pending. The retrial of the alleged masterminds of the assassination of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová is ongoing following the annulment of their previous acquittals by the first instance court. Proposed legislation aimed at strengthening the protection of journalists and amendments to the criminal code to reduce the punishment contemplated for defamation, one of the strictest in the European Union, have once more been postponed. The inclusiveness of civil society in the law-making process remains limited and proper consultation for major legislative changes appears to be lacking. Plans announced in 2020 for improving the law-making process and strengthening public administration have seen limited progress. The Constitutional Court confirmed that it does not have a general competence to review constitutional laws, but noted that it has competence to do so when necessary to protect the material core of the constitution. Constitutional review of COVID-19 measures continued. Concerns continue over financing of certain civil society organisations, in particular those working on issues related to gender equality and LGBTIQ rights. Recommendations In addition to recalling the commitments made under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, relating to certain aspects of the justice system, it is recommended to Slovakia to: ·Ensure that the members of the Judicial Council are subject to sufficient guarantees of independence as regards their dismissal, taking into account European standards on independence of Judicial Councils. ·Ensure that sufficient safeguards are in place and duly observed when subjecting judges to criminal liability for the crime of “abuse of law” as regards their judicial decisions. ·Introduce proposals to regulate lobbying and to strengthen the legislation on conflicts of interest and asset declarations. ·Improve the coordination among the different law enforcement entities and ensure the objectivity of prosecutorial decisions, including by continuing to advance the legislative amendments to restrict the power of the Prosecutor-General to annul prosecutorial decisions with a view to promoting a robust track record of high -level corruption cases. ·Advance with the process to establish legislative and other safeguards to improve the physical safety and working environment of journalists, including the reform of defamation law, taking into account European standards on the protection of journalists. ·Strengthen the rules and mechanisms to enhance the independent governance and editorial independence of public service media taking into account the European standards on public service media. I.Justice System The court system of the Slovak Republic consists of 54 District Courts, 8 Regional Courts, the Specialised Criminal Court, the Supreme Court, the Supreme Administrative Court and the Slovak Constitutional Court. The Regional Courts function as the courts of appeal in civil, commercial and criminal cases and at the same time function as the courts of first instance in administrative matters. The Specialised Criminal Court is competent to judge serious criminal matters as enumerated in the relevant provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The Judicial Council plays a central role in the administration of the judiciary and in the appointment of judges, as well as in maintaining judicial ethics. Half of its members (9 out of 18) are judges elected by their peers. Other members of the Judicial Council are appointed by the Slovak President, the Parliament and the Government. The public prosecution service of Slovakia is an independent state authority headed by the Prosecutor General. Slovakia participates in the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). The Slovak Bar Association is an independent self-administrative professional organisation. Independence The level of perceived judicial independence in Slovakia continues to be very low among the general public and low among companies. Overall, 25% of the general population and 30% of companies perceive the level of independence of courts and judges to be ‘fairly or very good’ in 2022 . According to data in the 2022 EU Justice Scoreboard, no clear trend can be identified in the evolution of the perceived level of independence since 2016. The perceived judicial independence among the general public has decreased in comparison with 2021 (28%), but it is higher than in 2016 (21%). The perceived judicial independence among companies remains at the same level as in 2021. The main reason cited by the general public for the perceived lack of independence of courts and judges is the perception of interference or pressure from the Government and politicians, followed closely by perception of interference or pressure from economic or other special interests . The Judicial Council has taken up its new tasks following the Constitutional reform, while concerns remain over the regime for dismissal of its members. The 2020 Constitutional amendment extended the powers of the Judicial Council, notably by vesting it with the competence to review asset declarations of judges, and tasked it with the selection of members of the newly established Supreme Administrative Court. Resources for the Council were increased to enable it to perform these tasks . Stakeholders acknowledged the efforts of the Judicial Council to make its decision-making more transparent. Concerns however remain over the dismissal regime of members of the Judicial Council, under which members may be dismissed at any point by the authority which appointed them. There are no legally prescribed conditions for such a dismissal. While no member has been dismissed under this procedure so far , stakeholders reiterated concerns that this system threatens the independence of the Council . According to European standards, Judicial Councils need to be subject to sufficient guarantees of independence in relation to the legislature and the executive including as regards the way their members can be dismissed. Criminal liability of judges for ‘abuse of law’, although accompanied by some safeguards against abuse, remains controversial. As a part of the 2020 Constitutional amendment, the Parliament amended the Constitutional provision on immunity of judges and also introduced a new criminal offence of ‘abuse of law’, under which judges may be prosecuted for any arbitrary decision causing damage to or bestowing a favour on another person. The amendment was introduced in the context of an overall effort to enhance the integrity regime for judges, but some stakeholders continue to have concerns that the provision could be misused. Others considered that there are sufficient safeguards against abuse, notably due to the possibility of the Judicial Council to intervene. Whereas European standards provide that subjecting judges to liability for their judicial decisions may occur in exceptional cases of malice and gross negligence, the forms of conduct which may constitute a crime should be defined sufficiently clearly and precisely, and any regime governing personal liability of judges must provide necessary guarantees to prevent any risk of abuse. Safeguards would need to be in place and duly observed in practice, in line with the aforementioned standards. So far, no judge has been prosecuted under this provision, but several criminal complaints were filed.

Parliament approved a reform of the judicial map. For several years, the Ministry of Justice worked on a reform of the judicial map. This reform aims to follow recommendations of the Council of Europe Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (CEPEJ), which among others, suggested enhancing specialisation of judges and changing the judicial map, in particular by decreasing the number of district courts. After criticism from stakeholders, the Ministry of Justice revised its original draft of a comprehensive reform and submitted a new version to public consultations in September 2021, and an Act reforming the judicial map was approved by the Parliament on 27 April 2022. It decreases the number of district courts from 54 to 36, changes territories of regional courts, and establishes five municipal courts. A separate act establishing administrative courts was also adopted. While the aim of the original governmental proposal to increase public trust in the judiciary and improve its efficiency and quality remain, changes were made, among others, in the new territories of the courts. Additionally, the transfer of judges and staff from the dissolved courts to the new courts no longer requires them to physically move to other locations, as they will remain in the original location, serving as a branch of the successor court. Cases will not be reallocated ex lege. Presidents of successor courts will remain in office and presidents of dissolved courts will become vice-presidents of successor courts. Stakeholders, including representatives of the highest judicial institutions, continued to criticise the legislative process due to a lack of meaningful consultations . It was also pointed out that such an extensive reform, which would trigger a reorganisation of the prosecution service as well, should be implemented gradually over a longer period of time, in order to ensure the continuous operation of the courts during the transition . Many stakeholders however agree with the general aims of the reform and the main features, such as the enlargement of court districts and achieving greater specialisation of judges , and welcome the initiative as an effort to make the judiciary more effective and trusted . The reform of the judicial map is part of the Slovak National Recovery and Resilience Plan . As the reform will involve a transfer of judges, according to European standards, judges who would be transferred in the course of the reform without their consent should benefit from procedural safeguards in order to ensure that their independence is not jeopardised. The new Supreme Administrative Court has become operational. The Supreme Administrative Court was established by the Constitutional amendment of 2020 as of 1 August 2021. The Court acts as a second instance in administrative proceedings and performs several other tasks, such as disciplinary proceedings against judges. The Court is currently composed of 21 judges, selected by the Judicial Council after a public hearing, has its own staff, and is fully operational. A law creating a new separate system of administrative courts was approved by the Parliament. Administrative cases of first instance are currently handled by administrative chambers within regional courts. In the context of the reform of the judicial map, the Government has proposed the establishment of a separate administrative court system and the Act was adopted by the Parliament on 27 April 2022. The presidents of the new administrative courts will be selected from among judges by a committee of five members, which should be chosen by the Minister of Justice, two of which from candidates nominated by the Judicial Council . As regards the selection of judges to the administrative courts , the Minister of Justice, after consultation of the Judicial Council, determines which posts will be filled by a transfer of judges and which through a selection procedure . The courts are established as of 1 June 2022 and will start operating as of 1 January 2023. It will be important that the establishment of these new administrative courts and the regime applicable to them complies with EU law and takes into account European standards . Parliament adopted the new act on disciplinary proceedings against judges, now falling under the responsibility of the Supreme Administrative Court. Previously, disciplinary proceedings against judges were conducted by disciplinary bodies organised and supervised by the Judicial Council. The 2020 amendment of the Constitution transferred the responsibility to conduct disciplinary proceedings to the Supreme Administrative Court. The Supreme Administrative Court has also been assigned the responsibility to conduct disciplinary proceedings against prosecutors, bailiffs and notaries. On 11 November 2021 Parliament adopted the act on disciplinary proceedings conducted by the Supreme Administrative Court. Pursuant to this act, disciplinary proceedings against judges are conducted by disciplinary bodies composed of five members, three of which, including the Chair, are judges of the Supreme Administrative Court appointed according to a work schedule prepared by the President of the Supreme Court . Two members are selected randomly from a list of persons elected by the Judicial Council . A judge condemned in the disciplinary proceedings may challenge the decision before an appellate body if the decided sanction is dismissal from office . Stakeholders have welcomed the new regime of disciplinary proceedings, expecting among others an increase in efficiency, transparency and uniformity of decisions . Criminal proceedings continue in relation to corruption and abuse of office charges against judges and other representatives of justice and law enforcement. Following high-profile police operations referred to in the 2020 and 2021 Rule of Law Reports , the resulting criminal proceedings linked to serious allegations of corruption and abuse of office involving a number of judges and other representatives of justice and law enforcement continue (for other high level corruption cases see Section II). The Ministry of Justice announced legislative amendments to restrict the power of the Prosecutor General to annul prosecutorial decisions. Currently, the Prosecutor General has the power to annul any decision by lower-ranking prosecutors or the police made in the course of criminal proceedings . Since August 2021 , when this power was used to stop criminal proceedings against several high-profile defendants (see below in Section II), it became a subject of a public debate. In one case this power was applied after the Supreme Court issued several decisions in the proceedings , leading to the perception of this step as an interference with judicial power . The annulment of criminal proceedings also contributed to tensions between the Prosecutor General and the Special Prosecutor. The Ministry of Justice is currently preparing a draft amendment of the Criminal Procedure Code, including steps to narrow down this power of the Prosecutor General . In general, a limitation of the power of the Prosecutor General would be in line with European standards relating to autonomy and internal independence within the prosecution service. The Bar Association is active in promoting the rule of law and has raised concerns about the working environment of lawyers. The Bar Association started hosting a platform where the highest representatives of the judiciary discuss matters related to justice and the rule of law. Representatives on the highest level of the Bar Association, the Constitutional Court, Supreme Court, Supreme Administrative Courts and the Prosecutor General agreed to meet regularly to exchange views on the topics regarding the justice system and the rule of law in Slovakia, such as the reform of the judicial map. The purpose of these meetings is also to increase trust in the highest judicial institutions. The Bar Association reported that lawyers encounter threats and harassment in the course of their practice. Quality Efforts to advance digitalisation are continuing but gaps remain. Digital tools are widely used in courts and court and prosecutorial decisions are generally accessible online. Gaps continue to exist, in particular as regards the prosecution service, both in terms of use of digital technology and availability of secure electronic communication tools, notably between the prosecution service and detention facilities and investigating authorities. Stakeholders further report weaknesses in using digital tools and infrastructure in practice and that better equipment, better compatibility of different information systems and the introduction of a new, improved case management system would enhance the benefits of digitalisation. The development of a new court management system, an integration of judicial, police and prosecution case management systems into a new criminal case management system and a new commercial register are among the priorities of the Government. Efforts are supported also by funding from the EU, including the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Efficiency Efficiency of proceedings has continued to deteriorate, notably in administrative cases. Already comparably lengthy in EU perspective, the trend of the growing length of proceedings in administrative cases continued in 2020, reaching 585 days in the first instance in 2020, compared to 317 days in 2017, 401 days in 2018 and 518 days in 2019. At the same time, the clearance rate is comparably low in EU perspective, at 86.8 % in 2020 (vs. 81.4 % in 2019), pointing out at the system not managing to deal efficiently with the workload in administrative cases. As regards civil and commercial cases, the estimated length of proceedings in litigious civil and commercial cases also increased in 2020 compared to 2019, reaching 204 days (compared to 170 in 2019). Several groups of cases concerning excessive length of civil proceedings have been examined by the Council of Europe (see also below in Section IV). II.Anti-Corruption Framework In Slovakia, the competences for the prevention, detection and prosecution of corruption are shared between several authorities. The Office of the Government is the central body for the corruption prevention coordination, reporting directly to the Prime Minister’s Office. The National Crime Agency of the Presidium of the Police Force is in charge of the detection and investigation of corruption offences, with the exception of corruption crimes committed by members of the police itself and certain law enforcement agencies falling under the remit of the Bureau of Inspection Service . The Special Prosecutor’s Office has exclusive jurisdiction over the investigation of criminal offences under the substantive jurisdiction of the Specialised Criminal Court, including corruption offences . The perception among experts and business executives is that the level of corruption in the public sector still remains relatively high. In the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, Slovakia scores 52/100 and ranks 22nd in the European Union and 56th globally . This perception has been relatively stable over the past five years. The 2022 Special Eurobarometer on Corruption shows that 83% of respondents consider corruption widespread in their country (EU average 68%) and 36% of respondents feel personally affected by corruption in their daily lives (EU average 24%) . As regards businesses, 84% of companies consider that corruption is widespread (EU average 63%) and 50% consider that that corruption is a problem when doing business (EU average 34%) . Furthermore, 20% of respondents find that there are enough successful prosecutions to deter people from corrupt practices (EU average 34%) , while 15% of companies believe that people and businesses caught for bribing a senior official are appropriately punished (EU average 29%) . While work on a new anti-corruption strategy post-2023 has been launched, an update of the 2019 National Anti-Corruption Programme is still pending. The 2019 programme is part of Slovakia’s overall strategic framework for anti-corruption provided by the Anti-Corruption Policy for 2019-2023, which focuses primarily on prevention through soft measures . Overall, the National Anti-Corruption Program does not describe concrete steps to fulfil the priorities outlined in the strategic document, being essentially identical to the strategy. The updated programme was submitted to the Government in November 2021, but has not yet been approved. Following the suspension of the discussions on the update in November 2021 , a decision on its approval remains pending . The draft updated programme contained measures based on GRECO evaluations, including on principles of integrity, conflicts of interest, and statistical indicators relating to criminal proceedings as well as an evaluation of the implementation of the 2019 measures, most of which are still outstanding . In the meantime, as of March 2022, the Office of the Government has begun work on a new Anti-Corruption Strategy for the years 2024-2029 with a continued focus on integrity measures . Adoption by the Government is planned for the end of 2023 . A draft reform of the Criminal Code seeks to amend the provisions criminalising corruption. The envisaged changes aim to introduce new definitions of the crime of bribery to modify and widen their scope to include also bribes of an intermediary influencing the decision-maker, and to reassess sanctions . They also include a proposal to make compensation for damages more enforceable. The draft amendments were submitted by the Government for public consultation in December 2021 . In addition, the Ministry of Justice is preparing a major amendment of the Code of Criminal Proceedings , with the launch of the legislative process planned in the course of 2022, which aims at accelerating criminal proceedings and at addressing lengthy pre-trial periods. A police reform aimed at increasing the effectiveness of the police in fighting corruption entered into force on 1 February 2022. Among others, the new organisational measures aim at supporting the National Crime Agency in the detection and investigation of serious economic crime, including the most serious forms of corruption threatening the financial resources of the state and the European Union budget . Furthermore, to facilitate the police’s anti-corruption investigations, regional analytical departments and financial investigation departments were created across Slovakia within the structure of the National Crime Agency, thus reporting to the Presidium of the Police Force . The changes in the police follow the measures implemented to strengthen the capacities of the Special Prosecutor’s Office at the beginning of 2021, as reported in last year’s report . More generally, concerns have been raised about the potential impact of the Civil Service Reform on law enforcement, regarding the newly introduced possibility for the Minister of the Interior or another appointed public official to transfer a police officer or other staff member to another post or location without need for justification . In general, corruption investigations have received increased public scrutiny on the integrity and effectiveness of the process . Allegations of politically motivated decisions to open corruption investigations risk eroding law enforcement cooperation, the effectiveness of the fight against corruption as well as the public’s trust in the integrity of the institutions . Efforts to fight high-level corruption continued while challenges emerged in high-level corruption cases, including regarding the Prosecutor-General’s discretion. Investigations of high-ranking officials that had started in 2020 continued in 2021 and investigations on charges of bribery were opened against several other former high-ranking public officials, including former ministers . In 2021, the National Crime Agency initiated proceedings in 114 cases of corruption . The number of individuals convicted for corruption offences remained relatively stable with 132 convictions in 2021 (compared to 128 convictions in 2020) . Since 1 August 2021, the new Office for the Management of Seized Property is operational, which is viewed to be an important tool in the fight against corruption . However, the Prosecutor-General has recently invoked in several corruption-related cases Article 363 of the Code of Criminal Procedure . As described in Section I this grants the Prosecutor-General the power to determine whether prosecution is lawful and thus to annul any decision to bring charges by lower-ranking prosecutors or police investigators. This resulted in the closure of investigations against several high-profile defendants held in pre-trial detention for corruption allegations , which triggered calls for more transparency of the process. The law does not provide for a remedy against such annulments. The legality of the criminal charges had previously been upheld by different courts, including the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court. The new Whistleblower Protection Office took up its work in September 2021. As noted in the 2021 Report, the Office’s mandate focuses on the reporting of breaches of law and the protection against retaliatory measures undertaken based on the principles of confidentiality and anonymity . Within its first 100 days of operations, the office has granted four whistleblowers protection against their dismissal from work . A major obstacle in detecting corruption is the low level of active reporting on corruption when it occurs, particularly in areas where business meets politics . An amendment to the national Whistleblower Protection Act was discussed by the Legislative Council on 25 May 2022, a revised version of which will be submitted to the Government as a next step . The draft reform of the Criminal Code would introduce a new criminal offence of ‘breach of protection of a whistleblower’ . Slovakia remains without a specific framework regulating lobbying activities. In December 2021, the Government indicated a new timeline for a lobbying bill, postponing its initial commitment to present the bill by November 2021. In December 2021, the Deputy Prime Minister for Legislation and Strategic Planning presented preliminary information on a forthcoming lobbying bill, which would consist of a statutory regulation, a mandatory register for lobbyists, and a code of ethics, but not rules on revolving doors . The new deadline for the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of proposing a lobbying bill is set for 31 December 2022 . Several attempts to adopt legislation on lobbying have failed in the past . As a result, there are still no legal definitions of lobbyists, lobbying activities and lobbying targets, nor effective sanctions for undue lobbying, nor any legislative footprint that illustrates who sought to influence specific pieces of legislation . However, as reported last year, related legislation and tools allow for the tracking of stakeholder comments and of the extent to which they influenced a legislative draft .

Discussions are ongoing in the Parliament to establish an Office for the Protection of the Public Interest to monitor asset declarations . Apart from asset declarations, the Office would also oversee the implementation of new rules on conflict of interest and lobbying. However, the amendments to the constitutional law on conflict of interest and on asset declarations were postponed until the end of 2022 . Until then, the system of asset declarations for members of Parliament, judges, prosecutors, public officials and civil servants remains decentralised and fragmented . As in the previous year, significant delays are also reported in the publication of the 2020 asset declarations of Members of Parliament due in August 2021 , partly due to the extended number of public officials that need to submit declarations . The Government proposed amendments to the criminal offence of electoral corruption and to transparency requirements in political party finance. With regard to elections, the reform of the Criminal Code aims at criminalising active and passive bribery in the electoral context, including acts of bribery of a larger number of voters, thus including the more regular and serious cases beyond the scenario of one bribe for one vote . Furthermore, more severe penalties are proposed for electoral corruption taking into consideration its social impact . The amendment of the Election Codes in December 2021 extended some national transparency standards for party and campaign finance to the sub-national level . The main law regulating the financing of political parties is the Act on Political Parties and Movements, allowing for donations to political parties of up to EUR 300.000 per calendar year, while donations from foreign entities and anonymous donors are banned. Several reforms were launched to address corruption in the agricultural sector. In 2021, the Slovak Government initiated several reforms of the agricultural land management system , including a legislative proposal to create a register of land-use relationship to prevent corruption schemes, such as those that occurred between 2016-2020 . In September 2021, following an administrative investigation, OLAF raised concerns about the lack of a complete central digital depository of EU payment-related documentation in the agricultural sector, guaranteeing the accessibility and storage of information for transparency and control. Sectors particularly vulnerable to corruption risks remained largely the same as before the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, government procurement and investment are among the high risk sectors for corruption, according to the Prosecution Service . Slovakia’s public procur1ement system is currently under reform . Following the revision of May 2021, a compromise legislative proposal was passed in autumn 2021, as a result of a public petition and criticism for excluding the Office for the Public Procurement from the review procedure . The use of quality criteria in public procurement remains limited, limiting competition and reducing the possibility for strategic use of public procurement in support of other policies . Overall, the epidemiological situation due to COVID-19 and related mitigating measures considerably affected the Governments’ implementation of anti-corruption actions, which had to be delayed . III.Media Pluralism and media freedom The Slovak Constitution enshrines the right to express opinions, the right to search for, receive and disseminate ideas and information as well as the right of access to information. The Media Services Act, adopted in 2022, replaces the Broadcasting and Retransmission Act and the Act on Digital Broadcasting and is aimed at ensuring plurality of information, while the Press Act establishes rules relating to the press and to journalists. Legislation is in preparation or pending in Parliament to enshrine a number of media freedom principles in the Constitution and to replace the Press Act. The right to access information finds legal expression in the Freedom of Information Act. The former Council for Broadcasting and Retransmission, renamed the Council for Media Services under the Media Services Act, operates autonomously. The number of employees of the Council is expected to increase in line with its additional tasks in terms of research, media literacy and liaison with digital media platforms. The Broadcasting Council disposes of its own budget, resources allotted are considered adequate for the accomplishment of its tasks and clear rules on appointment and dismissal of the Council’s members are established by law. The Media Pluralism Monitor 2022 confirms that the independence of the Council is overall guaranteed and therefore presents low risk though purely political nominations are possible given that the selection of candidates remains solely in the hands of the Parliament. The framework for ensuring transparency of media ownership has been reinforced. The Publications Act has replaced the former Press Act and introduces a framework to ensure transparency of media ownership, including with regard to ultimate beneficiary ownership as foreseen in the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. The Media Pluralism Monitor has reviewed its score for this area from high risk to medium risk . In the meantime, the continuing lack of data with regard to revenues and audience market shares renders an assessment of the actual situation with regard to horizontal ownership in the television and media markets difficult to perform while the existing media concentration rules do not cover native digital media and do not take into account the ultimate owners of the media companies. This leads the Media Pluralism Monitor to consider news media concentration to be an area presenting high risk. A robust legal framework for the governance of public service media is in place but there are concerns about politicisation of appointments and dismissals. The Act on Slovakian Radio and Television provides the legal framework for the establishment, governance and operation of public service media in the country. Under the Act, nominations of the nine members of the Slovak Radio and Television (RTVS) Management Board are submitted to a parliamentary committee by NGOs and are elected for a period of six years, renewable by one term, by an absolute majority of MPs present. Board members may not hold positions or be employed in political parties or movements, act on their behalf or act in their favour. The Media Pluralism Monitor 2022 concludes that Act 532/2010 itself is fit for purpose but that politicization and political interference in the appointments and dismissals of managers and board members are issues of concern. RTVS is funded by means of a license fee established by the Act, advertising and other commercial activities and by means of a contribution from the state budget on the basis of a public contract which requires annual negotiations between RTVS and the Ministry of Culture in accordance with the Act on Slovakian Radio and Television. The MPM 2022 further points out that the Act does not establish transparent and fair procedures in order to ensure adequate funding for RTVS. For all these reasons the Media Pluralism Monitor concludes that this is an area of high risk. The adoption of proposed legislation aimed at strengthening the protection of journalists and on reforming criminal defamation have once more been postponed while verbal attacks against journalists continue. Proposed legislation aimed at strengthening the protection of journalists and amendments to the criminal code to reduce the punishment contemplated for defamation, both referred to in the 2021 Rule of Law Report, have once more been postponed. The punishment for defamation, up to two years imprisonment, is one of the strictest in the European Union. Since July 2021, the Council of Europe’s Platform to promote the protection of journalism and safety of journalists published one alert for Slovakia, which concerned criminal charges pressed against two journalists for having revealed confidential information relating to a former intelligence agent who had acted as a witness in the investigation into the murder of Ján Kuciak and Martina Kušnírová. Following widespread criticism, the Bratislava Region Prosecutor ordered such charges to be dropped. The MPM 2022 reports that in terms of verbal attacks on journalists by politicians, the situation has deteriorated including the use of dehumanising language. No news media support scheme was introduced to counter the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. On 28 February, the Specialised Criminal Court started hearing the retrial of the alleged masterminds of the assassination of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová in 2018 following the annulment of their previous acquittals by the first instance court. IV.Other Institutional Issues related to Checks and Balances Slovakia is a parliamentary republic with a unicameral parliament (the National Council) as the sole legislative body . The right to introduce legislation belongs to the Committees of Parliament, individual members of Parliament, and the Government . The Constitutional Court decides on the compliance of laws with the Constitution, constitutional acts and international agreements, and ensures respect for fundamental and constitutional rights. Independent authorities also play a role in safeguarding fundamental rights, notably the Office of the Public Defender of Rights, the National Centre for Human Rights, the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities and the Commissioner for Children. Concerns about the inclusiveness of the law-making process persist . Stakeholders criticised the lack of proper consultation for major legislative changes . While less significant changes were transparently and inclusively discussed, stakeholders have complained that meaningful discussions on major legislative projects were often avoided, and draft laws concerned were adopted in haste. Several draft laws were submitted by members of Parliament, where the opportunity for stakeholders to comment is limited, due to a lack of procedural framework for public consultations . Although the number of laws adopted in a fast-track procedure decreased and the majority of laws adopted in a fast-track procedure were related to the COVID-19 pandemic , stakeholders express continued concern that the fast-track procedure is being abused . Plans announced in 2020 for improving the law-making process and strengthening transparency, efficiency and accountability of the public administration have seen limited progress. As mentioned in the 2021 Rule of Law Report, the Programme Statement of the Government included a commitment to improve the process for preparing and enacting laws, strengthen the transparency, efficiency and accountability of the public administration, expand access to information and broaden the application of open government. The quality of law-making and frequent changes in legislation is a significant reason for concern about the effectiveness of investment protection among companies in Slovakia (45.4%). The Government consulted its departments on a draft amendment to the Act on Free Access to Information and is now evaluating the comments. The amendment would, among others, broaden the range of information and documents that are subject to compulsory publication and extend the obligations under the Act to state-owned companies and their subsidiaries. No legislative changes have been proposed to implement the other commitments from the Programme Statement of the Government. The Office of the Plenipotentiary of the Government for Civil Society Development is preparing a project to support participative creation of public policies, which would follow-up on a similar project implemented from 2017 to 2020 and which was co-financed from the European Social Fund . The Constitutional Court dismissed the petition regarding its competence to review constitutional laws, but noted it may review constitutional laws in extreme circumstances. As noted in the 2021 Rule of Law Report, the Constitutional Amendment of 2020 expressly stipulates that the Constitutional Court does not have the competence to review constitutional laws, which continues to be criticised by stakeholders. The provision was challenged before the Constitutional Court. On 25 May 2022 the Constitutional Court dismissed the action and upheld the Amendment but noted that it could review constitutional laws in extreme circumstances in order to protect the material core of the constitution. Constitutional review of measures adopted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic continued. A state of emergency was declared by the Government as of 25 November 2021 for 90 days. The state of emergency ended on 22 February 2022. The Constitutional Court also continued to review specific measures taken in the context of the pandemic. While it did not detect any systemic issues , it held that the obligation of certain persons to quarantine in state run facilities was unconstitutional . On 1 January 2022, Slovakia currently had 20 leading judgments of the European Court of Human Rights pending implementation . At that time, Slovakia’s rate of leading judgments from the past 10 years that remained pending was at 41 % and the average time that the judgments have been pending implementation was 2 years and 10 months . The oldest leading judgment, pending implementation for 10 years, concerns the excessive length of civil proceedings . On 1 July 2022, the number of leading judgments pending implementation has increased to 22. The Office of the Public Defender of Rights had to operate with reduced resources despite the increased need for to the protection of fundamental rights in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the Government decree approving the budget of the public administration for the period 2021 - 2023, the budget of the Office of the Public Defender of Rights for 2021 decreased and the staff level was reduced. According to the Public Defender of Rights, whose mandate came to an end on 30 March 2022, this represents an interference with its competences as a constitutional body. The selection of the Public Defender of Rights is still pending; a new selection round by the National Council is envisaged in September 2022. The resources of the National Centre for Human Rights, which has a mandate as NHRI and equality body accredited with B-Status, have increased. At the same time, no legislative initiative has been carried out to strengthen the mandate of the Centre and ensure legislative compliance with the United Nations Principles on the Status of National Institutions (‘Paris Principles’). The Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities was re-elected on 3 December 2021 for another six-year mandate. After the expiry of the mandate of the Commissioner for Children in December 2021, a new Commissioner was elected by the National Council on 25 May 2022, after several unsuccessful rounds of votes. Following fundamental objections in a public consultation in July and August 2021, including from the General Prosecutor´s Office, the Commissioner for Children and the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, the legislative proposal establishing the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) is still under review by the Ministry of Justice. Concerns continue over financing of civil society organisations activities on issues related to gender equality and LGBTIQ rights and over verbal attacks addressed to human rights defenders in these areas. There were no relevant changes of the legal framework governing civil society and civil society organisations continue to be free to operate. However, stakeholders pointed out some instances of shrinking of civic space and verbal attacks by public figures directed at civil society organisations and human rights defenders, especially those working on human rights of LGBTIQ people and on women’s rights including sexual and reproductive rights. The disbursement of funding through public subsidies schemes continues to exclude organisations working on issues related to gender equality and LGBTIQ rights , reported already in the 2021 Rule of Law Report. The COVID-19 pandemic and related measures continued impacting the activities of civil society organisations, in particular those offering social services and cultural and sports activities, as well as the finances of civil society organisations through, among others, reductions in contributions from private donors.

Annex I: List of sources in alphabetical order* * The list of contributions received in the context of the consultation for the 2022 Rule of Law report can be found at https://ec.europa.eu/info/publications/2022-rule-law-report-targeted-stakeholder-consultation_en . Aktuality.sk (2021), NAKA again detained financier Kvietik and several people from the Slovak Land Fund (NAKA opäť zadržala finančníka Kvietika aj viacero ľudí zo Slovenského pozemkového fondu) https://www.aktuality.sk/clanok/892385/naka-opat-zadrzala-financnika-martina-kvietika . Bar Association (2021), Press release of 23 March 2021, The President of the Slovak Bar Association visited new Director General of the Prison Guard (Predseda SAK navštívil nového generálneho riaditeľa Zboru väzenskej a justičnej stráže), https://www.sak.sk/web/sk/cms/news/form/list/form/row/596497/_event . Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (2022), Media pluralism monitor 2022 – country report on the Czech Republic. CEPEJ (2017), Efficiency and quality of the Slovak judicial system, Assessment and recommendations on the basis of CEPEJ tools. Civil Liberties Union for Europe (2021), Contribution from Civil Liberties Union for Europe for the 2021 Rule of Law Report. Civil Society Europe (2022), Contribution from Civil Society Europe for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. Communication platform of Slovak judges and the Association of Slovak judges (2021), Contribution for the 2021 Rule of Law Report. Constitutional Court, Judgment of 14 October 2020, Pl ÚS 22/2020. Constitutional Court, Judgment of 30 January 2019, Pl ÚS 21/2014-96. Constitutional Court, Judgment of 31 March 2021, Pl ÚS 2/2021. Constitutional Court, Judgment of 25 May 2022, PL ÚS 8/2022. Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) (2022), Contribution from the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. Council of Europe: Commissioner for Human Rights (2021), Letter to the Members of the National Council for Slovak Republic https://rm.coe.int/letter-to-the-slovak-national-council-by-dunja-mijatovic-council-of-eu/1680a43530 . Council of Europe: Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of anti-money laundering measures and the financial of terrorism (Moneyval) (2020), Fifth round mutual evaluation report: Anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures MONEYVAL (2020)21 https://rm.coe.int/moneyval-2020-21-5th-round-mer-slovakia/1680a02853 . Council of Europe: Committee of Ministers (2000), Recommendation CM/Rec(2000)19 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on the role of public prosecution in the criminal justice system. Council of Europe: Committee of Ministers (2010), Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)12 of the Committee of Ministers to member states on judges: independence, efficiency and responsibilities. Council of Europe: Consultative Council of European Judges (2007), Opinion No. 10 to the attention of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the Council for the Judiciary at the service of society (CCJE(2007)). Council of Europe: Consultative Council of European Judges (2016), Opinion No. 19 on the role of court presidents (CCJE(2016)2).

Council of Europe: Consultative Council of European Judges (2020), Opinion No. 23 on the role of associations of judges in supporting judicial independence (CCJE(2020)2). Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2005), Second interim opinion on constitutional reforms in the Republic of Armenia, (CDL-AD(2005)016). Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2010), Report on Constitutional Amendment, (CDL-AD(2010)001). Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2013), Opinion on the Draft Amendments to the Organic Law on Courts of General Jurisdiction of Georgia, (CDL-AD(2013)007-e). Council of Europe: Venice Commission (2016), Rule of Law Checklist, (CDL-AD(2016)007rev). Council of the European Union (2020), Recommendation of 20 May 2020 on the 2020 National Reform Programme of Slovakia and delivering a Council opinion on the 2020 Stability Programme of Slovakia, (COM(2020) 525 final). Council of European Union (2021), Annex to the Council Implementing Decision on the approval of the assessment of the recovery and resilience plan for Slovakia (10156/21 ADD 1) https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CONSIL:ST_10156_2021_ADD_1&from=EN . Court of Justice of the European Union, judgment of 18 May 2021, Asociaţia ‘Forumul Judecătorilor din România’ and Others , C-83/19, C-127/19, C-195/19, C-291/19, C-355/19 and C-397/19, ECLI:EU:C:2021:393. Court of Justice of the European Union, judgment of 20 April 2021, Repubblika, C-896/19, ECLI:EU:C:2021:311. Court of Justice of the European Union, judgment of 25 July 2018, LM, C‑216/18 PPU. Directorate-General for Communication (2019), Flash Eurobarometer 482: businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU. Directorate-General for Communication (2020), Special Eurobarometer 502: corruption. Directorate-General for Communication (2022), Flash Eurobarometer 523: businesses’ attitudes towards corruption in the EU. Directorate-General for Communication (2022), Special Eurobarometer 507: corruption. EUobserver (2022), Slovak ex-PM narrowly stays out of jail in corruption fiasco https://euobserver.com/rule-of-law/154892 . Euractiv (2021), Prosecutor General dismisses high-level corruption charges https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/prosecutor-general-dismisses-high-level-corruption-charges/ . Euractiv (2021), ‘Slovakia’s police chief charged for abuse of power, obstructing justice’ https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/slovakias-police-chief-charged-for-abuse-of-power-obstructing-justice/ . Euractiv (2021), ‘Slovakia’s representatives discuss investigation of corruption’ https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/slovakias-representatives-discuss-investigation-of-corruption/ . Euronews (2022), Former Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico faces criminal charges https://www.euronews.com/2022/04/20/former-slovakian-prime-minister-robert-fico-faces-criminal-charges . European Association of Judges (2022), Contribution from the European Association of Judges for the 2022 Rule of Law Report.

European Commission (2020), 2020 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Slovakia. European Commission (2021), 2021 EU Justice Scoreboard. European Commission (2021), 2021 Rule of Law Report, Country Chapter on the rule of law situation in Slovakia. European Commission (2021), Press Release No. 03/2021, OLAF closes cases on EU agricultural funds in Slovakia https://ec.europa.eu/anti-fraud/media-corner/news/21-01-2021/olaf-closes-cases-eu-agricultural-funds-slovakia_en . European Commission (2022), 2022 EU Justice Scoreboard. European Commission carried out by the Council of Europe Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (2017), Efficiency and quality of the Slovak judicial system, Assessment And recommendations on the basis of CEPEJ tools, CEPEJ-COOP(2017)14. European Commission carried out by the Council of Europe Commission for the Efficiency of Justice (2020), CEPEJ Experts’ review of the Judicial Map Reform in the Slovak Republic. European Commission carried out by the Council of Europe Commission for the Efficiency of Justice, Annual Study. European Court of Human Rights, judgment of 15 September 2015, Javor and Javorova, 42360/10. European Court of Human Rights, judgment of 24 July 2012, Maxian and Maxianova, 44482/09. European Court of Human Rights, judgment of 27 June 2017, Ivan, 57405/15. European Court of Human Rights, judgment of 9 March 2021, Bilgen v Turkey, 1571/07. European Court of Human Rights, judgment of 31 August 2018, Balogh and others, 35142/15. European Implementation Network (2022), Contribution from the European Implementation Network for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. European Network of Councils for the Judiciary (2012-2013), Report on Minimum standards for the evaluation of professional performance and the irremovability of members of the judiciary. European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (2021), Contribution for the 2021 Rule of Law Report. GRECO (2019), Fifth Evaluation Round – Evaluation Report on the Slovak Republic on preventing corruption and promoting integrity in central governments (top executive functions) and law enforcement agencies. GRECO (2019), Fourth Evaluation Round - Addendum to the Second Compliance Report on theSlovak Republic on preventing corruption in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors. GRECO (2021), Fourth Evaluation Round - Second Addendum to the Second Compliance Report on the Slovak Republic on preventing corruption in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors. GRECO (2021), Slovakia: GRECO regrets slow progress in prevention corruption of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/slovakia-greco-regrets-slow-progress-in-preventing-corruption-of-parliamentarians-judges-and-prosecutors .

Judges for Open Judiciary (2022), Contribution from Judges for Open Judiciary for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. Komensky University, Law Faculty (2022), Contribution from the Law Faculty of the Komensky University for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. Labor Inspection, Results of the Labor Inspection in the area of reporting anti-social activities https://www.ip.gov.sk/vysledky-inspekcie-prace-v-oblasti-oznamovania-protispolocenskej-cinnosti/ . Ministry of Interior (2022), Contribution from the Ministry of Interior for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. OECD (2012), Implementing the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, Phase 3: Slovak Republic. OECD (2014), Implementing the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, Follow-Up to the Phase 3 Report and Recommendation: Slovak Republic. OECD (2017), Implementing the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention, Phase 1bis Report: Slovak Republic. OECD (2021), Lobbying in the 21st Century https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/governance/lobbying-in-the-21st-century_c6d8eff8-en . OECD (2022), Integrity Review of the Slovak Republic: Delivering Effective Public Integrity Policies https://www.oecd.org/publications/oecd-integrity-review-of-the-slovak-republic-45bd4657-en.htm . Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2021), Preliminary information on the Lobbying Bill https://www.slov-lex.sk/legislativne-procesy/SK/PI/2021/264 . Office of the Government (2021), Press release, Expert taskforce will tackle restoring confidence in the rule of law (Odborná pracovná skupina bude riešiť obnovu dôvery v právny štát) https://www.vlada.gov.sk/premier-odborna-pracovna-skupina-bude-riesit-obnovu-dovery-v-pravny-stat/ . OLAF (2021), Press release – OLAF closes cases of EU agricultural funds in Slovakia https://ec.europa.eu/anti-fraud/media-corner/news/olaf-closes-cases-eu-agricultural-funds-slovakia-2021-01-21_en . Public Defender of Rights (2020), Annual report on the activities of the Public Defender of Rights (Správa o činnosti verejného ochrancu práv za obdobie roka 2020), https://www.vop.gov.sk/files/VOP_VS20_SK_1.pdf . Public Defender of Rights (2022), Contribution from the Public Defender of Rights for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. Reporters without Borders – Slovakia https://rsf.org/en/country/slovakia . SITA (2021), ‘Politicians' property returns will be delayed, they have also hired an external firm to help’ (‘Majetkové priznania politikov budú meškať, na pomoc si najali aj externú firmu’) https://www.webnoviny.sk/majetkove-priznania-politikov-budu-meskat-na-pomoc-si-najali-aj-externu-firmu/ . Slovak Association of Judges (2022), Contribution from the Slovak Association of Judges for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. Slovak Bar Association (2021), Contribution from the Slovak Bar Association for the 2021 Rule of Law Report. Slovak Constitutional Court (2022), Joint statement with the Supreme Court, Supreme Administrative Court, Prosecutor General and Bar Association, Senior representatives of judicial institutions discussed upcoming legislative changes (Najvyšší predstavitelia justičných inštitúcií diskutovali o pripravovaných legislatívnych zmenách) https://www.nsud.sk/najvyssi-predstavitelia-justicnych-institucii-diskutovali-o-pripravovanych-legislativnych-zmenach/ . Slovak Government (2018), Anti-Corruption Policy of the Slovak Republic for 2019-2023 https://rokovania.gov.sk/download.dat?id=588DFBA123494910A70AF18737B85A81-034BF7E75BABC88FC3A419E44DED1345 .

Slovak Government (2019), National Anti-Corruption Program of the Slovak Republic https://rokovania.gov.sk/download.dat?id=F75436C4AF3C4D96AE93D60FD6BCA184-99C291B1BA87B0B9BF1E773CB8DA6BA0 . Slovak Government (2020), Annual report on the activities of the Public Defender of Rights https://www.vop.gov.sk/files/VOP_VS20_SK_1.pdf . Slovak Government (2021), Input from Slovakia for the 2021 Rule of Law Report. Slovak Government (2021), Plan of Legislative Tasks of the Government of the Slovak Republic for 2021 https://www.slov-lex.sk/legislativne-procesy?p_p_id=processDetail_WAR_portletsel&p_p_lifecycle=2&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_cacheability=cacheLevelPage&p_p_col_id=column-2&p_p_col_count=1&_processDetail_WAR_portletsel_fileCooaddr=COO.2145.1000.3.4201465&_processDetail_WAR_portletsel_file=pl%C3%A1n-2021.pdf&_processDetail_WAR_portletsel_action=getFile . Slovak Government (2021), Press release – Prime Minister: Expert working group will discuss restoration of trust in the rule of law (Premiér: Odborná pracovná skupina bude riešiť obnovu dôvery v právny štát) https://www.vlada.gov.sk/premier-odborna-pracovna-skupina-bude-riesit-obnovu-dovery-v-pravny-stat/ . Slovak Government, Program Statement for 2020 – 2024 https://www.mpsr.sk/programove-vyhlasenie-vlady-slovenskej-republiky-na-obdobie-rokov-2020-2024/800-17-800-15434/ . Slovak Government, Program Statement for 2021 – 2024 https://www.nrsr.sk/web/Dynamic/DocumentPreview.aspx?DocID=494677 . Slovak Government (2021), Recovery and Resilience Plan (Plán obnovy a odolnosti Slovenskej republiky) https://www.planobnovy.sk/files/dokumenty/kompletny-plan_obnovy.pdf. Slovak Government (2021), Updated National Anti-Corruption Programme https://rokovania.gov.sk/download.dat?id=AC1F28C57AFC4404A10668B388D1E04F-01E859E1A2586E19FA0FCBA4FF3E8A45 . Slovak lawyers, Open call and contribution for the 2021 Rule of Law Report, https://pravnystat.eu/en/ . Slovak Ministry for Regional Development (2020), Press release, Vice-Premier Remišová: 1.1 mil EUR for help to non-governmental organisation with fights agaist COVID-19 (Vicepremiérka Remišová: 1,1 milióna eur na pomoc mimovládnym organizáciám v boji s COVID–19) https://www.mirri.gov.sk/aktuality/podpredsednicka-vlady/vicepremierka-remisova-11-miliona-eur-na-pomoc-mimovladnym-organizaciam-v-boji-s-covid-19/ . Slovak Ministry of Health, Sectorial anti-corruption programme https://www.health.gov.sk/Zdroje?/dokumenty/mzsr/rezortny-protikorupcny-program.rtf . Slovak Ministry of Interior, National project Promoting partnership and dialogue in the field of participatory public policy-making (Národný projekt Podpora partnerstva a dialógu v oblasti participatívnej tvorby verejných politík) https://www.minv.sk/?ros_np_participacia . Slovak Ministry of Interior (2022), Written contribution from the Slovak Ministry of Interior in the context of the country visit. Slovak Ministry of Justice, Analytical Center (2020), Odporúčania pre tvorbu novej súdnej mapy http://web.ac-mssr.sk/wp-content/uploads/2020/sudna_mapa/nova_sudna_mapa_3_0_final.pdf . Slovak Ministry of Justice, Analytical Center (2020), Recommendations for preparation of a new judicial map http://web.ac-mssr.sk/wp-content/uploads/2020/sudna_mapa/nova_sudna_mapa_3_0_final.pdf . Slovak Ministry of Justice, Analytical Center (2020), Reform of the Judicial map http://web.ac-mssr.sk/wp-content/uploads/2020/sudna_mapa/Reforma_sudnej_mapy_na_citanie.pdf . Slovak Ministry of Justice, Timeline of the drafting process of the Judicial Map Reform http://web.ac-mssr.sk/wp-content/uploads/2020/sudna_mapa/20210223_Casov%C3%A1_os_Sudna_mapa_v.2.pdf . Slovak Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family, List of approved applications for subsidies in 2021 (Schválené dotácie 2021) https://www.employment.gov.sk/sk/ministerstvo/poskytovanie-dotacii/archiv/poskytovanie-dotacii-roku-2021/schvalene-dotacie-2021.html . Slovak National Center for Human Rights (2019), Annual report on compliance with human rights http://www.snslp.sk/wp-content/uploads/Sprava-o-LP-v-SR-za-rok-2020-.pdf .

Slovak National Center for Human Rights (2022), Contribution from the Slovak National Center for Human Rights for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. Slovak National Labour Inspectorate (2021), Labour inspection results in the field of whistleblowing https://www.ip.gov.sk/vysledky-inspekcie-prace-v-oblasti-oznamovania-protispolocenskej-cinnosti/ . Slovak Public Prosecutor’s Office (2022), Statistical overview of criminal and non-criminal activities for 2021 (Štatistický prehľad trestnej a netrestnej činnosti za rok 2021) https://www.genpro.gov.sk/statistiky/statisticky-prehlad-trestnej-a-netrestnej-cinnosti-za-rok-2021-3acf.html . Slovak State Commission for Elections (2022), Written contribution from the Slovak State Commission for Elections in the context of the country visit. TASR (2021), ‘Property declarations of public officials for 2019 have been published’ (‘Zverejnili majetkové priznania verejných funkcionárov za rok 2019 https://domov.sme.sk/c/22631335/zverejnili-majetkove-priznania-verejnych-funkcionarov-za-rok-2019.html . The Slovak Spectator (2021), ‘War among the police? Big corruption cases complicate relations between institutions’ https://spectator.sme.sk/c/22708405/war-among-police-officers-big-corruption-cases-complicate-relations-between-institutions.html . Transparency International (2020), Exporting corruption https://www.transparency.org/en/publications/exporting-corruption-2020 . Transparency International (2021), The cancellations call for a clear justification in front of the public https://transparency.sk/sk/rusenia-obvineni-volaju-po-jasnom-zdovodneni-pred-verejnostou/ . Transparency International (2022), Corruption Perceptions Index 2021. UNCAC, Implementation Review - 1st cycle (2010-2015), Country Review Report of Slovak Republic https://www.unodc.org/documents/treaties/UNCAC/CountryVisitFinalReports/2013_07_11_Slovakia_Final_Country_Report.pdf . Via Iuris (2022), Politicians must respect fundamental principles of the rule of law (Politici musia rešpektovať základné princípy právneho štátu) https://viaiuris.sk/aktuality/blog/politici-musia-respektovat-zakladne-principy-pravneho-statu/ . Via Juris (2022), Contribution from Via Juris for the 2022 Rule of Law Report. Zastavme korupciu (2021), Kovařík has resigned - Mikulca wants to be removed - How they've managed the police so far https://zastavmekorupciu.sk/blog/kovarik-sa-vzdal-funkcie-mikulca-chcu-odvolavat-ako-doteraz-riadili-policiu/ . Annex II: Country visit to Slovakia The Commission services held virtual meetings in February 2022 with: ·Association of Judges for Open Judiciary ·Government Office – Corruption Prevention Department ·Judges For Open Judiciary ·Judicial Council ·League of Human Rights

·Ministry of Culture ·Ministry of Health ·Ministry of Interior ·Ministry of Justice ·National Centre for Human Rights ·Police National Crime Agency ·Open Government Partnership ·Prosecutor General’s Office ·Public Defender of Rights ·Slovak Bar Association ·Slovak Council for Broadcasting ·Special Prosecutor’s Office ·Supreme Administrative Court ·Supreme Court ·Transparency International ·Via Iuris * The Commission also met the following organisations in a number of horizontal meetings: ·Amnesty International ·Article 19