On May 20, 2026, the European Parliament adopted a strongly worded resolution raising alarm over the deterioration of the rule of law, democracy, and fundamental rights in Slovakia. The resolution passed with 347 votes in favor, 165 against, and 25 abstentions, signaling broad concern across the European Union.

The EP called on the European Commission to examine whether there is a clear risk that the Slovak government is seriously violating the fundamental values of the European Union. Although the resolution is not legally binding, it is considered an important political instrument of pressure and criticizes several measures introduced by the government led by Robert Fico.

The rights of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia and the issue of the Beneš Decrees also became a prominent topic.

Particular concern was raised over the treatment of the Hungarian minority and the continued reliance on legal instruments rooted in collective guilt. Although the resolution does not explicitly name the Beneš Decrees, it refers to them as “post-World War II decrees” and highlights their ongoing consequences. In Section W, the resolution explicitly notes that property confiscations continue to be carried out on this basis, disproportionately affecting the ethnic Hungarian minority.

Sections 23 and 24 of the resolution call on Slovak authorities to end expropriations based on such legal grounds and to repeal the amendments to the Criminal Code ensuring “effective protection” of “freedom of expression and the right to property.”

The Beneš Decrees, enacted in post-World War II Czechoslovakia, were grounded in the principle of collective responsibility imposed on the German and Hungarian populations. According to Slovakia’s official position, these decrees are historical legal acts that can no longer be applied, in practice they continue to serve as the legal basis for current ethnic-based land grabs.

Political Divisions

The success of the initiative was due in large part to the sustained advocacy of Loránt Vincze, MEP from the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), a part of European People’s Party (EPP) group.

Hungarian Members of the European Parliament were divided in their voting. Representatives of the Tisza Party and the Democratic Coalition supported the resolution, while present representatives of Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance and the KDNP voted against it, and the representative of the Our Homeland Movement abstained. No Slovak MEP voted in favor of the resolution. This was also true for representatives of Progressive Slovakia, even though their European political group, Renew Europe, supported the resolution.

The resolution strongly criticized Robert Fico’s government over the state of the rule of law, media conditions, the dismantling of anti-corruption institutions, and the management of EU funds. The text even mentions the possibility of freezing EU financial resources.

Risks to EU Values and Finances

The resolution warned that systemic deficiencies in Slovakia could also jeopardize the protection of the EU’s financial interests. Particular criticism was directed at recent amendments to the Criminal Code, which reduce penalties for corruption-related offenses, alongside the dismantling of the Special Prosecutor’s Office tasked with addressing corruption.

Further alarm was raised over constitutional changes that may weaken fundamental rights protections and challenge the primacy of EU law. The resolution also points to the erosion of whistleblower protections and the continued decline of media freedom and pluralism—developments that collectively signal a broader weakening of democratic safeguards.

The European Commission is expected to assess the concerns raised by the European Parliament and the broader rule of law situation in Slovakia in the coming months.

Extracts from Resolution TA(2026)0184

The resolution determines:

W.       whereas on 11 December 2025, the Slovak Parliament amended the Criminal Code in order to criminalise the questioning of the ‘post-World War II decrees’; whereas this recently adopted law risks creating a chilling effect on freedom of expression and academic freedom, as protected under the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; whereas the continued confiscation of land on the basis of the above mentioned decrees that have been applied in particular to citizens belonging to the Hungarian national minority is in fact a land grabbing scheme, which has deprived hundreds of owners of valuable land and raises concerns regarding legal certainty and respect for the rule of law; whereas on 2 February 2022, the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities invited the Slovak authorities to enter into dialogue with representatives of the national minorities concerned about any possible negative effects of the 1945 regulation on confiscation of property on current interethnic relations;

The resolution finds:

23.       Expresses particular concern regarding the rights of minorities in Slovakia, in the light of political discourse, legislative initiatives and administrative practices that risk leading to discrimination, stigmatisation or exclusion, and regarding the retroactive confiscation of property on the basis of the collective guilt of EU citizens of various ethnic origins; believes that historical grievances should be addressed through dialogue rather than criminalisation; stresses that the protection of minority rights is a core component of the rule of law and democratic governance; calls on the Slovak authorities to ensure the effective protection of persons belonging to minorities in law and in practice, in accordance with EU law and international human rights law, in particular as regards the freedom of expression and the right to property;

24.       Expresses grave concern regarding administrative and judicial practices involving the Slovak Land Fund and the Forests of the Slovak Republic state enterprise resulting in uncompensated land and forest confiscations on the basis of post-war decrees; calls on the Slovak authorities to repeal the amendment of the Criminal Code, suspend all legal proceedings, and end any ongoing land confiscations;

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