Euractiv: European socialists seek to expel Slovak PM Fico’s party

Europe’s alliance of socialist parties will permanently expel Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s party, Smer, at a congress next month, four sources with direct knowledge of the decision told Euractiv’s newsletter Rapporteur.

Stefan Löfven, President of the Party of European Socialists (PES) and former Swedish prime minister, will submit the expulsion for ratification when delegates meet in Amsterdam from October 16. PES unites socialist and social democratic parties from across the European Economic Area, as well as the UK.

The decision follows growing frustration among progressives with Fico, who has aligned himself with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping and faces accusations of undermining the rule of law in Slovakia. Smer was suspended from the PES in October 2023 after forming a government with the nationalist SNS party.

The expulsion will further isolate Fico at the European level, cutting off his pathway back to the mainstream where he once operated. In Brussels and Strasbourg, his lawmakers already work on the fringes of the European Parliament, and he has repeatedly hindered EU efforts to sanction Russia and reduce dependence on Moscow’s energy.

By Khagan Isayev