In a meeting with Slovakian Prime Minister, Robert Fico, President Van Rompuy welcomed the commitment of the Slovak government to complete swiftly the ratification process of the Treaty establishing the European Stability Mechanism and the "Fiscal Compact Treaty".
We must combine sustainable fiscal policy with measures enhancing growth. Already at our 23 May informal meeting, we sent a clear message that we will continue to pursue our comprehensive strategy to return to growth and job creation, even more so in view of the low growth projections for 2012.
Regarding Slovakia, the Commission's assessment is a positive one, but nonetheless warns of risks and the need to take additional measures, for instance on the efficiency of tax collection, reducing distortion in taxation, improving the sustainability of pensions and a more active labour market policy. It calls for improvements in the field of education and vocational training, especially for more vulnerable groups. It also recommends a strengthening of the quality of public service and shortening the length of judicial proceedings.
We need to take Economic & Monetary Union to a new stage. There was general consensus that we need to further strengthen economic union and make it commensurate with monetary union. This is important to anchor expectations about the long-term viability of the EMU, and thereby raise confidence and support the recovery already in the short run. That's the objective of the report I'll present in June and which I am preparing in close collaboration with the Presidents of the Commission, the Eurogroup and the ECB. I will propose the main building blocks on more banking, fiscal and economic integration to reach that objective, as well as a working method to achieve it on the basis of a definitive report and decisions in the autumn.
Press release
© European Council
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