Opposition Calls on Premier Fico to Act in Response to Trump's Tariffs

Bratislava, April 3 (TASR) - The opposition Progressive Slovakia and 'Slovakia'-For the People-KU parties called on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Thursday to take action in response to the 25-percent tariffs imposed by the USA that will heavily impact Slovakia due to its high level of car exports, threatening around 250,000 to 300,000 jobs in the automotive sector. Other EU-member state leaders announced measures on Thursday to support the automotive industry in their countries, but, according to the opposition, the Slovak prime minister remains silent. "We need to see that Robert Fico, as premier, recognises this problem. Specifically, that he is acting, negotiating with car manufacturers and EU partners and proposing measures to protect our automotive industry and workers. But in addition, that he's coming up with ideas to diversify our industry to make us less vulnerable," said PS leader Michal Simecka, adding that the premier should publicly announce what he plans to do so that people won't be worried. 'Slovakia' party leader Igor Matovic warned that several thousand jobs in Slovakia are at risk due to the tariffs, which could negatively impact the country's GDP. "Nearly four billion euros of Slovakia's GDP comes from car exports to the USA every year. This is a major issue for the current government, which has failed to negotiate any solutions," added Matovic, noting that no government measures have been announced in response to the tariffs. lin/df