Tomas: Tripartite Partners Support Pan-EU Solutions to US Tariffs

Bratislava, April 10 (TASR) - The Tripartite Council [representatives of the government, employers and employees] supports EU-wide solutions to US tariffs and believes that the European Union should also support sector-specific assistance, Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) stated on Thursday after a special emergency meeting of the Economic and Social Council (HSR) on the US decision to introduce blanket tariffs. According to Tomas, Slovakia is proposing tools such as Kurzarbeit (short-time work schemes) and a so-called 'scrappage' bonus as part of its response. "The tripartite prefers solutions at the level of the European Union. We fully support further negotiations between the EU and USA, and also fully support the European Commissioner of Slovak origin, Maros Sevcovic," explained Tomas. Another point of consensus within the Tripartite Council, according to Tomas, is that the EU should provide sectoral aid. “Furthermore, the EU should diversify its trade. Thirdly, deregulation should be used to strengthen the EU's internal market, to support the economies of member states,” he emphasized. “We also discussed support at the national level. Here, I must mention the potential use of the Kurzarbeit scheme. The 'scrappage' bonus is also on the table,” added Tomas. mf