Czech parliament speaker Tomio Okamura used his first foreign trip on Tuesday to declare that Prague and Bratislava will coordinate closely in resisting key EU initiatives, including ETS2, the 2035 combustion-engine ban and the EU migration pact.
Visiting Bratislava with a delegation representing all parties in the incoming Czech coalition, Okamura said the next Czech government wants Slovakia as a strategic partner inside the EU. He met Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, Prime Minister Robert Fico and his parliamentary counterpart Richard Raši, who all signalled support for a tighter political alignment.
“Our delegation includes representatives of all parties of the future coalition. We want to restore excellent relations with Slovakia,” Okamura said after talks with Raši, who described the visit as “a restart of our mutual relations”.
Raši confirmed that both countries want to coordinate positions in Brussels on migration, ETS2, the engine-ban deadline, and the upcoming EU budget cycle, adding that Slovakia hopes to work with the Czech Republic and other Visegrád states to secure more favourable EU funding rules.
Okamura also voiced support for Slovakia’s recent constitutional changes aimed at reinforcing national sovereignty—amendments now facing an EU infringement procedure. He dismissed criticism from Prague that no future opposition MPs were invited, saying those who “shattered relations with Slovakia” had no place in the delegation.
