The Slovak cabinet decided that the office of deputy Prime Minister Pál Csáky will retain responsibility for the Roma minority rather than passing it on to the Ministry of Culture. The shift was requested by Csáky, repeatedly criticized in the last four years for his approach to the Roma minority and who survived three votes of no confidence in the Parliament. The move had been criticized by the EU, which said Slovakia needed continuity and resolve in dealing with the many problems facing the Roma. An action plan to help Roma integrate into society and prepared by one of the government parties, New Alliance of Citizens (ANO), is still under debate in the coalition council. [Új Szó (Bratislava/Pozsony) November 14, 2002]

European Parliament Speaker Pat Cox acknowledged that the present-day negative impact of the 1945 Benes Decrees on Slovakia’s 520,000 strong Hungarian minority was addressed only superficially during a spirited Assembly debate on the decrees as they relate to the current-day Czech Republic. In response to a letter addressed to fellow EU Parliamentarians from Nelly Maes (head of the national and environmental parliamentary group), Cox also responded that “it’s possible that the Assembly will reanalyze this issue.” A September 2002 report commissioned by the European Parliament, and completed by J.A Frowein (researcher on international law at the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg), concluded that the Benes Decrees will not hinder Czech EU accession. However, the study did not address the decrees’ implications as regards Slovakia. Nelly Maes introduced two amendments to the European Parliament Resolution on Enlargement specifically on Slovakia: (1) the need to establish an independent Hungarian-language university and (2) to set up an independent commission to analyze the negative impact on ethnic Hungarians of the Benes Decrees. The European Parliament will debate the Frowein-report November 18-22. [MTI – Hungarian Telegraph Agency (Budapest) November 7, 2002 and www.euobserver.com (Brussels) September 30, 2002]

The government’s main aim is to establish functional but not costly state, said Prime Minister Mikulás Dzurinda when he presented his government ‘s program to parliament. The four main goals consist of: joining the European Union (EU) and NATO; trimming and improving the civil service; fighting corruption; and integrating the Roma minority into society. Dzurinda's wish to have “at least one” opposition member of parliament (MP) support his cabinet’s program seemed unlikely, as the opposition described it as the “worst ever” manifesto and a “way to hell.” In addition to a pledge to take the country into the EU and NATO, Dzurinda's 45-page program promises a number of reforms in the social and economic spheres, including cutting down costs in the public sector, reforming the pension and health care systems, and introducing fees for university education. A debate on the program and a final vote of confidence in the new Dzurinda cabinet is scheduled for November 12. A simple majority of the total 150 MPs is required to legitimize the cabinet and its program, and the quorum that makes up the coalition with 78 MPs, is "absolutely certain" of a positive outcome. Grigorij Meseznikov, head of the Institute for Public Affairs think-tank, said that "if what is in the program is pushed through, the country will be in better shape and positive results may come even before the next parliamentary elections." [Új Szó (Bratislava/Pozsony) November 7, 2002]

Due to the common political will of the governing coalition, a Hungarian-language state university could be set up in one year’s time in Komárno/Komárom, informed the press Martin Fronc, the newly-appointed Slovak Education Minister. He added that special attention will be paid to this issue to ensure measures fall within legal requirements. The first step in establishing the Hungarian-language university is expected to be taken in March, 2003 by amending the law on higher education. The independent state-funded university is one of the most important issues of the Hungarian Coalition Party’s program, which is part of the four-party coalition government. [Új Szó (Bratislava/Pozsony) November 2, 2002]