After the “Velvet Revolution” of 1989, Slovakia aimed to establish a true democracy, cement the rule of law and join the European Union. The new Constitution, passed by Parliament in 1992, begins bravely: “The Slovak Republic is a sovereign, democratic state governed by the rule of law. It is not bound by any ideology or religion”.

An EU Report on Concordats

Different NGOs, including the European Humanist Federation, asked the All Party Working Group on the Separation of Religion and Politics of the European Parliament to examine the issue of concordats in Europe. The parliamentary group asked for a legal report on the impact of concordats on European legislation. As a result the EU Network of Independent experts on Fundamental Rights has deposited a report, titled The Right to Conscientious Objection and the Conclusion by EU Member States of Concordats with the Holy See, which focuses especially on the Draft Treaty between the Slovak Republic and the Holy See on the Right to Objection of Conscience (see: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/cfr_cdf/doc/ avis/2005_4_en.pdf). According to the Network, the Treaty is in contradiction with fundamental laws, which the Slovak Republic has signed as a member state of the European Union.

Jenoff Van Hulle

Most have heard of Concordats, but few have read one. In the light of the Vatican signing Concordats with several East European countries, Jenoff Van Hulle takes a closer look at what this means under international law.

Slovakia is one of the smallest of the nations that have recently joined the EU. It has a Concordat with the Vatican that may serve as a deterrent, showing how concordats can completely annihilate democracy, despite the existence of a democratic Constitution.

The "Basic Treaty" with the Holy See (the Concordat) contains provisions never before accepted by any other nation, which covertly or openly replace civil laws in Slovakia by some provisions of canonical law. Further concessions to the Vatican are embodied in the provisions enabling additional clauses to the concordat to be ratified by parliament, thus allowing complete dependence on the Vatican to be to smuggled in by such "amendments".

Women’s Rights in Clerical Slovakia
By Viera Faragulová

Viera FARAGULOVÁ - Prometheus Society of Slovakia

Strengthening of citizen's human rights is under way in the unified Europe. Vatican tries to thwart such advance using all possible means and at the same time it wants to rebuild at least partially its former might and unchallenged rights to interfere in state policy of EU member states.

Slovakia: the Trojan Horse in the Future Unified Europe?

by Alexander Rehák and Miloslav Ambrus

As the European Union opens membership talks with six new candidate nations (viz. Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Latvia, Lithuania and Malta), the International Humanist and Ethical Union (www.iheu.org) desires to highlight the case of Slovakia whose Human Rights record relating to freedom of religion or belief seriously falls short of International Human Rights Standards.

There is no doubt that the Slovak State is founded on sound principles, and that it has committed itself to the creation of a pluralist democratic state.

Article 1 of the Slovak republic Constitution declares that the Slovak Republic is a sovereign, democratic state which is 'not linked to any ideology, nor religion'. Article 11 assures that International Treaties on Human Rights and fundamental freedoms which are ratified by the Slovakian Republic will bear precedence over national laws. Article 24 (1) guarantees the freedom of thought, conscience, religious creed and belief, and expressly states 'Everybody has the right to be without religious allegiance. Everybody has the right to manifest his/her persuasion in public'.

Ladislav Hubenak

Secular Humanism in Slovakia

Ladislav Hubenek describes the many difficulties that have faced humanists in Slovakia i