Slovak PM Likens EU to ‘Massage Parlor,’ Calls for Leadership Shake-Up

By Staff, Agencies

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has sharply criticized the European Union, comparing it to a massage parlor whose problems can only be solved by changing the staff rather than the furniture. He specifically called for the removal of EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, arguing that the bloc is facing a deep systemic crisis.

In a video posted on Facebook on Thursday, Fico said the EU can only recover through “new leadership and new ideas,” reiterating his opposition to Kallas’ appointment and praising lawmakers from his Smer-SD party for once again backing a no-confidence vote against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

“This is not an angry or personal remark, it is political reality,” Fico said, adding that the EU is subject to “the same rule as a massage parlor: if it’s not doing well, it’s not enough to change the beds — you have to change the staff.”

According to media reports cited by Fico, dissatisfaction is growing within EU institutions over Kallas’ handling of key international issues, with her performance reportedly drawing limited support from colleagues in the European Commission.

Fico listed what he described as the bloc’s major failures, including declining competitiveness driven by overly ambitious climate policies, the lack of a solution to illegal migration, and the EU’s inability to pursue an independent foreign policy. While stressing that he supports EU membership, he said he refuses to be a “pro-Brussels dimwit.”

He also accused Slovakia’s domestic opposition of being “anti-Slovak and purely pro-Brussels,” and questioned the credibility of EU leadership, noting that major global players do not take them seriously. As an example, he pointed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has repeatedly declined to meet with Kallas.