New Slovakia PM 'Ready To Support Increase To EU Budget'

Wires reporting comments from newly-appointed Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico stating that his gov't is ready to support an increase of Slovakia's contribution to the EU budget despite the country's "devastated" public finances. States that Slovakia will condition its financial support for Ukraine subject to guarantees that the EU funds will not be "embezzled".

• Even if Fico and other holdout, Hungary's Viktor Orban, approve the EUR50bn aid package for Ukraine there remain other obstacles. Most notably, the 'frugal' nations (Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany), that have argued against an increase in each country's contributions or raising the EU's 'own resources' and instead lean towards reallocation of existing MFF funds.
• Politico reports Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe's scepticism on increasing the budget, “I would certainly make the case for maintaining that level of contribution [but it is] too early to say if there’s going to be even more contributions,”