Slovakia Set To Join ROADPOL

Mrs. Zsinkai handing Mr. Vrabel copies of ROADPOL Statute and Constitution with Mr. Kral and Mr. Suba (right) present. PHOTO: ROADPOL21 JUN - Slovakia is firmly set to join ROADPOL with all hopes on the country being part of the network as soon as ROADPOL’s 2023 Autumn Meeting in Sofia, Bulgaria in September.

The news broke after a meeting in Bratislava at which ROADPOL President Mrs. Elvira Zsinkai and her assistant Mr. Istvan Suba were welcomed by Director of Traffic Police Department of Slovakia Mr. Tomáš Vrábel, Director of Office of International Police Cooperation Mrs. Lucia Szlobodova and Mr. Slavomir Král, senior police officer at the Department of Road Safety and Traffic Crashes.

Meeting

At the meeting Mrs. Zsinkai presented ROADPOL’s mission and values and highlighted the benefits of joining the network to Slovak colleagues. Mr. Vrábel and Mr. Král were pleased with the information and described ROADPOL as a reputable organization providing vast opportunities to gain professional knowledge and experience on road safety. “We would like to join this organization as soon as possible”, said Mr. Vrábel before being handed a copy of ROADPOL’s Statute and Constitution by Mrs. Zsinkai. The documents are now to be translated in Slovakian and ultimately a dignitary from within the Slovakian police forces will be selected to formally sign the accession papers. Both sides expressed determination that procedures will go ahead timely so that Slovakian delegation takes part in 2023 ROADPOL Autumn Meeting in September in Sofia, Bulgaria as fully-fledged member.

President Elvira Zsinkai

Agenda

Slovakian accession to ROADPOL has been among the goals of ROADPOL’s news leadership, represented by President Mrs. Zsinkai and General Secretary Mrs. Sanja Veic. “It was a priority issue on our agenda and we took initial exploratory steps towards it as soon as we took the helm of the Network in September 2022. Slovakia was a part of TISPOL, our predecessor before the incorporation of ROADPOL. They were then a very active member and I have always felt we can count on their advice and opinion. The member states have always being expressing their wish to see all European country flags on the table of ROADPOL Council. I have always felt it as a mission to complete this task”, President Zsinkai commented. “To have the Slovakian colleagues as part of ROADPOL family will be beneficial both for them and for the Network. They can learn about newest road safety related strategy, methodology and technology and we can learn about theirs. With road safety there is always something to learn and always something to share”, Mrs. Zsinkai added.

Enlargement

Mrs. Zsinkai is determined to keep on pushing for another EU member state outside ROADPOL, Greece, to ultimately join the Network. Opportunities are also being explored of the possible accession of UK now that the shudders of Brexit have gradually subsided. Western Balkan countries are another vector of ROADPOL enlargement. Slovakia’s accession to ROADPOL is not the first one for 2023 as earlier this year after brief and fruitful negotiations Ireland became a fully-fledged member.