| Summary: | This article discusses the impact of EU conditionality on minority rights in Slovakia from a legal point of view. The study of the Slovak case demonstrates the visibility and degree of the EU's contribution to the stabilization of the rule of law, democracy and the creation of legislation on the protection of ethnic minorities in one of the most complex of transition states. At the same time, the article argues that despite the propagation of some ambitious laws in Slovakia, the EU's contribution has had a limited effect on shaping the attitude of Slovak society towards minority rights. Both the formulation of 'recommendations' and criticisms by the EU and the 'responses' emanating from Slovakia, in terms of norms and policy, are examined, leading the author to conclude that the role of the EU in monitoring Slovakia's performance in protecting minority rights has suffered both from an unclear strategy and structural deficiencies, which have subsequently become embedded in Slovakia's domestic legal profile on minority issues.
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