Country report, gender equality : how are EU rules transposed into national law? : Slovakia 2018

The Slovak Republic is one of the two (the other is Czech Republic) successor states established after the political change on 1 January 1993, based on Constitutional Act No. 542/1992 Coll. on the Dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic. Slovakia is a unitary state, divided into eight regions. The Slovak political system is a parliamentary democracy and the legal system is continental with a statutory law system. The sole constitutional and legislative body is the National Council of the Slovak Republic (Parliament) and the supreme body of the executive power is the Government. The judicial power is executed by general courts and a special court, which is the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic is an independent judicial body protecting the constitutionality. In addition to deciding on the conformity of lower legal norms with higher legal norms, the Constitutional Court also decides competence conflicts between the central bodies of state administration unless the law stipulates that another state authority shall decide in these disputes. The Constitutional Court also decides on various complaints, and interprets the Constitution or constitutional statutes in disputed issues. The Slovak Republic has a two-level general court system, which is composed of the Supreme Court, 8 regional courts and 54 district courts. District courts are competent to try proceedings in the first instance. Regional courts hear cases as appeal courts. The Supreme Court has the function of an appellate review court and, being the supreme judicial body, never acts as a first instance court. The courts decide in civil (including labour) and criminal cases, they also review the lawfulness of decisions by administrative bodies, in electoral and referendum matters, and matters related to political parties. The courts also decide on other matters stated by law, the legally binding Act of European Communities and European Union or international treaties to which the Slovak Republic is party. According to the Antidiscrimination Act3 all equal treatment proceedings are governed by the Civil Dispute Act4 and the cases are decided by the civil courts. There are no special labour courts for discrimination cases in the area of employment.