Slovakia is a relatively 'new' nation because, as Wikipedia puts it: "Slovakia became an independent state on 1 January 1993 after the peaceful dissolution of Czechoslovakia, sometimes known as the Velvet Divorce."

Slovakia is also not a difficult nation for the EPO to control; with a population just over 5 million people and GDP about 37 times less than Germany's the Slovakian people (Slovaks) don't get much of a say in the EU's policy and the EPO's operations. There aren't many European Patents that are Slovakian in origin, partly due to prohibitive costs (number of patents isn't the same as innovation; rich nations like Switzerland can afford to amass patents). They cast a vote, sometimes under political pressure (clout), and hope it doesn't rock the boat 'too much'. As their neighbours found out -- notably Poland and Hungary -- the EU can be very harsh when it does not agree politically, resorting almost to sanctions (see what presidential candidate Å tefan Harabin said about the EU).

Around the time of Benoît Battistelli's visits to the capital, as we've just noted (also in this meme about the role of António Campinos) the agenda of the EPO became increasingly apparent. Battistelli and/or his 'convoy' visited the nation every year until the vote on the unlawful "Strike Regulations". The video above discuses the situation; as we recently saw, Slovenia was used by richer nations as a pawn of 'Team UPC' (facts don't matter; they're not even brought up) and maybe Battistelli counted on Slovakia too becoming a pawn of his. ⬆