The government said the changes modernise the criminal code by lowering long prison terms and preferring alternative punishments. President Zuzana Caputova immediately signalled she would try to stop the changes, possibly through a veto or a court challenge. The law was a "monstrous amnesty" for that circle, said deputy Michal Sipos from the opposition Slovensko party. An EU official said on Thursday the commission's concerns remained, which could possibly lead to legal action and budgetary consequences. (Reporting by Jan Lopatka in Prague; additional reporting by Gabriela Baczynska in Brussels; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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Persons: Robert Fico, SMER, Tibor Gaspar, Zuzana Caputova, Michal Sipos, Jan Lopatka, Gabriela Baczynska, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Reuters, European Commission, European, Slovak, EU Locations: Poland, Hungary, Prague, Brussels