MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, September 5, 2023 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, September 4): BRATISLAVA - The unemployment rate in terms of the proportion of unemployed among the economically active population amounted to 5.7 percent in the second quarter of this year, down 0.4 percentage points (p.p.) year-on-year (y-o-y), the Statistics Office reported on Monday. The number of unemployed went down by 5.3 percent from the previous quarter to stand at 159,800. The majority of unemployed, almost 105,000, had been out of work for more than a year. Their share of all unemployed exceeded 66 percent, although their number continued to fall for four consecutive quarters y-o-y and went down by 5.1 percent from the previous quarter. The number of short-term unemployed (those out of work for less than 12 months) dropped even more significantly, by 11 percent y-o-y to 52,500. BRATISLAVA - The state-budget deficit deepened by €2.212 billion, or by 145.8 percent year-on-year (y-o-y), to reach €3.729 billion at the end of August 2023, the Finance Ministry reported on Monday. In late July the deficit amounted to €3.114 billion. State-budget incomes increased by €1.763 billion y-o-y, or by 14.8 percent, to €13.686 billion in August. Expenditures rose even more significantly, going up by €3.976 billion, or 29.6 percent y-o-y, to €17.416 billion. Tax revenues grew by over €1 billion y-o-y. Positive developments were seen in incomes from value-added tax, which went up by €566 million, withholding tax (up €65 million) and excise taxes (up €41 million). BRATISLAVA - The police have caught two terrorists while checking illegal migrants, Police Corps president Stefan Hamran told a news conference on Monday, adding that they cannot be expelled due to the emergency situation. Meanwhile, Hamran confirmed that no crimes have been recorded in connection with migrants to date. He regrets that the issue of illegal migration is being misused in the election campaign. Hamran pointed out that illegal migration has seen an enormous growth across the whole of Europe, but the situation is monitored by the police and the migrants are being checked in databases. "We're the only country that registers every illegal migrant in the system," he stated. At the end of the procedure, it is possible to expel every migrant except for Syrian and Afghan nationals. "There is an administrative restraint preventing their expulsion, by the decision of the European Union," added Hamran. It is not possible to shut down the Slovak-Hungarian borders, warned the chief of police. "That would fly in the face of the Schengen Codex," he pointed out, adding that the police don't have the resources to do so, either. In June, the police asked for military support, but that request hasn't yet been accommodated. BRATISLAVA - Special House sessions to address increased illegal migration in Slovakia, the stabilising of the situation concerning paediatricians in the health-care system and amendments to the Penal Code will take place on Thursday, August 7, Parliamentary Chair Boris Kollar has reported. According to Kollar, the situation regarding illegal migration is worrying. He expressed his belief that the government should take immediate action, and so he said he considers it important for Parliament to discuss the issue and commit the government to act. In this vein, he criticised the fact that a snap general election wasn't held earlier, arguing that the incumbent caretaker government can't appropriately address the situation. "Since neither the army nor the police are acting, they are all making excuses, I think it is justified to put them under pressure," Kollar said. BRATISLAVA - President Zuzana Caputova and her Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog met in Slovakia on Monday to discuss the situation in Ukraine and the Middle East as well as other issues, TASR learnt from their joint press conference at the Presidential Palace following the meeting. Caputova and Herzog praised the good bilateral ties between the two countries, adding that there is scope for expanding cooperation. "We spoke about energy, renewable sources, but also about gas supplies in light of the fact that there's a need to diversify energy sources, and Israel could be a prospective partner for Slovakia in this respect," said the Slovak head of state. Caputova also believes that additional options for expanding cooperation lie in the fields of science, defence and IT technologies. Herzog hopes that his visit to Slovakia will contribute towards cooperation in the economy, culture, academia and science, and he invited Slovakia to collaborate in preparations for the climate crisis and its impacts. Another partnership between the two countries concerns humanitarian aid for Ukraine. BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Ludovit Odor and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who's on a visit to Slovakia, discussed cooperation in the fields of defence and security, research and development and energy on Monday, TASR has learnt from the Government Office. "Israel's modern defence industry is an extremely interesting partner for Slovakia and its armed forces. Strengthening of our defence capabilities via a purchase of modern Israeli radar technologies creates preconditions for further deepening of cooperation in the defence and security sector," office said in its statement. When it came to energy, Odor confirmed Slovakia's interest in specifying the possibilities of supplying liquefied natural gas from Israel to Slovakia. As for research and development, the Government Office noted that Israel is one of the world leaders in the field of startups and innovations, and Slovakia finds the country inspirational in this respect. More intensive contacts between students and academics should help to deepen cooperation in research and development of new technologies and approaches in healthcare and agriculture, for instance. zel