SUMMARY - Monday, December 4, 2023 - 10 p.m.

Vienna/Bratislava, December 4 (TASR-correspondent) - The cooperation between Slovak and Austrian Parliaments, artificial intelligence, illegal migration and the recovery of Ukraine were the issues discussed at talks held between Slovak House Chair Peter Pellegrini and his Austrian counterpart Wolfgang Sobotka in Vienna on Monday, TASR learnt from its correspondent. https://etasr.sk/article/20157500 Brussels/Bratislava, December 4 (TASR-correspondent) - The meeting of EU transport ministers has yielded no answers for Slovak and Polish lorry drivers who are blockading border crossings with Ukraine, Transport Minister Jozef Raz Jr. (Smer-SD) nominee) stated after a session of the EU's Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council in Brussels on Monday. https://etasr.sk/article/20157468 Bratislava, December 4 (TASR) - The Government is going to tamper with pensions in the second pillar again and raise the already high levies, while it has committed itself to only minimum consolidation targets, MP Stefan Kiss (Progressive Slovakia) declared in response to the consolidation measures approved by the Government on Monday. https://etasr.sk/article/20157307 Bratislava, December 4 (TASR) - The Government is going to take €1.3 billion away from the people annually via bills deliberated on in a fast-track procedure, 'Slovakia' party chair Igor Matovic (Slovakia-For the People-Christian Union) declared on Monday. https://etasr.sk/article/20157284 Bratislava, December 4 (TASR) - Public Radio and Television Slovakia (RTVS) will see its financing from the state budget cut from 0.17 percent of GDP to 0.12 percent, it follows from a legislation approved by the Government on Monday. https://etasr.sk/article/20157268 Bratislava, December 4 (TASR) - Consolidation measures such as the windfall tax for banks and higher health levies shouldn't be felt by regular people, which is why Voice-SD agreed to them during coalition talks, House Chair Peter Pellegrini (Voice-SD) stated in response to the consolidation package approved by the Government on Monday. https://etasr.sk/article/20157250 Bratislava, December 4 (TASR) - The opposition's SaS party rejects the consolidation measures approved by the Government on Monday, as they will raise taxes in an unacceptable manner and interfere with the second pension pillar, MP Marian Viskupic (SaS) said on the same day. https://etasr.sk/article/20157233 Bratislava, December 4 (TASR) - The reduction in levies to the second pension pillar from current 5.5 percent to 4 percent will be "permanent for the time being", Labour, Social Affairs and Family Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) declared after a Government session on Monday. https://etasr.sk/article/20157203 Bratislava, December 4 (TASR) - Progressive Slovakia (PS) plans to file a constitutional complaint over the Government's plan to abolish or restrict the Special Prosecutor's Office (USP), PS chair and parliamentary vice-chair Michal Simecka announced on Monday. https://etasr.sk/article/20157121 Bratislava, December 4 (TASR) - The Christian Democrats (KDH) reject plans to scrap or restrict the Special Prosecutor's Office (USP) and the Specialised Criminal Court (STS). "Abolishing these institutions would practically cripple any capability of the state to fight corruption and organised crime and that we cannot allow to happen," KDH chair Milan Majersky declared on Monday, adding that KDH was involved in the creation of USP and STS and their scrapping is a red line for the party. https://etasr.sk/article/20157101 Bratislava, December 4 (TASR) - The draft state budget for next year won't be submitted to the government until next week; consolidation measures that the cabinet approved on Monday must be incorporated in the draft before that, said Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) following the government session on the same day. https://etasr.sk/article/20157066 Notice: If you click on the link or copy it into the search window, the browser will display the full text of the message in the new e-TASR client zone. If you have any questions, please contact obchod@tasr.sk. mf