SUMMARY - Thursday, March 28, 2024 - 9 p.m.

Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - Jozef Bires is leaving the post of State Veterinary and Food Administration (SVPS) director, while the exact date of his departure is to be agreed additionally. https://etasr.sk/article/20543696 Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - Slovakia is stagnating and needs to make progress, presidential candidates Ivan Korcok and Peter Pellegrini concurred on a discussion programme on public broadcaster RTVS on Thursday. https://etasr.sk/article/20543114 Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - Joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was a significant step, confirming its importance even today, alongside the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East and North Africa, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) stated, TASR was told by the ministry's communication department on the occasion of the anniversary of Slovakia's accession to the Alliance on Friday (March 29). https://etasr.sk/article/20543730 Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - The Association of Employers Unions (AZZZ) welcomes the steps taken by Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) to protect safety in connection with bears, AZZZ spokeswoman Miriam Filova told TASR on Friday, adding that the association supports the elimination of bears that cross the 500-metre safety zone. https://etasr.sk/article/20543605 Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - Violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified during this week's expert conference, government proxy for reviewing the process of controlling and resource management during the COVID-19 pandemic and MP Peter Kotlar (Slovak National Party/SNS), who organised the conference told TASR on Friday, adding the violations were pointed out by several of the participating speakers. https://etasr.sk/article/20543670 Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - Slovakia and Hungary would like to strengthen cooperation in the field of culture, Slovak Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) and Hungarian Ambassador to Slovakia Csaba Balogh concurred at a meeting on Thursday, the ministry's communication department head Petra Bacinska told TASR on Thursday, adding that they both expressed their willingness to return to joint annual planning of cooperation in the field of culture. https://etasr.sk/article/20543315 Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - The Christian Democrats (KDH) consider the project of ensuring public passenger rail transport with Ukraine by using the broad-gauge railway on the Kiev-Kosice route, which was approved by the government at its last meeting to be a waste of money, the party told a press conference on Thursday. https://etasr.sk/article/20543451 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. am