MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, March 29, 2024 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, March 28): Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - A special parliamentary session dedicated to a draft constitutional law on protection against bear attacks won't take place for now, Parliamentary Chair Peter Pellegrini (Voice-SD) announced on Thursday. A law that would make it possible to shoot bears that pose a risk should be discussed via fast-track legislative proceedings at the next regular House session. However, Pellegrini is ready to convene the special session if another incident involving a bear-human encounter occurs. "I was ready to convene a special session. However, after consulting it with Vice-premier and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) I decided to initiate a debate on this point via fast-track legislative proceedings at the next regular House session," said Pellegrini, who praised the draft itself and its adoption at Wednesday's (March 27) government session. He pointed out that the number of incidents involving bear-human encounters in towns and villages is growing, with the most recent case in Liptovsky Mikulas forcing the authorities to take action as quickly as possible, he said. "One of the primary tasks of the government and responsible politicians is to protect people and guarantee safety to them," he stressed. Taraba praised Pellegrini's attitude. "I take him at his word that in the event of another case of a person being threatened by a bear, he will convene a special House session immediately," he said. He views a solution in the form of a constitutional law to be the surest way to apply the current law. He doesn't think that this form would be condemned to failure in advance with the current numbers in Parliament. He said that opposition politicians have a right to show whether they actually care about people's safety. He's ready to react to potential objections from the European Union. 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. It was the polnoinfo.sk website that broke the news on Thursday. Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) allegedly met with Bires on Wednesday (March 27) afternoon, when he told him that he didn't count on his work anymore. "I certainly want to thank everyone because working in organisations like SVPS is highly demanding, responsible and requires skilled professionals. I'm grateful to them for their work. I believe that I'm leaving the organisation in such a shape that it can continue to move forward," Bires told the website. 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. The two candidates agreed that although the president lacks powers to push through legislative solutions, he or she can introduce various topics for debate in the political space. "Economic growth isn't reaching the level we would like," Pellegrini noted, blaming the current situation on the previous governments of Igor Matovic and Eduard Heger, of which Korcok was a part. Pellegrini claimed that the current government, despite the poor state of finances, has managed to adopt social measures, trying to kick-start economic growth via investment. Pellegrini added that he would bring years of political experience to the President's Office, stating that during his career, he has led a number of delegations abroad and has been present at the signing of various agreements with foreign universities. Meanwhile, Korcok stressed the need to address the exodus of young people abroad. In the economic sphere, the president can open doors for entrepreneurs and help regions attract investments, he noted, claiming that he would like to cooperate with the government of Robert Fico in this area. "I can't do it alone," remarking that although he has diplomatic experience and contacts, he needs cooperation with the government to make changes for the better. Korcok also spoke against the criticism of previous governments, stressing that the foreign policy for which he was responsible worked properly then. He said that despite the bad situation concerning the pandemic, the governments of the last election term had succeeded in pushing through significant social measures. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that there were missed opportunities by the governments. Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - The extra-parliamentary Slovak Communist Party (KSS) has endorsed candidate Peter Pellegrini in the upcoming second round of the presidential election. "Considering the possibility of political influence on the actions of Peter Pellegrini, who is open to reasonable arguments concerning Slovakia's interests, has political experience, a cultivated style of politics, as well as a more rational perception of foreign policy, international relations and Slovakia's place in them, we [KSS] recommend that voters should choose reason and support Peter Pellegrini in the second round of the presidential election," reads the party's statement provided to TASR by KSS head Jozef Hrdlicka. Bratislava, March 28 (TASR) - Last year, 54,133 people died in Slovakia, down by 9.1 percent year-on-year (y-o-y), the Statistics Office reported on Thursday, adding that the figures came close to those posted in the period before the coronavirus pandemic. "The lower mortality y-o-y and lower excess mortality, i.e. the number of extra deaths when compared to the five-year average before the pandemic (2015-2019), can be ascribed to the fadeout of the pandemic and to a drop in the number of people who died from the most frequent cause of death long term - circulatory-system diseases," stated Zuzana Podmanicka, director of the office's population statistics department. am