MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, March 22, 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, March 21): BRATISLAVA - The presence of foot-and-mouth disease in Slovakia has been confirmed at three livestock farms in the districts of Komarno (Nitra region) and Dunajska Streda (Trnava region), Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) announced before the government session on Friday. "Foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed at three farms in southern Slovakia, which is a very serious and very big problem. I'd also like to inform you that the National Commission for Infectious Disease Control will meet immediately after the government session," said the minister. Takac views it as most important for the national commission to meet and, together with the State Veterinary and Food Administration, to take steps to prevent the further spread of the virus. "I believe that we'll jointly manage to halt and handle it. It's something that hasn't been here for 50 years," he underlined. The minister stressed that if this viral disease is reported in a given herd, the entire herd must be culled. "The common task of all of us will be to do our utmost to prevent the virus from spreading and then, of course, we'll also address compensation for the affected farms. BRATISLAVA - Due to the seriousness of the information provided by Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) and the chief veterinarian about the spread of foot-and-mouth disease at the government session on Friday, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has convened an extraordinary cabinet session for Saturday (March 22), TASR learnt from prime minister's post on a social network. According to Fico, the aim will be to evaluate how effective the steps being taken are, cooperation between the responsible entities, synergy with international organisations and proposals for further action. "I'm calling on the opposition to refrain from making panicked comments and exploiting a serious viral crisis for political purposes in this difficult situation for Slovakia, for which the government can't be blamed. I'm announcing that the government won't give a second thought to nonsensical accusations by the opposition in dealing with the animal infection," added the premier. BRATISLAVA - The extraordinary emergency measures ordered by Chief Veterinary Surgeon Martin Chudy in connection with the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease have entered into force in Slovakia and will be valid until further notice. According to Chudy, the disease can pose a serious danger to animal health. Any movement of cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and other cloven-hoofed animals, including farmed game (also described as susceptible animals), except for necessary transport within the same holding, is prohibited throughout Slovakia. "This prohibition also applies to any movement of susceptible animals from other countries to Slovakia and from Slovakia to other countries," said Chudy. The international transport of these animals through the districts of Komarno (Nitra region) and Dunajska Streda (Trnava region) is also prohibited. In the case of the other districts, international transport with loading and unloading outside Slovakia is only possible without stopping and unloading in Slovakia. It is also ordered to close all facilities for displaying animals to the public, including zoos and circuses in which susceptible animals are kept. The Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry also issued a ban on the public use of forests in Dunajska Streda and Komarno districts in order to minimise the risk of spreading foot-and-mouth disease and to minimise disturbance and movement of game as a possible carrier of the disease. BRATISLAVA - The Labour Ministry is launching support for single parents through an EU-funded project that will offer 46 comprehensive advisory service centres across Slovakia, Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) announced on Friday alongside Eva Markova from non-profit organisation 'Single Parent', with whom the ministry will collaborate on the project. "We're launching a major EU-funded project along with legislative changes. The project will be called 'Support for Single Parents.' We've just completed the network of comprehensive advisory services in Slovakia, with 46 offices. This network mirrors the 46 labour offices across the country. While they are overseen by the labour office, they are separate offices in order to ensure that people seeking help don't feel as if they're going to a government office," explained Tomas. According to the labour minister, each advisory office will have a psychologist, social worker, economist, lawyer and a so-called personal experience guide, who will be responsible for supporting single parents. "We'll utilise the know-how of a non-governmental organisation that already has experience in this area," he noted. The second part of the EU-funded project, according to Tomas, will involve providing financial assistance to single parents. "It should be noted that this will be a temporary contribution, divided into categories based on the individual's financial situation. We'll set specific criteria and rules depending on the number of children. The goal is to help people out of difficult situations, not to support them for years with contributions, as that would prevent them from breaking free from that cycle," he emphasised. BRUSSELS - According to Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), the topic of Ukraine dominated Thursday's European Council (EC) summit in Brussels, where, speaking at a press conference afterward, he emphasised that the statement supported by 26 EU-member state leaders contained no provisions binding Slovakia to any commitments, reiterating that Slovakia won't provide any military assistance to Ukraine in the form of donations, TASR has learnt from its special correspondent. In relation to the initiative by EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas, suggesting that EU-member states should raise between €20-€40 billion as financial aid for Ukraine, Fico praised the "honest" work of Slovakia's representatives and diplomats. He stated that, thanks to their efforts, they managed to secure a provision in the statement specifying that Kallas' proposal would be voluntary, adding that Slovakia would not participate in this fundraising. Fico reiterated that Slovakia supports the expansion of the number of permanent members of the UN Security Council, reminding that Slovakia is campaigning for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council for the years 2028-29. BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Friday had a phone call with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and expressed his full support for him as "the legitimate representative of Serbia - a sovereign, peaceful and proud country", TASR learn on Friday. In a social media post, the Slovak premier said that in a democratic country, the streets mustn't be allowed to change the results of free elections. "I've confirmed that I'll respect any decision his country chooses to take in a complex and unpredictable international situation. In Slovakia, as in Serbia, there's an attempt to use the streets to overturn the results of democratic free elections," wrote the Slovak prime minister. According to Fico, protests in Slovakia are regularly organised by "strange figures, often linked to Maidan" in Ukraine or the protests in Georgia. The prime minister claimed that every week reasons are invented in order to organise anti-government protests. "The only answer to attempts to bring down the legitimate Slovak government through abuse of the public and spreading lies is to stand firm on the principles of democracy and the results of free elections," wrote Fico. Meanwhile, the Serbian president also reported about the phone call on a social network and, according to Tanjug news agency, he described the discussion with Fico as friendly and open. According to Vucic, Fico supports Serbia's policy and the struggle of its legitimate government for peace and stability in the country and against those who threaten it thanks to external support. am