MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, May 3, 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, May 2): MICHALOVCE - A new shared services centre has been officially handed over in the town of Michalovce (Kosice region) on Friday, with Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD), representatives of the Interior Ministry and Michalovce mayor Miroslav Dufinec in attendance. The centre will be used by 24 neighbouring municipalities and will have experts from the construction authority, environment, transport, geodesy, cartography and land registry, town area planning and waste management. The setting up of a total of 21 shared service centres is funded via Slovakia's Recovery and Resilience Plan, while the expenditure on staff comes from EU funds. The town of Michalovce received €685,000 for the establishment of the centre. According to the mayor, it is an imaginary common municipal office, which will serve not only the town but also neighbouring municipalities interested in these services. "Our aim is to ensure better accessibility and quality of public services outside the big cities by sharing quality officials, quality experts. It is by sharing experts for several towns and municipalities that local governments can breathe easier," said Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD). BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini will depart for Italy on Sunday (May 4) to pay tribute to the historical legacy of General Milan Rastislav Stefanik, meet with top officials in the city of Trieste, and later in Turin, the President's Office communication department reported on Friday. "The Slovak president's visit to Italy highlights the importance of the Friuli Venezia Giulia and Piedmont regions as strategic partners of Slovakia in the areas of logistics, energy, and technological cooperation," the department explained. According to the President's Office, the Friuli Venezia Giulia region holds exceptional historical significance for Slovakia. The head of state and his delegation will visit the town of Campoformido, from where Stefanik embarked on his final flight on May 4, 1919. "Peter Pellegrini will thus become the first president of Slovakia in history to honour the memory of M. R. Stefanik [on the anniversary itself], by laying a wreath at the memorial plaque at the site of his [last] departure, in the presence of local officials and Slovak diplomats," the office stated. The President's Office also stated that the programme will include a historical re-enactment of the Caproni Ca.33 aircraft departure, in which Stefanik died. Afterwards, Pellegrini will meet with Friuli Venezia Giulia region President Massimiliano Fedrigo, and the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Dipiazza. On Monday (May 5), the Pellegrini will visit Turin to open a startup conference at the LIFTT investment fund area, which focuses on supporting innovative companies. Representatives from Slovak startups will also accompany him. Pellegrini's participation aims to support the development of economic and innovation ties between Slovak and Italian tech companies. The highlight of the Slovak president's visit to Turin will be the opening of the Slovak Honorary Consulate and the inauguration of new honorary consul Stefan Buono. Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) will also be part of the delegation. BRUSSELS - European Parliament (EP) President Roberta Metsola confirmed on Wednesday that China has lifted sanctions on all five current and former MEPs, including Slovak MEP Miriam Lexmann (EPP/KDH), who has also confirmed this on social media. "The Communist Party of China has lifted the sanctions against Members of the European Parliament, including myself. However, I don't yet know the details or the extent to which they've been lifted. I take note of this. Nevertheless, I'm convinced that this step is manipulative in nature and represents a form of pressure aimed at persuading the EU to make concessions to this communist regime," Lexmann wrote on social media. In 2021, China imposed sanctions not only on Miriam Lexmann but also on Ilhan Kyuchyuk, Reinhard Butikofer, and Michael Gahler. According to Lexmann, she was added to the list after co-initiating a report in the EP. The report addressed the detention of the Muslim Uyghur minority in 're-education camps' in China's Xinjiang province. It also highlighted the Chinese government's suppression of the Uyghurs' ethnic and religious identity. Lexmann hopes that the lifting of sanctions won't lead the EU changing its policy or softening its stance on fundamental issues. In her post, she warned that "the Chinese Communist Party hasn't acknowledged its failures in respecting human rights, continues to undermine the foundations of our democracy, and hasn't scaled back its influence operations targeting European political institutions". am