MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, May 4, 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, May 3): BRATISLAVA - It's our duty to override president's veto, MP and Smer-SD parliamentary caucus chair Jan Richter said on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues), adding that the president's specific comments on the so-called law on COVID amnesties and the law on the life annuity for the prosecutor general should be discussed at the coalition council. "I personally believe that it's important for the coalition to agree on a possible compromise related to this. But I fully support and respect the conclusion offered by the prime minister [Robert Fico (Smer-SD)] in this case that it's our duty to override the president's [Peter Pellegrini] veto," said Richter. According to MP and Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) deputy chairman Marian Viskupic, the life annuity for a "well-paid prosecutor" is nonsense. He appealed to the coalition not to override the president's veto. In his opinion, the government is doing nothing but inventing new expenses. "No prosecutor needs a life annuity today. He has a job, a very good salary and he'll have a very good pension anyway," he pointed out. Richter said a life annuity for the prosecutor-general is an unpopular but necessary solution. "It's quite natural to some extent when we have an interest in requiring certain things of prosecutors and 100 percent readiness and objectivity for a lot of difficult things they have to do. There is an interest in making sure that they are motivated for that to some extent," he explained. BRATISLAVA - Speaking on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues), MP and Smer-SD parliamentary caucus chair Jan Richter admitted that the financial transaction tax (FTT), which has been in force since April 1, may be completely revised after some time. "I think that the premier [Robert Fico (Smer-SD)] himself has admitted certain technical possibilities of its improvement. So far we have only the first month of the law's effectiveness. I do not at all exclude that the transaction tax will be completely reassessed after some time, to what extent it is delivering what is expected of it," stated Richter. According to him, the coalition council will have to deal with the financial transaction tax now, because Andrej Danko and his Slovak National Party (SNS) have submitted a draft amendment to the law on the financial transaction tax to Parliament. "A substantial part of the expected funds from this transaction tax is not supposed to come from sole traders and small entrepreneurs," noted the coalition lawmaker. However, the impact on small sole traders is far from what they've been calling it, according to Richter. Opposition MP Marian Viskupic (Freedom and Solidarity/SaS), who was also on the show, stated that SaS will support any solution that will make the financial transaction tax less harmful and less pointless. "The tax as a whole, not just for small businesses, not just for Slovak entrepreneurs, but for all businesses, is pointless, harmful and shouldn't have been created at all. The only correct solution today is that it should be scrapped as soon as possible. I say - immediately. Even the money already paid should be returned to the entrepreneurs, or it should be used for some other tax they have to pay," said Viskupic. DEMANOVSKA DOLINA - The longest cave system in Slovakia reached 50 kilometres this week as cavers measured the 50th kilometre in the Demanovska cave system in the Marble Stream of the Demanovska Cave of Liberty in Zilina region after more than a century of exploration, discovery and measurements. This cave system was discovered in 1921, over 100 years ago. "Until now, some of the passages haven't been located. Today we have surpassed 50 kilometres and started measuring a massive level passage with a water flow, which has escaped the attention of surveyors and documenters for more than 100 years," said head of the Demanovska Valley Caving Club Pavel Herich. BRATISLAVA - Passenger satisfaction with services provided by state-run passenger carrier ZSSK is growing, with the overall satisfaction index reaching 65.6 points in the first quarter of 2025, up 0.8 points compared to the end of last year, according to a survey conducted by Go4insight agency for ZSSK in the first quarter of 2025 on a sample of 1,000 respondents aged 16+, ZSSK spokesman Dominik Drevicky informed TASR earlier this week. The survey further showed passenger satisfaction with train punctuality going up 4.5 points quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q). Passengers are also more satisfied with information about delays, with the index increasing by 3.1 points compared to the end of 2024. "We are pleased that we manage to maintain and increase public confidence. Satisfaction with train punctuality, the provision of information and comfort is a strong motivation for us to continue in the set direction," said ZSSK general director Peter Helexa. According to ZSSK, the survey results are related to changes in the new train timetable, which has been in effect since the end of 2024. This brought hourly intervals between trains, better stability of rail service, adjustment of travel times and improvement of train flows. ZSSK stated that it has been meeting the timetable in 98 percent of cases since the beginning of the year. am