MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, May 22, 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, May 21): BRATISLAVA/BRUSSELS - The foreign ministers of EU-member states agreed at Tuesday's (May 20) summit in Brussels to support peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, said Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) after the session. According to Blanar, further direct talks could be held at the Vatican or in Switzerland. "Despite the fact that the highest representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine did not participate in the peace talks [in Istanbul - ed.note], it is important, as confirmed by Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, that the negotiations will continue," stated Blanar. On Tuesday, EU-member states formally confirmed the adoption of a 17th sanctions package against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Its most important part includes measures against the so-called Russian shadow fleet. Blanar emphasised that Slovakia supports such decisions only if the sanctions don't harm Slovakia, its economy or the living standards of its people. BRATISLAVA - Anti-Russian sanctions isolate the European Union, reduce its competitiveness, and destroy the value of the euro, stated coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko at a press conference on Wednesday, while condemning Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) for supporting another package of EU sanctions against Russia. "I want to condemn yesterday's vote by Juraj Blanar. On Friday (23 May), at the Coalition Council, I want to call on Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to review Juraj Blanar's mandate," said Danko. He emphasised that SNS doesn't identify with this vote and refuses to bear responsibility for the foreign minister's decision. According to Danko, Tuesday's vote also affects, among other things, the operations of Slovnaft refinery, which could lead to higher fuel prices. Danko noted that rising energy costs will gradually impact all sectors, including households. "Everyone, even if you don't feel it just yet, will be affected by rising energy prices. It will destroy household budgets," he stated. BRATISLAVA - New head of the Supreme Court Frantisek Mozner is assuming office at a time when the Slovak judiciary is facing many major challenges - above all, the need to further increase its efficiency but also its credibility, stated President Peter Pellegrini in his speech during Mozner's appointment to the post on Wednesday. The president is convinced that the new Supreme Court chair has a clear and comprehensible vision of where the Slovak judiciary should be heading under his leadership. "Your performance and the quality of your work will have an impact on the functioning of lower-level courts as well as administrative courts, albeit not in the sense of a hierarchical relationship as is common in other institutions, but rather as a role model, a source of inspiration and motivation for other judges," said Pellegrini. He emphasised that at a time when public trust in institutions is weakened, it is the courts and court rulings that should represent reassurance on which citizens can rely. BRATISLAVA - Over 730 schools have already received new modern equipment under the DigiEDU programme funded from the recovery plan, with a total of some 45,000 pieces of digital technology distributed, Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) told a news conference held at a primary school on Holicska Street in Bratislava on Wednesday. According to Drucker, the DigiEDU programme is the biggest project for digitising Slovak schools and envisages the distribution of some 130,000 pieces of digital technology, which the ministry will hand over to primary and secondary schools. The equipment will be introduced into schools gradually in 13 stages, with the fourth one currently being completed. "The digital equipment that schools receive is designed for both students and teachers. It includes new computers, interactive whiteboards, laptops for teachers and tablets for students' work at school. At the same time, we'll supply them with software licences that are used by teachers and students and that they can also use at home. These licences also contain some elements of the use of artificial intelligence," said Drucker. BRATISLAVA - The Interior Ministry has rejected the prosecutor's appeal in the case concerning alleged interference in the presidential election campaign by Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD), TASR has learnt from ministry's spokesperson Matej Neumann. "The social media posts from 24 and 25 March 2024 were shares of recordings from a discussion programme broadcast on TA3 television channel, which was aired in accordance with the law. Such activity can't and doesn't constitute active support for or against a presidential candidate, as it's based on content obtained legally. Moreover, the public administration section of the Interior Ministry found no indication that the shared recordings included any new personal commentary that had not already been mentioned," said Neumann. BRATISLAVA - Since taking office in 2023, the current government has stabilised the devastated public finances inherited from previous administrations, which were in the worst condition in the entire European Union, and while achieving a balanced budget is currently impossible, it aims to hand them over to its successor in a "normal" state, said Premier Robert Fico on Wednesday after a meeting with Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (both Smer-SD). Fico stated that while the cabinet led by Smer-SD handed over public finances to the incoming government in 2020 with a deficit of €1 billion, it inherited them with a deficit of €8.5 billion. Public debt during this time increased from €45 to €70 billion, Fico said, adding that if his government had continued on this path, the debt would have risen to €110 billion by 2027. "But our goal is clear, to hand over public finances in normal condition to the next government after the upcoming general election. Forget about a balanced budget for now, that's a fiction, it's impossible. But we're pushing for a significant reduction in the deficit, we're pushing for the stabilisation of public debt, we're pushing for all the figures to ensure that our finances are in some kind of order," the premier stated. ko