MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, May 23, 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, May 22): BRATISLAVA - A prosecutor from the Bratislava Regional Prosecutor's Office has filed a motion with the Specialised Criminal Court in Banska Bystrica to remand in custody three people accused of engaging in the activities of a neo-Nazi group operating in Bratislava, spokesperson of the Bratislava Regional Prosecutor's Office Gabriela Kovacova told TASR on Thursday. Twenty people were detained during the police raid on Tuesday (20 May), with 14 of them accused of criminal activities. "The suspected members of the group, which is believed to include youngsters, are accused of committing several extremism-related crimes, including founding an extremist group, expressing sympathy for movements suppressing basic human rights and disseminating extremist materials. Some group members were also engaged in activities of a violent nature, such as physical attacks on other people," explained Kovacova. BRATISLAVA - Opposition MP Veronika Remisova ('Slovakia-For the People-KU') has been summoned by the police for questioning following a criminal complaint filed by Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) over her disclosure of information regarding his undeclared property in Croatia, and at a press conference on Thursday she described the move against her as a deliberate attempt to criminalise the opposition. "Kalinak wasn't satisfied with filing a motion to a committee to have twelve of my salaries taken away; he also filed a criminal complaint and is now trying to have me imprisoned over such nonsense," she emphasised, adding that she has been summoned to the Office for Combating Organised Crime. The case concerns a suspected abuse of power by a public official. The interrogation is scheduled to take place in two weeks. BRATISLAVA - The Interior Ministry is proposing that only those political parties that make it into parliament after a general election should receive a contribution from the state, said Interior Minister and Voice-SD leader Matus Sutaj Estok on Thursday, adding that a debate on the issue is just beginning and that the proposal will undergo a standard inter-departmental review. Parties could also have their contribution reduced by 30 percent if the general government deficit is equal to or higher than 3 percent of GDP. The Interior Ministry also suggests increasing election deposits. Parties running in a general election would have to pay €50,000 instead of the current €17,000, while those running in the EP elections would pay €25,000 instead of the current €1,700. In addition, parties would not be able to change their names or acronyms for five years. BRATISLAVA - In the first year and a half of the current government's term, the Transport Ministry has fulfilled 40 percent of the goals set out in the government manifesto, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) after a meeting with Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) focused on reviewing progress. "I informed the minister that, based on our assessment, if we look at the entire government programme in the area of transport, after a year and a half we've achieved 40 percent of all measurable goals outlined in the government manifesto," said Fico. Fico praised the adoption of the Strategic Investments Act as groundbreaking and highlighted the new Construction Act, which, he said, will significantly shorten building procedures. He also pointed to the launch of state-supported rental housing, the profitable year at Bratislava Airport and the successful launch of construction projects across Slovakia. THESSALONIKI/BRATISLAVA - State Secretary of the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry Marek Estok officially opened Slovakia's honorary consulate in Thessaloniki on Wednesday, TASR has learnt from the ministry's communications department. This step is aimed at actively strengthening economic cooperation with Greece, while also providing support to Slovak tourists, as Thessaloniki is one of the country's most popular destinations for Slovaks, said Estok. The aim of the state secretary's working visit to Thessaloniki and subsequently to Athens is to further develop the close Slovak-Greek partnership, which, according to the ministry, will be significantly supported by Slovakia's new honorary consul Dimitrios Papastavrou. "I'm pleased with his commitment to contributing towards development investment and economic cooperation between our countries. I'm also glad that Mr Papastavrou is ready to support the activities of the Slovak expatriate community living in the regions of Central, Western and Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, which fall under the jurisdiction of the new consulate," said Estok. BRATISLAVA - The Association of Self-governing Regions (SK8) will continue to be headed by Trnava regional governor Jozef Viskupic, who was re-elected at its session in Trnava on Thursday. No personnel changes took place regarding the vice-chair SK8 posts, either, with Trencin, Banska Bystrica and Presov governors Jaroslav Baska, Ondrej Lunter and Milan Majersky remaining in place. "I believe that together, just as we have been used to so far, we'll be able to be a good partner to the government, the European Commission and all mayors in the country in areas where the self-governing regions find agreement," said Viskupic. Erika Jurinova, the Zilina governor, was elected as the chief auditor of the association. RABAT/BRATISLAVA - Slovakia wants to strengthen its relations with the Kingdom of Morocco, which is not only its most important strategic partner in Africa but also shares common views on many issues, Slovak Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) stated during his official visit to Morocco on Thursday, as reported by TASR's special correspondent. „The last bilateral visit by a Slovak foreign minister was by Jan Kubis in 2007. So, I think it was about time for us to come now in order to support political ties and economic diplomacy," said Blanar. The head of Slovak diplomacy signed a joint declaration and a memorandum of understanding with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita. Under terms of the memorandum, representatives of the Slovak and Moroccan foreign ministries will regularly discuss all promising areas for future cooperation. "There is huge potential, and we agreed not to pick a large number of projects but to focus on ones that will truly be meaningful," Blanar explained. lin