MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, May 24, 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, May 23): BRATISLAVA - The draft decree on medicines policy will be discussed at an expert level, and the decree won't enter into force until expert consensus and a sustainable solution is found, Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) told a press conference on Friday, stressing that his aim is to ensure that as many patients as possible will have access to the medicines that they need under fair and clear conditions. The minister stated that during the fast-tracked inter-ministerial comment procedure, several suggestions were made regarding the decree, which are being thoroughly addressed. The draft decree, he said, opens a sensitive issue that will continue at an expert level. "Patients organisations, professional organisations, but also doctors will be invited until we find a sustainable solution, so that we aren't literally flushing hundreds of millions of euros somewhere where the Slovak patient doesn't feel it. ... Until then, no change is valid," stated Sasko. The minister pointed out that Slovakia spends a huge amount of money, beyond the budget, but the patient doesn't feel it. To a large extent, he said, this is related to the changes effective since 2022. "The Supreme Audit Office noted this. Non-public contracting has taken place, which has caused hundreds of millions of euros to go to waste somewhere and not meet patients' expectations and not be directed to them," said the minister, adding that setting transparent rules in the field of medicines policy is therefore an absolute priority for him. The Health Ministry proposes changing the conditions for new medicines to enter the system of reimbursement from public health insurance as of June. The ministry pointed out that under the current rules, funding for medicines this year would be insufficient. The proposal has been criticised by the opposition and professional and patient associations. They warn that it will make it more difficult or even impossible for Slovak patients to access medicines. PEZINOK - A prosecutor at the Specialised Criminal Court (STS) in Pezinok (Bratislava region) has proposed an unconditional prison sentence for governor of the Slovak central bank (NBS), Peter K. charged with bribery, suggesting a term in the mid-range of the one to five-year sentencing scale, along with a minimum five-year ban on holding office and the confiscation of €48,000. According to the prosecution, Peter K., when he was finance minister, asked former head of Financial Administration Frantisek Imrecze to make sure the VAT refunds worth a total of €3 million were paid to several selected firms in advance, giving Imcrecze a bribe of €48,000 in exchange for this. Peter K. insists on his innocence, claiming that he's never given a bribe to anyone and views the prosecution as unlawful. PEZINOK - The defence of Slovak central bank governor Peter K. has called for his full acquittal, arguing before the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok (Bratislava region) that the indictment is based solely on the testimony of a single key witness - former head of Financial Administration Frantisek Imrecze, unsupported by other evidence and contradicted by two other witnesses. At the same time, the defence claimed that the alleged offence has come under the statute of limitations. "The accusation is a lie. It's merely a fabrication by Frantisek Imrecze. No witness has confirmed his claims," said Peter K.'s attorney Ondrej Mularcik. According to the prosecution, Peter K., when he was finance minister, asked former head of Financial Administration Frantisek Imrecze to make sure the VAT refunds worth a total of €3 million were paid to several selected firms in advance, giving Imcrecze a bribe of €48,000 in exchange for this. BREZNO - The permanent production of paper shopping bags has been launched in the Brezno-based plant of Harmanec-Kuvert (Banska Bystrica region) on Friday, TASR has learnt on the same day. President Peter Pellegrini, who attended the opening ceremony of the new production line, stated that this is a significant boost for the hard-pressed Horehronie area, where every new job is in demand. Head of a company called ECO-INVESTMENT Milan Filo stated that the total investment costs amounted to around €30 million. The company plans to produce this year 300 million pieces of ecological paper bags. He also announced further investments, which guarantee that the company in Brezno will continue to create new jobs. "I've been to this factory several times and I've always witnessed its further development. Every hundred new jobs means a hundred happy families who don't have to leave this place and travel for work. I appreciate that the production programme can respond to changes in the world. Whereas a few years ago it was like the envelope manufacturing capital of Europe, the factory and its owners have been able to change the production programme immediately in a significant way as the demand for paper envelopes has fallen notably and the demand for eco-friendly paper bags is growing. This is evidence of good management," stressed Pellegrini. NINGBO - At the end of his visit to China on Friday, Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) attended a Forum of Mayors of China and Central and Eastern European Countries, which was held as a side event at the ongoing fourth annual China EXPO in Ningbo, TASR was told by the Parliament Office's communications department on Friday. At the event, the House chair stressed the importance of cities and regions for further developing countries and international cooperation. "Cities and regions are the building blocks of any country. If we want stability, prosperity and strong international cooperation, we must listen to them and allow them to develop in their own way," he said. Rasi also stressed at the forum the importance of specific and practical solutions based on real experience and the needs of local authorities, stating that in Slovakia, cooperation with towns and regions has been set up on the principle of open and partnership discussion. "Equality works in relation to local authorities. We can't run a town from a green table. Solutions must come from the field, that is from those who will implement them," he emphasised. BRATISLAVA - The Voice-SD party via the remarks of its representatives is questioning the work of both Smer-SD and the Slovak National Party (SNS), said Government Proxy for Investigating COVID-19 Pandemic Management Peter Kotlar, pointing to the party's criticism of his COVID-19 vaccines review and its objections to the intention not to support the pandemic agreement. At the press conference, Kotlar played recorded statements by Interior Minister and Voice-SD party leader Matus Sutaj Estok and President Peter Pellegrini. "Why hasn't the president called me even once to ask me to inform him of what I know?" asked Kotlar, adding that he sees the statements as an attempt to salvage Voice-SD's declining poll numbers. He believes that the work of Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (an SNS nominee) is also being questioned for the same reason. Kotlar reiterated his concerns about the health risks of mRNA vaccines, claiming they are supported by daily calls from vaccinated individuals. He expressed his determination to continue his work. "No one will stop me," he stated, adding that he plans to present his findings weekly, even if he's no longer serving as the government proxy. "I don't need to go to government meetings, I don't enjoy them, and they don't even make me coffee," he remarked. am