MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, May 27, 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, May 26): BRATISLAVA - Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD) is not convinced that the transaction tax should be changed, coalition's SNS leader Andrej Danko announced after his Monday meeting with Kamenicky regarding SNS’s proposal to exempt sole traders and companies with a turnover of up to €100,000 from the transaction tax. „I am seeking the finance minister’s support; I want to convince Robert Fico (Smer-SD) that sole traders and small businesses should not have to pay this transaction tax. At the same time, we are giving the Finance Ministry the room to improve this law,” said Danko, noting that Kamenicky needs time to discuss the proposal. According to him, if the proposal passes its first reading, it will not wreck the state budget. Danko insists that the transaction tax is ineffective and should be abolished, as it harms businesses in Slovakia. He also rejected claims that SNS’s proposal to amend the transaction tax violates the coalition agreement, stating that it was submitted independently and without support from any opposition party. The SNS head added that he had also discussed the proposal with the leader of junior coalition Voice-SD party, Matus Sutaj Estok, and Voice-SD is inclined to support the amendment. However, he has not yet received a final position from Smer-SD, the senior coalition partner. BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini is prepared to sign into law any positive changes regarding the simplification of the transaction tax or the exemption of certain entities from having to pay it, TASR learnt on Monday. The President acknowledged the tension that the transaction tax has caused. „I have personally expressed criticism, stating that, as an economist, this tax does not make basic, fundamental economic sense to me. As President, I can say that I am ready to sign any positive change that involves either the simplification of the transaction tax or the exemption of some entities from paying it,” he said. LEST - A battalion-level tactical exercise with live combat rounds during the deployment of units in the operation formed part of an inspection day of the Slovak Shield 2025 military exercise at the Lest Training Centre, Chief-of-General-Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces Daniel Zmeko told the media on Monday. As part of the day’s demonstrations, the combat and support equipment of the units participating in Slovak Shield were presented. Zmeko added that the theme of the exercise was the defence of Slovakia and its territorial integrity. The goal is to improve the units' ability to protect themselves against enemy action through the use of active and passive measures. Also present at Lest on Monday was President Peter Pellegrini, who as Commander-in-Chief came to assess the military's readiness in terms of protecting the territorial integrity of Slovakia in close cooperation with its allies. The head of state expressed support for the further modernisation of the army, emphasising that the Slovak armed forces must be equipped with the most modern available technology in order to be able to defend Slovakia's territory at any time and protect the lives of its citizens. BRATISLAVA - There are suspicions of the systemic misuse of EU funds in Slovakia, with European Union institutions reporting that up to 80 percent of the financial resources have not been used for their intended purposes, MEP Michal Wiezik from the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party stated at a press conference on Monday as a member of the European Parliament's Budget Control Committee (CONT) delegation. "The reason why we're on this mission is quite clear. We're receiving troubling reports that the rule of law and the use of European funds in Slovakia are at risk," said Wiezik. "There are serious grounds for such an investigative mission. The issue with private properties relates to a specific call by the Agricultural Payment Agency, in which a total of €60 million was to be paid out for over a hundred projects," he explained. PS leader Michal Simecka stated that funds intended to support rural development and Slovak tourism have instead been used by people connected to the Smer-SD party to build private properties, and he called the need for such an investigative mission a great shame on Slovakia. YEREVAN - Slovakia strongly supports closer ties between Armenia and the European Union and is ready to share its experience, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) during his official visit to Yerevan, where Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan welcomed Slovakia's support and noted that Armenia is currently working with the EU on liberalising visas. Fico and Pashinyan held a private meeting at the Presidential Palace in Yerevan, followed by talks between the delegations of both countries. They primarily focused bilateral cooperation and boosting economic exchanges. Both leaders can see mutual economic cooperation between Slovakia and Armenia particularly in the defence industry and nuclear sectors. "We have the same type of reactors, and we're jointly discussing the need to address the issue of nuclear fuel, what to do with spent fuel," said Fico, adding that specialised companies operating in both Slovakia and Armenia could cooperate on this issue. BRATISLAVA - Rene H., who is accused of embezzlement at the local authority office in the Bratislava borough of Petrzalka, has been remanded in custody following a decision by Bratislava Region Court on Monday, which overturned a ruling of Bratislava I District Court and upheld the prosecutor's appeal. The court's decision is final. The appeals court considered custody to be justified, stating that its purpose couldn't be achieved by any other measure. It didn't accept the accused's written promise or his mother's financial guarantee. Rene H., an employee of the payroll department in Petrzalka, is alleged to have unlawfully transferred funds into his own accounts since at least 2023, causing damage exceeding 2.7 million euros. In response to the situation, mayor of Bratislava's borough of Petrzalka Juraj Hrcka resigned at the end of May, explaining that he was stepping down because the fraud wasn't discovered earlier. ko