MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 4 June 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 3 June): BRATISLAVA - Tradesmen and small companies with turnovers not exceeding €100,000 shouldn't have to pay the transaction tax as of this October, as Parliament moved a draft amendment to the law on the financial transaction tax, sponsored by a group of Slovak National Party (SNS) MPs, to its second reading on Tuesday. The draft was backed by 146 of the 147 MPs present for the vote. SNS's draft had been supported by the opposition for a long time, but there was no consensus about the issue within the coalition. The coalition Smer-SD, Voice-SD and SNS parties finally reached an agreement on the issue on Monday (2 June). They agreed to narrow the scope of the transaction tax, and they intend to compensate for the shortfall in the 2025 stage budget by lowering the number of public holidays. November 17, the Day of the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy, will thus no longer be a public holiday. BRATISLAVA - According to the opposition, the coalition's proposal to compensate for the losses from adjusting the transaction tax by cancelling the public holiday on 17 November [the Velvet Revolution that led to the end of communist regime in Slovakia - ed.note] is confirmation that Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) does not respect the values of freedom and democracy. In addition, according to opposition parties, the proposal confirms the government's unwillingness to cut its own costs and consolidate with a minimal impact on ordinary people. "A government that attacks the media, destroys independent institutions and silences critics is now targeting a symbol of freedom and democracy," said Progressive Slovakia chair Michal Simecka. "The prime minister may not care about 17 November, but for us, it is more than just a date. It is a reminder that freedom must always be fought for again, even today," emphasised the PS leader. According to SaS chair Branislav Groehling, the prime minister wants to erase the Velvet Revolution. "He'll cancel the 17 November holiday and send people to work so the state can make money from them," he commented on the proposal, which he called "an arrogant, stupid and dictatorial solution." However, Groehling believes that even this year people will gather on the streets on 17 November to remember the day and the values that the prime minister seems to have completely forgotten. BRATISLAVA - There's a need to debate the security of elections by mail from abroad, Slovak National Party (SNS) leader and House Vice-chair Andrej Danko told a press conference in Parliament on Tuesday, adding that if this voting system is not changed, it would be better to scrap it. "There's a very serious suspicion that with voting from abroad the anonymity, the time context and the privacy of those who vote are violated. If the protection isn't resolved and the system isn't changed, it would be better to scrap it because there are leaks and a lot of manipulation," Danko told reporters. "We need to talk about how to make sure that if a person votes abroad, only they will know about it, and that when it reaches Slovakia, no one will get to that information earlier," added the SNS chair. BRATISLAVA - MEPs who came to Slovakia as part of delegations inspecting the rule of law and the handling of EU funds are not interested in truth and factual discussion, Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) posted on a social network on Tuesday, commenting on the activities of the delegations. "Despite intensive and long negotiations both at the Justice Ministry and at the Government's Office, MEPs ignore all explanations and arguments provided to them. I'd like to point out that they've already been the subject of discussions with the European Commission, where we clarified these issues and the debate on them was closed with the conclusion that the legal order of the Slovak Republic in the field of protection of the financial interests of the European Union is fully in line with EU law," he said. ROME - Italy and Slovakia should cooperate in the field of arms production, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told the media following a meeting with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni in Rome, adding that Slovakia is very proficient in the production of large calibre ammunition and Italy is efficient in the production of small calibre ammunition. The countries are in this context close to signing an intergovernmental agreement on joint procurement. "Joint public procurement means that several countries can jointly procure, which is extremely advantageous and, above all, it is cheaper than when you do it individually," he pointed out, adding that Slovakia also offers its own products, such as howitzers or mine clearing machines. ROME - Representatives of an innovative European company called NewCleo and the state-owned Nuclear and Decommissioning Company (JAVYS) have signed a shareholders' agreement on setting up a joint venture called 'Centre for Developing Spent Nuclear Fuel Use'. This represents a further step towards constructing four fourth-generation advanced modular reactors at Jaslovske Bohunice (Trnava region). The companies signed the agreement in Rome. JAVYS will own 51 percent and NewCleo 49 percent of the shares in the newly formed joint venture. The venture will focus on the development of a project for the construction of four LFR-AS-200 reactors with a total capacity of 800 MWe at the Jaslovske Bohunice site. "These reactors will use MOX fuel, made from spent nuclear fuel from existing nuclear reactors in Slovakia, as a source of energy," said the companies, adding that the spent nuclear fuel will be reprocessed in France and then used to produce new fuel rods at a planned French MOX facility owned by NewCleo. These will then be used to generate electricity in the LFR-AS-200 advanced reactors, thus achieving a closed fuel cycle. ko