MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, 8 June 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, 7 June): BRATISLAVA - Speaking on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues) leader of the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) Andrej Danko said that the decision of President Peter Pellegrini not to call a referendum on lifting anti-Russian sanctions was surprising, particularly because he did not refer the proposed questions to the Constitutional Court for review in case of any doubts about their legality, with opposition MP Viliam Karas (Christian Democratic Movement/KDH) also stating that any suspicions regarding the legal conditions for a referendum should be verified by the Constitutional Court. “As a lawyer, I was surprised that he took it upon himself to interpret something that should be decided by the Constitutional Court,” said Danko. He believes that with his decision not to call a referendum, Pellegrini has negatively outdone his predecessor, Zuzana Caputova. Karas, also a lawyer, described the president’s decision as “very bold”. He added that it was doubtful whether the proposed referendum questions met legal requirements, but stressed that it is ultimately for the Constitutional Court to evaluate and rule on these issues. BRATISLAVA - At the meeting of the Bucharest Nine (B9) leaders in Vilnius, Lithuania, President Peter Pellegrini presented Slovakia’s position in line with the recommendations of the Slovak Defence Ministry and the General Staff of the Armed Forces, his spokesperson Patricia Medved Macikova said in response to comments made on the STVR programme Saturday Dialogues. In connection with the statements of coalition MP and Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko and MP from the opposition MP from Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) Viliam Karas — who described Pellegrini’s declaration of support for the proposal to increase in NATO defence spending as surprising and made without prior agreement during Saturday Dialogue — the spokeswoman said the president “always speaks at high-level international events after consultations with the relevant competent state authorities. According to her, this was also the case regarding the declared support in Vilnius. BRATISLAVA - Speaking on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues) MP and SNS leader Andrej Danko claimed in a discussion with MP from opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) Viliam Karas that last year the transaction tax was approved during the state budget discussions for this year in exchange for lower taxes for the self-employed and the hospitality sector. “We [SNS] were under pressure during the budget preparation. We fought for lower taxes for the self-employed, lower taxes for the hospitality sector, and many other things. In return, the transaction tax was also approved,” explained Danko. “The Premier [Robert Fico (Smer-SD)] clearly told us during the budget preparation that if we didn't support the budget, he would link it to a vote of no-confidence, which would mean the fall of Robert Fico’s government, so we had to vote for it. We'll probably face similar pressure during next year’s budget preparation. However, what matters to me is that the government stays in place. What matters to me is maintaining the coalition,” emphasised the SNS leader. BRATISLAVA - The Memorandum of the Slovak Nation was a key document that articulated the demands of Slovaks within the Kingdom of Hungary and became an important milestone in our history, President Peter Pellegrini told TASR on Saturday on the occasion of the 164th anniversary of its adoption. The Memorandum, adopted by the assembly in Martin (Zilina region), represented a comprehensive programme of national, political, and cultural rights. “Although many of its demands weren't immediately fulfilled, it became a starting point for further national efforts and helped shape Slovak identity,” the president emphasised. According to Pellegrini, the anniversary of the memorandum’s adoption should be a time to remember the courage and efforts of the ancestors, who fought for the rights and future of the Slovak nation. “Today, we have our own statehood, yet society is divided. This historical event serves as a positive example of uniting around a strong vision and values that can positively shape our future,” Pellegrini stated. lin