MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 9 June 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 8 June): BRATISLAVA - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) announced at a Sunday press conference that during his visit to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, which begins on Sunday and runs until Wednesday (11 June), he intends to focus primarily on the defence industry. According to the premier, the visit to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is primarily aimed at establishing a strategic partnership with Uzbekistan and revitalising economic and friendly relations with both countries. “I personally want to focus on the issue of arms production, because we see enormous potential here,” said Fico. Fico also stated that in 2024 the defence industry contributed €1.14 billion to Slovakia’s GDP and was a key driver of the country’s economic growth, with ambitions for this contribution to reach €1.5 billion in 2025, representing one percent of GDP. BRATISLAVA - A sudden sharp increase in defence spending is unrealistic, but a gradual rise should be expected given the current situation, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said at a Sunday press conference. Fico also emphasised that part of the defence spending must allow for dual use, meaning it can also be used for infrastructure that serves the public. “If a reasonable proposal is presented and the condition of dual use is met (...). But if someone thinks that because we're currently spending two percent, it will rise to five percent in a year or even in five years, they can forget it,” he stated. “A sudden increase is impossible,” he stressed. Fico believes that President Peter Pellegrini should once again convene a round table with representatives of all relevant political parties on this issue. “This is a question and a decision that will go far beyond the current electoral term,” the premier noted. BRATISLAVA - The information the country has sent out to the world with the parliamentary resolution on rejecting anti-Russian sanctions is a huge disgrace, said opposition MP Jozef Hajko (Christian Democratic Movement/KDH) said on STVR's discussion programme 'O 5 minut 12' (Five Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday, while Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) said the opposition was equally to blame. “No one in the world will study how many MPs (...), how many MPs abstained, or whether the opposition was obstructing. It doesn’t matter at all. The signal sent out to the world was simply that the Slovak parliament is against adopting further Russian sanctions,” Hajko stated, adding that Russia still regards Slovakia as a hostile state. Tomas agreed that no one in the world will be interested in exactly what happened during the vote or how it went. However, he is convinced that the opposition is also to blame for the outcome. At the same time, Hajko pointed to differing attitudes within the ruling coalition on this serious matter. In his view, it's unclear to what extent this resolution is binding on the government. He described what will happen next as a huge puzzle. Tomas disagreed that the vote had divided his party, saying MPs were given a free hand. BRATISLAVA - Speaking on TA3's discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics) on Sunday, House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) said that President Peter Pellegrini’s decision not to call a referendum on anti-Russian sanctions was based on a clear legal interpretation that the conditions required by law had not been met and that the proposed referendum would be difficult to implement, while his opponent, SaS leader and opposition MP Branislav Groehling, argued it was an arbitrary decision and that the president should have consulted the Constitutional Court in case of doubt. "This institution [Constitutional Court] exists precisely to decide on disputed cases concerning referendum questions," emphasised the leader of the opposition party. Rasi, on the other hand, sees no reason to turn to the Constitutional Court if the president received a clear legal opinion from the legal experts. "Should they then turn to the Constitutional Court every time?" Rasi asked. ko