SUMMARY - Friday, 20 June 2025 - 5 p.m.

Bratislava/Ljubljana, 20 June (TASR) - Slovak President Peter Pellegrini met with Slovak compatriots in Ljubljana, where he was welcomed by Slovak Ambassador Peter Bak, and praised the many successful Slovaks living in Slovenia who have established themselves in the management of major companies. https://etasr.sk/article/22194415 Bratislava/Vatican City, 20 June (TASR) - This week, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar visited the Pontifical Slovak Institute and the College of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Rome and paid respects to the millennium-old legacy of the Slavic apostles, Saints Cyril and Methodius, at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore), TASR has learnt from the ministry's communications department. https://etasr.sk/article/22193991 Bratislava, June 20 (TASR) - If President Peter Pellegrini supports an increase in defence spending at the upcoming summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) member states, he'll do so without a government or parliamentary mandate and on his own responsibility, chairman of the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) and House Vice-chair Andrej Danko said at a press conference on Friday, admitting, however that the president has the constitutional right to decide on this issue. https://etasr.sk/article/22194600 Kosice, 20 June (TASR) - Kosice Mayor Jaroslav Polacek is preparing to set up a new political party called 'Kosice 2030 Movement', TASR learnt on Friday. https://etasr.sk/article/22194613 Bratislava, 20 June (TASR) - In connection with a Naegleria fowleri infection case, eight out of ten samples taken on 14 June preliminarily confirmed the presence of various types of amoebae, according to Chief Hygienist Tatiana Cervenova, with further analysis underway to specify the exact species and determine the source of transmission. https://etasr.sk/article/22194266 Kosice, 20 June (TASR) - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party has criticised the government's decision to "quietly freeze €200 million earmarked for the development of local authorities", with MP Vladimir Ledecky (SaS) describing it as an unacceptable move that threatens dozens of prepared projects in the regions and disqualifies local authorities ready to effectively draw on EU funds. https://etasr.sk/article/22194465 Bratislava, 20 June (TASR) - Slovak NGOs Transparency International Slovakia, Let's Stop Corruption Foundation, and Via Iuris called on the government during a Friday press conference to open a discussion on lobbying regulation, presenting a proposal based on EU best practices, while warning that Slovakia remains one of the few EU countries without a lobbying law, leaving room for non-transparent practices. https://etasr.sk/article/22194166 Notice: If you click on the link or copy it into the search window, the browser will display the full text of the message in the new e-TASR client zone. If you have any questions, please contact obchod@tasr.sk. am