SUMMARY - Thursday, 26 June 2025 - 9 p.m.

Brussels, 26 June (TASR-correspondent) - The main topic of Thursday's talks with European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen was the REPowerEU legislative package, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stressed during the ongoing EU summit in Brussels, confirming that he met with the EC chief ahead of the European Council meeting to discuss the legislative proposal, which calls for a ban on Russian gas imports to all EU member states as of 1 January 2028. https://etasr.sk/article/22214357 Bratislava, 26 June (TASR) - If parliamentary election had been held in June, Progressive Slovakia (PS) would have won on 22.5 percent of votes, followed by Smer-SD on 19.3 percent and Voice-SD on 12.1 percent, according to a poll conducted by AKO agency on behalf of TV JOJ 24. https://etasr.sk/article/22214172 Kosice, 26 June (TASR) - The verdict of the Kosice City Court, which sentenced former Kosice police officer Marek Arvai to eight years in prison for the killing of a homeless man, has become final, as the Kosice Regional Court acknowledged the withdrawal of the defendant’s appeal against the sentence on Thursday. https://etasr.sk/article/22214393 Bratislava, 26 June (TASR) - President Peter Pellegrini on Thursday approved the increase in the salaries of employees in the education sector, according to amendments to the law on the remuneration of certain employees performing work in the public interest and of teaching and professional staff, TASR has learnt on the same day. https://etasr.sk/article/22213882 Brussels/Bratislava, 26 June (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico is incapable of justifying his threat to block the 18th package of sanctions against Russia at the European Council session, leader of Progressive Slovakia (PS) Michal Simecka declared on Thursday at a press briefing in Brussels - after his meeting with EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and others. https://etasr.sk/article/22214089 Bratislava, June 26 (TASR) - The Slovak Central Bank (NBS) unveiled a statue of the first governor of the NBS, Imrich Karvas - who stood up against two totalitarian regimes during his lifetime - in front of its headquarters in Bratislava on Thursday, NBS announced on its website. https://etasr.sk/article/22213917 Banska Bystrica, 26 June (TASR) - A meeting of representatives of local authorities with the agriculture and investments ministers was held in Banska Bystrica on Thursday, with more than 140 mayors from the Banska Bystrica region discussing with Richard Takac (Smer-SD) and Samuel Migal (Independent) mainly the use of EU funds, TASR has learnt at their press conference on the same day. https://etasr.sk/article/22214074 Bratislava, 26 June (TASR) - Michal Slivovic has taken up the post of Slovak Ambassador to Turkey on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry's communications department told TASR on Thursday, adding that it was in Ankara where Slivovic started his foreign diplomatic career. https://etasr.sk/article/22213959 Trnava, 26 June (TASR) - Two new community-type facilities for the elderly have been created in the villages of Kralov Brod and Kutniky in Trnava region, with Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Erik Tomas and Health Minister Kamil Sasko (both Voice-SD) being present at the handover ceremony on Thursday. https://etasr.sk/article/22214286 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