MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 27 June 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 26 June): BRATISLAVA - If Slovak National Party (SNS) chairman Andrej Danko had read the final resolution from the NATO summit in the Hague, he would have found out that no member state managed to negotiate any exemption, President Peter Pellegrini's spokesperson Patricia Medved Macikova has told TASR in reaction to SNS's criticism. "All NATO members, including Spain, on Wednesday (25 June) declared their intention to increase defence and security spending over ten years, with the pace of this increase being up to each sovereign government - including the Slovak one, of which the SNS is a part," stated Medved Macikova. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia will support conclusions of the European Council summit starting in Brussels on Thursday. Contrary to Hungary, Slovakia doesn't have problems with the part concerning Ukraine. However, it will draw partners' attention to the problem with the planned complete halt to Russian gas imports to the EU and it won't vote for the planned 18th package of anti-Russian sanctions until this problem is resolved, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) informed a meeting of the parliamentary European affairs committee shortly before his departure to Brussels. "The European Union won't be united once again, as Hungary has announced that it wont' support the part of the wording that concerns Ukraine. Therefore, this part of the text will only be approved in the EU 26 format. As for the second part of the document, I assume that there will be agreement and that the 27 member states will adopt it," said Fico. BRATISLAVA - An investigator on Wednesday (25 June) charged a woman who confessed to killing her child with the particularly serious crime of murder of a protected person, Presov Regional Prosecutor's Office spokesman Michal Sovic has confirmed for TASR. The woman came to one of the police departments in the Kezmarok district (Presov region) on Tuesday (24 June), claiming that she had killed her minor child, whose body was allegedly found in her car. The police detained the suspect and launched criminal prosecution for the particularly serious crime of murder in the case. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia evacuated more Slovak nationals from the Middle East, Foreign Affairs Ministry's communications department told TASR on Thursday, adding that they were brought to the M.R. Stefanik Airport on Wednesday evening by a government aircraft which departed from Aqaba, Jordan. The evacuees were 22 Slovak citizens and two foreigners. The flight was ensured thanks to close cooperation with the Defence and Interior Ministries. BRATISLAVA - 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. Salaries of teaching and professional staff will increase by 7 percent as of 1 September and by another 5 percent as of 1 January 2026. The salary hike in the case of university lecturers and researchers will be 7 percent as of this September and an additional 7 percent as of next January. Salaries of other school employees will go up as well, as a new separate salary scale will apply to non-teaching staff. BRATISLAVA - 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. According to Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD), Slovak-Turkish relations are on a very good level. "During Premier Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) official visit to Turkey in January this year, we managed to conclude a strategic partnership between our two countries, which strengthened the political dialogue with the aim of expanding cooperation in several important areas," pointed out the Slovak foreign minister. BRATISLAVA - 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. "It is a proposal that will have a negative impact on gas prices in Slovakia, including households and industry, and will certainly lead to a reduction in the competitiveness of the whole EU. Not to mention Slovakia as a country where there is a huge concentration of car production, where industry accounts for a substantial part of the gross domestic product," emphasised the prime minister. KOSICE - 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. TASR learnt the news from Regional Court spokesperson Anna Pancurova. Arvai was convicted of an aggravated crime of manslaughter. „The verdict of the Kosice City Court has thus become final, and the convict will serve his sentence in a facility with the minimum level of security. The public session was held in the defendant's absence," stated Pancurova. The City Court made its decision in the case on 21 May. Part of the sentence also includes a six-year ban on working in the police force or in private security services. The convict is also required to pay the costs of the victim’s funeral and damages to the health insurance company. BRUSSELSE - 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. According to Simecka, due to Fico’s foreign policy, Slovakia now has virtually no allies in the EU except for Hungary. Fico, during a session of the Slovak House's Committee for European Affairs before departing for Brussels, stated that he will not vote for the 18th sanctions package until the problem related to the planned complete halt of Russian gas imports to the EU is resolved — a point he wants to raise with his partners during negotiations. Fico later clarified that if Brussels does not agree to postpone the vote, he will use his veto power. According to him, the “REpowerEU” plan introduced by the European Commission would significantly harm Slovakia, turning it from a “starting point of the pipeline” into an end-point country. lin