MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 2 July 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 30 June): BRATISLAVA - Slovakia on Monday (30 June) assumed the rotating annual presidency of the Austerlitz Format (S3: Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia) which will last until 30 June 2026, Foreign Ministry's communications department told TASR on Tuesday, adding that the main priorities will be energy security, cooperation in European affairs and the EU's enlargement to include the Western Balkan countries, as well as the development of transport infrastructure, digital transformation and development cooperation. This is the fourth presidency for Slovakia in this grouping, which was taken over from the Czech Republic by Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) last week in the form of a traditional relay baton. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia will be represented in China by a new ambassador, Milan Lajciak, who also has accreditation for Mongolia, the Foreign Ministry's communications department told TASR on Tuesday, adding that he'll return for the third time to the Slovak embassy in Beijing, which he founded in 1993. "Lajciak has been working at the Foreign Ministry since it was set up in 1993, he is the first Slovak ambassador to China, he's a sinologist and speaks Chinese. Until now, he has held the post of Slovak ambassador to Azerbaijan," said the ministry. The diplomat also previously headed Slovak embassies in Indonesia, South Korea and Malaysia. He was also an adviser to the Slovak president on foreign policy issues. BRATISLAVA - The Finance Ministry is to launch the pilot phase of the project of the state food price comparator on Tuesday after 5 p.m. It is a website solution that will serve consumers to compare the prices of basic types of food in selected retail chains. Visitors to www.cenyslovensko.sk will be able to compare prices not only between the chains themselves, but also between specific outlets of their choice, said the ministry. "Consumers will add individual products or their alternatives to a virtual shopping list and the system will automatically show them which store has the cheapest price after comparing it with others. The data provided will also take into account any price differences between outlets of the same chain (hypermarket, supermarket, express) or different prices between the regions," added the ministry. BRATISLAVA - A delegation of experts from the European Commission's high-level task force, established in cooperation with Bratislava earlier this year, will visit Slovakia, the European Commission confirmed to TASR on Tuesday. The delegation is expected to meet with local partners to jointly assess the situation regarding the Commission’s plan to gradually phase out imports of energy resources from Russia by the end of 2027. TASR requested the statement from the European Commission following media reports that a "high-level" group visit to Slovakia is scheduled for 3 July to finalise details. The composition of the delegation has not been disclosed. „The Commission remains fully committed to continuing very close cooperation with all member states, especially those most concerned about the gradual phase-out of gas imports, as has already been the case prior to submitting the legislative proposal,” the EC stated. It added that Brussels has taken note of Slovakia's concerns but declined to comment on them. ZAGRE/BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini was accompanied by Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok during his official visit to Croatia on Tuesday. As part of the visit, Minister Sutaj Estok held bilateral talks with his Croatian counterpart, Davor Bozinovic, TASR learnt from the Interior Ministry's press department. The two ministers agreed that strong and effective police cooperation remains the cornerstone of bilateral collaboration in the area of national security. Another important item of the talks was migration. The Slovak Interior Minister highlighted the longstanding involvement of Slovak police officers in Croatian tourist regions during the summer season. „This year marks the 18th time our police officers are participating in the ‘Croatia – Safe Tourist Destination’ project. During the last tourist season, Slovak officers assisted tourists in over 300 cases both along the coast and inland. Thanks to their professionalism and reliability, these joint patrols have earned the strong trust of Slovak holidaymakers,” Sutaj Estok emphasized. ZAGREB/BRATISLAVA - In recent years, foreign trade between Slovakia and Croatia has exceeded the one-billion-euro mark, but there is still room to intensify business relations, President Peter Pellegrini said on Tuesday during the opening of the Slovak-Croatian Business Forum, attended by Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, TASR’s special correspondent reported on the same day. According to Pellegrini, the forum aims to strengthen economic ties between Slovakia and Croatia and to seek new projects and partnerships. He noted that last year more than half a million Slovak citizens visited Croatia — roughly every tenth Slovak. „I’m convinced that Slovakia also has something to offer visitors from Croatia, and that the number of Croatian tourists in Slovakia will grow in the coming years. At the same time, we can be inspired by Croatia’s ability to build infrastructure that meets the high demands of 21st-century tourism,” Pellegrini said. ZAGREB/BRATISLAVA - A dialogue is underway between Slovakia and Croatia regarding the potential use of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the island of Krk, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini announced at a press conference in Zagreb on Tuesday. TASR learnt the news from its special correspondent. The talks come as Slovakia finds itself without stable gas and oil supplies, following the suspension of transit through Ukraine. Pellegrini and Croatian President Zoran Milanovic agreed that it is crucial to prevent excessive price inflation, particularly as NATO countries plan to increase their defence spending. Both leaders emphasized that Slovakia and Croatia should focus first on fulfilling existing capability commitments as NATO members — essentially, completing and enhancing the military capacities they already have. BRATISLAVA - The government of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) is leading Slovakia toward bankruptcy and economic collapse, according to the opposition's 'Slovakia' party. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, MP Julius Jakab cited recent forecasts by the Council for Budgetary Responsibility and the Finance Ministry. "The Council for Budgetary Responsibility said this government is spending the most money in Slovakia's history. They are indebting the country at a record pace," Jakab stated. "The second report, released yesterday (30 June) by the Finance Ministry itself, shows that people are no longer willing to pay taxes," he added. As a result, he said, the state will not raise the billions it expected from newly introduced taxes, because people either cannot afford them or won't pay in protest against the government. Jakab again criticized the Cabinet for imposing heavy tax burdens as well as increasing fees for residents, and mismanaging public spending. lin