MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 11 July 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 10 July): BRUSSELS - The European Commission (EC) announced that it has disbursed the fifth payment to Slovakia under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), which is the centrepiece of the Next Generation EU (NGEU) instrument, TASR learnt on Thursday. The €492-million payment is part of Slovakia's national recovery and resilience plan. The commission pointed out that the Slovak recovery and resilience plan is being financed by grants amounting to €6.4 billion. The latest payment was made after Slovakia submitted its fifth request to the European Commission last December. This included 21 milestones and targets related to 14 reforms. The reforms focus on areas such as decarbonising electricity generation, promoting hydrogen technologies, improving public passenger transport and improving e-government services. Slovakia has so far received €3.96 billion via the recovery plan, which is 62 percent of the total funding allocated to the country, while 42 percent of the milestones and targets of the national plan have already been met. BRATISLAVA – I'm ready to meet with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at any time to resolve issues surrounding the 18th sanctions package against the Russian Federation, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) claimed in his social media post on Thursday. Fico posted this in response to Merz’s call for the Slovak government to stop blocking the adoption of the package. „The Slovak government is prepared to support this set of sanctions - even though its adoption will not change the military advantage or the economic performance of the Russian Federation. However, Slovakia must first receive clear guarantees — not just political promises — that its energy security and the affordability of energy will not be threatened by the European Commission’s ideological proposal to ban Russian gas imports starting 1 January 2028," Fico stated. The Slovak Prime Minister noted that no agreement on such guarantees has been reached so far. While the Slovak government appreciates the European Commission's efforts to find a solution, it refuses to negotiate under pressure. Fico also emphasized that 900 German companies operate in Slovakia, and therefore, the German government should also have an interest in ensuring that Slovakia has access to sufficient and affordable gas after 1 January 2028. BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has announced government assistance in compensating the damage after the storm in eastern Slovakia, TASR has learnt from his video posted on a social network on Thursday. "Wherever possible, the government will lend a helping hand in compensating the damage. In the same way, I believe that the state humanitarian aid, managed by the Labour Ministry, has worked and is working effectively," he noted. The premier is saddened by the damage caused by the weather. "As a young boy in my village, I always perceived four seasons. Torrential rains, huge storms and gales were exceptional, but today they are becoming a normal part of our lives," he added. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has criticised the government for not clearly promising aid after the storms in the east of Slovakia, calling on it to take action, said party leader and MP Michal Simecka on Thursday. "I find it regrettable not only that no high-ranking government official has visited these towns and villages, but also that no one has even promised in clear words help from the government, money to restore the damage, either from the prime minister's reserve or other sources," he stated. Simecka thinks that the state should make a clear promise of compensation and assistance when a natural phenomenon devastates an area. "I regret that this is not happening," he said, calling on the government to act. BRATISLAVA – Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) has rejected the opposition's criticism that government officials are not responding adequately to the aftermath of the recent storms in eastern Slovakia and are failing to assist the local people. According to the minister, representatives of the Interior Ministry were dispatched to the affected areas immediately. "The Interior Ministry's crisis management promptly declared states of emergency in more than 25 villages and activated all rescue units. Firefighters are conducting hundreds of operations, police are ensuring order and safety in high-risk areas. Both professionals and volunteers are helping, and their work is ongoing," he stated on social media. Sutaj Estok added that the Labour Ministry has launched humanitarian aid through local labour offices, with assistance already en route to the worst-affected communities. The state, he said, is also working closely with Presov region. BRATISLAVA - The Defence Ministry has processed approximately 240 more applications for training for the National Defence Forces (NDF), Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) stated on Thursday at a press conference at the Turecky Vrch military training area in Bratislava region to mark the start of the first round of training, adding that the number of applicants exceeded the current number of personnel in the active reserves. The ministry has also responded to approximately 3,000 requests for detailed information. President Peter Pellegrini is also taking part in the training. According to him, he won't have any special conditions or special treatment. He is prepared to stay at the training centre for the whole 14 days, adding that he will be able to carry out his presidential duties from there. Kalinak noted that nine women are registered among the trainees in the current course. Chief-of-General-Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces Daniel Zmeko said that thanks to investment in the facility, the infrastructure of the area is ready for training. BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has said that he isn't planning to get involved in the court proceedings in the case of the assassination attempt on him, reiterating that he's forgiven the attacker, TASR has learnt from his post on a social network. However, the premier thinks that the attacker was an opposition activist. In this context, he claimed that the media and opposition are spreading hatred and that he therefore fears another attack. "I didn't actively intervene in the investigation, and won't do so even at the stage of the court proceedings. In court, I'm represented as an aggrieved party by a well-qualified lawyer, David Lindtner. I believe that I won't even need to be questioned in court because the court played the recording of my questioning as part of the evidence," he stated, adding that he hasn't been traumatised by the attack. "And I continue to carry out my duties as prime minister with the same intensity," he emphasised, reiterating that he has forgiven the accused Juraj C. (name abbreviated due to legal reasons) and won't demand anything from him. The attacker, he said, is a product of the opposition. "It would be fair and right if all those who produced the attacker were sitting next to him in the courtroom without charges," he said, again speaking about the media and opposition politicians spreading hatred. According to him, it is therefore only a matter of time before another attack happens. "And I'm expressing my wish in advance that there will be as much luck for us as I had in my misfortune," he added. am