SUMMARY - Friday, 1 August 2025 - 5 p.m.

Bratislava, 1 August (TASR) - The state budget saw a deficit of €3.637 billion at the end of July 2025, which was an improvement of €553.3 million, or 13.2 percent year-on-year (y-o-y), the Finance Ministry announced on Friday. https://etasr.sk/article/22321630 Kosice, August 1 (TASR) - A government audit in the project of Kosice self-governing region for the protection and restoration of biodiversity in the forests around Dobsina and Gelnica found no errors and public money was used purposefully and transparently, Kosice region head Rastislav Trnka said on Friday in response to a police investigation into the biodiversity project and accusations that the work wasn't carried out in full and millions of euros in damage were incurred. https://etasr.sk/article/22321770 Bratislava, 1 August (TASR) - This week's powerful magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's Far Eastern Kamchatka coast was recorded by seismic stations across the globe, including Slovakia, Lucia Fojtikova from the seismology department at the Earth Sciences Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences told TASR on Friday, noting that the arrival time of the seismic wave from the quake on the Russian peninsula to the territory of Slovakia was about 12 minutes. https://etasr.sk/article/22321712 Bratislava, 1 August (TASR) – Slovakia continues to support the principles of peace and security promoted by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs stated on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the OSCE’s predecessor. https://etasr.sk/article/22321678 Bratislava, 1 August (TASR) – The transaction tax will bring €134.6 million for the first three months since its introduction, namely, from April to June, TASR reported on Friday on the basis of data processed by the Financial Administration and the Finance Ministry based on notifications from taxpayers. https://etasr.sk/article/22321562 Bratislava, 1 August (TASR) – Former justice minister (2020-23) and MP Maria Kolikova (SaS) “has hit a new low and demonstrated her lack of integrity,” Justice Ministry press department head Peter Lazarov said in response to Kolikova’s Friday call to publish the appeal that led to the release of convicted former special prosecutor Dusan Kovacik from prison. https://etasr.sk/article/22321463 Bratislava, 1 August (TASR) - The opposition 'Slovakia' party told a news conference on Friday that the tender to operate ambulance services has been prepared for people agreed upon in advance, arguing that a company called Agel has bought 86 ambulances even before the conclusion of the tender. https://etasr.sk/article/22321433 Pezinok/Bratislava, 1 August (TASR) – A judge of the Specialised Criminal Court on Friday sentenced former police investigator Marian K. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] to five years of house arrest. https://etasr.sk/article/22321405 Bratislava, 1 August (TASR) – The true agenda of the current government is to secure impunity for certain individuals, which is why it attacks the rule of law, the opposition's Progressive Slovakia (PS) party declared on Friday. https://etasr.sk/article/22321348 Bratislava, August 1 (TASR) – Sixteen municipalities hit by high winds in early July have been sent nearly €400,000 for the clear-up work and can expect the funds in their accounts within a day, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) announced at a press conference on Friday, which was also attended by the ministry’s state secretary Michal Kalinak. https://etasr.sk/article/22321282 Bratislava, 1 August (TASR) - Jan Stovka has become the new director of the public-service Ethnic Minority Culture Support Fund (FPKNM) after Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) appointed him to the post based on a selection procedure on Friday. https://etasr.sk/article/22321191 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