MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 2 August 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 1 August): BRATISLAVA - 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. State-budget income grew by €1.942 billion, or 16.8 percent y-o-y in the seventh month of the year, while expenditure rose by €1.388 billion, or 8.8 percent. "Tax revenue grew by €1.559 billion (or 15 percent) y-o-y in July. Of this, the highest proportion as usual came from value-added tax, bringing in €782 million more than the year before. The amount of corporate tax collected rose by €220.9 million, that of withholding tax by €18.1 million, while the amount of excise taxes garnered grew by €77.8 million," said the Finance Ministry. Despite an increase in transfers to local government of €110.4 million, the Finance Ministry also reported a positive development in income tax revenues, which went up by €224.8 million. Income from the special levy from businesses operating in regulated branches increased by €80 million y-o-y. The new financial transaction tax brought €124.5 million into state coffers in May. BRATISLAVA - 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. The total revenue estimate for this year is thus adjusted for the most recent changes, and the ministry is now expecting to collect €420 million instead of the original €550 million. BRATISLAVA - 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. In its appointment announcement, the ministry pointed out that Stovka, as the long-time artistic director of the Dubrava folklore ensemble and the 'primas' [leader of the string section - ed.note] of several musical ensembles, has been actively engaged in preserving and developing traditional culture. "He's cooperated on many cultural and social events, anniversaries and on the production of documentary and artistic projects," added the ministry. BRATISLAVA - 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. Fojtikova added that no increased seismic activity is currently being recorded in Slovakia. "Stations of the National Network of Seismic Stations have been registering increased activity in Kamchatka since 20 June. Since the beginning of the increased seismic activity, seismic stations in Slovakia have recorded hundreds of seismic events from this area," she said, adding that the waves with the largest amplitudes in Slovakia were a group of surface waves that reached an amplitude of two to three millimetres. KOSICE - 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. Trnka again rejected the accusations of misuse of EU funds and criticised the procedure of the police investigation, pointing to the results of the government audit as well as previous audits of the project by the Environment Ministry. "Quite simply, no wrongdoing was found in this case. This means that the expenses were legal, justified, correctly accounted for and all Kosice region's moves were in accordance with the relevant legislation," Trnka told a press conference, noting that no conflicts of interest were found either. Kosice region reported that the Government Audit Office had examined the project in detail and the audit was carried out by 15 experts in accordance with the applicable law. They checked everything from accounts and expenses, through tenders for contractors, to works in the forests near Gelnica and Dobsina. BRATISLAVA - 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. "It's been twenty-three days since the high winds, and we've sent almost €400,000 to the accounts of six district offices, which in turn will be forwarded to municipalities to cover the financial consequences and pay for the damage incurred. The first amount of €400,000 was sent in record time," said the minister. Regarding the humanitarian aid of €1,500 per household, he said that it's been provided to more than 200 people to date. Kalinak noted that financial aid for the clear-up work was sent to district offices on Thursday (July 31). By Friday, it should be credited to the accounts of the 16 affected municipalities in which a state of emergency was declared. BRATISLAVA - Opposition parties Progressive Slovakia (PS) and Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) consider the upcoming away-from-home session of the House Committee for Public Administration and Regional Development in the town of Gelnica (Kosice region) a legitimate right and claim that state assistance following the early July windstorm in the Gelnica district came too late. Their comments came in response to statements made by Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) and Deputy Interior Minister Michal Kalinak during a press conference on Friday. "If minister Sutaj Estok stands by his work in Gelnica and the surrounding area, there is no reason to attack PS over our oversight initiative, which is a legitimate right of the opposition. One has to wonder whether the minister and the deputy minister would have held today’s press conference on aid to the affected region if we hadn’t announced yesterday's emergency special away-from-home session," said committee member Marek Lackovic (PS). BRATISLAVA - Beer production in Slovakia increased to 297.6 million litres in 2024, up 2 percent from the 291.6 million litres brewed in 2023, the Slovak Beer and Malt Producers Association (SZVPS) reported on the occasion of International Beer Day, which falls on the first Friday of August each year. In fact, the production of alcoholic beer saw a slight decline, whereas the production of non-alcoholic beer and shandy (a.k.a Radler) rose by more than a tenth. "Non-alcoholic beer production increased by more than 15 percent year-on-year, rising steadily since the pandemic year of 2020. This uptrend is not only seen in volume but also in the number of non-alcoholic beers, as more and more breweries are starting to produce them," said SZVPS executive director Vladimir Machalik. am