MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, 2 September 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, 1 September): BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) confirmed that during his visit to Beijing he is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other statesmen, TASR has learnt from Fico's post on a social network on Monday. On his return from Beijing, he's due to move to eastern Slovakia to hold a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday (5 September). "If there is a chance to meet with world leaders in Beijing, in addition to paying respect to the victims of war, it should be taken. Heads of states representing billions of people will be there. There will be heads of states who have their own views, perhaps right, perhaps wrong, but views that must be listened to and respected," stated Fico, noting that EU officials had been notified of his trip in good time. He added that Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) had exchanged the necessary information with European diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas. BRATISLAVA - On the occasion of the 33rd anniversary of the adoption of the Slovak Constitution, Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) welcomed former heads of parliament at a gala luncheon on Monday. The House chair also met with former MPs who were present at the adoption of the Constitution. Rudolf Schuster, Ivan Gasparovic, Frantisek Miklosko, Peter Ziga, Boris Kollar, Jozef Migas, Bela Bugar and Pavol Hrusovsky accepted the invitation to the luncheon at Bratislava Castle. President Peter Pellegrini, who also served as the parliamentary head, also came. In the historic Parliament building Rasi met with MPs who personally stood at the formation of the foundations of the Slovak statehood. In his speech he pointed to their courage, foresight, "unwavering faith in the strength of the Slovak nation and also their determination to prepare the best possible conditions for the future of Slovakia". BRATISLAVA - On Monday, on the occasion of the Constitution Day, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) bestowed the Alexander Dubcek State Award on Stefan Grman, Jozef Banas and Jan Telensky. "It was an honour for me to present the three laureates with the Alexander Dubcek State Award today. I hope that the awarding of the honour bearing the name of Alexander Dubcek will encourage them in the activities for which we've presented them with this important award," Fico said on a social network. POPRAD - An initiative called 'Work Instead of Benefits' is being put into practice as of Monday, Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) told a press conference in Poprad (Presov region) on the same day, adding that those who refuse a suitable job offer from the labour office despite being able to work will lose their subsistence benefit or have it reduced. "If such a person refuses a job offer for the first time, the benefit will be withdrawn for one month; if refusing a job offer again, it will be reduced for three months. This process will repeat cyclically until the person accepts a job offer," Tomas explained. He said the new law also addresses the problem of debt enforcement, as many people were reluctant to work because their salary would be garnished. Under the new rules, those who find a job will continue to receive the subsistence benefit in the full amount during the first two months. BRATISLAVA - Protests were held on Monday in nearly 150 private schools in Slovakia to express their dissatisfaction with the draft school laws that are to be submitted to Parliament, head of the Association of Private Schools and School Facilities Eva Ohradanova, and representatives of an initiative called Not Like This! told a press conference on Monday, adding that a petition in this regard has been launched as of Monday. "Schools have included both the reading of the constitution and the reading of the petition in their opening ceremonies. They are engaging in protests along with their parents. They are doing so to protect the environment in which children grow up," said Ohradanova, noting that they are still open to discussing changes in the school laws, as well as to negotiations with Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD). She didn't rule out possible temporary short-term closure of classes at private schools and silent or vocal protests in case of continued discontent. A representative of the initiative presented the petition, which she said has already been signed by almost 5,000 people. "It is intended to preserve the rights of parents and children, equal freedom of choice and democratic principles in education," she said. Among other things, the petition asks MPs not to proceed with the debate on the bills. By signing the petition, citizens can express their disagreement with the proposals that have been submitted by the government to Parliament. KOSICE – The Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Kosice has dropped a sabotage charge against police officer M. V. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], defence attorney Peter Kubina confirmed on social media on Monday. According to Kubina, the charge was deemed unlawful by the prosecutor. Kubina called on Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) to reinstate the officer. He noted that the prosecutor has decided that actions attributed to M. V. did not meet the legal definition of sabotage or misuse of power. „Immediately after his arrest, I publicly stated that the charge was a mere fantasy and would not withstand the first contact with a court or an objective prosecutor. Once again, the defence has prevailed over the arbitrariness of the UIS Veritas team – as it has done many times before, and as it will continue to do until we lay all these unlawful charges to rest in a virtual graveyard,” Kubina said. ko