MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 5 September 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 4 September): BEIJING – Chinese-Slovak relations are now closer and Slovakia is beginning to play an active role in relations between China and the EU, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said following his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday, the Government Office's press department told TASR on Thursday, adding that the Chinese head of state also told the Slovak premier that he'll visit Slovakia when he comes to Europe. Xi promised to cooperate in issuing licenses for the export of Chinese rare earths and minerals to Slovakia, which, according to the prime minister, are necessary for the functioning of the Slovak industry. Fico hopes that after the investment of the Chinese battery company Gotion, the Chinese government will be interested in supporting other Chinese investors in their activities in Slovakia. The premier welcomed the fact that Slovak tourists can continue to travel to China without visas in 2026. "I believe that the Slovak cultural institute in Beijing and the Chinese cultural institute in Bratislava will soon become a reality," said the head of the Slovak government. BRATISLAVA - Reacting to a journalist's question on Thursday, Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) has confirmed the occurrence of hepatitis in Parliament. The minister added that all necessary measures had been taken. According to his information, the situation is under control. "We immediately communicated both with the competent staff here in Parliament and also with the chief hygienist. All the necessary measures have been taken here on the spot. There was an inspection here this morning as well. ... The situation at the moment, as I know, is under control," said Sasko, advising the MPs to wash their hands. BRATISLAVA - Energy infrastructure will be high on the agenda of the meeting between Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Uzhhorod, the Government Office's press and information department told TASR on Thursday, adding that the prime minister is due to travel to the meeting on Friday (5 September). "The Slovak premier and the Ukrainian president will inform about the conclusions of the meeting at a joint press conference," stated the the Government's Office. The office further reported that Fico will also meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko in Uzhhorod. They added that the delegation will also include Vice-premier and Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) and Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD). BRATISLAVA - Opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party is calling for the dismissal of the head of the Slovak Information Service (SIS) Pavol Gaspar, accusing him of a breach of confidentiality, MP Maria Kolikova (SaS) announced at a press conference on Thursday. SaS plans to submit a resolution in Parliament that, if passed, would urge Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and President Peter Pellegrini to assume political responsibility and take action against Gaspar. Kolikova also wants to initiate a special emergency session of the House Committee Supervising SIS Activities. „We will demand that the government, the Prime Minister, and the President take political responsibility for the head of the Slovak Information Service. He should not have been appointed in the first place, and now he must be removed from office as soon as possible," Kolikova stated. According to Kolikova, Gaspar allegedly broke the law by providing information to his father, Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD), who faces criminal charges and also serves as a vice-chair of Parliament. She claimed Tibor Gaspar confirmed on a TV programme that he had received information from his son, which he could not disclose due to legal restrictions, but which will be discussed by the committee. This, Kolikova argued, shows that the SIS head is not respecting the law. KOSICE - Volvo Car Kosice launched a recruitment campaign in September to fill positions for the car plant near Kosice under construction, company's CEO Marc Gombeer stated on Thursday, adding that in the first wave it plans to recruit 1,000 employees, with thousands more jobs opening up later, ranging from production operators to highly specialised professions. "We've committed to a minimum of 3,300 people and I don't think we'll have any problem meeting that," said the director, adding that the recruitment will focus on Slovak workers. In the case of salary conditions, he spoke of an average monthly salary for a production operator of €1,280, mentioning both a variable component and a 13th salary. According to the company, the work at the new plant in Valaliky is proceeding at a rapid pace, with the installation of key technologies currently underway in the main production halls. Pre-series test production is scheduled for mid-2026, with production set to start in early 2027. The plant, with state-of-the-art production technologies, will be focused on the production of a new generation of electric vehicles. BRATISLAVA - Representatives of the Biomedical Centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (BMC SAV) and the authors of the mRNA analysis of COVID-19 vaccines assured the public at a press conference on Thursday that the amount of residual DNA in the vaccines corresponds to the norms, reiterating that unscientific and fabricated statements about vaccine threats are a dangerous source of public fear-mongering that can have serious consequences for public health. "Based on our comprehensive analysis as well as the most up-to-date knowledge, we can unequivocally assure the public that the amount of residual DNA in mRNA vaccines is within standards. Moreover, this DNA is fragmented, it is not found in vaccines as a whole, but is broken into small pieces," said BMC SAV head Silvia Pastorekova, stressing that there is no credible scientific or medical evidence that this residual DNA alters the human genome. Pastorekova explained that the vaccines analysed came from official warehouses certified by the State Institute for Drug Control, including nine batches of Pfizer/BioNTech-Comirnaty and six batches of Moderna-Spikevax. "Eleven of the batches analysed were the same as those of interest to Government Proxy Peter Kotlar and came from the same source," she added. BRATISLAVA - Independent MP Miroslav Radacovsky is reportedly set to become Slovakia’s new ambassador to Cyprus, according to Dennik N, citing multiple sources from the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the political scene. Radacovsky told TASR on Thursday he could neither confirm nor deny the information. „We regularly inform the media of all ambassadorial changes in a transparent manner and will continue to do so,” the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry's press department told TASR on Thursday. Radacovsky ran in the 2023 parliamentary elections as a candidate of the Slovak National Party (SNS) and was sworn in as an MP in March 2025. He took up the mandate following Rudolf Huliak (independent) becoming the Minister of Tourism and Sport. jrg