MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, 16 October 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 15 October): BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) is increasingly convinced that the continuous discussion about Ukraine in the European Union serves to mask the bloc’s inability to address its most pressing challenges and problems, TASR was told by Government Office's press department on Wednesday. „As part of preparations for the European Council (EC), I had a long phone call with EC President Antonio Costa. I expressed surprise that once again Ukraine is being treated as a priority topic, instead of the EU’s enormous economic and political issues," the Prime Minister said. „I repeatedly reminded Antonio Costa that I am not interested in dealing with sanctions packages against Russia unless the conclusions of the EC summit include political directives for the European Commission on how to address the crisis in the automotive industry and the high energy prices, which are making the European economy completely uncompetitive," he specified. BRUSSELS - The permanent representatives of the EU member states failed to agree on a 19th package of sanctions against Russia on Wednesday, with Slovakia and Austria being the countries blocking the deal on a new round of EU sanctions against Moscow, TASR has learnt from Euronews website. The proposed package, which has been on the table for almost a month, targets Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG), oil infrastructure, "shadow fleet" and cryptocurrency platforms, as well as the movements of Russian diplomats across the bloc. After weeks of negotiations, the technical and legal details of the restrictions have been fine-tuned and settled, diplomats consulted by Euronews told the website, adding that a final agreement on the package was expected to be reached at a meeting of permanent representatives on Wednesday. However, Slovakia and Austria, each for different reasons, blocked the deal. SKOPJE/BRATISLAVA - Slovak President Peter Pellegrini concluded his visit to North Macedonia on Wednesday with a tour of the Marie Curie-Sklodowska Secondary School, where a laboratory for processing biowaste has been set up with Slovakia's financial support through the UN Development Programme (UNDP). "I'm pleased that Slovakia, as a small country, can contribute in a meaningful way to helping countries that need it. I'm very glad that, as part of this international assistance, we're more active here not only in the area of education, but also through our public finance experts from the Finance Ministry, who participate in public budgeting reform and in aligning economic parameters and accounting with European standards," said the Slovak head of state. The total value of the project is around USD 350,000 (roughly €303,000), of which approximately USD 100,000 came from Slovak development aid. BRATISLAVA - The police have launched a criminal investigation into the spreading of a fearmongering message linked to questioning the safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines by Government Proxy for Investigating COVID-19 Pandemic Management Peter Kotlar, representatives of the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party stated at a press conference on Wednesday. Bratislava Region Police haven't confirmed or denied the claim, however. SaS filed a criminal complaint against Kotlar in March over his public statements. SaS chair Branislav Groehling declared that Bratislava Region Police informed the party about initiating criminal proceedings on Tuesday (14 October). "At this point, we're aware that criminal proceedings have begun. Based on everything currently evident from the case file, I believe there is a high probability that charges will be filed. We are convinced that our criminal complaint has a clear factual basis, and the person we consider to be the main suspect is Peter Kotlar in his capacity as government proxy,” said SaS vice-chair Maria Kolikova. ZILINA - The KOVO trade union organisation operating at Kia Zilina on Wednesday submitted a draft new collective agreement for 2026-2027 to carmaker Kia Slovakia, demanding a €250-per-month increase in basic salaries for all employees, the company's trade union chairman Martin Cech informed TASR on the same day. According to Cech, the draft reflects the current situation, economic results and prospects of the company, as well as the income and cost situation faced by employees. "The aim of the proposal is for the collective agreement to provide a balance between the employer's possibilities and a guarantee of an improving standard of living for employees of one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world," said Cech. BRATISLAVA - Consumer prices of goods and services rose by 0.2 percent month-on-month (m-o-m) on average in September, with year-on-year (y-o-y) inflation accelerating to 4.3 percent, the second-highest rate this year, matching the level seen in June, the Statistics Office reported on Wednesday, noting that the highest y-o-y inflation rate, at 4.4 percent, was recorded in July. Prices rose across all 12 monitored sectors, with the growth ranging from 2.5 percent in housing (including energy) to 9.7 percent in education. The most dynamic price growth of over 6 percent was posted in education and in hotels and restaurants, mainly under the influence of rising prices of catering services, and also in the miscellaneous goods and services sector, chiefly as a result of the growth in prices of financial services and insurance products. ko