MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, 28 October 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, 27 October): LIPTOVSKY MIKULAS - House Speaker Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) said on Monday during the Interior Ministry's congress with municipal leaders that Slovakia is set for a major bottom-up reform of local self-government, TASR reported on the same day. The congress is taking place to mark the 35th anniversary of the re-establishment of local self-government in Slovakia. According to Rasi, the Slovak Towns and Villages Association (ZMOS), the Union of Slovak Towns and Cities (UMS) and the Self-governing Regions Association (SK8) are preparing a joint proposal to outline their views on the modernisation and future of local self-goverment. The first draft is expected in the next few weeks. "Once they present it, we'll find a solution that we can bring into legislative form. We're waiting for the associations, which stated very correctly that they should be the ones to come up with a proposed solution," explained Rasi, noting that the associations have a huge number of analyses to work with. When they present their proposal, a discussion will immediately begin on what should come next and what the system should look like, he added. LIPTOVSKY MIKULAS – The Interior Ministry plans to include a new Road Traffic Act in the agenda of this week's government session, with the bill set to allow municipalities to use stationary speed cameras within the framework of objective liability, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice–SD) announced on Monday during the Interior Ministry's congress with local government leaders. The congress was held on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the restoration of local self-government in Slovakia. Around 1,200 representatives of municipalities attended the event. "We must also keep in mind the need to make the restrictions proportional. It wouldn't be good for traffic if this were done without limits, so we are taking a first step – stationary radar," the minister explained. He added that the Act on Municipal and City Police is almost complete. "I believe that we'll present the bill in November so that you can peruse it in full then. The legislation will grant municipal police the powers requested by mayors. So, once again, we're responding directly to their demands," said Sutaj Estok. POPRAD - The complete reconstruction of the hospital in Poprad (Presov region), worth approximately 42 million euros, is progressing according to schedule, Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) confirmed after inspecting the construction site on Monday, adding that construction work is 70 percent complete. According to him, an additional €12 million from Slovakia's Recovery and Resilience Plan has been allocated for new medical equipment. "Every time I come here, I can see visible progress, and it all seems that this important supra-regional hospital with a catchment area for more than 100,000 residents will be completed on schedule," said Sasko. He thanked the entire hospital staff for their patience and cooperation, as the reconstruction is being carried out while the hospital remains fully operational. BUDAPEST - The United States expects countries that buy Russian oil and gas, including Hungary, Slovakia and Turkey, to develop and implement a plan to gradually phase out Russian energy supplies, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker has said in an interview for Fox News TV, reports the TASR correspondent in Budapest based on a story published on the hvg.hu website on Monday. Whitaker noted that unlike neighbouring countries, Hungary "hasn't made any plans or taken any active steps in this direction". The US ambassador to NATO also noted that the USA will continue to work with the countries concerned and their neighbours, such as Croatia, which can help them in this process. President Donald Trump, he said, has all the trump cards and Russia looks weak. "They should stop the war, the killing, they're not gaining territory, they're losing every week on the battlefield against Ukraine," stressed Whitaker. BRATISLAVA - Foreign and European Affairs Deputy Minister Marek Estok confirmed Slovakia's continued support for Ukraine on its path towards membership of the European Union, including the opening of the first cluster, during a meeting with Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yevhen Perebyinis in Bratislava on Monday, TASR learnt from the ministry's press department on the same day. During the talks, the two officials also evaluated the third joint session of the governments of Slovakia and Ukraine, as well as the current development of the peace process between Ukraine and the Russian Federation under the auspices of the United States. “The Slovak Republic clearly supports Ukraine on its path to the European Union. Ukraine belongs to the European family, and we will therefore continue to provide political, expert, and technical assistance throughout the accession process. We are offering expert-level consultations and the sharing of Slovakia's experience, which the Ukrainian side welcomed and appreciated,” said deputy minister Marek Estok. BRATISLAVA - The amounts related to providing assistance in material need in Slovakia could increase as of January next year, as proposed by a draft measure prepared by the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Ministry that is currently under interdepartmental review, TASR reported on Monday. Higher amounts could apply to material-need benefit, protective and activation allowances, allowance for a dependent child and housing allowance. "The proposed measure adjusts the amounts for assistance in material need by multiplying them by the same coefficient that was applied when the subsistence minimum was increased as of 1 July 2025 - that is, by 1.037," states the ministry's explanatory report. As of January 2026, the material-need benefit per individual could increase to €89.70 per month. For an individual with one to four children, the benefit could rise to €170.60, or €249.10 in the case of more than four children. For a couple without children, the monthly amount could rise to €155.90, while for those with one to four children it could go up to €233.20, with those with more than four children receiving €314.40. ko