MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, 2 November 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, 1 November): BRATISLAVA – The opposition party Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) on Saturday lambasted what it calls an overpriced purchase of kennels for police dogs, describing the public tender as suspicious. Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) rejected the criticism, calling the claims about overpriced kennels lies, and pointed to the current condition of the existing facilities. SaS leader Branislav Groehling questioned whether “saving money” means that the Interior Minister spends more than €1.2 million on 300 kennels. The price per unit thus exceeds €4,100, even though large kennels can be found for less than half that amount. “Does the state really have money for this? Is this what consolidation looks like? The people are struggling to make ends meet, and Estok is buying overpriced kennels,” Groehling wrote on social media. The Interior Minister rejected the claims of overpricing. He described the tender for 300 insulated kennels with doghouses, which attracted 14 bidders, as transparent, noting that the final price will be lower than what SaS suggests. He added that the specifications were determined by the ministry's veterinarian and the head of the cynology department. After the tender concludes, he promised to publish all related information. Sutaj Estok also defended the need for new kennels, citing the poor condition of those currently in use in Moravsky Svaty Jan. He pointed to leaking roofs, mouldy walls, and water-damaged doghouses. “This is the reality for dogs that save human lives, search for explosives and drugs, and risk their safety. After 20 years, they deserve at least a decent space, not rusty metal shelters,” Sutaj Estok said in a video on social media. BRATISLAVA – Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) is acting to protect public health, not profits, in the debate over disposable electronic cigarettes, and is proceeding in line with his mandate, the Voice-SD press department told TASR on Saturday. The department pointed out that disposable e-cigarettes often end up in the hands of children and addiction among young people is a serious social problem that requires a responsible approach from the state. Earlier on Saturday, the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) called on minister Sasko not to submit a proposal to ban disposable e-cigarettes. “At the same time, any restrictions must be reasonable, professionally justified and must not harm small Slovak entrepreneurs. The goal is to protect children and public health, not to impose unnecessary penalties on honest manufacturers and retailers. Therefore, Voice–SD supports an expert discussion on how to limit the availability of these products to minors, including stricter rules for sales, marketing and packaging, but always based on data, not lobbying,” the party stated. It added that the legislative proposal is also supported by several healthcare organisations, including the Public Health Authority, the Slovak Medical Society, and the Slovak Pneumological and Phthiseological Society, as well as teachers and European Commissioner for Health Oliver Varhelyi. The coalition Slovak National Party urged the Health Minister not to propose the ban on disposable e-cigarettes, stating that it would not support such a measure. According to the party, Sasko is focusing on red herring issues instead of real problems, and Slovakia would lose €50 million annually in tax revenue as a result of the ban. BRATISLAVA – The junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) has called on Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice–SD) not to propose a ban on disposable electronic cigarettes, adding that the party will not support such a motion, SNS spokesperson Zuzana Skopcova told TASR on Saturday. “Instead of addressing real problems in healthcare, the Health Minister is focusing on secondary issues by planning to submit a proposal for the ban on disposable e-cigarettes at the next government session. SNS rejects any lobbying proposal that would destroy small Slovak producers while strengthening large foreign corporations,” Skopcova declared. She added that no EU member state is taking the same action as the head of the Health Ministry. According to her, such a ban would boost cross-border trade in neighbouring countries and Slovakia would lose approximately €50 million a year in taxes. “SNS believes that minister Kamil Sasko wouldn't want to end up like (sports and tourism) minister Rudolf Huliak, who pushed for an unpopular amendment to the Gambling Act despite opposition from both experts and the public,” Skopcova added, noting that SNS advises him to focus on the emergency system or hospitals instead of bans. The party stated that the sale of tobacco products should be under state control, but warned that prohibition has never solved anything. BRATISLAVA – All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day are an opportunity to slow down and remember departed loved ones more extensively than with just a fleeting thought, President Peter Pellegrini said on social media on the occasion of Saturday's All Saints' Day. “I wish us all to spend these festive days in quiet reflection, to revive our most beautiful memories of the precious people in our lives, and to look at the world around us with different eyes than on an ordinary day,” the President posted. mf