MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 8 November 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 7 November): BRATISLAVA – House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) met on Tuesday (4 November) with representatives of the opposition's Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) to discuss a proposal to extend the electoral term of local governments, TASR learnt from the Parliament's Office press department on Friday. The Christian Democrats expressed their support for the proposal. Rasi intends to hold talks with other political parties to secure the required constitutional majority for amending the law. Rasi pointed out that coalition partners have supported the extension of local governments' electoral terms starting from the next regular local elections. “Based on this coalition support and also on the general agreement from recent meetings with the heads of the Association of Slovak Towns and Villages, the Union of Slovak Cities, and SK8, I invited representatives of the Christian Democratic Movement, who are also members of Parliament, to the first round of talks on this constitutional amendment. This is a party with a traditional presence in local governments, which is a key reason to start these political negotiations,” he said. The meeting was attended by KDH chair Milan Majersky and the movement's vice-chairs Viliam Karas, Marian Caucik and Igor Janckulik. According to Rasi, “they demonstrated a positive attitude and a constructive approach to an issue on which there is broad agreement.” Talks are expected to continue with representatives of other relevant opposition parties. Representing Voice-SD at the meeting with KDH was parliamentary caucus chair Robert Puci. Also present were Deputy Interior Minister Michal Kalinak. “Extending the electoral term will create conditions for results, eliminate excuses and provide local authorities with a framework in which their term will last as long as many of the strategic documents they are tasked to implement across various areas of public life,” Kalinak said. According to him, a systematic extension of local government terms could benefit areas such as better stabilisation of EU fund utilisation and offer mayors, city leaders, and regional governors more time to fulfil their programmes. BRATISLAVA – No building of any wind farm in Slovakia will be allowed without the consent of the town or municipality concerned, Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (Slovak National Party nominee) emphasized at a press conference on Friday, in response to a question about a planned wind farm between Stupava and Lozorno in the Bratislava region. Taraba underlined that a universal condition applies to this and other wind farm projects. “Mayors will have to express their views. The Environment Ministry is not the construction authority – that role belongs to towns and municipalities. Therefore, developers must face the citizens and ask them whether they want the project or not,” he said, referring to the new wording of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act, which introduces a mandatory condition of residents' consent for the construction of a wind farm. “We have made the permitting process even stricter by requiring not only the municipality in whose land registry area the wind park is to be built to give its opinion, but also all affected municipalities,” Taraba accentuated. The minister admitted that this position has led to a dispute with the European Commission, which he said is pushing for massive development of wind farms in Slovakia and for the most flexible possible approval procedures. “There is no power that can force minister Taraba to take away towns' and municipalities' right to express their views,” he declared. Taraba also noted that the Environment Ministry will require investors in wind farm projects to present a clear plan for handling technologies and structures after the end of their service life. A proposal for a wind farm near the D2 motorway between Stupava and the village of Zohor was submitted this week for environmental impact assessment. The plan includes 11 wind turbines. The town of Stupava has been discussing the proposal with residents since the summer and has also established a “Wind Mailbox” to answer questions related to the project. The local authorities have stated that the city's final position will depend on the opinion of its residents. BRATISLAVA – The European Commission is considering an infringement procedure against Slovakia over the recent amendment to the Slovak Constitution, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a press conference in Poprad (Presov region) on Friday, adding that he received this information in the morning. In his opinion, the issue concerns a constitutional article stating that, in matters of values and ethical issues, national law should take precedence over EU law. "We're looking forward to this conflict. I can't imagine any international organisation telling us how many genders there should be or who can and can't get married. This is purely a domestic matter and a very strong topic of national identity," said Fico. He's convinced that the basic treaties on the functioning of the European Union allow its member states to prioritise national law over EU law when it comes to matters of national identity. "I understand that incorporating this explicitly in the Constitution was much to the dismay of certain member states. However, we believe that the Constitution should clearly state where Slovak law applies and where EU law applies," said Fico. He claimed that Slovakia, if it fails to protect its national identity and traditions, will be "devoured" by the international community and become absolutely insignificant. "We'll have an opportunity to explain to both the Slovak and international public why we incorporated such an important provision in the Slovak Constitution," added the prime minister. In force since 1 November, the recent amendment to the Slovak Constitution stipulates that Slovakia recognises only the biologically determined sexes of male and female. The Constitution now also guarantees equal pay for men and women for the same work. In addition, it regulates child adoption and the educational process, with the aim of strengthening Slovakia's sovereignty in matters of values and cultural-ethical issues. The amendment was approved by Parliament on 26 September. BRATISLAVA - The purchasing power of Slovaks remains low, with savings at a record low, while businesses are struggling under the burden of bureaucracy, taxes and unstable government decisions, opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party leader Branislav Groehling told a press conference on Friday, adding that Slovakia needs a rightist government. Conversely, the level of investments is the lowest among the Visegrad Four countries [V4: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia], and industry is completely stagnant. "At the same time, our deficit is among the highest in Europe, the general government debt is growing at a record pace, and the government, instead of addressing the situation, is boasting about some achievements, claiming that people do have money and go out shopping," said Groehling, adding that businesses are being squeezed hard by the government's measures, thus affecting employment and real salaries. In combination with increased government spending, the poorly designed fiscal consolidation measures, which are being paid for solely by the public and companies, have destroyed economic growth and boosted inflation significantly, added SaS vice-chair Marian Viskupic. He also pointed to the rising cost of servicing the government debt. "Everything that businesses and people have contributed to the state via consolidation, higher taxes and higher levies is basically being spent on servicing the government debt — and the situation will get even worse," he said, adding that debt repayment will cost Slovakia more than €2 billion in instalments next year. Continued interest among investors in Slovak government bonds can't be called a success, stated Viskupic. "When interest rates are much higher than in the past, investors may still want to buy Slovakia's bonds — but once again, that's not a success," explained Viskupic, calling the situation tense. BRATISLAVA - The concessions negotiated with the European Commission (EC) regarding emissions allowances for households under the ETS2 trading system are insufficient, Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party nominee) told a press conference on Friday, adding that the postponement of the introduction of ETS2 will provide opportunities for further discussions. However, he said that the system is overpriced and unnecessary in terms of environmental protection. "I regret to say that some countries, based on what I consider insufficient concessions, backed down and approved the climate law. Slovakia will continue to strengthen its position in cooperation with other states and will seek to block the implementation of ETS2," said Taraba, adding that the concessions negotiated at the meeting of the Council of Ministers are significant, but still insufficient for Slovakia. According to him, emissions allowances shouldn't be introduced without detailed analyses of their impact on 400 million EU citizens. This year should be used to ensure that the EC will present impact studies to member states for various population groups and countries. ETS2 emission allowances will affect all citizens via higher prices for gas, coal and other fuels. Analysts estimate the impact per household to range anywhere between several hundred to several thousand euros per year. Lukas Kovanda, chief economist of Trinity Bank, said that virtually nothing has been achieved in negotiations with the EC. The only result of the one-year postponement will be that the prices of emissions allowances, and consequently of petrol, diesel and gas, will be even higher when the system is actually introduced. mf