MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 14 November 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 13 November): BRATISLAVA - Current events at the Office of the Vice-premier for the Recovery Plan and a Knowledge-based Economy Peter Kmec (Voice-SD) prove that wherever there are nominees of the coalition Voice-SD party, public funds are wasted, shady deals are made, and state money leaks out to various suspect firms, opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party leader Branislav Groehling told a news conference on Thursday, adding that his party is preparing a criminal complaint in this connection. "The latest finding about the activities of the Vice-premier for the Recovery Plan, Mr. Kmec, concerns the scandalous redistribution of €200 million from the state budget, from all of our money," stressed Groehling. Groehling recalled several pieces of information that have appeared in the media in the past couple of days concerning subsidies for suspect firms with ties to the Voice-SD party. He also pointed to the case of another 'garage firm', DBC Slovakia, which was only set up last year and is based in a waste-collection yard, with neither employees, nor a website. Last year, it reported sales amounting to €13,300 and a profit of €80. Despite this, it received a subsidy of almost €1.5 million for blood diagnostics research. BRATISLAVA - Voice-SD party leader and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok has instructed Vice-premier for the Recovery Plan and a Knowledge-based Economy Peter Kmec (Voice-SD) to suspend controversial innovation calls that have raised doubts as to whether the allocation of money has been transparent, Sutaj Estok himself has posted on a social network. "I've instructed Vice-premier Kmec to suspend and examine the innovation calls that have raised doubts immediately. It must be absolutely clear that the entire process was carried out in a transparent and professional manner and without any influencing," wrote Sutaj Estok. Several opposition politicians have pointed to the controversial evaluation of calls for contracts. They claimed that the money was allocated to Voice-SD sponsors and garage firms. Alena Sabelova, State Secretary of the Vice-premier's Office for Recovery Plan and Knowledge-based Economy, repeatedly rejected such criticism. BRATISLAVA - The coalition Voice-SD party stands firmly behind its leader, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok, said party vice-chair and House Chair Richard Rasi on Thursday regarding a default verdict in the lawsuit between Sutaj Estok and a group of police officers centered around Jan Curilla. Rasi said that the judge's actions raise many questions, arguing that there was no reason for the judge to communicate exclusively via email. He also announced that Voice-SD will propose a legislative amendment to prevent court decisions from being issued without both parties being heard. "We in Voice-SD don't question the judicial system in Slovakia. However, we are questioning the conduct of this specific judge, which raises many doubts and may suggest political motivation — something that should have no place in our judicial system. There is no logical reason why this procedure, which didn't have to be used, was chosen," said Rasi. Rasi said that he can't understand why the judge communicated only via email, especially in a case involving such a large amount of compensation. He noted that there were several other ways to contact the minister. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party is exploiting young people in the political struggle and spreading hatred and intolerance, Parliamentary Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) claimed at a press conference on Thursday. Gaspar was referring to a video recorded outside a grammar school in Poprad last week in which PS MP Darina Luscikova stated that a prime minister who shows contempt for young people has no place giving lectures in a school. The video was recorded ahead of a scheduled discussion with Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) last Friday (7 November). Luscikova was later seen standing with a student who was writing messages for the prime minister on the ground. According to Gaspar, she sought to prevent the lecture from taking place. Smer-SD called on the media and the opposition to stop involving young people in political battles. BRATISLAVA - Local authorities will lose €591 million next year due to consolidation and tax bonuses, with €291 million caused by the second and third consolidations and €300 million by tax bonuses, Slovak Towns and Villages Association (ZMOS) chairman Jozef Bozik announced at a briefing on Thursday. The association's presidium discussed the issue of financing towns and municipalities in Slovakia. "Tax revenues for 2026 will be almost €2.5 billion, and we also have quantified measures which, if they weren't adopted, would meant that actual incomes, income tax revenues, would be €2.732 billion. If we also take into account consolidation, or rather the tax bonus, which has been in effect here continuously since 1 January 2023, even though it was reduced this year and will be reduced again next year, it still represents €300 million, so income tax revenues without consolidation and the tax bonus would be higher than €3 billion," he said. However, according to the ZMOS chairman, the truth is that revenues from shared taxes will be higher next year than this year due to direct decisions by local authorities, to the tune of €137 million. BRATISLAVA - Consumer prices of goods and services rose by 0.1 percent month-on-month (m-o-m) on average in October, with year-on-year (y-o-y) inflation decelerating to 3.7 percent, the lowest figure this year, matching the one seen in April, the Statistics Office reported on Thursday, adding the inflation rate fell below the threshold of 4 percent after five months. Prices were higher than a year ago in all 12 monitored sectors, with the growth ranging from 1.4 percent in food and soft beverages up to 8.9 percent in education, and hotels and restaurants. The y-o-y price growth accelerated in three sectors. Prices of the miscellaneous goods and services sector rose by 6.7 percent, while those in the recreation and culture sector increased by 5.4 percent, chiefly due to more expensive holiday trips. Prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco went up by 6.1 percent, with consumers paying more for spirits, beer and wine. ko