MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 24 November 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 23 November): BRATISLAVA - Foreign visitors tend to evaluate Bratislava positively, with more than half of them planning to return to the Slovak capital, according to a survey carried out by the Bratislava Tourist Board (BTB) on a sample of 7,237 respondents from 11 European countries that are important for Bratislava in terms of tourism. "The results of the survey confirm that Bratislava has strong potential for repeat visits, but in order to fulfil this potential, it's important to develop products and experiences that would make visitors stay longer," stated chair of the BTB board of directors Nina Erneker. As many as 85 percent of the respondents expressed positive feelings about their visit to the Slovak capital, 10 percent had a neutral attitude and the remaining 5 percent were unimpressed. Fifty-seven percent of visitors can imagine spending more days in Bratislava, and 51 percent plan to return within three years. Visitors appreciate the proximity, compactness, accessibility, history and architecture of the city. The survey also showed that 77 percent of those who haven't yet visited Bratislava can see nothing to stop them from choosing it as a travel destination in the future. At the same time, 59 percent plan to visit it in the near future. Only 2.7 percent of those surveyed don't plan to visit Bratislava, but more than half of this group could be won over by better communications and more information about the city. "Bratislava doesn't suffer from a negative image, but from low awareness of the brand. This means that the city's image has healthy foundations, and the people who know it view it positively. The key to the future is to increase awareness of Bratislava," stated Erneker. BRATISLAVA - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) left for Angola late on Saturday (22 November), where he is scheduled to take part in the European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) summit on Monday and Tuesday (24-25 November), the Government Office's press department has informed TASR. The theme of the sevenths EU-AU summit is "Promoting Peace and Prosperity through Effective Multilateralism". "In the Angolan capital of Luanda, EU and AU leaders will discuss strengthening of cooperation in the areas of peace, security, governance and multilateralism, as well as ensuring prosperity. They will also talk about migration and mobility," specified the Government Office. Fico is due to return to Slovakia on Tuesday (25 November). BRATISLAVA - Nothing will change at the level of whistleblowers' protection, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said in a video he posted on a social network on Saturday (22 November). Fico reacted in this way to a bill approved by the government earlier on Saturday, which would establish a new central Office for Crime Victim and Whistleblower Protection. "We are just suggesting to change the structure of the office and to add additional powers in the area of ​​protecting crime victims to it," said Fico, adding that the cabinet met on Saturday, as they still need to get some bills to Parliament on Tuesday (25 November). "I won't be physically present here on Monday (24 November)," said the premier, specifying that he will leave for the European Union-Africa summit in Angola. Fico in the video said that he feels the nervousness on the part of his coalition partners. "I am trying to understand this nervousness in Voice-SD and in the Slovak National Party (SNS)," he said, adding that passivity in the political battle with the opposition is uselessly weakening the coalition. According to the premier, the governing coalition as a whole failed to use 17 November to "slap the opposition in the face". Fico also commented on Peter Kmec (Voice-SD), whom he proposed to dismiss from the post of Vice-premier for the Recovery Plan and the Knowledge-based Economy and whose resignation was accepted by President Peter Pellegrini earlier this week. "I'm not any political butcher. I check the facts before I make every serious personnel decision. I don't act based on the media pressure or a bubble, or to satisfy someone," stated Fico. He said that he'll act in the same way in case of Miroslav Lajcak and that the decision whether or not he ends in the post of the premier's advisor will be made on Wednesday (26 November). Concerning the infringement procedure launched by the European Commission against Slovakia in connection with the amendment to the Constitution, Fico reiterated that any compromise is out of the question. "Amendment to the Constitution on value issues is a condition for Slovakia's survival in a challenging geopolitical situation," said Fico. The premier views it as excellent news that all the parties concerned are seriously dealing with the US President Donald Trump's peace plan for the war in Ukraine. He also thanked Jana Valova (Smer-SD), who has given up her MP mandate, for her work. "Unfortunately, she's decided to abandon her political career due to serious personal reasons," Fico noted. BRATISLAVA - Comenius University in Bratislava has been placed in two international university rankings, TASR has been told by university spokeswoman Eva Kopecka. In the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) for 2025, the university achieved excellent rankings in two subjects. It also ranked 824th in the QS World University Rankings Sustainability 2026, improving its position by more than a hundred places. The best subject for Comenius University in the Shanghai ranking was physics, in which it improved by 100 places when compared to the previous evaluation and was included between 301st and 400th place. The second subject was psychology, in which Comenius was ranked between 401st and 500th places. Four other Slovak universities were included in this ranking: the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, the Technical University in Zvolen (Banska Bystrica region), and the Technical University in Kosice. "The Shanghai Ranking subjects edition evaluates universities in 57 fields. The methodology includes nine indicators in categories such as teaching excellence, research excellence and impact, and international collaboration," said Kopecka. In addition, Comenius University improved its position in the QS World University Rankings Sustainability 2026. This ranking evaluates universities in terms of their social and environmental impact and takes into account not only sustainability commitments, but also practical results such as the contribution made by graduates towards addressing climate challenges and research focused on the UN's sustainable development goals. Two other Slovak universities also made it into this ranking, albeit lower down - the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava and the University of Zilina, added the spokeswoman. mf