MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 22 December 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 21 December): BELGRADE - President Peter Pellegrini held talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade on Sunday. At a joint press conference following the talks, the Slovak president said that Slovakia will always support Serbia on its path to the European Union and that, provided it meets the required conditions, it has the full right to become its member. Pellegrini also highlighted the friendly relations between the two countries. In this context, however, Pellegrini objected to the involvement of politics and behind-the-scenes games in the EU accession process, noting that he concurs with Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in this. "The EU is gambling with the trust of the people of Western Balkans. I believe that a strategic goal for the further security and development of the EU is to advance the enlargement process to the Western Balkan countries, including Serbia, as soon as possible. I view the delays in opening the clusters to be more of a political game played by certain EU actors, who are treating Serbia unfairly," stated Pellegrini. The Slovak president warned that if the EU continues its not always fair approaches towards individual Western Balkan countries, their people may lose interest in the EU membership. The two presidents also spoke about global issues, with maintaining peace not only in their neighbourhood, but also in the entire world being of the greatest importance for them. They also expressed their wish for the war in Ukraine to end as soon as possible. Vucic thanked both Pellegrini and Fico for supporting Serbia on its European path. On this occasion, Pellegrini invited Vucic for an official visit to Slovakia. The Slovak head of state also held talks in Belgrade with National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabic and Serbian Premier Duro Macut. The Slovak president's official visit to Serbia is part of his journeys to the Western Balkans region. Pellegrini also visited Slovak professional soldiers serving in Kosovo as part of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) mission led by NATO on Sunday. He thanked the soldiers for their exemplary service and professional performance and presented them with Christmas gifts. On Monday (22 December), Pellegrini is set to visit Slovak compatriots in Backi Petrovac, where he will be welcomed by the Serbian president along with town’s mayor Viera Krstovski. BRATISLAVA - Premier Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) advisor Miroslav Lajcak has denied having any personal benefit from his contacts with Jeffrey Epstein. Lajak told TASR on Sunday that he hasn't accepted any loans or gifts from him and that such acceptance doesn't stem from the published communications, either. He declared that he acted in Slovakia’s interest and that his communication didn't go beyond the standard framework of contacts between a diplomat and an influential foreign partner. "The meeting at the residence in Vienna was of a working nature, like many other meetings I held there during my tenure as minister. It helped me obtain valuable information about the functioning of U.S. politics and business. Moreover, Slovakia was presiding over the OSCE that year, which is headquartered in Vienna, and one of the issues discussed at the time was the considerations about a possible U.S. withdrawal from the organisation," said the ex-minister of foreign affairs. According to Lajcak, part of a diplomat's job is to make use of all legitimate communication channels and contacts, both formal and informal. He added that he fully realizes that Epstein's name rightly provokes outrage and strong emotions today. "I have strongly and unequivocally condemned and continue to condemn the actions of Jeffrey Epstein. I've had absolutely nothing to do with any inappropriate activity," said Lajcak. The diplomat views it as tasteless to misuse, for the purposes of political rivalry, what were on his part standard diplomatic contacts with an individual who, at the time, was exceptionally close to U.S. political elites. In connection with the publication of new information in the Jeffrey Epstein case, the junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) on Saturday (20 December) called on Lajcak to disclose whether or not he had enjoyed financial benefits from Epstein, or whether he had received loans, money or any other gifts from him. Female opposition MPs also called for Lajcak's dismissal from the premier's advisor post in early December. MP Beata Jurik (Progressive Slovakia/PS) noted that the premier has no reason to wait any longer. According to Jurik, it cannot be ruled out that Epstein had his victims in Slovakia as well. "His plane landed in Bratislava and Poprad (Presov region) in 2018. We will therefore ask the competent authorities whether they have information that our female citizens could also have been victims and whether they are being provided with the necessary assistance and support," she said. The premier at a press conference following the EU summit in Brussels on Friday (19 December) responded that Lajcak is an excellent diplomat and continues to enjoy his trust. "If someone morally fails, give me evidence that they did something wrong and we'll end the cooperation. But I will not 'execute' people just because it is revealed that there was some kind of cooperation, or that someone saw someone somewhere," said Fico. The documents related to the late US financier, convicted of sexual crimes, were published in November. They included email communications allegedly exchanged between then Slovak foreign minister Lajcak and Epstein. Lajcak told TASR at that time that he engaged only in social communication with Epstein in the past as part of his diplomatic duties. New photos from Epstein's estate were released last week, with on of them showing the financier with Lajcak. BRATISLAVA - Private channel TV Joj has the most objective television news broadcasts, followed by another private channel TV Markiza, according to the results of a survey published by Median SK earlier this week. The poll, which canvassed 2,069 respondents aged 14-79 between July and September 2025, showed that 19.1 percent think that TV Joj provides the most objective news reporting, followed by TV Markiza on 19 percent. Next came public-service broadcaster STVR (Jednotka, Dvojka, :24 etc.) on 18.9 percent and news-only channel TA3 on 16.9 percent. Some 4.7 percent of the respondents chose some other television channel as broadcasting the most objective news reports, while 21.4 percent were unable to answer. The respondents were allowed to pick only one television channel. VISNOVE - The National Highway Company (NDS) presented the Visnove Tunnel, which is part of the D1 motorway section between Lietavska Lucka and Dubná Skala (Zilina region), to the public on Sunday. In addition to guided tours, it also prepared a cultural programme for visitors to the Tunnel Open Day. "We held the Tunnel Open Day on Sunday for the public and for those who won't drive through it by car, so that they could touch and see what our contractors managed to build," said NDS general director Filip Machacek. According to Machacek, the public had an opportunity to visit the tunnel up to the first cross-connection as part of the event. "The guided tours included explanations of the technological units that are there," he said, adding that the event also included an inauguration of a new fire station. An official opening of the new D1 section between Lietavska Lucka and Dubna Skala, including the Visnove Tunnel near Zilina, is scheduled for Monday. The whole section is 13.5-kilometres long, with the tunnel itself measuring 7.5 kilometres, making it the longest road tunnel in the country upon opening. The section will form part of the D1 motorway between Bratislava and Kosice and will relieve traffic on the I/18 first-category road in the Strecno area. mf