MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, 23 December 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, 22 December): VISNOVE - The Visnove tunnel on the newly opened D1 motorway section between Lietavska Lucka and Dubna Skala in Zilina region officially opened to drivers on Monday evening, TASR was told by spokesperson for the National Highway Company (NDS) Tomas Ferencak. The construction of the tunnel took more than 27 years, with several interruptions. The ribbon was cut at the western portal of the tunnel on Monday morning by Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee), together with representatives of NDS and the contractor. "If 20,000 vehicles pass under Strecno every day, a quarter of them lorries, we can all imagine what a huge relief this will be for the region and for people travelling there," Fico said in his speech. According to NDS head Filip Machacek, the new motorway section is subject to standard tolls and the maximum speed limit in the Visnove tunnel is 100 kilometres per hour. "At least 80 percent of traffic passing through Strecno will enter the tunnel, which will be tens of thousands of vehicles," noted Machacek. BRATISLAVA - Parliament may not debate the vetoed bill on so-called Covid amnesties during the current electoral term, House chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) stated in a year-end interview with TASR. Rasi personally sees no need to override President Peter Pellegrini's veto, as Rasi disagrees with compensating people who deliberately ignored anti-pandemic measures. "The president returned the bill and we in Voice-SD accept that. Until Parliament addresses it, the law is not in force. I am at peace with this, because I personally was not in favour of returning fines to people who deliberately ignored the rules, who refused to wear masks in hospitals or took them off at gatherings," Rasi said. According to the House chair, there is no need to override the president's veto in this case. "The law is not effective because the president returned it. I personally have no problem with that and it is a better solution than overriding the president's veto," he added. BRATISLAVA - A prosecutor on Monday filed charges against two men for the illicit production and trafficking of narcotic and psychotropic substances. The case involves drugs seized during searches, including at premises of Slovak Television and Radio (STVR) public broadcaster, Bratislava Regional Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Gabriela Kovacova told TASR. "The accused are charged with selling drugs at several locations in Bratislava over a period of at least two years," Kovacova said. During a search, authorities seized from P. J. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons] more than 750 grams of cocaine, over 900 grams of ketamine, 190 grams of cannabis plant material, 750 MDMA tablets and 56 grams of kratom. BACKI PETROVAC - President Peter Pellegrini visited Slovak compatriots in the Serbian town of Backi Petrovac in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, on Monday, where he was welcomed by his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic, Mayor Viera Krstovski, and children dressed in traditional Vojvodina-Slovak costumes. The children waited for the president with bread and salt. Pellegrini and Vucic held a meeting with Krstovski and representatives of the Slovak community in Vojvodina, where they discussed solutions to the problems of the Slovak minority. Vucic specified that they discussed issues such as roads, water supply, sewage systems, schools, and a cultural centre in the village of Padina, Vojvodina. "I'm proud of the Slovaks who live in Serbia and show respect for our country," said Vucic, thanking Pellegrini for Slovakia's political and economic support for Serbia. Pellegrini confirmed that there are plans to build a Slovak cultural centre in Vojvodina for approximately €7 million. The costs will be paid by the Serbian government. The Slovak head of state noted that none of the members of the Slovak minority with whom the presidents spoke said that they felt inferior in Serbia. On the contrary, according to Pellegrini, a lot has been invested in Vojvodina within Serbia. "Our Slovaks who live here have themselves declared that they are citizens of Serbia and that they have access to all services and amenities like every other citizen of the Republic of Serbia, regardless of their nationality," stated Pellegrini. The Slovak head of state added that many people thanked Vucic and Krstovski for how the government had treated them in recent years. "If any conflict arises, it is based on politics, not nationality," added Pellegrini. BRATISLAVA - The Slovak economy could grow by 0.6 percent in 2026 and by 2.5 percent in 2027 and 2028, and the public finance deficit is expected to reach 4.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2026, according to a forecast called 'Economic and Monetary Developments - Winter 2025', presented at a press conference by Slovakia's central bank (NBS) governor Peter Kazimir, and NBS executive director Michal Horvath. According to them, inflation is expected to continue to decline in the coming years, stabilising at 2-3 percent in 2027 and 2028, and employment should decline by about 20,000 people by 2027."Despite the difficult period the Slovak economy is currently experiencing, we're slightly improving our growth forecast. Next year, our economy should grow by 0.6 percent. Supported by better developments abroad, but also by domestic demand, economic growth should subsequently accelerate to 2.5 percent in 2027 and 2028. Exports will be driven by the expected ramp-up of car production at the new plant. After two years of decline in household disposable income, their purchasing power should recover," said Kazimir. "We're downgrading our forecast for public finances in 2026. The public finance deficit is expected to reach 4.5 percent of GDP in 2026, gradually moving away from the government's target. The more pessimistic outlook is caused by weaker revenues in the economy and lower tax collection efficiency," he pointed out. According to the governor, a noticeable improvement in public finances in the coming years is only possible with the help of additional consolidation measures. Public debt will exceed 60 percent of GDP this year and, with the current fiscal policy settings, will reach 66 percent of GDP in 2028. Given the expected economic growth, even the release of accumulated cash reserves won't be able to reverse the adverse impact of persistently high deficits on debt. BRATISLAVA - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) didn't rule out the possible dissolution of the Public Procurement Office (UVO) on Monday, with the reason being the scrapping of the tender for the construction of the D1 Turany-Hubova motorway section (Zilina region). The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) condemned these considerations, saying that Fico no longer has any scruples and is behaving like an autocrat who steamrollers everything that stands in his way. PS wants to defend independent institutions. "I just don't know, Minister, whether we should dissolve the Public Procurement Office. After all, it isn't possible for someone in such a strategic construction project as D1 to make decisions that prevent us from continuing at the pace we've set," Fico said to Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) during his speech at the opening of the Visnove tunnel. "We'll have to seriously address this issue," added Fico. Raz on Monday confirmed that they had already prepared a lawsuit to review the decision of the Public Procurement Office chairman to cancel the tender for the construction of this motorway stretch. Opposition MP Jan Hargas (PS) claims that Raz failed to manage the tender for the last section of the D1 motorway and the myth of Slovakia as a country under construction is collapsing for both of them. "The only thing left for them to do is to attack independent institutions such as the Public Procurement Office," said Hargas, adding that the UVO's position was also confirmed by an expert commission composed of professionals in the field of public procurement. jrg