MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 31 December 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 30 December): BRATISLAVA – In the area of dual-use projects, the Defence Ministry would like to focus in 2026 on basic road infrastructure, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) stated at a press conference on Tuesday. "I am glad that in cooperation with the Transport Ministry and the Environment Ministry we have found a suitable option for linking the Zvolen bypass and connecting the R1 and R2 expressways. As the Defence Ministry, we are also interested in taking part in the expansion of further sections of the R2 towards Kosice. We would also like to launch a project of a motorway connection between Kosice and Michalovce," Kalinak said. At the press conference, he defended major infrastructure projects undertaken by the current government, including the reconstruction of the former Hviezda dormitory in Bratislava, a building known as Kukurica (the Maize). He rejected criticism from the opposition and some media regarding the alleged overpricing of the contract, which was said to have been caused by the chosen architectural approach and furnishings. He stressed that the project corresponds with the vision of the original team of architects and is based on the specific features of the building and its layout. Kalinak also highlighted that if such projects are to serve in the long term, quality must not be compromised. "If we want to deliver tangible results to Slovakia, for every such initiative we must want it to be of high quality," he declared. Kalinak also briefly commented on the arrival of three more F-16 fighter jets in Slovakia on Tuesday. He believes that after the fleet is expanded to ten aircraft, Slovakia could gradually take over the protection of its airspace on its own during the first half of the year. However, he pointed out that it is necessary to have not only enough pilots but also mechanics and support personnel, who must undergo adequate training in the United States. He also confirmed that after the reconstruction of the Sliac airport by the end of 2026, fighter jets should be relocated there from the Kuchyna airport near Malacky in 2027. The Defence Minister was also asked about a statement by Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka and his initiative to turn to the Constitutional Court over an amendment to the Criminal Code. Kalinak respects the prosecutor-general's right to do so, but said he himself is curious what exactly the motion will concern. If it's about the credibility of cooperating defendants, Kalinak is confident such a requirement is in line with the Constitution. "A request that cooperating defendants must not lie is a completely fundamental principle," he noted. BRATISLAVA – Slovakia's reputation fell even lower in 2025 than feared, with the country perceived within the EU and NATO as an unreliable partner promoting Russian interests in Europe while the relations with its partners and allies have deteriorated significantly, opposition's MP Juraj Krupa of Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) has said in an interview for TASR. "Regular threats and labelling our closest European allies as warmongers on the one hand, and presenting eastern dictatorships as models for our republic's future on the other, make Slovakia not only an unreliable ally but also a politically and economically unreliable destination for foreign investment. Investors are bypassing Slovakia because they have lost trust as well as predictability in political developments," the MP told TASR. According to Krupa, Slovakia's relations with partners and allies worsened markedly again this year, as evidenced by the absence of bilateral visits. "Better relations with Vietnam or Laos will not compensate for this deterioration. On the contrary, they will continue to mean a worsening of not only political but also economic relations, with an impact on Slovakia’s socioeconomic situation," he noted. The MP said that only relations with Hungary could be described as good. "An improvement in relations with the government of Andrej Babis in the Czech Republic is also expected. That is where the list of Slovakia's good relations ends," he added. The so-called sovereign policy towards four cardinal points of the compass is a veneer for a "subservient policy towards eastern dictatorial regimes", the MP said, adding that it has drawn global and media attention to Slovakia. "Our representatives have also attracted attention by rejecting scientific facts on vaccination, or by conspiracy theories about a flat Earth, chemtrails and a global plot by so-called dark forces. They have also alarmed the public with claims of a planned coup in Slovakia by Georgian legions, or by accusing the United Kingdom of interfering in Slovakia's election process. By constantly repeating Russian positions regarding attacked Ukraine, this governing coalition has also managed to turn Slovakia into a pro-Russian, unreliable partner," he added. Looking ahead, Krupa said the biggest foreign policy challenge next year will clearly be ending the war in Ukraine and strengthening Europe's defence capabilities, as well as setting up the capacity to respond adequately to Russia's hybrid attacks against Europe. "A sovereign, pro-European Ukraine will be key to the security of Slovakia and Europe, as will close cooperation with Ukraine in bolstering Europe's defence capabilities based on Ukraine's experience," he said. These should form the basis of Slovakia's foreign policy priorities, he added, leading to stronger European unity in support of Ukraine and Slovakia's involvement in the so-called coalition of the willing. "This would call for a fundamental improvement in Slovakia's bilateral relations with Poland, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, as well as activating defence mechanisms against Russia's aggressive hybrid activities in Slovakia. The realistic outlook, however, is the exact opposite: support for centrifugal forces against our closest partners and allies at home, and the continued gradual distancing from the European Union," the MP concluded. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia is respected in the world, and opposition claims about isolation are lies and propaganda, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) has stated in a year-end interview with TASR. This year the government continued its foreign policy oriented to all four corners of the world in line with the government manifesto, and this approach is no longer questioned, as it has led to tangible accomplishments, said Blanar. "We very firmly and responsibly promote our national state interests within the European Union, which is our living space, and also within NATO. At the same time, we're orienting our foreign policy towards economic diplomacy and seeking to be visible in international organisations," the minister stated. Blanar claimed that Slovakia has good and balanced relations with neighbouring countries and other partners and is respected internationally. He highlighted the importance of membership of the EU, NATO, the UN, the OSCE and the OECD. In his view, it is natural that countries within organisations hold differing views on some issues. "The Western partners can't dictate a single opinion to everyone. On the contrary, there's a need to discuss all matters and respect differing views," he said. Among the key events of this year, he cited the meeting of members of the Council of Presidents of the United Nations General Assembly in Slovakia, a ministerial meeting of the Central European Five (C5), visits by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany and UN Deputy Secretary-General and UN Special Envoy on Technology Amandeep Singh Gill. He also noted that many other visits took place at ministerial and presidential level. Blanar described economic diplomacy as a strong foundation of Slovak foreign policy. "We organised 16 trade missions precisely targeted at promising countries, with excellent feedback directly from entrepreneurs ... We are also increasing the number of full-fledged economic diplomats; of a total plan of 43, we've already filled 37 posts focused on specific markets. We're expanding our network of embassies to areas in which we have defined economic diplomacy as a priority, namely the Indo-Pacific region and the Global South," said the minister. The minister stressed that he was personally most saddened this year by developments in Ukraine. "This is also the most sensitive issue for me personally, which is why we're striving to maintain close contact with the Ukrainian side, including through intergovernmental meetings, where we've agreed and are implementing many practical projects to help the people of our eastern neighbour," he said. According to him, Slovakia also maintains fair relations with Russia. "The Russian Federation is here to stay; it is an important trading partner for us in terms of energy resources, and we cannot sever ties, even though we have reservations about many actions taken by the Russian Federation, as changing borders by force is unacceptable for us," stated the minister. He reiterated that Slovakia supports a diplomatic solution in this context and appealed for the war to end as soon as possible. BRATISLAVA - A bloc of four parties — Progressive Slovakia, Freedom and Solidarity, the Christian Democratic Movement and the extra-parliamentary Democrats — has the best chance of forming a government that would remain stable, Progressive Slovakia leader Michal Simecka has said in an interview with TASR. However, in Simecka's view any prospective government containing the 'Slovakia' party of Igor Matovic might not last. With just under two years to go until the next general election, Simecka therefore wants to use the remaining time to convince voters that this four-party grouping can form a stable government. He believes that a liberal and a Christian democratic party can serve together in a single cabinet. Progressive Slovakia will go into the election with its own programme and won't issue ultimatums to the Christian Democratic Movement or other parties on what they should or should not include in their platforms. "I want to use these nearly two years, together with our partners in the opposition, to persuade voters that this line-up — Progressive Slovakia, Freedom and Solidarity, the Christian Democratic Movement and Democrats — has a chance to form a stable government. I firmly believe that people will see this and give us their trust, and by then we must have done our homework, aligning our programmes and priorities," Simecka told TASR. "My only interest is that after we manage to outnumber this governing majority - and some polls already show that this is possible - the next government will last and not fall apart within a few months," he stressed, adding that if the next cabinet were to collapse like those of Iveta Radicova (2010-12) or Igor Matovic (2020-21), opposition voters would be disappointed. "And these three other parties are partners with whom I can imagine this. There's nothing personal in it, no conflict on my part, no antipathy towards colleagues from the 'Slovakia' party. That's simply how it is," emphasised Simecka. Although the Progressive Slovakia leader views the votes of several Christian Democratic Movement MPs in favour of the government's constitutional amendment as a certain blow, he stated that such wounds need to be "healed" through dialogue. That, in his view, is the path to an alternative to the current government. He recalled that shortly after the vote on the amendment, Progressive Slovakia, Freedom and Solidarity, the Christian Democratic Movement and Democrats managed to reach an agreement on seeking overlaps in individual policy areas. Progressive Slovakia will go into the election with a programme reflecting its liberal orientation and the value of equality. "And I assume that the Christian Democratic Movement will have a programme reflecting its conservative orientation. That's perfectly fine. What is important, and I don't think it should fail, is that after the elections, and even before them, we can discuss all issues with respect for one another and find some understanding," he said. Governing, according to Simecka, is also about parties not agreeing on everything. "But I am convinced, as has already been the case in Slovakia in the past and is common elsewhere in Europe, that Christian democrats and liberals can govern together," he added. "I won't tell the Christian Democratic Movement what it should or shouldn't have in its programme, nor any other party. And I would expect the same respect to be shown towards our party," said Simecka. BRATISLAVA – The abolition of the Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) and the setting up of a successor organisation don't entail technically demanding changes, as UOO has its own apparatus that will be transferred to the new office, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) has stated in his year-end interview for TASR. "Even now UOO itself has a relatively large base of officials and a generous budget that was to a large extent built on support from various non-governmental organisations, so those funds may now be used for a more sensible agenda, such as protecting the victims of criminal offences," he said. Sutaj Estok noted that appointing the interim leadership of the new office falls under the remit of House chair Richard Rasi (Voice-Social Democracy). He added that it's Rasi's decision and that he hasn't discussed any nominations with him. The Act on the Office for the Protection of Victims of Criminal Offences and Whistleblowers of Anti-Social Activities, which was to replace the current UOO as of 1 January, was approved by Parliament in December despite President Pellegrini's veto. However, the Constitutional Court suspended the effects of the legislation on 17 December. It accepted in full a motion submitted by a group of opposition MPs for further proceedings. In their submission, the opposition objected to a possible conflict between the law and the Slovak Constitution as well as with EU law, and also to the fact that it was adopted via a fast-tracked legislative procedure. mf