MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 3 January 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 2 January): BRATISLAVA - Coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko should focus on his own policies, as a conflict with President Peter Pellegrini is unnecessary, coalition Voice-SD leader and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok has said in response to journalists' questions, TASR reported on Friday. "If we're calling for society to calm down, if we're saying that this coalition won trust partly because it wouldn't quarrel among itself, then our voters certainly don't expect us to argue even with the president," said Sutaj Estok, adding that while he himself may also have reservations about some of the president's decisions, they are always able to discuss them. "Our goal should be to unite society, not divide it further with the unnecessary disputes and conflicts that the SNS leader is trying to stir up," said Sutaj Estok in connection with how society is divided, in particular after the presidential election, when the nation split into the "Korcok camp" and the "Pellegrini camp". [Ivan Korcok was Pellegrini's rival in the 2024 presidential election - ed. note]. Sutaj Estok added that there's no crossover of voters switching between the two camps. BRATISLAVA - The minimum wage has increased to €915 per month as of 1 January this year, up by €99 year-on-year, which is the biggest increase in the minimum wage in Slovakia's history, Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) told a press conference on Friday. When the social partners failed to reach an agreement on the level of the minimum wage, it was determined by the so-called 'automaton', which set it at 60 percent of the average wage in the previous year. Bonuses for night and weekend work saw a rise as well, as they're linked to the minimum wage. "In 2026, we estimate the costs for night and weekend work bonuses at €383 million, of which €316 million should apply to the business sector. For these bonuses, the difference between the old and the new automaton in 2026 will represent €15.5 million," said Tomas. According to data from the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Ministry, there are some 127,000 people in Slovakia who earn the minimum wage. When considering all of the minimum wage levels based on job difficulty, this involves approximately 180,000 employees. One positive trend is that the number of people working for the minimum wage has been declining in recent years, said Tomas. BRATISLAVA - The 'For an Open Judiciary' (ZOJ) judges association has called on Judicial Council chair Marcela Kosova to appeal to the Constitutional Court with regard to changes concerning the assessment of testimonies from cooperating defendants, TASR was told by ZOJ spokesperson Katarina Javorcikova on Friday. In its response to TASR, the Judicial Council stated that ZOJ's request doesn't make it clear as to where it can see specific inconsistencies with the Constitution. The council added that if Kosova reaches the conclusion that there's a need to turn to the Constitutional Court on any matter concerning the administration of justice, she'll do so without being urged by anyone. "In ZOJ's informal initiative, it's not even clear where specifically Katarina Javorcikova sees a conflict with the Slovak Constitution or any particular international treaty," stated the Judicial Council. Javorcikova warned that if the use of certain testimonies as evidence is prohibited, a court's authority to evaluate every piece of evidence is denied, while this fundamental principle of criminal procedure has been applied in Slovakia for at least 125 years. "We regret to see that the Judicial Council, the constitutional body of the judiciary's legitimacy, hasn't presented its own public stance regarding this gross interference in constitutional principles," stated Javorcikova, adding that the court should examine compliance with the Constitution and international human rights treaties. BRATISLAVA - House Speaker Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) considers the statements made by coalition Slovak National party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko regarding President Peter Pellegrini to be unfortunate, TASR has learnt from Rasi's stance provided by the Slovak Parliament's media and public relations department on Friday. Rasi emphasised the need for correct relations within the coalition, as well as vis-à-vis the head of state. "In order to be able to address people's everyday needs, we need to stick together, both Parliament and the government. We also need to pursue correct relations with the president of the Slovak Republic. We need to have correct relations as coalition parties. Therefore, I consider the statements of our coalition partner, the chairman of the Slovak National Party, regarding the democratically elected president of the Slovak Republic with an exceptionally strong mandate, to be unfortunate," stated Rasi. The House speaker added that everything that needs to be said face-to-face should be spoken behind closed doors. "We are obliged to bring peace, stability, and solutions to all citizens of our country," he stated, adding that the year 2026 will be economically tough for Slovakia. BRATISLAVA - The state budget deficit reached €6.109 billion as at the end of 2025, an improvement of €170 million when compared to the approved 2025 budget, which anticipated a deficit of €6.279 billion, the Finance Ministry reported on Friday based on the full-year 2025 budget balance on a cash basis. According to the ministry, the 2025 budget was prepared in the second half of 2024, when it wasn't possible to anticipate the negative economic impacts of trade wars, US tariffs, and negative trends in economies of Slovakia's largest trading partners. However, they were largely offset by significant cuts in state budget expenditures. "2025 was an exceptionally challenging year in terms of economic development. When we were preparing the 2025 budget, nobody could have predicted the consequences of the later decisions made by the US president. Trade wars, US tariffs and our largest trading partners - Germany and Austria - teetering on the brink of recession, all of this had a major impact on our economy," said Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD). "Even though these factors mainly affected tax collection as well as Slovakia's economic growth, we've managed to stick to the approved budget and even perform better by tens of millions of euros," he added. BRATISLAVA - The year 2025 was one of contrasts and negative emotions, President Peter Pellegrini has told TASR, adding that Slovakia went through a demanding year that brought many turbulent moments both domestically and in international relations. According to Pellegrini, the contrast lies in the fact that, on one hand, Slovakia is home to many capable people whose skills and talent can compete with the world's best. "People who don't divide society through their work, but try to unite it through their capacities," said Pellegrini. On the other hand, he pointed to quarrelling politicians, many of whom are spreading hatred and insults on a daily basis, or portraying Slovakia as a "black hole" that makes it impossible to lead a decent life. "The peak of it all was the physical altercations in Parliament, which have nothing in common with addressing people's real problems," said the head of state. In addition to the spreading of hatred, Pellegrini is also concerned about general negativity, scepticism and frustration among people. "Therefore, in the new year, I hope for everyone that our lives won't be needlessly destroyed, not only by mutual hatred, but also by unnecessary criticism of everything around us with a loss of the ability to see the bright side of anything in Slovakia," he said. jrg