SUMMARY - Friday, 9 January 2026 - 5 p.m.

Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) - Opposition parties responded on Friday to Prosecutor-General (PG) Maros Zilinka's announcement that he'll file administrative lawsuits in connection with the ambulance service tender, once again criticising the actions of the Health Ministry. https://etasr.sk/article/22822741 Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) – The biggest challenge for Slovakia's foreign policy this year is to halt its disintegration and restore the country's credibility, the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party told TASR on Friday. https://etasr.sk/article/22822705 Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) - The Christian Democrats (KDH) on Friday called on the government to demand a postponement in signing the upcoming EU-Mercosur trade deal during negotiations because, despite being beneficial for industry in Slovakia and the EU, its current wording undermines food security and poses a threat to European farmers, TASR reported on the same day. https://etasr.sk/article/22822687 Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) – Chaos persists in the new state energy aid system, and people are unable to resolve related problems, with the biggest difficulty concerning higher heating prices, opposition representatives from Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) warned on Friday. https://etasr.sk/article/22822566 Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) - Following the cabinet meeting on Friday, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) stated that changes will be prepared concerning protection against airspace violations by small drones. https://etasr.sk/article/22822579 Bratislava 9 January (TASR) - It's important to monitor the development of talks between Denmark and the United States with respect to the situation involving the United States and Greenland, as the outcome of these negotiations will be crucial, claimed Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) on Friday. https://etasr.sk/article/22822393 Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) - House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) announced the election of candidates to become a Constitutional Court judge on Friday, the Parliament Office's communications department has informed TASR. https://etasr.sk/article/22822573 Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) - Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) sees the potential for optimising several agencies within public administration and central government as part of consolidation efforts, adding that discussions are underway regarding merging the Anti-monopoly Office (PMU) and the Public Procurement Office (UVO) into a single new authority, TASR learnt from the interior minister before the government session held on Friday. https://etasr.sk/article/22822502 Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) - The 'Slovakia' party has called on the Public Procurement Office (UVO) to publish the results of an inspection regarding the reconstruction of the Hviezda (Star) military housing facility in Bratislava, known colloquially as Kukurica (the Corn on the Cob) due to its characteristic shape, and to take action against Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD), MP Gabor Grendel ('Slovakia' party - For the People) told a news conference on Friday. https://etasr.sk/article/22822497 Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) - Katarina Roskovanyi, Branislav Jablonka and Ondrej Laciak are candidates for the post of a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judge for Slovakia, as the government on Friday approved the draft candidacy submitted to it by the Judicial Council. https://etasr.sk/article/22822392 Babin, 9 January (TASR) - Two men aged 29 and 30 lost their lives on Friday morning in an accident involving a lorry in difficult-to-access terrain near the village of Babin near Namestovo (Zilina region), TASR has learnt from Maria Pohankova Zahatlanova, a spokesperson with the Regional Directorate of the Fire and Rescue Corps (HaZZ) in Zilina. https://etasr.sk/article/22822383 Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) - Retail revenues in Slovakia in fixed prices fell by 3.2 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) in November 2025, the Statistics Office reported on Friday, adding that this was the biggest of the seven drops seen in the first eleven months of the year. https://etasr.sk/article/22822304 Bratislava, 9 January (TASR) – For Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD), maintaining the current momentum of Slovakia's foreign policy at both bilateral and multilateral levels will be crucial in 2026, as defending Slovakia's national interests and supporting economic diplomacy remain a priority. https://etasr.sk/article/22822267 Notice: If you click on the link or copy it into the search window, the browser will display the full text of the message in the new e-TASR client zone. If you have any questions, please contact obchod@tasr.sk. am