MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 14 January 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 13 January): BRATISLAVA - The coalition Voice-SD party won't support an amendment to the Criminal Code drafted by its coalition partner the Slovak National Party, as it finds the proposal to be in direct conflict with the values on which Slovakia is founded and rejects lowering the upper limits on sentences for extremist offences, TASR learnt from Voice-SD spokesperson Michaela Eliasova on Monday. "At a time when the radicalisation of young people is increasing in Slovakia and across Europe, we can't send out a signal that society is becoming more tolerant of extremism. Our task isn't to legitimise hatred, downplay the denial of historical crimes or confuse the spreading of hatred with freedom of speech. Slovakia needs solidarity, humanity and responsibility, not the normalisation of ideologies that in the past brought suffering, fear and death. The state must stand firmly on the side of the individual and human dignity," the party declared. According to Voice-SD, the proposal contradicts the values underpinning Slovakia, such as the anti-fascist legacy of the 1944 Slovak National Uprising. "This legacy isn't a historical memory but a moral commitment - to stand up to ideologies of hatred, violence and the suppression of freedoms. Reducing penalties for extremism would weaken this commitment and relativise the boundary between democracy and evil," reads the press release. ZIAR NAD HRONOM - The government plans to sign a ten-year memorandum of cooperation with the Slovalco aluminium plant, which ceased production of primary aluminium in early 2023, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a news conference in Ziar nad Hronom (Banska Bystrica region) on Tuesday. As part of support for energy-intensive companies, Fico will propose a European solution involving several years of exemptions from the emissions-trading system. During his visit to Slovalco, the premier stated that the aluminium plant in Ziar nad Hronom is a modern and environmental-friendly facility capable of producing a raw material that is strategic for both Slovakia and the European Union (EU). He noted that some 1.2 million tonnes of primary aluminium are currently produced in Europe. "However, Europe needs some 6-7 million tonnes; everything else is imported from other countries. This plant was capable of producing 17-20 percent of that European output, which was roughly up to 200,000 tonnes of aluminium," said Fico. He also stated that several European companies have had to halt production due to high electricity prices, and that Europe now imports most of its aluminium from China or Africa, where energy is generated primarily from coal. BRATISLAVA - The opposition's Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party welcomes Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) interest in kick-starting the Slovak economy, but at the same time claims that most of the problems were caused by his governments. SaS responded this way to the prime minister’s Tuesday press conference at the shut-down Slovalco aluminium plant in Ziar nad Hronom (Banska Bystrica region). According to the liberals, the solutions proposed by the prime minister that require EU cooperation take a long time, while options to support the economy already exist and only need to be used. "The solution has existed for a long time, a solution that would help our entire Slovak industry," said SaS MP Karol Galek. As an example, he cited the system of assistance with high energy prices in France, where the state allows companies to buy electricity directly from nuclear power plants at a preferential price. BRATISLAVA - The Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld the acquittal by the Specialised Criminal Court of former Supreme Court chief and ex-justice minister (2006-09) Stefan Harabin, who had faced charges over his approval of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, TASR learnt on Tuesday. The Supreme Court dismissed the prosecutor's appeal, which had sought to return the case to the court of first instance for a renewed hearing and decision. The ruling is final. According to the Supreme Court, the Specialised Criminal Court assessed the evidence thoroughly and the contested judgment contained no defects. The appellate court also found that it had not been proven that the act described in the indictment constituted a criminal offence. BRATISLAVA - Slovak-American relations have long been based on mutual respect, alliance and practical cooperation in areas important for the security and prosperity of both countries, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) said after meeting outgoing US Ambassador Gautam Rana on Tuesday. The head of Slovak diplomacy praised the ambassador's tenure, noting that during his three and a half years in office several major milestones were achieved that strengthened the strategic nature of relations between Slovakia and the United States. These include cooperation primarily in defence and security, as well as in energy, notably the preparation of an intergovernmental agreement on the construction of a nuclear facility by the US company Westinghouse, which is to be signed in Washington in three days, Blanar pointed out. In this context, the US diplomat highlighted the Slovak government's strategic decisions taken in recent years in the field of nuclear energy. In talks, both sides also praised the dynamics of trade cooperation and recalled that Slovak-American bilateral relations were elevated to the level of a strategic dialogue in 2020. BUDAPEST - Leader of the Hungarian extra-parliamentary opposition Tisza party Peter Magyar stated on Facebook on Tuesday that he'll continue to use the term 'Felvidek' [a Hungarian name for Slovakia, meaning 'the Uplands', viewed as derogatory in Slovakia - ed. note] despite reservations voiced by Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, TASR has learnt from its Budapest correspondent. Magyar was responding to Pellegrini's video message on Monday (12 January) in which the Slovak president described it as offensive that a "potential future Hungarian prime minister" had referred to Slovakia as Felvidek in a letter last week regarding the Benes decrees. "If you will allow me [and even if you won't], I'll call geographical areas by the names that I learned from my parents and as we have called them for a thousand years - just as Pozsony is the name used by all Hungarians for your capital, the place where eleven Hungarian rulers were crowned," the Tisza party leader wrote in a post addressed to Pellegrini. ko