MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, 15 January 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 14 January): BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini received Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Alexus Grynkewich at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday. Grynkewich came to Slovakia for his inaugural visit, during which he plans to become acquainted with the specifics of Slovakia's defence and the current status of efforts to fulfil allied commitments, TASR has learnt from the President Office's communications department. Pellegrini and Grynkewich discussed the current global geopolitical situation, the role of the NATO and strengthening of its eastern flank. During the meeting, the president emphasised that Slovakia is and will remain a responsible NATO-member state with no interest in changing its international alignment. According to Pellegrini, Slovakia is aware of the need to fulfil its commitments to NATO's joint capabilities and is now spending 2 percent of its GDP on defence. He also stressed that Europe must take on a more responsible and serious role in strengthening its defence capabilities within NATO, and that Slovakia is aware of this fact. In addition, he informed the commander about the ongoing modernisation of the Slovak armed forces. Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) also met with Grynkewich on Wednesday morning at the government office to discuss the current geopolitical situation in the world, strengthening NATO's defence, especially its eastern flank, and boosting Slovakia's air defence. Defence Minister Robert Kallikak (Smer-SD) and Chief-of-General-Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces Daniel Zmeko also attended the meeting. BRATISLAVA – The opposition SaS party is filing a criminal complaint over the ambulance service tender on suspicion of the misuse of the powers of a public official and obstruction of an official decision, SaS MP Tomas Szalay announced at a press conference on Wednesday. If a new tender is announced, SaS plans to propose changes to the rules. "We're filing the criminal complaint because we believe there was obstruction of an official decision and that the non-transparent tender was one of the biggest scandals of this government ... There are really many reasons for filing this complaint, one of them being the claim by Environment Minister Tomas Taraba [an SNS nominee] that he knew in advance that the tender had been tailored for a single winner," said Szalay. According to Szalay, the tender has paralysed emergency medical services, as providers don't know what the future operating conditions will be. He also warned that the state could face lawsuits from bidders who took part in the tender. In the event of a new tender, SaS considers it essential to change legislation so that objective quality and price criteria are applied. "Ambulance providers without a track record could receive only a conditional licence until they build their reputation and quality indicators. Those with a history should be assessed on the basis of quality indicators," proposed Szalay. The MP also believes that the tender for emergency medical service providers should take price into account. "Of course not at 100 percent, but at least to some extent. If a provider offers a discount on reimbursement for emergency medical services, it should be advantaged in the competition so that it leads not only to higher quality but also greater efficiency, that is, savings of public funds," he added, noting that SaS is making its proposals available to the Health Ministry and is ready to discuss them. The tender for operating emergency medical service ambulances was announced by the Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre in May 2025. The opposition and part of the coalition criticised the tender for lack of transparency, and the operations centre cancelled it in August. Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka said in November that the ministry had acted in breach of the law and filed complaints. As the ministry did not uphold them, Zilinka filed 32 administrative lawsuits. The ministry maintains that the ambulance tender was cancelled lawfully and that the subsequent decisions to terminate proceedings were also lawful. BRATISLAVA – A contract between Slovakia and US company Westinghouse on building a new nuclear power plant could be signed in 2027, said Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) after an away-from-home government session in the Bratislava borough of Petrzalka on Wednesday. The prime minister is due to travel to the United States regarding this matter at the end of this week. "Yes, if we sign this agreement in Washington on Friday [16 January], I'll go there. It will be a prerequisite for the government to start talks with Westinghouse. However, we're still far from signing any contracts. I think that a realistic timetable for a final contract — that is a contract between Slovakia and Westinghouse — is sometime next year," said Fico. "We aren't going to sign a contract directly; we're going to agree with the government of the United States of America that we will cooperate as two countries that support nuclear energy. I must thank them for the fact that a large part of the agreement specifies that it won't just be some machine or piece of equipment coming here; education and research centres are to be set up here. All of this will be linked to American technology. I think that's unique — Slovakia will probably become one of the few countries in the world to acquire experience not only with reactors of Russian origin, but also with reactors from other countries," said Fico. Fico pointed out that Slovakia has six operational nuclear reactors. "All of them are reactors of Russian origin with outputs of between 440 and 500 megawatts (MW). Cooperation with the Russians was always very fair and very professional. The nuclear power plants are very successful, but under the given circumstances I simply cannot imagine the European environment allowing us to continue such cooperation with the Russian Federation. I would happily continue, but the world is crazy with hatred towards the Russian Federation. I don't harbour such hatred, but I am a realist," he underlined. "Therefore, if we want to build a new nuclear power plant, and we do, we have to look for a partner that can deliver it. At this moment, the only such partner is the United States of America. South Korea declined for capacity reasons and will moreover cooperate with the Americans. The French don't have this type of reactor; they have significantly higher output of 1,600 MW, while we need up to 1,200 MW. Exactly such a project is available from American company Westinghouse," the prime minister added. At its session in Petrzalka, the Slovak cabinet also discussed and approved a proposal to conclude an agreement between the Slovak and US governments on facilitating cooperation on the Jaslovske Bohunice nuclear power plant project and on the civilian nuclear programme in Slovakia. This item, prepared by the Economy Ministry, was discussed as restricted information not to be made public under the law on the protection of classified information. BRATISLAVA – Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has said that he doesn't question the constitutional powers of Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka when reacting to Zilinka's decision to appeal to the Constitutional Court over the amendment to the Criminal Code. "If anyone has the option to submit a motion to the Constitutional Court, then they can submit it. If anyone has the option to collect 350,000 signatures and call a referendum on something, then they can call it. I cannot question the constitutional powers of the prosecutor-general," said Fico on Wednesday. According to him, it's possible that the court may suspend the effect of the law via an injunction. Earlier on Wednesday, Zilinka appealed to the Constitutional Court over the amendment to the Criminal Code, proposing that proceedings regarding the compliance of legal regulations with the Constitution should be launched. He mainly objects to a change to the Criminal Procedure Code concerning the inadmissibility of evidence obtained from a cooperating defendant, and he's seeking for the effect of the challenged regulation to be suspended. The amendment has also been criticised by the opposition, which says the legislation is designed to make life easier for the "mafia" and is intended to guarantee impunity for people who commit serious criminal offences. BRATISLAVA – Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) sees no constitutional problem in changes to the assessment of testimonies by cooperating defendants. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Kalinak added that he doesn't know why Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka has appealed to the Constitutional Court. The defence minister pointed out that lawmakers have the right to amend laws. "Using a right that is guaranteed by the Constitution can't be called its misuse. If someone has the right to submit an amending proposal, even an entirely new bill, then they simply have that right," he said. Earlier on Wednesday, Prosecutor-General Zilinka appealed to the Constitutional Court over the amendment to the Criminal Code. Zilinka mainly objects to a change to the Criminal Code concerning the inadmissibility of evidence obtained from a cooperating defendant. He's seeking to suspend the effect of the challenged legal regulation. According to Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD), the amendment to the Criminal Code, which also changes the Criminal Procedure Code in the area of cooperating defendants, isn't bringing about a revolution but common sense and legal logic. In his view, the principles of justice remain preserved. The amendment has caught flak from the opposition, which claims that the legislation addresses the problems of the "mafia" and is intended to guarantee impunity for people who commit serious criminal activities. mf