MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, 20 January 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, 19 January): BRATISLAVA - The coalition's Slovak National Party (SNS) is expected to withdraw its amendment to the Criminal Code, and a joint coalition proposal of changes to the Criminal Code is to be submitted to Parliament instead, after an agreement with the Justice Ministry, head of Voice-SD parliamentary caucus Robert Puci told journalists after Monday's session of the coalition council. The chairs of coalition caucuses also discussed the course of the upcoming parliamentary session. MPs don't yet plan to elect the chair of the European Affairs Committee, even after the dismissal of Jan Ferencak (independent) for the post. Voice-SD has proposed Peter Kmec (Voice-SD) for the post, but according to Puci he does not wish to chair the committee. "Voice has a problem with this, so we will see what happens after the large coalition council. But I must state that the basic idea of changing certain so-called "rubber paragraphs" exists; the requirement is that it be done in cooperation with the Justice Ministry," SNS caucus head Roman Michelko said regarding the Criminal Code amendment. "This is the main requirement of Smer-SD: it shouldn't be addressed without consulting the ministry. Realistically, we assume that even the first reading will probably not take place at this session unless these matters are discussed first," added Smer-SD caucus head Jan Richter. BRATISLAVA - The prosecution service will file an administrative action over the reassignment of police officer Peter J. (name abbreviated due to legal reasons) from the Internal Affairs Inspectorate (UIS) to the District Police Directorate in Levice (Nitra region), as Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) failed to respond to the protest lodged by Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka, TASR reported on Monday based on information published by Zilinka on a social network. "The identified breach of the law, which involved issuing a personnel order without the consent of the Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO), has not been remedied, therefore an administrative action will be filed in the case at hand," stated Zilinka. The Interior Ministry previously received a fine of €6,000 from the UOO for unlawfully reassigning the police officer from UIS to Levice. In total, the ministry has already been hit with tens of thousands in fines for violating the law and failing to discuss personnel measures in the police with the UOO. BRATISLAVA - Dana Jelinkova Dudzikova has resigned from her membership of the Judicial Council on Monday, the Judicial Council's Office has reported on its website, adding that she had been a member since 2022. Jelinkova Dudzikova resigned from her membership in a letter that she personally delivered to Judicial Council chairwoman Marcela Kosova. Her mandate expires the following day, 20 January. In her letter, Jelinkova Dudzikova writes that she has recently been searching for answers on how to respond to the current atmosphere and "disruptive phenomena" in the Judicial Council in such a way as to preserve the integrity and credibility of the judiciary and the Judicial Council. "After careful consideration of the options, I've come to the conclusion that I'll terminate my mandate prematurely," she added. The judge went on to say that she agrees with Kosova's concept and values, but is unable to support her from her position as a member of the Judicial Council. "I'll, of course, continue to promote the values we share, but outside the Judicial Council," she noted. BRATISLAVA - The government fails to act in its foreign policy and Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has also failed so far to present the results of his working visit to the United States, representatives of the opposition's Progressive Slovakia (PS) party stated at a press conference. PS also criticised Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD), saying that he should already have taken a stance on the latest decisions by the United States. PS leader Michal Simecka pointed to the crisis between the United States and the European Union, which he said could have a direct impact on Slovakia's security and economy. He also warned of a threat by US President Donald Trump to impose import tariffs on eight European countries until the issue of Greenland being acquired by the United States is resolved. According to Simecka, the prime minister and the foreign affairs minister should already have responded to these statements. Simecka described the situation as a state of maximum political alert. He added that the prime minister should also have informed the public about his meeting with Trump in the United States. "The Slovak public knows nothing at this stage about the parameters of the agreement on the construction of a nuclear reactor, and it also knows nothing about what took place at the meeting between Prime Minister Fico and President Trump. We don't know whether the Slovak prime minister conveyed our interests, European interests, to the US president, whether he condemned the American intervention in Venezuela or the plans to occupy Greenland, whether he told him that a trade war would be counterproductive, or whether he stood up for the principles of international law," Simecka noted. BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) spoke on the phone with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday, TASR was told by the Government Office's communications department on Monday, adding that Fico told him that he'll send on Tuesday (20 January) an open letter to European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen and bring it to the attention of all prime ministers and heads of EU member states. According to the premier, world leaders don't take the EU entirely seriously, which can be attributed to "nonsensical climate goals and suicidal migration policies". "I've proposed several solutions to the federal chancellor and I hope that he'll visit Slovakia soon, as he promised. We have a lot to talk about," he said, adding that several hundred German companies operate in Slovakia, and the Slovak economy is particularly dependent on German economic development due to the huge concentration of car production. Fico said that he talked about the current "serious international situation" with Merz, adding that he primarily discussed his conversation with US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which took place on Saturday (17 January) at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. BRATISLAVA - The government is respected and, unlike the opposition, pursues a sovereign foreign policy, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) said in response to the statements by the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, which accuses the government of inaction in foreign policy. "Progressive Slovakia is frustrated when their desperate propaganda, which they constantly try to spread about us being isolated, is not confirmed, but the opposite is true. So they just criticise and manipulate at all costs," stated Blanar. The foreign minister emphasised that the government consistently promotes diplomatic dialogue, peaceful solutions, and compliance with international law, and communicates this to all partners. According to Blanar, the government continues to pursue a sovereign policy oriented in all four cardinal directions, as defined at the outset in the government manifesto. "This was also the case in the United States, where we went with a clear intention - to sign a cooperation agreement on a civil nuclear programme with the aim of strengthening Slovakia's energy self-sufficiency. At the same time, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and I had an informal meeting with US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio," added Blanar. jrg