MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 21 January 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 20 January): BRATISLAVA - The Financial Administration (FS) building on Mierova Street in Bratislava was evacuated on Tuesday morning after unknown perpetrators sent an email with a bomb threat, while also making threats against FS president Jozef Kiss, TASR has learnt from Martin Dorcak, director of the FS communications department. The police are currently searching the premises. "The emails may have something to do with yesterday's manipulative and one-sided reports by TV Markiza, the Aktuality.sk news website and other media, as well as with calculated disinformation by politicians regarding the house raid and detention of Zuzana Subova [chairwoman of the extra-parliamentary Pirate Party - Slovakia, ed. note], which could have created the false impression that the FS president was responsible for the operation carried out by the law-enforcement bodies," stated Dorcak. In this connection, FS president Jozef Kiss has called on both the media and politicians not to spread unverified and false information that could lead to an escalation of tension in society, and to refrain from abusing the media for self-promotion. BRATISLAVA - Zuzana Subova, chair of the extra-parliamentary Pirate Party-Slovakia, held a news conference on Tuesday to deny sending anonymous messages to Financial Administration (FS) president and former head of the Agricultural Payment Agency (PPA) Jozef Kiss. The police raid on her home on Monday (19 January) was allegedly related to suspicions that she had committed the crime of dangerous stalking. However, Subova claims that the only reason for the search was to find out what documents related to PPA's activities were available to her, adding that documents related to criminal complaints that she had filed were also sought. Subova called this intimidation. Subova views Monday's police action as crossing all red lines. The way in which it was carried out reminded her more of a demonstration of force and an attempt to humiliate her. "The only reason was to find out what Subova has at her disposal in various criminal proceedings, as the conclusions that I want to present next week in Brussels, as has been noted, are really serious," she said. "What the investigator and those gentlemen around her were interested in for the whole of the seven hours were the letters and documents regarding PPA," explained Subova. BRATISLAVA - The issue of high energy prices, which threaten the competitiveness of the European Union (EU), must be addressed radically, and Slovakia proposes, as one of the options, declaring a four- or five-year moratorium on the application of the emissions trading system (ETS), Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has written in a letter to European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, which he published on social media on Tuesday. The premier pointed out that the EC has been asked at several European Council meetings to submit specific proposals to reduce electricity prices for strategic sectors of European industry. "With all due respect to the work of the European Commission, I must say that I haven't seen any specific programme. I'm convinced that we must take a radical approach to this issue," stressed Fico. "One option I propose for the Slovak Republic is to declare a 4-5 year moratorium on the application of the emissions-trading mechanism. Such a decision would lead to a significant revival and boost to strategic industrial sectors," wrote the prime minister, adding that he expects that other alternatives for reducing extremely high electricity prices will also emerge. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party on Tuesday called on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to finally publish the wording of the Slovak-US inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy, which he signed in the United States last week. According to SaS, the premier should do so in order to disperse the demagogy surrounding the memorandum and the prepared construction of a new nuclear power unit in Slovakia. "Robert Fico simply has to disclose what he's committed himself to in this agreement, dispel all the doubts that we have about this agreement, and truly prove that there's no technology or supplier on the table at the moment," said MP Karol Galek (SaS). The premier is spreading half-truths and misleading people on the whole issue, stated Galek, adding that several facts prove this. "First and foremost, it must be said that the memorandum is a non-binding agreement between Slovakia and the United States on cooperation in the field of education and exchanges of experience. Secondly, this memorandum shouldn't have been signed by Robert Fico, as the US Secretary of Energy is not his partner," stressed Galek. NITRA - The police have concluded the investigation into the traffic accident in which Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) director Pavol Gaspar was involved last year, Nitra regional police spokesman Tomas Havetta confirmed on Tuesday, adding that the investigation into the misdemeanour was concluded when a report was submitted to the relevant administrative authority. "In the subsequent proceedings, only this authority can decide whether the suspect is guilty or innocent, and, if necessary, impose a sanction within such proceedings," stated Havetta. Gaspar was involved in a traffic accident on Dobsinskeho Street in Nitra on 30 August 2025 when two vehicles collided. A minor suffered light injuries in the crash. Both participants in the traffic accident underwent breathalyser tests for alcohol with negative results. BRATISLAVA - The police have neither confirmed nor denied information that charges have been pressed against former agriculture minister Gabriela M. (name abbreviated due to legal reasons), which was published by the Aktuality.sk website on Tuesday. Spokesperson for Bratislava region police Lukas Pecek told TASR that the police are currently continuing criminal proceedings in the case of a breach of obligations in the administration of somebody else's property. "The criminal police department of the Bratislava region police is currently continuing to conduct criminal proceedings concerning the criminal offence of a breach of obligations in the administration of somebody else's property. As the investigation has not yet been completed, and in order to maintain its objectivity and to prevent it from being thwarted, no further information can be provided at this time," said Pecek. According to the Aktuality.sk website, charges were reportedly pressed against Gabriela M. and another person a few days ago. ko