MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 24 January 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 23 January): BRATISLAVA - I'll hold bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris next Thursday, 29 January, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) posted on social media on Friday, adding that the agenda for the talks will be "enormous." The premier announced the meeting shortly after returning to Slovakia from trips to Brussels and Paris. On Thursday evening (22 January), he attended an extraordinary meeting of the European Council in the Belgian capital, convened by European Council President Antonio Costa in connection with US President Donald Trump's threats concerning Greenland. According to Fico, the meeting was informal and didn't produce any conclusions. "A video conference would have been sufficient to state that we're interested in cooperating with the US, that we support the territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland, and that we must be stronger in order to withstand the consequences of the new US foreign policy, and we could have saved a lot of money," he said. At the meeting, the leaders of the member states also discussed Ukraine, which, according to the Slovak prime minister, has been pushed into the background by the American interest in acquiring Greenland. The premier then moved from Brussels to Paris, where on Friday, together with Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD), he visited the headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). They agreed with OECD representatives to jointly prepare a credible plan to support economic growth in Slovakia based on domestic resources. BRATISLAVA - The inter-governmental agreement between Slovakia and the United States of America in the field of civil nuclear energy was published in the Slovak Collection of Laws on Friday. The agreement should serve as the basis for a contract for constructing a new nuclear power unit at Jaslovske Bohunice (Trnava region). "The agreement creates a comprehensive framework for cooperation that will enable the Slovak Republic to develop its civil nuclear programme over the long term, to systematically strengthen expert and institutional capacities, and to create the professional prerequisites for developing nuclear energy in line with national strategic objectives," said the Slovak Economy Ministry on Friday. The ministry added that other EU-member states, such as Poland, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Romania, already have similar inter-governmental agreements with the United States, and that the signing of the agreement was consulted with the European Commission. The signed document envisages expert consultations, the promotion of civil nuclear energy within the European Union, and the organisation of workshops, meetings, seminars and conferences, as well as support for developing, constructing and financing a new nuclear unit with the aim of putting the reactor in operation in 2040. BRATISLAVA - The situation concerning the arrest of a Chinese spy by the Czech police doesn't pose a security risk for Slovakia, said Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) on Friday in response to questions from journalists, adding that Slovak intelligence services are monitoring the situation. The spy was reportedly granted interviews by MEP Lubos Blaha (Smer-SD) and Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD). "Every intelligence service, both civilian and military, has its own department that specialises in foreign intelligence services, and they are generally very good at it, and we're taking measures on an ongoing basis," said Kalinak, claiming that it will be important to monitor this story to see how serious it is, whether the Chinese spy communicated with politicians or collected military information or information related to NATO from them. "That could make this case much more serious, but if someone has provided only an interview, as the House chair did, then I don't consider it to be a security risk at this point," said the minister. The Czech police and Security Intelligence Service announced on Thursday (22 January) that criminal investigators in the Czech Republic on Saturday (17 January) had detained a person suspected of spying for China and charged them with unauthorised activities on behalf of a foreign power. BRATISLAVA - Slovak Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) and his Czech counterpart Robert Plaga agreed to deepen mutual cooperation during their talks on Friday, noting that their countries' educational systems are very similar, TASR learnt at their press conference held on the same day. The talks revolved around the topics of artificial intelligence (AI), mental health, security, inclusion, segregation and universities. "I believe that both countries face very similar challenges when it comes to education. Our educational systems are still very similar. We have much to discuss, and we were essentially able to share lots and lots of really interesting and specific insights that align closely in many respects," stated Drucker, welcoming the fact that the new Czech education minister was visiting Bratislava shortly after taking up office. Plaga, who previously served as education minister between 2017 and 2021, observed that Slovakia has made a big leap forward in education. "I have a feeling that the younger brother has caught up with the older brother in many areas," remarked Plaga, praising Slovakia's steps regarding AI in education in particular. BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) should treat his coalition partners more politely and deal with people's actual problems instead of virtual enemies, stated leader of the junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) and House Vice-chair Andrej Danko in a video on social media on Friday, responding to Fico's comments on Thursday (22 January). Danko also questioned the government's plan to sign a contract with the US company Westinghouse for constructing a new nuclear power unit, asking "whether it's really a good idea to sign a contract with the Americans, as their treatment of Europe and the European Union is such that they're nearly going to take part of Greenland's territory". The SNS leader is also pondering whether the prime minister, during his meeting with US President Donald Trump, inquired about Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro or about amending the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) between Slovakia and the USA, which the coalition parties criticised in the past but have failed to amend since winning the election. Danko also said that he was offended at being compared to the junior coalition Voice-SD party, as SNS members haven't betrayed the prime minister. He urged Fico to devote himself to people's real problems, such as targeted energy assistance. "You could have discussed that on the plane with [Economy] Minister [Denisa] Sakova. These are the problems that Slovakia is facing, not Greenland, not virtual enemies," said Danko. He again called for Slovakia's European Commissioner Maros Sefcovic to be replaced, while referring to how Fico stood behind his adviser and former foreign minister (2012-20) Miro Lajcak over the latter's communications with late US financier Jeffrey Epstein. "So, I'm asking you: why are you standing up for Maros Sefcovic, the father of the Green Deal?" asked Danko. am