MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, 10 February 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, 9 February): BRATISLAVA - Tens of millions of euros are set to flow into Slovakia's agriculture sector via two new calls, one for young farmers (€57 million) and the other for processors (€35 million), with the total allocation under the two calls amounting to €92 million, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) announced at a press briefing on Monday. The briefing was also attended by Agricultural Payment Agency (PPA) general director Marek Cepka. A total of €35 million has been allocated to the Investments in Expanding Processing Plant Capacities call, which was announced on 9 February and will close on 23 March 2026. Applications may be submitted from 3 March to 23 March this year. The share of the support has been set at 60 percent, with the maximum amount of support at €100,000, the minister specified. According to Takac, the aim of the call is to provide investment support focused on increasing added value in the agriculture sector, boost food security and self-sufficiency, enhance the competitiveness of processing enterprises and increase employment. The allocation for the Attracting and Retaining Young Farmers call stands at €57 million. It was announced on Monday and will close on 29 May. Applications for support may be submitted from 8 to 29 May 2026. The support share is 100 percent, with the maximum amount of support set at €100,000, the minister underlined. Takac added that the objective of the call is to provide investment support for young and new farmers, promote generational renewal in the agricultural sector, enhance the competitiveness of young farmers and increase employment. BRATISLAVA - The election of a new prosecutor-general (PG) before the 2027 parliamentary election is not on the agenda, leader of the coalition Voice-SD party and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok reiterated on Monday. Sutaj Estok doesn't believe that there is room for a political agreement on such a "sensitive issue". "I think that this isn't something to be considered, and I don't think that there will be any room at all to find agreement on such a sensitive issue as the election of a new prosecutor-general. You know very well that this election has always triggered major controversies in the past," said Sutaj Estok. Asked whether he believes that the current governing coalition should elect a new prosecutor-general, even though the seven-year term of the current holder, Maros Zilinka, is set to expire after the election in 2027, he replied that this is a theoretical question. "In this case I really don't know what the deadlines are and when it will be possible to elect a prosecutor-general before the end of his term. So, if we even get there in a year or so, there'll be time to talk about it then," he added. With respect to the 2027 parliamentary election, he said that he takes the four-year mandate as party leader that he received at last year's party congress with full seriousness. He also believes the party has a good team of ministers. "We want to do everything to carry Voice through to the next elections, to get closer to the result that we achieved in the [last] parliamentary election," added Sutaj Estok. BRATISLAVA - Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka on Monday submitted his opinion to the Constitutional Court, proposing that the law on the transformation of the Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) should be declared unconstitutional, TASR reported on the basis of information published by Zilinka on a social network on Monday. "Today, I submitted my opinion to the Constitutional Court with regard to a motion by a group of MPs to initiate proceedings on compliance of the law on the Office for the Protection of Victims of Criminal Offences and Whistleblowers of Anti-Social Activity," stated Zilinka. Zilinka proposed that the Constitutional Court should uphold the motion and declare that the use of a fast-track legislative procedure for adopting the law, as well as UOO's transformation into a new authority have resulted in several violations of the Constitution, as have terminating the posts of senior officials and changing the status of protected whistleblowers. In December of last year, the Constitutional Court suspended the effect of the law and accepted the opposition's motion for further proceedings in full. The opposition MPs argued that the law may be at odds with the Slovak Constitution and EU law, and they criticised how it was adopted via a fast-tracked legislative procedure. Among other things, they pointed to the shortening of the term of office of the duly elected UOO chairperson and to changes related to the granting and review of whistleblower protection. The motion submitted to the Constitutional Court was also supported by ombudsman Robert Dobrovodsky. BRATISLAVA - The Defence Ministry has been fined €100,000 by the Public Procurement Office (UVO) in relation to the reconstruction of a former student dormitory in Bratislava known as Kukurica [The Corn on the Cob — due to the building's shape], opposition MP Gabor Grendel ('Slovakia'– 'For the People') announced on Monday, adding that the ministry breached the law seventeen times. UVO spokeswoman Simona Brejova has confirmed for TASR that two fines totalling €100,000 have been imposed, but they aren't yet final, as an appeal has been filed by a party to the proceedings. "Everyone has already heard about the overpriced Kukurica, but [Defence Minister] Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) somehow forgot to boast about the fact that his subordinates have breached the law at least 17 times, with UVO imposing a fine of more than €100,000. This isn't a minor mistake; this is a systemic failure and clear proof of this being another Kalinak scandal," stated Grendel. Referring to UVO's decision, the 'Slovakia' party claimed that most of the breaches have occurred during Kalinak's term in office. "These have included, in particular, intentionally splitting contracts to avoid above-threshold procurement, as well as breaches of the principles of transparency, equal treatment and non-discrimination in a major contract worth more than €11 million," stated the opposition party's spokesperson Matus Bystriansky. BRATISLAVA - The Supreme Court has rejected the defence's complaint against last year's acceptance of the indictment by the Specialised Criminal Court in the Purgatory case, TASR was told by lawyer Marek Para on Monday. "Today, the Supreme Court's resolution rejecting the defence's complaint against the Specialised Criminal Court's ruling was added to the electronic file and will be delivered to the parties in the coming days," stated Para. The Supreme Court ruled on this matter back in December 2025. In 2020, the former National Crime Agency (NAKA) detained several former police officials, including ex-police president Tibor G. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], as part of operation codenamed Purgatory. According to the charges, the group was operating around Nitra businessman Norbert B. At the end of 2021, the prosecutor filed charges against 11 defendants for a total of 20 offenses. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia has been a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for 33 years, Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) stated on the occasion of the anniversary of Slovakia's accession to UNESCO, highlighting the reputation that the country has built up, TASR was told by the ministry's communications department. "Thanks to its broad mandate, UNESCO influences almost all of us in various areas, from education to the protection of human rights and cultural heritage," said Blanar, emphasising that Slovakia is a respected partner within the organisation. "Membership of UNESCO has also brought Slovakia several significant entries on the organisation's prestigious lists and programmes, including eight sites on the World Heritage List, nine elements on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, four biosphere reserves, and one geopark. These entries protect values of universal significance, support sustainable regional development, and raise awareness of the cultural and natural diversity of the Slovak Republic," noted the ministry. jrg