MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, 17 February 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, 16 February): BRATISLAVA - Relations between Slovakia and Georgia are very good, with no open issues between the two countries, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said at a joint press conference on Monday after talks in Bratislava with his Georgian counterpart Maka Bochorishvili. Blanar stressed that the countries would like to translate their political cooperation into stronger economic ties. He highlighted the development of the Georgian economy, adding that Slovakia wants to be part of this progress. He also announced that Slovakia plans to send an economic diplomat to Tbilisi to seek investment and cooperation opportunities for the Slovak Republic. "There are many areas where we could be helpful, whether in meteorology, green technologies, IT systems, innovation, water management, wastewater treatment or waste management," Blanar stated. BRATISLAVA - The institute of the so-called cooperating defendants helps dismantle, prosecute and try organisers of criminal structures worldwide, with cooperating defendants being the individuals who help eliminate violent or economic crime, which sometimes reaches the highest political spheres, opposition MP and former police chief Jaroslav Spisiak (Progressive Slovakia) said at a press conference on Monday. Spisiak responded this way to Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), who considers abolishing the institute to be the most appropriate solution. "Robert Fico suggests that the entire institute of cooperating defendants is fundamentally wrong. These individuals allegedly make things up, should not be taken into account and should not be granted benefits. In his view, the whole concept is flawed because it allows, according to him, the political misuse of criminal law against the opposition. The truth, however, is completely different," Spisiak said. He recalled that in the 1990s it was cooperating defendants who helped break up mafia groups. Spisiak pointed out that in 2001, when he was first vice-president of the Police Corps, he initiated the introduction of the institute into criminal law. It was eventually incorporated in 2005 during the recodification of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Criminal Code. BRATISLAVA - Supplies of fuel for the population and the economy are not under threat in any way and Slovakia's oil security is ensured, the Material Reserves State Administration (SSHR) reported following an emergency special meeting with representatives of Oil Security Committee (NESO) on Monday over the temporary suspension of oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline to Slovakia. Discussed at a meeting was information from the Slovak oil refinery Slovnaft and the pipeline infrastructure operator Transpetrol, as well as from other affected entities. The committee stated that the situation is being monitored in detail and regularly assessed. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia has officially closed the 2014-2020 programme period for drawing EU funds and ranks among the more successful countries in terms of absorption rates, having invested 99.83 percent of the allocated funds for a total of €14.5 billion, the Finance Ministry reported on Monday after sending the final accounts for eleven operational programmes to the European Commission. The ministry recalled that Slovakia and the European Commission concluded the relevant Partnership Agreement on 20 June 2014, with the document defining the strategy and main priorities for using the allocated EU funds. Slovakia has managed to implement more than 15,000 projects under eleven operational programmes, "With €14.5 billion from EU funds and €2.2 billion as co-financing from the state budget, the funds were used to support projects in such areas as strengthening the competitiveness of the economy, education, more accessible and safe transport, improving the quality of the environment, better quality of life in the regions, mitigating the impact of higher energy prices, provision of social services, as well as eGovernment," stated the Finance Ministry. BRATISLAVA - The public will once again be able to purchase government bonds intended for ordinary people in two week's time, as of Monday, 2 March, the Finance Ministry has announced on a social network. The Finance Ministry, along with the Debt and Liquidity Management Agency (ARDAL), will float two types of government securities on the market. "The sale of the bonds follows the previous strong public interest in purchasing them. Government bonds will be on sale from 2 to 20 March 2026," said the ministry. A pilot issue of bonds for the public was floated at the same time last year and sold out within just a few days. Two kinds of bonds will be available this year as well: Investor II, with a two-year maturity and a 2.7-percent yield p.a.; and Patriot II, with a four-year maturity and a 3-percent yield p.a. BRATISLAVA - Consumer prices of goods and services in January rose by 4 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) and by 1.8 percent when compared to December 2025, with inflation mainly driven by a sharp increase in housing costs including energy, as well as higher food prices, the Statistics Office reported on Monday. In year-on-year terms, the last time that inflation was higher was in September 2025, when it reached 4.3 percent. On a monthly basis, meanwhile, January saw the fastest growth in the past three years. Prices were higher y-o-y in twelve of the thirteen categories, from 0.5 percent in IT to 7.1 percent in restaurants and hotels, with transport being the only category to record lower prices than in January 2025 (down by 1.8 percent). The most significant impact on y-o-y inflation came from the two most influential categories in household expenditures, i.e. housing including energy (up 6.1 percent) and food and non-alcoholic beverages (3.9 percent). ko