SUMMARY - Wednesday, 18 March 2026 - 9.30 p.m.

Bratislava, 18 March (TASR) - If the governing coalition increases the threshold required for political parties to enter Parliament from the current 5 percent to 7 or even 10 percent, the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) is ready to offer its opposition partners a broad electoral coalition, PS leader Michal Simecka told a press conference on Wednesday. https://etasr.sk/article/23093346 Bratislava, 18 March (TASR) - The Slovak Hospitals Association (ANS) has reached a framework agreement on financing during negotiations with the state-run VsZP and the private Dovera health-insurance companies, while negotiations with another private health insurer, Union, will continue, with a final offer due to be made on Monday (23 March), ANS informed TASR on Wednesday. https://etasr.sk/article/23093354 Bratislava, 18 March (TASR) - MP Jan Ferencak (Independent) told journalists in Parliament on Monday that he views his expulsion from the junior coalition Voice-SD party as persecution and that he was expecting it, while he also described the move as an act of revenge by Voice-SD leader Matus Sutaj Estok. https://etasr.sk/article/23093473 Bratislava, 18 March (TASR) - At its session on Wednesday, the government approved a regulation introducing measures to limit diesel consumption during the state of oil emergency. https://etasr.sk/article/23093534 Bratislava, 18 March (TASR) - The coalition has never considered raising the parliamentary entry threshold, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Wednesday, describing claims by opposition representatives regarding the governing coalition's plan to increase the threshold as lies. https://etasr.sk/article/23093702 Casta-Papiernicka, 18 March (TASR) - Slovakia lacks a vision, as the country is governed from one election to the next, with priorities, goals and tools to achieve them shifting every four years, stated President Peter Pellegrini during his address at the eighth session of the Parliament of Children and Youth held at the Parliament's Casta-Papiernicka accommodation facility on Wednesday. https://etasr.sk/article/23093942 Bratislava, 18 March (TASR) - The government has adopted a regulation that will limit, for the next 30 days, the volume of diesel that can be bought at petrol stations in Slovakia, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) announced following the cabinet session on Wednesday. https://etasr.sk/article/23093957 Bratislava, 18 March (TASR) - The government's effort to address the crisis associated with rising global oil prices and fuel costs in Slovakia is insufficient, offering only chaotic measures instead of systemic solutions, several opposition parties stated following the cabinet session on Wednesday. https://etasr.sk/article/23094069 NOTICE: If you click on the link or copy it into the search window, the browser will display the full text of the message in the new e-TASR client zone. If you have any questions, please contact obchod@tasr.sk. jrg