MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, 19 March 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 18 March): BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) indicated at a session of the House committee for European affairs on Wednesday that he probably won't support the conclusions of the upcoming EU summit concerning Ukraine because Slovakia's request that the situation with the Druzhba oil pipeline should be reflected is being rejected on principle for incomprehensible reasons. "We asked, and I also had a long discussion about this issue with the president of the European Council, requesting that a section concerning the Druzhba pipeline should be included in the conclusions related to Ukraine. For incomprehensible reasons, this is being fundamentally rejected," said Fico. Fico doesn't see fundamental reasons to oppose other parts of the conclusions concerning EU competitiveness or the Middle East, "provided we manage to push through certain measures in the area of competitiveness". Fico said that he considers it correct to support Ukraine's European prospects, but he cannot imagine Ukraine overtaking other countries that are significantly better prepared for membership for political and ideological reasons. BRATISLAVA - At its session on Wednesday, the government approved a regulation introducing measures to limit diesel consumption during the state of oil emergency. In line with a document submitted to the Cabinet session by the State Material Reserves Administration, diesel may only be refuelled directly into a vehicle's tank and into a single container with a maximum capacity of ten litres. Refuelling is also limited to €400 per vehicle. "A restriction on the sale of diesel is being introduced so that diesel can only be sold at petrol stations only into a vehicle's fuel tank and into a single portable container intended for storing and transporting diesel, with a maximum capacity of ten litres, for a period of 30 days from the date on which the regulation is published in the Collection of Laws. Self-service petrol stations without staff and petrol stations that are unable to comply with this measure will be closed," states the document. The sale of diesel is limited to a financial cap of €400 for refuelling one vehicle. The government has also put a temporary limit on exports of diesel from the Slovak territory to another EU-member state or to a third country for a period of 30 days from the date of the announcement of the government regulation. BRATISLAVA - Opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) party chair Milan Majersky warned on Wednesday that the governing coalition is planning to increase the threshold for parties to enter Parliament after elections, potentially up to 10 percent of the votes. Majersky described the move as a serious restriction on electoral competition, warning that several hundred thousand votes could be lost in elections. "The governing coalition is changing the rules of the game. I'm convinced that Robert Fico will not leave the fight easily; he'll try to hold on tooth and nail," stated Majersky at a press conference. The KDH chair added that the coalition is aware that its popularity is plummeting and that it's losing favour with the public, which is why it wants to change the electoral rules and raise the parliamentary entry threshold. "Many coalition MPs are saying that this could go up to as much as 10 percent," he noted, warning that many political parties that currently poll between 5 and 10 percent would be excluded from Parliament under the proposed changes. BRATISLAVA - The coalition Voice-SD party has expelled MP Jan Ferencak from its ranks, the party announced in a statement on Wednesday. Voice-SD added that it expects Ferencak to honour his pledge and to continue supporting the governing coalition even when no longer a party member. "The Voice party leadership has confirmed the expulsion of Ferencak from the party. This step followed a proposal from the Kezmarok district organisation, whose members expressed concern over his public conduct both in the region and nationally. The proposal was subsequently reviewed by the Voice regional council in Presov region, which unanimously approved the expulsion. The leadership's decision thus formally confirms the regional proposal and the will of the party structures in the area," the party stated. Ferencak left the Voice-SD parliamentary caucus late last year after Parliament, following a proposal by Voice-SD MPs, removed him from the helm of the committee on European affairs. He argued at the time that he couldn't remain in a political environment where critical words lead to persecution. However, he declared that he would remain a member of the party. BRATISLAVA - The Interior Ministry has filed a complaint with the Slovak Bar Association (SAK), asking for a review of statements made by Peter Kubina, a lawyer representing the group of police officers centered around Jan Curilla, ministry spokesperson Matej Neumann told TASR on Wednesday. According to the ministry, Kubina's statements exceeded the bounds of restraint and professionalism. The investigators around Jan Curilla, who investigated high-profile corruption cases in the past, now face prosecution over alleged misuse of a public official's powers. "The complaint concerns several public statements by the lawyer on Facebook, in which he commented in an expressive and unsubstantiated manner on ongoing court proceedings and on the activities of the Interior Ministry and its representatives," said Neumann. BRATISLAVA - The quality of the legislative process and the drafting of new laws in Slovakia is poor, President Peter Pellegrini stated at a Wednesday press conference after meeting House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD). Pellegrini called on the government and Parliament to return to the standard legislative process. The head of state also criticised the misuse of fast-track legislative procedures and the addition of unrelated amendments to laws. The president added that from now on he will carefully review such legislative "riders" and veto them. "Unfortunately, following the example of the previous government, we are also witnessing an extremely high number of fast-track legislative procedures under this governing coalition... I have the feeling that fast-track procedures are often being misused or used because ministerial officials do not prepare legislation sufficiently in advance," Pellegrini said. As for unrelated amendments attached to bills, the president said that when signing such additions he had always prioritised substance over form, but after the latest parliamentary session this approach had reached its limits. ko