MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 21 March 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 20 March): BRUSSELS - No monitoring commission has visited the oil pipeline facility in the Ukrainian city of Brody in Lviv region; the Ukrainians haven't allowed anyone access to the site, so no one knows what the state the oil pipeline is in, said Slovak Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) following the European Council summit in Brussels on Friday. Fico described the meeting as demanding, with several issues requiring urgent action. He reiterated that discussions on Ukraine were narrowed down to two issues – the blocked €90-billion loan for Kiev and the interruption of oil supplies to Slovakia and Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline. According to him, these two issues are closely interconnected, even though several leaders sought to separate them. Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban is blocking the payment of the already agreed-upon loan to Ukraine, as well as the adoption of the 20th package of anti-Russian sanctions due to this dispute. Attempts to persuade him during Thursday's summit again failed. However, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the Union will find a way to release the loan. At the same time, European Council President Antonio Costa said that the leaders at the summit described Budapest's approach to this matter as unacceptable. The Slovak premier rejected claims that Bratislava has blocked the loan for Ukraine, calling it a misinterpretation of the rejection of the European Council conclusions on Ukraine. He said that he had politically supported Orban. BRUSSELS - Given that a combination of circumstances could lead to an oil crisis in Europe, the European Union (EU) should support Slovakia's and Hungary's efforts to have oil supplies resumed via the Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has stated, assessing the results of Thursday's (19 March) EU summit. Fico said that since the outbreak of the war in Iran, the EU has already paid over €6 billion in higher fuel prices, and this situation, combined with Europe's economic developments and the provision of aid to Ukraine, is creating an "explosive mix". He pointed out that European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned at the summit of the risks of rising interest rates, increasing inflation and a decline in the EU's economic performance. In this situation, Fico doesn't understand why the EU isn't pressuring Ukraine to speed up repairs to the Druzhba pipeline, to allow inspectors access and to make use of the technical expertise and EU funding offered for this purpose. He called it ridiculous that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is talking about six weeks for the repairs, which, according to Fico, coincides with the election in Hungary. "The situation will be very bad; it could even lead to an oil shock. Zelenskyy hasn't budged an inch; he's harming Slovakia economically, just as he's harming Hungary. He's already harmed us with the gas pipeline, when we lost transit fees," he added. Fico emphasised that this concerns oil, which, owing to an EU exemption, Slovakia and Hungary can continue to receive via pipeline and by sea until 2027. Fico claimed to have learnt at the summit that immediately after the election in Hungary, the EU will prepare legislation to repeal this exemption. "I'll consider this to be a significant encroachment on our national interests," he said. According to him, the EU has no influence on global events and lacks any solutions or tools to help member states if oil supplies were to run out. BRATISLAVA - All three defendants in the case involving the Bonaparte apartment complex, including Ladislav B. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], were acquitted by Bratislava I Municipal Court on Friday. According to the court, it couldn't be proven that the alleged offence had occurred. It also referred the tax office to claim damages via civil proceedings. The verdict is not yet final as the prosecutor has appealed against it. The defendants did not appear to hear the verdict. A prosecutor indicted Ladislav B. in the Bonaparte case in June 2022. Four people in total were charged in connection with the case for the crime of failing to pay taxes and compulsory levies into insurance funds, but one of them has died in the meantime. The case also concerns suspicions that use was made of an illicit claim for an excessive VAT deduction. The tax office is claiming damages amounting to more than €913,000. BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini has granted a pardon to a woman who was sentenced to six months in prison for the offence of unlawful business activity committed on a small scale over a long period of time, the President Office's communications department has informed TASR. The condition is that she doesn't commit an intentional crime for a period of 12 months from the date the pardon was granted. This is the second pardon to be granted by Pellegrini. "The president decided to grant a conditional pardon in light of exceptional circumstances related to the fact that the convicted person is the mother of minor children, one of whom has a long-term adverse health condition and needs increased care," stated the communications department. Moreover, more than ten years have passed since the offence was committed and that the convicted woman currently leads an orderly family life and isn't subject to criminal prosecution. According to the head of state, serving a prison sentence would no longer fulfil its legal purpose, but would have a negative impact on the minor children, especially the one with a long-term adverse health condition. BRATISLAVA - Substances found in synthetic drugs will be prohibited in new legislation, with the substances being regulated by groups based on their chemical structure under the new rules, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok told a news conference held jointly with Health Minister Kamil Sasko (both Voice-SD) on Friday. The health minister said that the new law will be submitted for an interdepartmental review soon. "It will be submitted for an interdepartmental review in April so that it can be discussed by the government and subsequently approved by Parliament as soon as possible. I'm absolutely convinced that this will gain society-wide and broad political support, as it is a modern and effective tool with a single aim - to protect our children and safeguard minors," said Sasko. BRATISLAVA - The Slovak police have taken preventive measures to strengthen security in Slovakia in response to a fire in the town of Pardubice in the Czech Republic, they posted on social media, assuring the public that they are currently not aware of any specific threat. "The Police Corps is taking the incident in the Czech Republic, specifically in Pardubice, with the utmost seriousness and is in contact with both the Czech police and other foreign partners as part of international police cooperation. In response to this situation, appropriate preventive measures have been taken to strengthen security within the territory of the Slovak Republic," stated the police. TREBISOV - A physical attack involving a sharp object occurred in an outlet of a retail chain in Trebisov (Kosice region) on Friday morning, with one person sustaining injuries, the extent of which is currently being determined, Kosice region police have reported on social media. Paramedics transported a 54-year-old woman to hospital with superficial head and facial injuries. "We want to reassure the general public that the police are actively working on the matter. The suspect was detained at the scene and subsequently escorted to a police station," said Kosice region police spokesperson Lenka Ivanova, adding that an as-yet unknown sharp object was used in the attack. Spokesperson for the Emergency Medical Service Operations Centre Petra Klimesova has told TASR that an ambulance was dispatched to help the injured woman. "The woman was transported to the hospital in Trebisov with superficial injuries to her head and face," she said. am