MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, 24 March 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, 23 March): BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said during his talks with European Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection Michael McGrath that Slovakia is still going through the trauma of the 2020–23 period marked by gross violations of the rule of law, the Government Office published on social media on Monday. Fico went on to say that Slovakia doesn't wish to continue that tradition but must respond to those violations primarily through legislation. The Government Office noted that the premier seeks a constructive dialogue regarding the European Commission's activities towards Slovakia. He reaffirmed that the European Union is a vital space for Slovakia, while he also stressed that Europe is currently facing the deepest crisis in its history. During his meeting, Fico focused primarily on the political framework of cooperation between the Slovak government and the commissioner, while leaving technical issues to Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD). Commissioner McGrath stated that he spoke with Fico about ongoing infringement proceedings initiated by the EC against Slovakia, including recent changes to whistleblower protection legislation. BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini on Monday signed an amendment to the Criminal Code that annuls the decision to scrap the Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) and replace it with another agency, TASR learnt from the President's Office's communications department on the same day. With the head of state's signature, a new criminal offence will be added to the Criminal Code: damaging war graves, military graves and Holocaust memorials. "The legislative process confirmed that the president's veto on this matter was correct," stated the President's Office regarding the section concerning UOO. MPs on 17 March voted to repeal the law on the Office for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Whistleblowers, which was intended to replace the Whistleblowers Protection Office. The repeal of the law came to Parliament via an amendment to the Criminal Code. BRATISLAVA - A list containing the personal data of people who had requested to be excluded from the new energy aid scheme has probably been leaked from the Economy Ministry, opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) representatives told a news conference on Monday. The list, which wasn't password-protected, includes the names and personal identification numbers of some 20,000 individuals. SaS representatives have described the leak as scandalous, calling on Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) to explain it as soon as possible and to take personal responsibility for it. MP Karol Galek (SaS) stated that he anonymously received a USB drive containing unencrypted files with people's names, surnames and personal identification numbers. "The document's header states 'List of people who have expressed disagreement with providing personal data'. Paradoxically, this is a list of those who didn't want the state to record their data. Despite this, they've found themselves in a database that has apparently been leaked," he said. BRATISLAVA - The government's diesel refuelling measures adopted last week aren't being complied with in practice and are causing chaos, opposition MP Julius Jakab ('Slovakia'-'For the people' caucus) told a briefing on Monday, adding that lorry drivers are filling up beyond the permitted limit at some petrol stations. He also noted that foreigners are enjoying the same diesel prices as Slovak drivers rather than paying the higher price required by a government regulation. According to Jakab, the entire country is laughing at the current government for having botched all its measures. "They can't even handle setting up refuelling at petrol stations. I don't even know how to describe the current government's incompetence, as it can't even regulate refuelling, with the result being that everyone is evading it. A construction company told us that it was allowed to put 100 litres into canisters. We've also seen foreign drivers refuelling for the same diesel prices as Slovaks," stated Jakab. BRATISLAVA - The extra-parliamentary Democrats party is calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and is handing over more than 384,000 signatures collected to President Peter Pellegrini to declare a referendum on shortening the current government's term, representatives of the Democrats party announced at a press conference in front of the Presidential Palace on Monday. The party suggests that the referendum should be held on 27 June 2026. According to party chairman Jaroslav Nad, the referendum aims to bring the current government's term to an early end, to reinstate the Special Prosecutor's Office and the National Crime Agency, and to scrap Fico's lifetime annuity. "Today, I can proudly say that we're officially presenting the public's democratic report card to Robert Fico's government. We're submitting exactly 384,314 signatures from citizens of the Slovak Republic to the president," stated Jaroslav Nad. Nad highlighted that the signatures come from citizens across Slovakia and were collected by party members in hundreds of towns and villages. "These signatures come from ordinary people, from Sobrance [Kosice region] to Kuty [Trnava region]. And this isn't some imaginary number, not some statistic. The signatures weren't bought, they weren't generated by artificial intelligence; they were duly signed by citizens of the Slovak Republic," he stated. BRATISLAVA - More than 20 cultural organisations and institutions have called on the Arts Support Fund (FPU) to respect valid contracts and sign amendments for 2026, otherwise they are prepared to take any legal steps, including seeking damages, they indicated at their press conference held on Monday, where they highlighted the impacts of the FPU Council's decision to cancel valid contracts for multi-year projects. They said that they are preparing a motion to be filed with the prosecutor's office, and they also announced further steps. At the press conference, the cultural organisations referred to a legal analysis, explaining that the FPU Council doesn't have the power to cancel valid contracts across the board by resolution. The contracts were concluded legally and signed by FPU, while multi-year contracts aren't prohibited by law. According to the legal analysis, FPU Council's resolution cannot retroactively interfere with existing rights and obligations, so the council's decision cannot, in and of itself, alter the validity of these contracts. The organisations also described the council's arguments as entirely unsubstantiated. ko