MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 8 April 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 7 April): BRATISLAVA - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party held a news conference on Tuesday to criticise the preparations for building a battery plant in the town of Surany (Nitra region), calling on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) to provide truthful information on the state of the investment or on Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) to say that there will be no investment. MP Karol Galek (SaS) stated that Slovakia will need a battery plant, but the entire planning and implementation process of this project is being mishandled. He pointed out that the investment was originally supposed to be launched in January 2027, but information from the construction site now indicates that it should be as early as this June. "How do they plan to complete the construction and roads in two months, how do they plan to ensure that the technology itself is delivered there so that battery production can start in January?", asked the MP. According to him, Taraba has spoken about a 13-month construction delay and questioned the investment as such. Galek said that according to a memorandum of understanding regarding the battery plant investment, MH Invest is supposed to pay a total of €85 million to the Slovak Electricity Transmission System (SEPS) and electricity utility West Slovak Distribution Company (ZSD) to enable connection to the grid. "In a situation in which we don't even have an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) issued yet, there are 44 unresolved questions and requirements needing a response from the Environment Ministry," said Galek. According to him, the connection to the grid should be financed by the Chinese investor, Gotion. BRATISLAVA - GIB EnergyX has begun assembling the supporting structure of a battery plant in Surany (Nitra region), marking a stage where construction becomes directly visible on site, the company stated in response to statements by the opposition's Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, rejecting what it described as SaS's misleading claims about the project. "In recent months, extensive earthworks, geological and geotechnical surveys, drilling and testing activities have taken place at the site, creating the conditions for a smooth transition to the next phase. The company also considers it necessary to publicly respond to repeated claims that do not reflect reality. Construction of the plant in Surany is under way and the project is continuing. We firmly reject any misleading statements about the status or progress of the project," the company said. According to GIB EnergyX, the project is currently in the mandatory environmental impact assessment phase (the so-called large EIA), with an evaluation report being prepared for the Environment Ministry. The company plans to submit the report officially by July 2026, adding that the EIA process has a clearly defined legal procedure and timeline which has been announced and respected from the outset. BRATISLAVA - Adjusting the rules on VAT deductions could bring the state at least €900 million, Independent said lawmakers centered around Tourism and Sports Minister Rudolf Huliak at a press briefing on Tuesday. According to the MPs, eligibility to deduct VAT should be abolished for services related to advertising, IT and consultancy. The draft law is to be submitted to the next parliamentary session, and Huliak plans to have it discussed beforehand by the coalition council at its session on Wednesday (8 April). "Every Slovak family is currently losing more than €600 a year due to VAT fraud. We therefore propose abolishing VAT refunds in three key areas where the risks are most clearly identified, namely advertising-related services, information technology and consultancy," said Huliak. "Our goal is to abolish VAT deductions in general, but this is one of the initial measures that will show and identify whether the subsequent abolition of VAT refunds as a whole would be effective. The European Union has also limited legislation in this area, and we'll have to request an exemption accordingly," he explained. BRATISLAVA - Defendant Daniel B. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons - ed. note], who was convicted of multiple extremist crimes by the Specialised Criminal Court (STS) in Pezinok (Bratislava region) in March, was released from custody by the Supreme Court on Tuesday, the Supreme Court's office has confirmed for TASR, adding that the court's decision is final. Daniel B. thus walked free from the Palace of Justice in Bratislava, where he had been remanded in custody. "At a closed-door session, the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic dismissed the prosecutor's complaint regarding the defendant's custody, which means that the STS judge's decision concerning his release from custody has become final," stated the Supreme Court. STS found Daniel B. guilty of all charges related to several extremist criminal offences on 10 March. It imposed a suspended prison sentence of three years with a probation period of four years. BRATISLAVA - Prosecutor-General (PG) Maros Zilinka has pointed to the long-term deterioration of many immovable cultural monuments on social media, warning that their cultural value is at risk and expressing concern that this could ultimately lead to their physical destruction, adding that the matter will be investigated. "In 2026, the PG's Office will examine the lawfulness of corrective and punitive procedures, decisions, and measures across Slovakia, as well as any potential idleness shown by public administration bodies when it comes to protecting cultural monuments," said Zilinka. In a response provided to TASR, the Monuments Authority stated that it has long pointed to the poor condition of heritage assets and the need to restore and maintain them. It stated that the absence of this has caused the number of buildings in a deteriorating condition to grow. BRATISLAVA - Non-governmental organisations are calling for the withdrawal of an amendment to the Criminal Code concerning changes to the institution of the cooperating defendant, with the Let's Stop Corruption Foundation and Via Iuris having also launched a petition to collect signatures for a mass comment, as they consider the proposed changes to be incoherent and unconstitutional, TASR was told by the foundation's communications specialist Norbert Chomistek on Tuesday. The organisations warn that if the amendment is adopted in its proposed form, the state will lose a key tool for dismantling organised-crime structures and corruption networks. In addition, they emphasised that the changes directly contradict established judicial practice and case law, pointing to several risks. The NGOs argue that the proposal removes the right of cooperating defendants to refuse to testify, which they say runs contrary to the Slovak Constitution. They also criticise the setting of deadlines under which an accused person would have to surrender the financial proceeds of criminal activity within 180 days or lose all benefits, while also warning of possible interference in judicial independence. The requirement to corroborate testimony with other evidence, they say, directly interferes with the principle of the free evaluation of evidence by judges. ko