MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, 9 April 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 8 April): BRATISLAVA - MP Jozef Hajko (Christian Democratic Movement/KDH) will resign from his parliamentary seat as of 15 April, explaining that the Christian Democrats are heading in a different direction and that he's failed to push through his priorities. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Hajko added that he'll remain a member of the party, however. "I was unable to implement what I had envisioned. The Christian Democratic Movement is heading in a different direction. This is the decision of the party, its bodies and its broad membership," declared Hajko. The outgoing lawmaker expressed regret that efforts to turn KDH into a strong reform party have failed. He criticised the party for its insufficient focus on economic issues and for not presenting its own initiatives and activities in response to several government proposals and changes that have drawn opposition criticism. He also pointed to a lack of clarity in many areas. "I still want the Christian Democratic Movement to get into Parliament after the next elections, but I fear that it may be there merely to make up the numbers and won't shape the direction of the entire government. My personal wish was for it to be the party that would drive the whole process," he said. BRATISLAVA - Current geopolitical events shouldn't overshadow the fact that Slovak territory was liberated at the end of World War II by the Red Army, along with the Romanian Army and the Czechoslovak Army Corps, stated President Peter Pellegrini at the Slavin memorial on Wednesday, marking the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava. Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) noted that the world is changing and that international law is once again being sidelined. Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) reiterated that a new world order is emerging and that Slovakia must find its place within it. "Let's not be indifferent to human suffering, to the brandishing of military force, or to various forms of political or economic coercion, which, unfortunately, are becoming tools for advancing power-driven goals in today's world, but ultimately sow pain time and again. Let's not be indifferent to hatred, to the first signs of its resurgence. Let's be vigilant if hatred, contempt or prejudice find their way into our public sphere," stressed Pellegrini. According to him, neither post-war developments nor today's reality change anything regarding who liberated Slovakia. "There's absolutely no reason to rashly succumb to the temptation to rewrite history. On the contrary, let's keep this history in our memory, because it serves as a reminder," opined the head of state, noting that history reminds us of the moral obligation to do everything possible to ensure it doesn't repeat itself. In his speech, Rasi stated that today's society must not abandon the principles for which the soldiers who liberated the territory of present-day Slovakia fought. "Slavin isn't merely a monument to a military victory. Even decades after the war ended, Slavin reminds us that the freedom that we enjoy today didn't come about on its own. It was fought for; it was bought with the suffering, sacrifice and lives of thousands of people whom we must never forget," he said. The premier described international law as having been trampled upon. According to him, it is the citizens themselves who must decide on Slovakia's security. "As I stand here, and if I'm prime minister of the Slovak Republic and this question arises, we'll turn to you with this question and rely on your common sense," he declared. BRATISLAVA - The oil emergency in Slovakia remains in effect, but the Slovak refinery is permitted to export diesel to neighbouring countries, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) together with Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) during the government session on Wednesday. According to the premier, the Slovnaft refinery returned the "oil loan" to the state material reserves on Sunday (5 April). "Following an agreement among the parties involved, the state of emergency concerning oil remains in effect, and the [oil] loan has been returned. The government regulation regarding fuelling vehicles with diesel will remain in effect until 19 April. We've removed the provision that prohibited the refinery from exporting its oil products from the government decree," stated the prime minister. According to Sakova, fuel prices in Europe have risen by an average of 48 cents per litre since the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East. "In Slovakia, thanks to constructive cooperation with the Slovnaft refinery, fuel prices have risen by an average of 10 to 15 cents over the past two weeks. Today's fuel prices are also acceptable for the Slovak market," she added. "We've returned the oil loan from the state material reserves; it was 105,000 tonnes. We returned oil that is a blend of Arabian crude and Norwegian crude. Slovnaft is already processing oil at a higher rate than when the crisis broke out; at that time, we were processing 7,000-7,500 tonnes of oil per day. Currently, approximately 12,000 tonnes are being processed daily. I expect Slovnaft to be operating at full capacity in the second half of April," added Slovnaft Board chairman Gabriel Szabo. "We were asked [by the government] whether we're capable of supplying the Slovak market while also exporting our products. The answer is yes; Slovnaft is an export refinery. Historically, approximately 60-65 percent of Slovnaft's total production has been exported to export markets, primarily to nearby countries in the region, that is, to countries neighbouring Slovakia," added Szabo. BRATISLAVA - A package of measures was presented during Wednesday morning's meeting of the coalition council from which those likely to support Slovakia's economic growth will be selected in the coming weeks, stated Vice-premier and Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) following Wednesday's cabinet meeting. "I'm very pleased that the coalition council meeting took place in an entirely constructive atmosphere, with the participation of all coalition party leaders. The topics included, of course, the upcoming House session, the next steps regarding certain important issues related to protecting the Slovak market in light of the crisis in Iran, and the situation with fuel prices. "And, of course, a certain package - a catalogue of measures - was also presented, from which the coalition council will select further measures in the coming weeks that can support the growth of the Slovak economy," he said. Kalinak emphasised that pro-growth measures should be presented in detail "in the near future" so that next year's budget can already factor them in. "I think that all those who talk about some botched consolidation and the like have now been shown a report card, because last year's deficit was far better, somewhere around 4.5 percent. This means that the measures taken were effective, and so we must once again focus on what reality is and what the facts are," he stated. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia is gradually building the capacity to participate in Ukraine's reconstruction and has set up its own fund, which will be managed by the Vice-premier's Office for the Recovery Plan and a Knowledge-based Economy, according to an annual report on the status of implementing the strategic framework for Slovakia's involvement in the reconstruction of Ukraine, which the office submitted and the government took note of at its meeting on Wednesday. A special financial tool called the Slovak Multi-Donor Facility for Ukraine is intended to pool and effectively utilise financial contributions from Slovakia and international donors. According to the report, it hasn't yet been funded. "Without an initial financial contribution from the Slovak Republic, it's unlikely that external donors will join the fund," noted the office, which views it as an opportunity to establish itself as a trusted intermediary between international donors and Ukrainian partners. "The Slovak Republic's involvement in Ukraine's reconstruction is not merely an expression of solidarity; it represents a rational investment in its own security, stability and economic development," emphasised the vice-premier's office, highlighting opportunities for Slovak businesses and the development of eastern Slovakia's regions. BRATISLAVA - The government planned on Wednesday to approve a proposal to reduce fares on a temporary basis for passenger rail transport by 50 percent or 30 percent for a period of 30 days, but the proposal tabled by Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) wasn't discussed in the end. Although the measure was briefly included on the agenda, it was later withdrawn due to the temporary ceasefire between the USA and Iran in the war in the Middle East. Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stated that the government was prepared to reduce fares. He was convinced that if a ceasefire hadn't been reached, one of the two aforementioned options for reducing train fares would have been approved. "We're pleasantly surprised by the ceasefire; we're very happy about it, so it isn't necessary to adopt [the measure] yet. We're ready to take measures immediately if the situation worsens," said Fico, adding that the government has no interest in reducing excise taxes, VAT or margins. If the situation becomes tense again, the state will reduce fares. "The state is prepared to bear the costs when it comes to reducing rail fares. Whether it would be the first option or the other one is a matter that we'll discuss if a decision is made. The amount involved is manageable; for 30 days, we're talking about between €3-4 million, which the state budget can handle," said Fico. He believes that this would make rail transport exceptionally attractive because such a decision would significantly impact the use of private cars. jrg