MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 11 April 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 10 April): BRATISLAVA - In the coming days, President Peter Pellegrini will invite both coalition and opposition parties to sign a written commitment to continue with the construction of strategic hospitals after the 2027 parliamentary elections, regardless of the future government line-up, Pellegrini stated on social media on Friday. "In the next few days, I'll take the liberty of approaching the leaders of all political parties - both coalition and opposition - to express with their signatures a commitment that, irrespective of who forms part of the future government after the 2027 parliamentary elections, they will all consider the building of strategic hospitals to be their priority," stated Pellegrini. The head of state stressed that despite their rivalry, it's key for political parties to be able to identify priorities such as defence, energy security, the protection of national interests and the modernisation of the health-care system. Pellegrini noted that new hospitals are being built across Slovakia, and completing their construction will extend beyond a single parliamentary term. "These projects won't be completed by 2027, when the [next] parliamentary elections are to take place, and it will be necessary to continue to finish them off in 2028, 2029, and perhaps even 2030," stated Pellegrini. BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has announced plans to file a criminal complaint against judge at the Specialised Criminal Court (STS) Pamela Zaleska on suspicion of the abuse of public office, TASR learnt at his press conference on Friday. The premier claims that Zaleska ruled with bias in the case of former special prosecutor Dusan K. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons]. He cited the Supreme Court's ruling of appeal, which in December 2025 overturned both the Supreme Court's original judgment and STS's ruling. He also wants Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) to file disciplinary charges against Zaleska. "We're filing a criminal complaint against judge Zaleska for the abuse of public office in one of the most sensitive cases we've seen here since the 1990s," stated Fico, adding that the case involves damage to Dusan K.'s reputation, health and freedom. He noted that with the overturning of the verdict, the entire case is being returned to the Specialised Criminal Court. According to him, the court probably has two options. It can acquit the former special prosecutor or return the entire case to the beginning of preliminary proceedings. "I'll ask Justice Minister Boris Susko to submit a proposal for disciplinary proceedings against Judge Zaleska," announced the prime minister, adding that he expects the same from STS head Michal Truban, who also has the authority to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the judge. BRATISLAVA - The Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Ministry is preparing a measure under which parents would lose their child benefit if their child doesn't attend school regularly, and this would also apply to cases in which parents refuse to cooperate with the school on corrective educational measures, stated Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) at an inter-ministerial meeting on the issue of children from marginalised communities that took place in the town of Trebisov (Kosice region) on Friday. According to the minister, the measure, under an initiative called 'No School, No Benefits', will have two phases. "For the first three months, if the child doesn't attend school regularly, the child benefit will be paid not to the parent or legal guardian but to a so-called special recipient, which is usually the local authority. But if the situation isn't rectified during these first three months and the truancy continues, the parent will lose the child benefit entirely for the next three months," said Tomas. "Simply put - and we all agree on this - a child belongs in school. Only a proper educational process gives a child hope for a better future, and if there's no other way, then this is how it must be," said the minister, emphasising that this requirement has arisen from practical experience and from the requests of school officials and local authorities in the regions in which marginalised communities live. According to him, this isn't about punishing families or children, but about protecting children, who must attend school. BRATISLAVA - Representatives from several ministries as well as Parliament agreed on the need for an inter-ministerial solution to the problem of marginalised communities at their meeting in the town of Trebisov (Kosice region) on Friday. They met local government representatives and experts to jointly present a specific plan for addressing long-term problems in the region, including inter-generational poverty. The Education Ministry reported that Trebisov is an example of a town in which the state doesn't rely on one-off measures, but on changing specific habits, including children's school attendance, parental involvement and coordination among institutions. The goal is to achieve concrete results, such as more children enrolled in education, more people employed on the labour market, greater safety on the streets, and better living conditions in the regions. Trebisov is home to one of the largest urban marginalised Roma communities in Europe, and it's been plagued for a long time by problems related to limited access to education, poor living conditions and a lack of safety. "If we want to move forward, we must start with children, with education. It's the only way to break the cycle of inter-generational poverty. A child mustn't be allowed to grow up outside of school, because then not only the child loses out, but society as a whole. That's why we say clearly - children belong in schools, not on the streets," said Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD). According to him, this problem requires a joint effort by the state, local governments and other stakeholders, as well as consistent, long-term solutions. Government representatives emphasised that the solution can't be provided by a single ministry. The Labour Ministry is strengthening incentives to work and introducing a mechanism to support school attendance. The Interior Ministry is increasing the police presence and protecting children from abuse and crime, while the Health Ministry is focusing on prevention, hygiene and the availability of health care in the region. The common goal is to integrate education, work, safety and health into a single functional system. BRATISLAVA - I haven't filed any complaint with the police regarding allegations of interference in the 2023 parliamentary elections, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) at a press conference on Friday, adding that this doesn't mean that influence wasn't exerted through the British Foreign Office. "We didn't report this incident to the police or the prosecutor's office; we introduced a new criminal offence in the Criminal Code shortly afterwards via an amendment," stated Fico, adding that this new criminal offence doesn't apply to the suspected election interference in 2023, as a prohibition on retroactivity applies. "Don't ask me about any police report; it doesn't bother me at all. I don't even understand what the police were actually investigating. No criminal offence existed at that time," he told reporters. "We didn't claim that it was a criminal offence. We're saying that there was interference by a foreign state - the United Kingdom - via a specific institution," said the premier, noting that just because the police reject a complaint, it doesn't mean that the whole matter is done and dusted. BRATISLAVA - The Prosecutor-General's Office has submitted 17 comments concerning the draft amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code drawn up by the Justice Ministry, with 15 comments flagged as 'fundamental', Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka announced on a social network on Friday, adding that the comments were submitted as part of the inter-departmental review procedure. "The Prosecutor-General's Office has assessed the bill amending the Criminal Procedure Code with regard to the institution of so-called cooperating defendants and has filed 17 comments, of which 15 are fundamental," stated Zilinka. According to him, the comments are available in their full wording on the Slov-Lex legislation website. The draft amendment seeks to introduce, inter alia, a provision stating that a conviction mustn't be based solely on the testimony of a cooperating witness, as it would have to be supported by other evidence confirming such testimony while at the same time ruling out any doubts regarding its credibility. In the amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code, the condition that a cooperating defendant's testimony must be supported by other evidence has also been included among the requirements for an indictment. am