MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 22 April 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 21 April): LUXEMBOURG - Slovakia is ready to support the EU's 20th package of sanctions against Russia if Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline are restored, Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) stated on Tuesday following a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council. "I can say that we're ready to support also the 20th sanctions package against Russia, because, by our assessment, this will not affect Slovakia's economy. However, we will only do so once Russian oil arrives in Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline. For now, I can say that we haven't received such information so far, and I have told my colleagues and the entire Foreign Affairs Council that this is a political decision which is based on the political decision of [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy not to let oil flow to Slovakia and Hungary," stated Blanar. Earlier on Tuesday, Zelenskyy announced on X that repairs to the damaged section of the Druzhba pipeline have been completed and that its operation can be restored. However, Blanar stated after the meeting that it remains unclear when oil will start flowing via the pipeline. BUDAPEST/BRATISLAVA - In my telephone call with Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, I made it clear that we can only discuss any policy matters if we receive guarantees that Slovakia will repeal legislation threatening ethnic-Hungarians in Slovakia with imprisonment [for impugning the Benes Decrees — ed.note], and if it is clearly established that there will be no confiscation of the land of our Hungarian compatriots in Slovakia in the future on the basis of the Benes Decrees and the principle of collective guilt, Hungarian Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar announced in a post on X on Tuesday. "I reaffirmed to the Slovak prime minister that a Tisza government will work to strengthen Hungarian–Slovak relations and to rebuild Visegrad cooperation [V4: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia]," wrote Magyar in English, adding that the issues in question must first be clarified and resolved. "I emphasized to Robert Fico that, for any Hungarian government, the protection of the rights of our Hungarian compatriots in Slovakia remains the highest priority in Hungarian–Slovak relations," added Magyar. He claimed that the two prime ministers agreed to continue their discussions in person at the upcoming meeting of the European Council in Brussels. BRATISLAVA - Parliamentary Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) considers calling a referendum with questions on abolishing the so-called lifetime annuity and re-establishing the National Crime Agency and the Special Prosecutor's Office to be a waste of money, but he respects the decision of President Peter Pellegrini, who, he said, had to act in accordance with the law. "We consider it to be spending money unnecessarily, but as the president must respect the law and we also have to respect that decision, the referendum must take place," said Gaspar at a press conference on Tuesday, adding that a potential new government could amend the laws itself. President Pellegrini has called a referendum with two questions concerning the abolition of the so-called lifetime annuity and the restoration of the Special Prosecutor's Office and the National Crime Agency, for 4 July. He said that a question on shortening the electoral term will not be included in the referendum, as it would violate the Constitution. BRATISLAVA - The Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Ministry has launched preparations for legislative changes linked to the 'No School, No Benefits' initiative, with the new legislation expected to take effect as of 1 January 2027, Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) announced at a joint press conference with Education Minister Tomas Drucker (Voice-SD) and Children's Commissioner Jozef Miklosko on Tuesday. According to the labour minister, a key change will be the expansion of the existing mechanism of the so-called special recipient. If a child doesn't attend school regularly, child benefit will first be redirected to a special recipient, typically the municipality. After this period, however, families risk losing the benefit entirely. "If there is no improvement within three months, we'll withdraw the allowance completely for the next three months. This cycle will be repeated until the situation improves," said Tomas. BRATISLAVA - The Transport Ministry will not back down from its plan to purchase and introduce body cameras for train drivers, Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) confirmed on Tuesday during an informal discussion at the parliamentary committee for public administration and regional development, which was not quorate. Raz described the measure as a good one that the ministry stands behind. Train drivers reject body cameras, arguing that they won't prevent accidents. "Worldwide, it's been shown that the introduction of video and audio recording from cabs — public transport and trains, both — has significantly increased safety. Even though train drivers commissioned a study in Brno suggesting that it could make them nervous," said Raz. According to him, ten international studies, including a large one in Canada, state the exact opposite. The introduction of body cameras for drivers of state-owned passenger carrier ZSSK is expected to cost €420,000. Head of the train drivers' petition committee Matej Motycka said that their priority is safety, not marketing measures. "A camera addresses safety after an accident. It may show that a driver did something that they shouldn't have, but it won't reveal the real cause of the accident," he warned. BRATISLAVA - The public administration 2025 deficit reached €6.09 billion in 2025, representing 4.45 percent of GDP, which means that, compared with 2024, the deficit decreased by €876 million, when it stood at €6.96 billion or 5.35 percent of GDP (after revision), the Statistics Office reported on Tuesday. The overall outcome was supported by a higher surplus in social security funds, which reached €931 million. The current surplus of these funds was significantly higher than in previous years. The approved state budget for 2025 had planned a deficit of 4.7 percent of GDP. The public administration accounted for the vast majority of last year's deficit. Its budget ended with a deficit of €6.93 billion, down by €278 million compared with 2024, when it recorded a deficit of €7.21 billion. ko