MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 25 April 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 24 April): NICOSIA - The European Union is diverging from the United States on many issues, said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Friday after an informal summit of EU-member state leaders in Cyprus. According to him, the discussions on the war in the Middle East illustrated this trend, TASR's special correspondent reports. Fico also criticised the European Commission for the lack of new proposals for stabilising the high energy prices resulting from the war triggered by the United States and Israel due to their attack on Iran on 28 February. "It seems that we lack the ability to respond urgently, immediately, and to take decisions that would help us," said the prime minister. In his view, the EU is trying to shift pressure onto national budgets. "But we aren't capable of remedying the global energy crisis through measures adopted at the level of national budgets; no one can expect that from us," he stressed. According to him, it's essential to adopt EU-wide measures, as there are significant differences between countries. Slovakia is calling on the Commission to examine all options for using unspent EU funds to support industry, and it also wants the ETS2 emissions trading system postponed until at least 2030. In addition, the EU leaders discussed the planned multi-annual financial framework for 2028 to 2034, worth €1.8 trillion. Fico believes that countries will reach a political agreement by the end of 2026. He expects complex negotiations, with the Slovak government prepared to make compromises. "We care in particular about cohesion policy, which helps to eliminate regional disparities, and we also want a strong agricultural policy," emphasised Fico. BRATISLAVA - If the conflict with Iran were to escalate further and continue for weeks or months, it would pose a threat of slowing economic growth, a rise in inflation up to 7 percent, and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, governor of the Slovak central bank (NBS) Peter Kazimir stated in his address to delegates at the annual congress of the National Union of Employers (RUZ) on Friday. "The uncertain end to the war in the Middle East has heightened uncertainty in the global economy and poses a risk to our country as well. Meanwhile, information prior to the outbreak of the conflict suggested that Slovakia's economic growth could be slightly better than we had originally expected. However, the war has overshadowed the promising developments in the European economy and the Slovak labour market from the turn of the year. As a result of the conflict, energy commodity prices on financial markets have begun to rise dramatically, and we are all seeing this. A positive aspect is that the rise in oil and natural gas prices is so far weaker than it was after the Russian invasion of Ukraine," he said. However, the governor added that the conflict in Iran could still slow down the global economy significantly. "The longer the conflict lasts and the greater the damage it causes, the stronger its negative impact will be on both the global and Slovak economies. And that is a concern for everyone, not just us. It is precisely in such an environment that the ability of companies and businesses to manage these situations plays a key role. Slovakia is feeling this pressure very intensely, as our spring forecast clearly shows," he noted. BRATISLAVA - Municipalities have called on members of Parliament to urgently amend the constitutional law on fiscal responsibility, and representatives of the Association of Self-Governing Regions (SK8), the Slovak Towns and Villages Association (ZMOS) and the Union of Slovak Towns (UMS) reiterated the appeal at a press conference in front of Parliament on Friday. They warned that if local governments aren't exempted from the sanction mechanisms of the debt brake, it will be impossible for them to draft their budgets for 2027 to 2029, and basic services for local people will also be at risk. "Local governments are already subject to very strict control under the law on budgetary rules of territorial self-government. Additional sanctions stemming from the constitutional framework are simply duplicative. We aren't asking for exemptions or any privileged position. We're asking for fair and rational rules that reflect reality. Specifically, an amendment to the constitutional law so that local governments will be excluded from the sanction mechanisms of the debt brake. The proposal also has the support of the Finance Ministry and doesn't in any way threaten the stability of public finances," underlined SK8 chair Jozef Viskupic. BRATISLAVA - The Office for Combating Organised Crime (UBOK) is conducting an extensive investigation in connection with suspicions surrounding a tender for operating emergency medical service (EMS) ambulances, TASR was told by the Police Corps headquarters on Friday. The anti-corruption unit has carried out several procedural steps aimed at clarifying the facts of the case, conducted more than a dozen interviews, and analysed a large volume of documentary evidence from multiple entities to secure relevant information and documentation. "Based on a thorough evaluation of the information obtained, and after extensively supplementing the evidence, an investigator from the UBOK anti-corruption unit of the Police Corps Presidium has initiated criminal proceedings in the case on suspicion of the offence of abuse of public office," stated the Police Corps HQ. Given the stage of the preliminary proceedings and their confidential nature, the police won't provide further details on the matter. BRATISLAVA - Parliament failed to open a special session with a no-confidence motion in Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) as the sole point on the agenda also on Friday, as only 50 lawmakers presented themselves at the second attempt, which wasn't enough for the House to be quorate. The motion to dismiss the interior minister will be included in the agenda of the next regular House session, due to begin on 26 May. MPs will continue in the ongoing regular session in about half an hour. BRATISLAVA - The transport ministries of Slovakia and the Czech Republic will assess the possibility of resuming a regular air service between Bratislava and Prague, which hasn't been in operation for more than seven years, the transport ministers of both countries, Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) and Ivan Bednarik, concurred during their meeting in Prague this week, the Slovak Transport Ministry posted on social media on Friday. The Czech transport minister confirmed that the issue of resuming Bratislava-Prague flights has already been discussed. "Anything that increases the mobility of the people of either country makes sense," said Bednarik, adding that everything will depend on economic indicators. Bednarik described the restoration of the Kosice-Bratislava air route - which originally operated as part of the extended Kosice-Bratislava-Prague route - as a very successful project. "Perhaps we'll find a way to meet that requirement," he said. Raz agreed to discuss restoring the Bratislava-Prague air route. "I think that the route would be a great success. Let's talk to the carriers to see if we can find a commercial justification, and if not, let's replicate the public service model," he said, pointing out that the domestic Bratislava-Kosice route, which Wizz Air has been operating since November 2025, is supported by the state. am