MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 1 May 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 30 April): BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini appointed Miroslav Lorinc as chief-of-general-staff of the Slovak Armed Forces on Thursday. His nomination was approved by the government on 22 April. He'll replace Daniel Zmeko in the post as of 7 May. The president in his speech thanked Zmeko for his service to date and wished all the best to the incoming chief-of-general-staff. "You are both a guarantee that the Slovak Armed Forces will continue to work and carry out their tasks," he stressed. According to Pellegrini, Slovakia's NATO membership requires Slovakia not only to be a passive recipient of benefits, but also an active part. In connection with Lorinc's appointment, Pellegrini spoke about maintaining continuity. "It's no coincidence that you are coming to lead the Slovak Armed Forces as someone who has gone through all command posts in air defence," he noted. Lorinc expressed his gratitude for the trust placed in him. "I assure you that I view the trust placed in me not only as a great honour, but above all as a commitment to our homeland, its citizens, and all members of the Slovak Armed Forces," he said. He's assuming the post with the aim of continuing the established direction and dynamically responding to the current situation. During his term in office, he intends to focus on further stabilising the staff, improving service conditions and completing ongoing modernisation projects. PRESOV/BRATISLAVA - The Defence Ministry has suspended construction of a military hospital in Presov due to concerns over the quality of work on key structural elements, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) announced at a press conference on Thursday, admitting that the completion deadline may be delayed. "Following the tender, the winning contractor not only began falling behind schedule, but regular inspections revealed very poor-quality work to the extent that it threatens the structure and stability of the building itself," said the minister. Construction had to be halted and expert assessments launched, therefore, with sanctions against the contractor to follow. Experts will determine whether the problematic parts of the structure can be repaired or must be demolished and rebuilt. The extent of the damage isn't yet known. "We can estimate that significant damage has been caused, but how we will remedy it will become clearer only after the expert examination, which we expect to conduct during next week," said Kalinak. Regarding the relationship with the contractor, several options are available. "They may continue after providing guarantees that they can meet quality and time requirements. The contract could be terminated, replacements could be made, or part of the project could be taken away from them. The management overseeing the project aims to ensure that it's completed as soon as possible," he stated. He also acknowledged that the completion timeline could be pushed back. "We should be able to say more about the schedule in June, once a solution is in place and construction resumes," he added. BRATISLAVA – An upcoming ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union on Slovakia's lawsuit against a regulation of the European Parliament and the Council on phasing out imports of Russian natural gas and preparing to end imports of Russian oil will have implications for future decision-making by both institutions, Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD) declared on Thursday. Susko was responding during Question Time in Parliament to MP Ivan Hazucha (Smer-SD), who asked about the current state of the government's approach to the case. The minister said that he didn't want to prejudge the court's decision but stressed the seriousness of the matter, noting that the court hasn't yet ruled on it. "How the court decides in this case will be very important and precedent-setting for the future. Such a ruling will have an impact on any future decisions by the European Parliament and the Council in terms of the legal basis on which they act," said Susko. According to him, whatever the outcome, the judgment will be a significant precedent for the future functioning of the European Union, especially regarding the ability to exercise veto rights stemming from the founding treaties. BRATISLAVA - The coalition Voice-SD party will support the idea of Slovakia acquiring a 17-percent stake in energy utility Slovenske elektrarne (SE), which together with the state's existing 34-percent share would give it a majority in the strategic company, party leader and Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok stated at a press conference on Thursday. Sutaj Estok recalled the party's pre-election pledge to strengthen the state's position in key enterprises. "That is why we want to state clearly that Voice, within the coalition agreement and in discussions among partners, will support acquiring the remaining 17-percent stake in Slovenske elektrarne so that the state will gain a majority position in SE. We see this as key for Slovakia's future and energy self-sufficiency," said Sutaj Estok. The state will have the option to purchase the 17-percent stake after the launch of the fourth block of the nuclear power plant in Mochovce. Support for the move was also expressed last week by Prime Minister Robert Fico, leader of the senior coalition party Smer-SD. According to Sutaj Estok, Voice-SD also wants to keep another pledge - that politicians should respond to living standards by adjusting their salaries. He noted that MPs have already frozen their pay for this year, and the coalition partners have also agreed to freeze ministers' allowances. BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Thursday welcomed the conclusion of the trial of shooter Juraj Cintula in connection with the assassination attempt on him in Handlova in May 2024, and he once again linked it to opposition representatives and the media, adding that he wants nothing from the shooter. "However, it's not this poor wretch who should be in the dock, it should have been those who turned him into a terrorist," he stated with regard to Cintula, naming several politicians from opposition parties. He also believes that the opposition is becoming even more aggressive and is producing new terrorists, and he stressed that he didn't interfere in the criminal proceedings. Fico explained that Cintula shot through his abdominal cavity, rupturing the small intestine and shattering his hip joint. Fico had to undergo three operations within a few days of the assassination attempt. "I was lucky, in a way, because a bullet aimed at my heart left only a V-shaped burn on my chest as I turned sideways to the shooter. No, it's not the 'V' that the opposition so often shows as a sign of victory in the upcoming elections; it's a 'V' sign for the victory of terrorism," stated Fico, adding that he has every right to celebrate his 'second birthday'. He once again extended his gratitude to the medical staff. The Supreme Court on Wednesday (29 April) confirmed a 21-year prison sentence for shooter Juraj Cintula for his assassination attempt on Fico, finding him guilty of committing a terrorist attack. The ruling by the court of appeal, which slightly corrected the legal classification imposed by the first-instance court, is final. TIRANA - It's important for the Western Balkan countries' integration process to move forward while the growing frustration in the region related to the European Union (EU) accession process must be prevented, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said this on Thursday following a meeting of the Slavkov format (S3) foreign ministers with their Albanian counterpart Ferit Hoxha in Tirana. TASR learnt this information from its special correspondent. The visit was initiated by Slovakia as the presiding country of the Slavkov format (S3: Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia). Therefore, Blanar's Czech counterpart Petr Macinka and Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger also arrived in Tirana, with the main objective being to confirm the S3 countries' joint commitment to the European integration of the Western Balkan states and to support their reform efforts. Blanar recalled that some states from this region have been trying to integrate with the EU for 20 years. "For this reason, it's vital for us to see that perhaps one or two countries join the EU as soon as possible to prevent the enormous frustration which is beginning to grow across the Western Balkans, because people are losing faith that they will ever join the EU," stressed Blanar. Blanar described Albania and Montenegro as leaders in the integration process and noted that Tirana had managed to open all negotiating clusters over the past 13 months. According to him, Albania should focus primarily on the rule of law, the fight against corruption, and the judiciary. jrg