MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, 7 May 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 6 May): BRATISLAVA - The current philosophy of granting benefits to cooperating defendants during pre-trial proceedings is to be shifted towards the judicial phase of criminal proceedings where benefits could be granted only after filing an indictment or a plea bargain proposal, according to a Justice Ministry-sponsored proposal for an amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure, which was approved by the cabinet on Wednesday, with the proposed effective date on 1 November 2026. "The purpose of the proposed legislation is to strengthen the effectiveness in detecting and proving the most serious forms of criminal activity, particularly organised crime, corruption, terrorism and wilful acts of violence, by refining the substantive benefits for perpetrators who participate in clarifying such crimes," stated the ministry in its explanatory report. According to the ministry, the link between the granted benefits and the specific contribution of the cooperating person will be strengthened. KOSICE - The Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled to halt the proceedings regarding the law on the Office for the Protection of Victims of Crime and Whistleblowers which was contested by a group of opposition MPs at the end of last year and repealed by Parliament in March. The law was aimed at transforming the Whistleblowers Protection Office (UOO) into a new authority. In their submission, the opposition MPs argued that the law may be inconsistent with the Slovak Constitution and European Union law, and they also criticised the procedure of its adoption via a fast-tracked legislative process. The MPs pointed, among other things, to the shortening of the term of office of the duly elected chairperson of the UOO and to changes related to the granting and review of whistleblower protection. Parliament passed the law on the UOO's transformation in December 2025. The new legislation should have brought several changes. In addition to the whistleblowers agenda, the newly established office was also meant to take over the agenda of compensating victims of crime from the Justice Ministry. BRATISLAVA - A limit of 10 litres when filling diesel into portable containers and different fuel prices for domestic and foreign cars will no longer apply as of Friday (8 May), Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) announced following the government session on Wednesday. According to Sakova, this decision removes the grounds for infringement proceedings against Slovakia initiated by the European Commission over dual fuel pricing. The minister also defended the current fuel prices at Slovak petrol stations, comparing them with neighbouring countries. "The average price of diesel in Slovakia is some €1.86 per litre, while petrol costs €1.79," said Sakova. In the Czech Republic, diesel is 3 cents cheaper, while petrol is 3 cents more expensive. "If measures had not been adopted by the Finance Ministry in the Czech Republic, both to reduce excise duty and to reduce value-added tax (VAT) on fuels, then the price of diesel in the Czech Republic would be higher than in Slovakia, at €1.945 per litre," noted Sakova. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party sees a solution to high fuel prices in Slovakia in reduction of excise tax and, therefore, it launched a petition on Wednesday, in which citizens should demand the government to do so. SaS claims that if Slovakia had the lowest prices among neighbouring countries, the tax cut would be offset by increased sales, which would also help public finances. According to SaS, this solution is better than Slovnaft exporting fuels abroad. "Low prices mean help for citizens, help for self-employed, help for the whole economy, and a reduction of inflation. At the same time, if the fuel is sold in Slovakia, then the government, of course, has excise tax and VAT revenues from it," explained MP Marian Viskupic (SaS). He is positive that if prices were low, everyone passing through Slovakia would refuel there, and citizens from neighbouring countries would come to refuel at lower prices as well. BRATISLAVA - Medicines should be more accessible in Slovakia thanks to an amendment to the law on the scope and conditions of reimbursement for medicines, medical devices and dietary food, approved by the government at its session on Wednesday. The amendment should improve access to treatment covered from the public health insurance scheme, as well as transparency in the process of categorising medicines and reimbursement of medicines on an 'exception basis' and their subsequent coverage from the public health insurance scheme. The draft law also includes changes aimed at increasing the efficiency and speed of the categorisation process, as well as improving the availability of generic and biosimilar medicines. The proposed legislation responds to the need to remove ambiguities in its application, to align national legislation with EU law and international standards, and to ensure a higher level of legal certainty for regulated entities in the fields of human and veterinary pharmacy, transfusion services, and drug distribution chains. WARSAW - Slovak F-16 fighter jets will join the NATO Air Policing mission aimed at protecting the airspace of the Baltic countries, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) announced at the Defence24 Days conference in Poland on Wednesday, TASR learnt from its special correspondent in Warsaw on the same day. "I am pleased to announce that we intend to take part in the NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltic countries at the end of 2027," said the minister. The mission aims to protect the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, NATO countries that do not have their own fighter aircraft. From 2028, Slovakia also wants to join the NATO rotating air defence mission, for which it will allocate two of the six batteries of the recently purchased Israeli Barak MX air defence system, said Kalinak. ko