MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 15 May 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 14 May): BRATISLAVA - The planned visit by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to Slovakia won't take place, Progressive Slovakia (PS) vice-chair and former foreign affairs minister Ivan Korcok told a news conference on Thursday, indicating Premier Robert Fico's trip to Moscow last week as the reason for this. At the same time, Korcok called on the government to comment on the situation. "Nothing will come of the announced visit of Chancellor Friedrich Merz to Slovakia. The visit won't take place," stated Korcok, who pointed to the premier's statements, as well as his visit to Moscow for the Victory Day celebrations last week, for which Merz has criticised him. BERLIN/BRATISLAVA - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has not planned an official visit to Slovakia, a German government spokesperson confirmed to TASR on Thursday in response to media reports about the alleged cancellation of Merz's upcoming trip to Bratislava. "The chancellor's programme is usually published one week in advance. However, in light of continuing speculation, we would like to inform you that the chancellor currently does not plan, nor had he planned, an official visit to Slovakia," reads the statement. Prime Minister Robert Fico first announced Merz's visit in April during an informal EU summit in Nicosia, saying it would take place before the end of May. On Saturday (9 May), while returning from Moscow, where he attended Victory Day celebrations as the only EU leader present, Fico specified that the visit had been scheduled for 29 May. BRATISLAVA - The opposition has criticised the government for its lack of action following Russia's attack on Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast near the Slovak border, viewing it as a security threat to Slovak citizens. "I'm calling on [Premier] Robert Fico [Smer-SD] to immediately stand up for Slovakia's interests and for our security. Hungary summoned the Russian ambassador, while Slovakia is silent. The premier is silent. The Foreign Affairs Ministry is silent," stated Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka. He added that the attack near Slovakia's borders took place just a few days after Slovak Premier Fico (Smer–SD) visited Moscow, where he was said to have delivered a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Former Interior Minister and MP Roman Mikulec ('Slovakia' party–For the People) warned that Russian attacks have never been closer to Slovak territory than they are now. "Drones hit the city of Uzhhorod. It's just a short distance from the border with Slovakia. It would take very little for those drones to cross into our territory and threaten towns and villages in eastern Slovakia," he said. He criticised Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice–SD) for engaging in a political campaign instead of addressing the security situation. Meanwhile, the party called on President Peter Pellegrini to take action as commander-in-chief of the Slovak Armed Forces. BRATISLAVA - If a general election had been held in May, the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party would have earned 18.3 percent of the vote, with the coalition Smer-SD party trailing behind with 18.1 percent and the extra-parliamentary far-right 'Republic' party coming in third with 9.7 percent, according to a Focus agency poll conducted for the 360tka news website. Also making it to Parliament would have been the 'Slovakia' party (9.6 percent), the junior coalition Voice-SD party (8.4 percent), the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH, 7.5 percent), Freedom and Solidarity (SaS, 7.2 percent), and Democrats (5.2 percent). Among the parties that would have stayed outside Parliament were the junior coalition Slovak National Party (SNS, 4.5 percent), the Hungarian Alliance (3.8 percent), and 'We Are Family' (3.1 percent). BRATISLAVA - Financial Administration (FS) is preparing a draft amendment to the law on the registration of sales for the Finance Ministry, FS president Jozef Kiss told a news conference on Thursday. Among other things, the amendment should provide a better distinction between what is and what isn't a serious violation of the law. The current setting has been in effect since 2008, and the proposed changes should bring more proportionate penalties, clearer rules and better conditions for honest entrepreneurs. According to Kiss, the recent widely publicised case involving a fine imposed on a 'langoš' (a deep-fried flatbread) vendor in Kvetoslavov (Trnava region) has also highlighted the shortcomings of the law. These are mainly related to the law's complexity, the large number of different exemptions and criteria that taxpayers are required to comply with and which inspectors must verify. FS has been communicating this issue with the Finance Ministry for some time. "We're preparing a legislative proposal for the Finance Ministry to amend law No. 384 (on the registration of sales), particularly with regard to proportionality and the extent of the breach identified in the given case, because there is indeed a difference between having missing accents, commas or diacritical marks on a cash receipt, and failing to declare sales amounting to €1,500," explained Kiss. [The 'langoš' vendor in question received a €1,500 fine from FS inspectors because the word 'langoš' on his receipts was missing the proper accent mark on the letter 's'. - ed. note] BRATISLAVA - Inflation rose to 3.9 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) in April 2026, with consumer prices of goods and services up by 0.5 percent month-on-month (m-o-m), the second-highest increase this year after January (up 1.8 percent) due in particular to a sharp rise in transport, with fuel prices increasing by as much as 11.9 percent, the Statistics Office reported on Thursday, adding that the y-o-y increase was also the second-highest since January of this year. In monthly terms, prices rose in ten of the thirteen household expenditure groups, ranging from 0.1 percent for clothing and footwear and for education services, to 4.6 percent in transport. Conversely, prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages fell by 0.2 percent, while those of furniture and household equipment, as well as of insurance and financial services, remained unchanged. The month-on-month result was primarily affected by a sharp rise in prices within the transport sector, with fuel prices surging by a record growth rate of 11.9 percent, mostly on the back of higher oil prices. This was mitigated somewhat by a fall in prices in the category of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which accounts for the second-largest share of household expenditures in Slovakia. ko