SUMMARY - Thursday, 21 May 2026 - 5 p.m.

Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - The first package of measures aimed at supporting the economy is expected to be approved during the next session of Parliament, which begins next Tuesday (26 May), Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) announced at a press conference on Thursday. https://etasr.sk/article/23313149 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - The government is currently not planning any steps aimed at a balanced budget or amendments to the constitutional act concerning the debt brake, nor is it preparing a proposal to request a vote of confidence in Parliament due to the high level of public debt, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a press conference on Thursday. https://etasr.sk/article/23313091 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - The Slovak Security Council is likely to be convened shortly, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) announced at a press conference on Thursday in response to calls for a meeting following last week's Russian drone attacks on the Zakarpattia region in western Ukraine. https://etasr.sk/article/23313009 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has voiced his support for Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) concerning the construction of a new hospital in Presov, saying that the minister has his full backing. https://etasr.sk/article/23312954 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - The Slovak government has taken note of Wednesday's (20 May) resolution by the European Parliament (EP), which called on the European Commission to assess possible serious breaches of the EU's fundamental values by the Slovak government, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) declared at a press conference on Thursday. https://etasr.sk/article/23312936 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - The current atmosphere in the European Union isn't conducive to taking such steps regarding Ukraine, said Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Thursday in response to an initiative by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who proposes granting Ukraine the status of an "associate member" of the European Union without voting rights while the country goes through the process of joining the bloc. https://etasr.sk/article/23313173 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a press conference on Thursday that no government reshuffle is being planned and that there's no reason for him to deal directly with a proposal by coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko, who proposed replacing his nominee Tomas Taraba in the post of Environment Minister. https://etasr.sk/article/23312985 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - The letter to Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) proposing a cabinet reshuffle is a warning to Vice-premier and Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee), SNS leader Andrej Danko told a press conference on Thursday. https://etasr.sk/article/23313408 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - SNS chair Andrej Danko has again called on coalition partners Smer-SD and Voice-SD to support an SNS proposal, currently in Parliament, to increase pensions for seniors aged over 90. https://etasr.sk/article/23313379 Tampere, 21 May (TASR-correspondent) - After nearly a decade, Slovakia is reopening its honorary consulate in Tampere, with Harri Jaskari set to serve as honorary consul in the southern Finnish city, and the consulate to focus primarily on economic diplomacy, Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) stated on Thursday during the consulate's opening ceremony as part of his working visit to Finland. https://etasr.sk/article/23313280 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - I don't understand why Ombudsman Robert Dobrovodsky needs to come up with the issue of registering new churches, and I consider the 50,000-member requirement to be a reasonable and necessary minimum, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) stated in a post published on a social network on Thursday. https://etasr.sk/article/23313163 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) on Thursday received his Croatian counterpart Gordan Jandrokovic at Bratislava Castle, where they discussed bilateral cooperation, the Three Seas Initiative and oil transit via the Adria pipeline. https://etasr.sk/article/23312962 Bratislava, 21 May (TASR) - The opposition 'For the People' party has filed a criminal complaint against Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) on the suspicion that he's misused the powers of a public official when it comes to actions concerning the police officers centered around Jan Curilla, party chair Veronika Remisova and vice-chair Jan Magusin announced at a press conference on Thursday. https://etasr.sk/article/23313216 Notice: If you click on the link or copy it into the search window, the browser will display the full text of the message in the new e-TASR client zone. If you have any questions, please contact obchod@tasr.sk. am