MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 22 May 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 21 May): BRATISLAVA - 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. The prime minister added that he respects the proposal; but should SNS be more specific and insist on Taraba's dismissal, Fico would demand a guarantee that a functional majority will continue in Parliament. He understands that SNS is dealing with its internal political matters, but the changes mustn't lead to a political crisis or threaten the functioning of the government. According to Fico, Taraba is a capable minister. He confirmed that Danko proposed Taraba's dismissal to him if a government reshuffle takes place, but Fico said that he isn't planning one. "I consider Taraba to be a very capable minister, but for me, the most essential thing is whether the governing coalition will have a majority and whether it will function," stated Fico. If SNS can guarantee that any personnel changes in the government will have no impact on the coalition majority and the functioning of the government, it would be an internal party decision, he said. BRATISLAVA - 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. "Looking at the applicable law, it states, inter alia, that if expenditures required in connection with our membership of international organisations exceed 3 percent of GDP, these sanctions don't apply to the Slovak government. As I see it, it won't be necessary to amend the Constitution even with regard to local governments, because this very article of the constitutional act applies," stated Fico. Therefore, according to him, the government's legal opinion is that in this situation, it doesn't have to prepare a balanced budget, while this obligation doesn't apply to local governments, either. He thinks that if the governing coalition wanted to amend the constitutional Fiscal Responsibility Act, the opposition wouldn't help it. A constitutional amendment requires a majority of 90 votes in Parliament, which the coalition doesn't possess, stated Fico. BRATISLAVA - 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. Fico claimed that he sees no problem with the functioning of EU funds and the Recovery Plan. According to him, all payments continue to arrive to Slovakia, and he has no information suggesting any changes in this regard. "It's the same kind of resolution as when Slovak opposition representatives claim that unemployment is rising in Slovakia. It has exactly the same quality," remarked Fico. In the prime minister's view, the EP resolution reflects neither objectivity nor truth. In this context, he underlined that relations with the European Parliament differ from those with the European Commission. BRATISLAVA/TEL AVIV/ISTANBUL- A Slovak national who, along with other activists as part of the Global Sumud Flotilla initiative, was sailing to the Gaza Strip and was detained by the Israeli navy has been deported to Turkey, the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry told TASR on Thursday. "Based on information from the Israeli side, the Foreign Ministry can confirm that the detained individuals from the Global Sumud flotilla, including the Slovak national, have been deported from Israel to Turkey," stated the ministry. Slovakia's Consulate General in Istanbul is actively monitoring the situation; its staff will be at the airport at the time of the deportation and ready to provide the Slovak citizen with the necessary consular assistance and support. TAMPERE - 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. "Tampere is a region that has undergone a massive transformation and is now essentially a hub for digitisation, artificial intelligence and various circular economy technologies. The honorary consulate in Tampere won't have consular duties but will focus primarily on strengthening the economic aspect of our diplomacy," said Blanar. According to Slovak diplomatic sources, the new honorary consul in Tampere Harri Jaskari has many years of experience in the fields of business policy, regional development and innovation support. Jaskari served as a member of the Finnish Parliament for 12 years; he was also the executive director of the Tampere Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the director of innovation policy at the Confederation of Finnish Industries. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia will support the expansion of the European Union (EU) to include the countries of the Western Balkans, just as it supported Croatia in its integration efforts, President Peter Pellegrini stated at a meeting with Croatian Parliament's Chairman Gordan Jandrokovic on Thursday. The Slovak head of state received the speaker of the Croatian Parliament as part of his official visit to Slovakia. On the issue of EU enlargement, they agreed that the Western Balkans countries can contribute to greater stability and prosperity in the EU. "The head of state, however, pointed out that while candidate countries have the vision and determination, the EU must also contribute to the final outcome through an effective and swift integration process without unnecessary delays," reported the President's Office. The discussion also covered bilateral cooperation, including energy security issues. In this context, Pellegrini supported the prospect of mutual cooperation on oil supplies via the Croatian Adria pipeline, also highlighting recent activities with Croatian officials, including meetings between the presidents, and calling for more intensive interaction between the legislative bodies of both countries. ko