MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, 28 May 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 27 May): BRATISLAVA - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) and the extra-parliamentary Hungarian Alliance party have agreed to begin a dialogue aimed at finding common ground and bringing about political change in the next general election, as PS wants the Hungarian Alliance to be part of that change as well, according to statements made by party leaders Michal Simecka (PS) and Laszlo Gubik (Hungarian Alliance) after their joint talks on Wednesday. According to Simecka, the goal is victory in the 2027 election and a victory for the opposition. "I'm positive that, just as in the past, as in 1998, Hungarians living in Slovakia, ethnic-Hungarian voters, but also their political representation - the Hungarian Alliance party - must be part of political change in Slovakia," said Simecka. Gubik also spoke about the need for change in the next election. "The citizens of Slovakia can rely on the Hungarian Alliance to help achieve this change," he said. Both leaders also pointed to shared 'civilisational values' and agreed to seek common ground on key issues. The discussions will focus on three areas. The first is the economic and regional development of southern and eastern Slovakia. Another area identified was the rule of law, justice and the status of ethnic minorities in Slovakia. The third area should be European and foreign policy, "including bilateral relations between Slovakia and Hungary and the prospect of a historic reconciliation between the two countries," added Simecka. MICHALOVCE - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) attended the ceremonial opening of the refurbished Red Army Central Military Cemetery in Michalovce (Kosice region) on Wednesday and, along with Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Sergey Andreev, state and public administration representatives, MPs, city officials and the public, he paid tribute to the fallen soldiers who liberated Slovakia during the Second World War. In his address, Fico noted that the government has pledged, in its Manifesto, to pay attention to the restoration and maintenance of military cemeteries. He appreciated that the site is visited by local people and called for similar memorials to become a natural part of public life. "Let's put a few more benches here together. Let's turn it into a place people enjoy coming to. And when they do come here - maybe with their worries and joys, since they probably won't be coming just for the cemetery - they might, at certain moments, realise where they are," said Fico. BRATISLAVA - A judge of the Specialised Criminal Court (STS) has rejected an indictment filed on 20 April 2021 against former head of the now-defunct Special Prosecutor's Office, Dusan K. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], and returned the case to the prosecutor after identifying serious procedural errors involving violations of the defendant's right to defence and to a fair trial. According to information confirmed for TASR by STS spokesperson Iveta Pulman Erdelyiova, the prosecutor failed to submit complete case files, including all evidence gathered during pre-trial proceedings, and the indictment didn't meet the requirements set out in the Criminal Procedure Code. The case was first reported by the Aktuality.sk news website. "The Specialised Criminal Court, Banska Bystrica branch, by a ruling issued on 19 May 2026, rejected the indictment filed by a prosecutor of the former Special Prosecutor's Office and returned the case to the prosecutor", said Prosecutor-General's Office spokesperson Zuzana Drobova. She added that a prosecutor from the Prosecutor-General's Office department for serious crime has filed an appeal against the ruling, which is due to be decided by the Supreme Court. BRATISLAVA - Ex-minister of agriculture Gabriela Matecna has had her criminal charges of violating obligations in the administration of someone else's property dropped. At the same time, the first deputy prosecutor-general (PG) ordered an investigator to reopen the case and issue a new decision. This information was first reported by the Aktuality.sk news website and confirmed for TASR by PG's Office's spokesperson Jana Tokolyova. "The first deputy PG, acting on behalf of the PG, based on appeals filed by defendants G.M. and R.P. [names abbreviated due to legal reasons], issued a decision on 11 May annulling the resolution of the police investigator who had pressed charges of violating obligations in the administration of some else's property against G.M. and R.P. He also tasked the police investigator with reopening the case and issuing a new decision," specified Tokolyova. According to Aktuality.sk, the case concerned the Slovak Land Fund's (SPF) representation in a dispute over the Slanske Forests. "A large part of the disputes was originally handled by a lawyer from Kosice. At a point when the case was nearly won, Matecna concluded a contract with law firm Ecker-Kan worth €1.8 million. Investigators originally saw Matecna's actions as a violation of obligations in the management of someone else's property," states the website. KOSICE - The first test electric vehicles are expected to be produced by the new Volvo plant near Kosice at the turn of summer and autumn, Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) said on Wednesday following her visit to the Valaliky Industrial Park and the Volvo Car Kosice plant. "At the end of summer or at the beginning of autumn, we expect the first prototype cars to roll out from this plant, where they will be manufactured under a testing regime," she said, confirming that the deadlines for the construction of production capacities or logistics and energy infrastructure will be met, with full production planned to be launched next year. "The company should produce approximately 250,000 fully electric vehicles per year. Naturally, its capacity can be increased via further investments to 500,000 cars a year," added Sakova. According to her, Volvo already employs approximately 600 people and plans to hire another 700 by the end of the year. Currently, 95 percent of the staff are Slovaks. According to an investment contract, the company should be employing 3,300 employees by 2028. Overall, including all subcontractors, tens of thousands of new jobs will be created in eastern Slovakia. KOSICE - Investments in the development of road transport in Kosice region will continue, as the National Highway Company (NDS) has called a public tender for the construction of another section of the Kosice bypass, spanning from the village of Haniska to the city borough of Saca, Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee) told a press briefing on Wednesday, adding that the new expressway will relieve several villages of heavy traffic. "Kosice had until recently been struggling with a disastrous traffic situation on its urban routes. Local people experienced considerable relief following the opening of the second phase of the bypass last year. Villages along the planned expressway deserve the same relief," noted Raz. In total, over 100 structures will be built along the R2 section between Kosice-Saca and Kosicke Olsany during the first phase, including five bridges and two grade-separated junctions. The estimated value of the contract for constructing the 6.8-kilometre section is €162.5 million ex. VAT, with the final price to be determined by the tender. ko