MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 6 June 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 5 June): BRATISLAVA - Any incidents involving drones that occur on the territory of other countries, regardless of where they came from or how they arrived, pose a serious risk of escalating military conflict and endanger the lives and health of people in countries that have nothing to do with the war, President Peter Pellegrini has stated in connection with the explosion of a naval drone in the Romanian port city of Constanta. According to the head of state, however, such incidents should garner significantly greater attention from all political parties in Slovakia so that legislation can be adopted as soon as possible to enable the Slovak Armed Forces to intervene effectively in the event of a similar threat over Slovak territory. "The General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces has long been calling for such an initiative, and so it's high time for politicians to respond and help to protect the lives and health of our citizens effectively," said Pellegrini. BRATISLAVA - I express solidarity with Romania following the explosion of a naval drone in the Black Sea port of Constanta on Friday, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) stated at a press briefing in Montenegro, where the EU-Western Balkans summit is taking place, warning that such an incident could trigger World War III. The premier also called for dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Fico noted that he doesn't have sufficient information about the incident in Romania. "We're probably witnessing another stray drone, whether intentionally or unintentionally," he stated, adding that he won't accuse anyone, but that it's very dangerous. "Imagine if such a drone flew into a residential building in a country that is a member state of NATO and the European Union, causing widespread injuries, perhaps even deaths. After all, this could truly be the start of World War III," he remarked. According to him, it is therefore necessary to engage in dialogue, and someone must start talking to Putin. "I don't care whether it's a delegation of European Union leaders, or the chancellor or president of a powerful country, but we have to start talking. Because if five or six more incidents like this happen, we'll suddenly find ourselves in a world war," he declared. BRATISLAVA - The preparations for the project to upgrade the slovensko.sk website will be temporarily halted, with Investment, Regional Development and Informatisation Minister Samuel Migal (Independent) asking National Agency for Network and Electronic Services (NASES) Supervisory Board members not to approve the signing of contracts for this project for the time being, the Investment, Regional Development and Informatisation Ministry (MIRRI) announced on Friday. Migal has also asked NASES general director Jana Molnarova to refrain from taking further steps concerning this matter at this time, as he first wants to discuss the circumstances and impacts of upcoming decisions with Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). "The minister deems it important that such a major project should proceed in a transparent and responsible manner and based on a careful assessment of all contexts. The public will be informed about the next steps after his meeting with the prime minister," stated the ministry. Earlier on Friday, the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party called on Migal to halt the €90-million project, advising him to wait for the go-ahead based on a government-commissioned expert opinion and from the Value for Money Unit (UHP). The party has also warned that financial backing for the project from the budget hasn't been demonstrated, and that the signing of the contract would be in breach of the law on budgetary rules. The project has also received criticism from the Slovensko.Digital civil association. TIVAT - Albania, Serbia and Montenegro are the best-prepared Western Balkan countries for membership of the European Union, Prime Minister Robert Fico declared after the EU-Western Balkans summit in the Montenegrin town of Tivat on Friday, TASR learnt from its special correspondent. According to Fico, the accession of the three countries would also benefit the EU itself, bringing in "fresh blood" as well as "the common sense that we need". He said that Albania, Serbia and Montenegro should be admitted simultaneously. "If we take the total population of these three countries, it would have no impact, absolutely no impact, on the functioning of the European Union as such. But it seems to me that someone is constantly inventing ways to complicate the whole process, to prevent it and to avoid taking this decision as quickly as possible," said Fico. He added that at Friday's summit he requested the opening of the third negotiating cluster as part of the accession talks. Fico believes that candidate countries will once again hear promises about closer cooperation at the summit, but no real decisions that would lead to EU enlargement are likely to be taken this year or next. The Slovak prime minister said that the length of the accession process is also becoming a problem for the EU itself. The bloc's credibility could be undermined if it fails to deliver on its promises to admit new members. He added that leaders of non-member states could also become less willing to take difficult decisions in support of EU accession. TIVAT - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) met Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday ahead of a European Union (EU) - Western Balkans summit in Tivat, Montenegro, describing their meeting as friendly and useful, TASR's special correspondent reported on the same day. "We've also agreed on a schedule for further meetings. The Slovak Republic fully supports Serbia's integration into the EU," stated Fico on a social network. On Friday, Fico is due to attend a summit focusing on the shared prosperity and stability of the EU and the Western Balkans, which is being held in the Montenegrin city of Tivat. The leaders will deal with EU enlargement and the progress made in the gradual integration of the Western Balkan countries into the EU. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia's gross domestic product (GDP) in fixed prices grew by 0.9 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) in the first quarter of 2026, with GDP volume in current prices reaching almost €33 billion, the Statistics Office reported on Friday, noting that while the economy continued to expand, the pace of growth remained under 1 percent. Seasonally adjusted, GDP rose by 0.2 percent quarter-on-quarter when compared to the fourth quarter of 2025. Sluggish growth in the first quarter was kept above zero primarily by household consumption and an improvement in the foreign trade balance. Last year the economy was driven by investments, which, however, slowed down as companies started investing less. There was near-zero growth across individual sectors of the economy, with modest gains in the trade and public sector that merely offset significant slumps in the previously dominant manufacturing industry, as well as in the financial and insurance sectors. KRPELANY - Firefighters from the towns of Martin and Dolny Kubin are responding to an incident at Krpelany (all Zilina region) railway station on Friday afternoon, the Operations Centre of the Fire and Rescue Corps (HaZZ) in Zilina has reported, adding that the incident was caused by a collision between two trains. A total of 11 professional firefighters from fire stations in Martin and Dolny Kubin were deployed at the scene. Maria Pohankova Zahatlanova, spokesperson for the Zilina Regional Directorate of the Fire and Rescue Corps, told TASR that according to initial information from the scene of the accident, a passenger train struck a train engine. "There were about 100 passengers on board the train, and their condition is currently being assessed. Two minor injuries have been reported so far," said the spokesperson. am