MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, 7 June 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, 6 June): DUNKIRK - Marking the 82nd anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and the mayor of the French city of Dunkirk, Patrice Vergriete, on Saturday honoured the memory of members of Czechoslovak and Allied troops who served there during World War II, the Government Office has informed TASR. "In May, when we commemorate the end of WWII and the victory over fascism, it is important to pay honour and show respect to everyone who contributed to bringing the war to an end and to the defeat of German fascism," stated Fico. Together with mayor Vergriete, Fico paid tribute to the Czechoslovak Armoured Brigade that operated in Dunkirk during the war and whose task was to contain the German garrison in the occupied area, from October 1944 until 9 May 1945, when the German forces surrendered. The premier also thanked the mayor for his long-term care of the monument to the Czechoslovak soldiers. "A total of 167 Czechoslovak soldiers were killed in this operation. I feel the need to pay tribute to these soldiers, who also helped end the war. We will continue this way next year as well. We won't obscure historical truth, and I believe this is the best way to remind the Slovak public of the horrors of WWII and the contribution of Slovaks to the end of this terrible suffering," said Fico in the end. KOSICE - The extra-parliamentary Democrats party wants to cooperate with democratically and pro-European oriented parties, according to a resolution adopted by the party's Republican Council at its meeting in Kosice on Saturday. The Republican Council tasked the presidium with preparing a strategic framework for negotiations with Progressive Slovakia (PS), Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), the 'Slovakia' party, and the Hungarian Alliance on forming the strongest possible alternative to the government of Robert Fico (Smer-SD). "It's high time to stop playing with sandpit spades and adopt a winning mentality. We won't defeat Robert Fico through mutual attacks between opposition parties. We will defeat him through cooperation, respect, and a shared goal of restoring decency, justice, and trust in the state in Slovakia," said Democrats leader Jaroslav Nad. BRATISLAVA - Speaking on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues), Labour Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) and opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) leader Branislav Groehling both rejected statements by Hungarian Premier Peter Magyar suggesting that "Hungary borders itself". Tomas recalled that Magyar had used similar rhetoric also during his election campaign. "Hungary borders the sovereign Slovak Republic, whose borders were set by peace treaties, and I'm sorry that the Hungarian premier is starting like this, since all we can wish for Slovakia are good, peaceful neighbourly relations, and this definitely doesn't contribute to them," he said. Groehling described Magyar's statements as his first misstep. However, he pointed out that it was unclear how Magyar meant his remarks. They might have been directed at not recognising borders, but also as a reference to the fact that a sizeable Hungarian minority lives in several countries. "I think this is very unfortunate. We should all respect borders, as we are continuously experiencing it in connection with Ukraine, where we are quite principled, firmly rejecting such statements. So we should also reject this statement, as what Peter Magyar said is not worthy of a European leader," he said. BRATISLAVA - The Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) earlier this week launched a new call for applications under its Impulse grant programme, which aims to attract top scientific capacities from all over the world to Slovakia, SAV spokesman Jozef Bednar has informed TASR. Internationally recognised researchers and promising early-career scientists once again have the opportunity to pursue their research ambitions in Slovakia. Successful applicants can receive financial support of up to €800,000 for five-year research projects. The largest scientific institution in Slovakia has been launching the Impulse grant programme on a regular basis since 2021. It supports three successful applicants each year. Thanks to the programme, a new generation of high-quality scientific leaders is joining SAV's research institutes, making them more international and internationally competitive. ko