MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 12 June 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 11 June): BRATISLAVA - Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenicky (Smer-SD) should be removed from office, according to representatives of all opposition parties in Parliament, who have jointly submitted a motion of no-confidence on the initiative of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH). The opposition argues that Kamenicky has failed to put the country's public finances on a sustainable footing and that his consolidation measures haven't delivered results. A special emergency parliamentary session to debate the motion has been scheduled for Monday, 15 June. "Public finances under minister Kamenicky's stewardship resemble a cold shower. Every morning, when you look at the state of the economy, it makes you break out in a sweat seeing how minister Kamenicky has been ruining public finances over the past two years, pursuing poor budgetary policies, failing to halt Slovakia's growing debt, constantly taking money from people's wallets, and failing to provide the stimulus needed for economic growth," declared opposition MP Rastislav Kratky (KDH). BRATISLAVA - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party isn't ruling out approaching the Constitutional Court if opposition motions to dismiss individual ministers continue to be delayed in Parliament for months or even a year, PS leader Michal Simecka stated at a press conference on Thursday, adding that he expects that proposals for dismissals will pile up at the next session in September and that Parliament won't have time to discuss them. Simecka anticipates tension within the coalition at the September session, as the draft budget for next year is also scheduled to be addressed. "I expect that Parliament will be gridlocked, that they won't be able to move forward with the agenda, so logically they'll postpone the dismissals. But then a possible motion to the Constitutional Court will also come into play. Because, to play the role of a constitutional lawyer - which I'm not - the mere fact that they aren't convening extraordinary sessions is apparently not unconstitutional, but if they keep this up for a year, then in my view there is room for the Constitutional Court to weigh in on the matter," he stated, noting that last year also saw votes of no-confidence in members of the government being postponed for several months. According to PS, the coalition rejects the established practice of allowing the opposition to debate in the House motions of no-confidence against individual members of the government or the entire government. "Coalition MPs, even if they don't like it, should allow ministers facing an ouster to defend themselves in the plenary session. That's how it worked under the previous government, and that's how it worked under earlier governments, but now Robert Fico and his ministers have decided that they won't participate because they're afraid, because they can't defend themselves. That's what undermines this institution," noted Simecka. BRATISLAVA - Eugen Palasthy, a judge of Bratislava Regional Court, informed Judicial Council chair Marcela Kosova on Thursday that the criminal proceedings against him have been definitively discontinued by prosecutors after they concluded that there were sufficient grounds to determine that he hadn't committed the alleged offence. The prosecution was linked to the Storm corruption case, the Judicial Council's Office told TASR. Kosova said that judges detained in the operation had been "convicted" almost immediately in the eyes of various state officials, senior representatives of the judiciary and many journalists. "The presumption of innocence was erased. For years they weren't allowed to adjudicate on cases, and some are still unable to do so," she said, adding that none of the accused judges has, to date, been finally convicted following the presentation of evidence before a court. POPRAD/BRATISLAVA - Automation and robotisation are among the ways to respond to the acute labour shortage facing Slovakia, where the industrial sector is short of 130,000 workers, Prime Minister Robert Fico declared during a press briefing held on Thursday as part of his visit to rail freight-wagon manufacturer Tatravagonka in Poprad (Presov region). The company is preparing to launch what it says will be the largest robotic painting line for freight railway wagons in the European Union. Following approval for a trial run by the Slovak Environmental Inspectorate, the company will put both its new production hall and the robotic painting line into operation. "When we were informed that Tatravagonka was interested in building a fully automated painting line, we immediately began discussions on cooperation. We're pleased to say that the investment, into which the company has put €13 million has been successful. It's a fully automated painting line, and at the end of 2024 the government also approved investment aid in the form of tax relief worth more than €5 million," said Fico. POPRAD - We're considering scrapping the transaction tax, but only on the condition that we can find enough funds to offset a €400-million shortfall in the state budget, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a news conference held during his visit to rail freight-wagon producer Tatravagonka in Poprad (Presov region) on Thursday. Fico stated that scrapping the transaction tax is on the table and that he believes that, if the government agrees on the parameters, it will be possible to take this step jointly. The premier asked employers to engage in a matter-of-fact and rational dialogue with the government in preparing pro-growth measures and measures to improve the business environment. "It's impossible to expect that we'd reduce taxes and levies tomorrow in such a way that we would lose €3-4 billion in state-budget revenues. That simply isn't possible. I understand that a sharp reduction in taxes and levies would bring some effect in five or ten years, but in a one- or two-year time-frame it would only mean huge shortfalls in budgetary revenues and problems in meeting the objectives of the welfare state," said Fico. DAR ES SALAAM - Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) held bilateral talks with his Tanzanian counterpart Mahmoud Thabit Kombo in Tanzania on Thursday, TASR was told by the ministry's communications department on the same day. According to the Slovak minister, both countries confirmed their interest in further deepening bilateral relations and strengthening economic cooperation. Blanar also reported that he had succeeded in securing Tanzania's support for Slovakia's candidacy for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the years 2028–29. He added that the Slovak Republic had reciprocally expressed its support for Tanzania for the period 2029–30. "Tanzania is among the promising growing economies of East Africa, and we see great potential here for developing mutually beneficial cooperation. Our goal is to strengthen not only our political relations but also our economic ties through specific trade projects, investments, and partnerships that will deliver results for citizens and businesses on both sides," said Blanar. ko