MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 20 June 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 19 June): BRATISLAVA - Czech President Petr Pavel and former Slovak head of state Zuzana Caputova are due to attend the 30th anniversary year of the Pohoda music festival at Trencin airport, TASR has been told by the festival's PR manager Lukas Gress. Together, they will participate in a discussion titled 'Identity in the Heart of Europe', which will focus on the search for identity amid growing social polarisation and a changing geopolitical environment. "This meeting of two prominent figures from the Czech and Slovak public spheres will offer insights into issues of democratic values, civil society, European identity and the challenges facing Central European countries today," said Gress. The discussion will take place on Saturday, 11 July as part of the discussion segment of the programme in the Europa Stage tent, organised by the European Commission Representation in Slovakia. Pavel has been the Czech president since 2023. Previously, he served as chief-of-general-staff of the Czech Armed Forces and chairman of the NATO military committee. Caputova served as Slovak president between 2019-2024. The Pohoda music festival will take place at Trencin airport between 8-11 July. BRATISLAVA - The proportion of available jobseekers in the working-age population stood at 3.91 percent at the end of May of this year, having fallen by 0.05 percentage points month-over-month, the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Centre (UPSVaR) reported on Friday, adding that the figure rose by 0.2 percent year-on-year when compared to May 2025, however. At the end of January 2026, the unemployment rate stood at 4.42 percent. Between February and May, it fell by 0.51 percentage points. The number of jobseekers available for work registered with labour offices reached 140,940 at the end of May, which was 1,862 fewer than in April and as many as 18,581 fewer than at the end of January 2026. "We're witnessing a continuing decline in unemployment on the one hand, and a sharp increase in the number of job vacancies on the other. From the beginning of the year through to the end of May nearly 21,000 job vacancies were added to the labour market. We've seen more intense growth only once since 2000, namely in 2017. Every month of this year, the number of job openings has surpassed the previous record. "In May, the 140,000 mark was surpassed for the first time in Slovakia's modern history," said Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD). The number of job offers reached 140,946 at the end of May, an increase of 10,482 from the previous month. The May unemployment statistics are a positive surprise, stated analysts at the Social Policy Institute, noting that the negative expectations from the beginning of the year - linked mainly to unfavourable global developments - haven't materialised so far. "The continuing demand for labour has been partly confirmed by a further increase in the number of job vacancies. However, a slight rise in unemployment can be expected in the near future. As usual in June, a new cohort of university graduates is entering the labour market. During the summer months, we expect unemployment to stabilise, supported by continued seasonal demand for labour. A further slight increase can then be expected in September, when a new wave of secondary school-leavers will enter the labour market. Overall, however, the May data confirm that the labour market remains relatively resilient and that the seasonal recovery is currently outweighing the negative impacts of the external situation," summarised the institute's analysts. BRUSSELS - Slovakia will participate in the debates on the EU's long-term budget for 2028–2034 as a member of the Friends of Cohesion group and, along with the other Visegrad Four (V4) countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland), it will push for sufficient funding for cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) at the conclusion of the EU summit in Brussels on Friday. The future EU budget "is supposed to be completely different from what it has been so far", noted the premier, adding that there is interest in increasing the total volume of the long-term budget, with figures ranging from €1.985 trillion to €1.450 trillion, according to proposals from the European Commission and the Cypriot EU Presidency. "The problem is that the European Commission is proposing cuts to the budget package for cohesion, the elimination of regional disparities and the common agricultural policy," he said, pointing out that this is one of the reasons why the Group of Friends of Cohesion, in which Slovakia plays an "active role", was re-established. "There are 16 of us in total, and we maintain that reducing regional disparities isn't only the essence of the EU; we also see it as a huge opportunity for competitiveness - we can't pit reducing regional disparities against competitiveness," he stressed, adding that there are countries arguing for more money for defence and new priorities, so he believes that it will be "challenging to put together the budget", as "two different worlds" within the EU are negotiating it. Fico confirmed that Slovakia is open to new budget priorities, such as forming a European Competitiveness Fund. He maintained, however, that this fund mustn't be structured so that only 'exceptional' regions receive money from it, as that would further widen regional disparities. According to him, Slovakia is also open to a proposal to strengthen regions along the EU's eastern borders. "If such a proposal is put forward - projects aimed at strengthening and promoting interconnectivity between Ukraine and the EU - we won't oppose them, because we can benefit from them as well," he said. However, the priority of the EU leaders' discussions is to reach an agreement on the long-term budget by the end of 2026, for which, according to Fico, "everyone will have to make concessions". This would make it possible to adopt legislative measures in 2027 so that the new multiannual financial framework can take effect on 1 January 2028. "We'll be constructive players; we'll protect our interests, but at the same time, we must realise that only an agreement will bring us closer to having an EU budget," said Fico. BRUSSELS - Prime Minister Robert Fico on Friday welcomed an initiative by European Council President Antonio Costa, whose office this week opened lines of communication with Russia. According to Fico, maintaining a communication channel with Moscow is essential. He reiterated his view that the conflict in Ukraine has no military solution, TASR's special correspondent reports. Fico underlined that he's among the prime ministers who support dialogue with Russia. The Slovak premier said that such communication is important partly in light of drone incursions into the territory of European Union-member states, pointing out that a drone carrying explosives was recently intercepted in waters near Greece. "We aren't yet discussing who should conduct such contact or what form it should take. We're discussing whether it should exist or not. I certainly prefer negotiation and dialogue to war," said Fico, adding that the issue isn't negotiations with Russia but communication. The prime minister also referred to Thursday's talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He stated that they hold fundamentally different views on many issues but that mutual dialogue remains necessary. The two leaders discussed an upcoming joint meeting of the Slovak and Ukrainian governments, which could take place in Bratislava, Kiev or Lviv. On Ukraine's EU-membership aspirations, Fico said that it isn't possible to prevent the country from seeking accession to the bloc. However, he argued that Serbia, Albania and Montenegro are far better prepared for membership. "If Ukraine is interested, it can learn something from us. As far as the experience of joining the EU is concerned, we're ready to help. However, I see this as a long-term process because there's a vast number of conditions that will need to be met," said the prime minister. Regarding the migration pact that has entered into force, Fico reiterated that the Slovak government doesn't consider this to be a successful piece of legislation. He also revealed that Slovakia would rather pay around €4 million into the so-called mandatory solidarity mechanism for migrant redistribution in 2026 than accept its allocated number of migrants. "We looked for alternative solutions that we wanted to offer to other countries, but there was no particular interest in them," he said. The mechanism is intended to ease pressure on countries receiving the largest numbers of migrants. Slovakia has long opposed the system and had sought an exemption. The EU leaders' summit continues on Friday with discussions on the Middle East. The prime minister is also due to hold talks at the European Commission, where he intends to raise concerns about the alleged misuse of subsidies by non-governmental organisations in Slovakia. BRUSSELS - During a geopolitical discussion among EU leaders on competitiveness and relations with China at a two-day summit in Brussels, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) again argued that Slovakia had been forced to shut down its strategic aluminium production plant in Ziar nad Hronom (Banska Bystrica region) because of what he described as the EU's "senseless" climate targets. Speaking to journalists after the talks, Fico said the debate had been linked to criticism of China, which he claimed was outpacing the European Union in development. "The problem today is that China is ahead in development, in science, and is becoming a global leader. This is now the fundamental issue," Fico said. He added that while the EU complains that "China is pulling away from us", Slovakia has meanwhile lost its aluminium producer in Ziar nad Hronom. He noted that 85 percent of Slovakia's electricity generation is carbon-free, the country has strong interconnections with all neighbouring states and is a net exporter of electricity, yet it must purchase electricity at prices of €100 or more per megawatt-hour. "An environmentally exemplary factory, which produced 17 percent of the EU's total aluminium output, had to be closed because of us, because of these senseless climate targets," he said. He added that the EU now imports aluminium from China, where the carbon footprint of production is five to six times higher than it was in Ziar nad Hronom, despite substantial investments made there to improve environmental performance. According to Fico, the solution for the EU is straightforward: reduce electricity prices. "We can accept this, we can take decisions in the EU that would drastically lower electricity prices. The question is whether anyone actually wants that. We all talk about a single market, but when we compare electricity prices in Portugal and France with those in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and even Italy, we can forget the idea that a single electricity market exists," he said. Fico criticised the EU for failing to act on the issue and said attention was now focused on proposals the European Commission is expected to present on 15 July regarding the Emissions Trading System (ETS). He welcomed the approval of a proposal by the Austrian Chancellor to extend the system of free ETS allowances beyond 2030. The prime minister added that Slovakia fully recognises China's global role, maintains a strategic partnership with Beijing and views China as a superpower pursuing its interests worldwide. At the summit, EU leaders tasked the European Commission with preparing a series of measures aimed at addressing market imbalances involving China. Fico said protectionism should be rejected, but that Europe still needed to protect itself. "We must defend ourselves, and I agree with that. But that protection cannot come through artificial barriers. It must come from being better and more capable. I support that kind of fair competition," he said. mf