MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, 2 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 1 July): BRATISLAVA - The Visegrad Group (V4: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) is alive and will continue its activities, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini declared on Wednesday at the opening of Slovakia's V4 presidency at Bratislava Castle. According to Pellegrini, the Visegrad Group remains important not as a sentimental reminder of the past, but as a tool enabling Central Europe to define and promote its interests. He said declarations predicting the end of the V4 had merely been the "wishful thinking" of some politicians that failed to reflect reality. The president pointed out that in recent years the V4 had been the subject of doubts, with some claiming the cooperation format had outlived its purpose. "The V4 has not ended. It is back and must confidently make its voice heard. Yes, it has gone through tests, differences and periods when cooperation was not easy. But that is precisely when the true value of this political grouping becomes apparent," he said in an address before a concert marking the start of Slovakia's V4 presidency. BRATISLAVA - The Slovak government wants to begin its presidency of the Visegrad Group (V4: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia) guided by the principles of strict adherence to international law, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries, and respect for the paths other nations choose in managing their domestic affairs, Prime Minister Robert Fico declared in his address marking the launch of Slovakia's V4 presidency on Wednesday. Fico stated that the V4 countries aim to once again become a strong regional grouping and underlined that promoting peace is also among the key priorities of Slovakia's presidency. The prime minister pointed out that Slovakia is assuming the presidency at a difficult geopolitical moment, when the principles of international law and the foundations of the international order are being undermined. "The Slovak government enters this presidency with clear principles. First, strict respect for international law; second, non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries; and third, respect for the path other countries choose in managing their own internal affairs. As prime minister, I will follow these principles in leading this format during 2026 and 2027," he said in an address before a concert marking the start of Slovakia's V4 presidency. BRATISLAVA - Competitiveness, EU enlargement, sectoral cooperation and an active people-to-people dimension are the four priorities chosen to guide Slovakia’s presidency of the Visegrad Four (V4: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), which begins on 1 July. The programme and the priorities were presented on Wednesday by Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) at the annual meeting of Slovak ambassadors at the Foreign Ministry in Bratislava. He noted that Slovakia is taking over the V4 presidency for the seventh time and at a moment of growing uncertainty and major challenges that are reshaping the international environment. "Cooperation within the V4 is based on pragmatism, on what unites us, on shared interests and on what we can achieve together," said the foreign minister. He acknowledged that the V4 countries don't always share the same views on all issues while stressing mutual respect and a strong foundation for future cooperation, which, he said, has been evident since the most-recent summit of V4 prime ministers in Hungary. Blanar noted that the V4 had at one point been "in a sense" paralysed by disagreements between Hungary and Poland. "We have also accentuated, as we do today, that the V4 isn't an institutionalised organisation meant to resolve everything, but a grouping designed for times when we need to come together on shared issues," he stated, adding that there's an agreement to coordinate V4 prime ministers ahead of European Council meetings. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party is filing a motion with the Supreme Audit Office (NKU) to examine the management of public funds used for celebrations at Devin Castle near Bratislava connected with the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius on the territory of modern-day Slovakia in the 9th century that are being organised by the Government Office, party spokesman Ondrej Sprlak has informed TASR. According to information available to SaS, the celebrations should cost more than €320,000, even though public attendance at them should be significantly restricted. "At a time of fiscal consolidation and tax hikes, the government is spending €320,000 on a private event for the elite. This is neither respect for history nor national pride. This is outright elitism on display," stated SaS leader Branislav Groehling. SaS is therefore appealing to NKU to examine whether the use of public finances in organising the event is economic, efficient, effective and lawful. The party is requesting an audit of the total amount of funds used, sources of financing, the selection of suppliers, compliance with public procurement rules and the eligibility of individual expenditures. It also wants contracts, purchase orders and invoices related to the organisation of the celebrations to be verified. BRATISLAVA - If production is restarted and jobs are preserved at aluminium smelter Slovalco in Ziar nad Hronom (Banska Bystrica region), the state will provide compensation for CO2 emissions, relief regarding contributions to the nuclear fund, and electricity supplies over the period of the next ten years, according to a commitment made by the government in two agreements approved at its session on Wednesday. Following the government session, state representatives are set to sign the agreements with Slovalco, its shareholders and state-run water-management construction company Vodohospodarska vystavba (VV). First, an agreement on implementing measures to support primary aluminium production sets out the conditions for restoring full operations at the plant, with Slovalco undertaking to restart production, maintain and increase employment and invest in modernising and decarbonising the facility. Financial, technical and organisational support for the project will be provided by the company's shareholders Hydro Aluminium of Norway and Slovalco Invest based in Slovakia. In return, the state will provide stable conditions for the plant, in particular by providing compensation for indirect CO2-emission costs and a discount on contributions to the National Nuclear Fund. Despite a negative impact on the general government budget, both measures are covered by the state budget and comply with EU rules on state aid. BRATISLAVA - The government on Wednesday approved zoning plans for four national parks: the Tatra National Park, the Low Tatras National Park, the Poloniny National Park and the Mala Fatra National Park. The approval of these documents forms part of a milestone under Slovakia's Recovery and Resilience Plan, while completing the zoning process through the adoption of government regulations is a milestone under Slovakia's Recovery Plan for the disbursement of the eighth payment request. The draft zoning proposals were criticised during the consultation process by the opposition, scientists and conservationists from various environmental organisations. ko