MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 6 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 5 July): BRATISLAVA - During a speech he delivered during the celebrations of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Day at Devin Castle in Bratislava on Sunday, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has called on Slovakia to return to its value-based foundations. Fico therefore wants to include a section on values ​​in the Vision Slovakia 2040 document. He spoke in particular about the need to highlight Christian traditions, a pro-European orientation and a culture of peace. According to him, Slovakia must also fulfil the role of connecting East and West. The premier claims that the crisis in the "common European home" is caused by the collapse of the spiritual and value-based foundations of Western civilisation. "The driving force of the present is mainly confrontation and military power. We can see that European elites are building our common European home on a single card - confrontation and Russophobia. I would like to ask: do we really need confrontation in order to regain the conviction that the survival of Europe is only possible if the East and the West come together?" said the premier during his speech. According to him, the reaction to the crisis in Europe must be for Slovakia to return to its value-based foundations. "So that we don't forget where we came from, how deep our historical roots are, who we are and what we want," he stressed. According to Fico, one of the outcomes of Sunday's celebrations should be a commitment that a separate section on values ​​will be included in the Vision Slovakia 2040 document. "If we fail to stand on values, we will end up like our common European house, which is falling apart in terms of values," said Fico. The premier spoke about the need to highlight Christian traditions. He said that if we want to anchor ourselves in values, we must cope with the crisis of trust and truth. "It is impossible for hatred, confrontation, arrogance, rudeness, untruths and hoaxes to prevail. I believe that it's our duty to bring simple things back to real life - respect for education, respect for elders, the understanding that tolerance is not weakness, but above all respect for ourselves," he emphasised. The premier also mentioned Slovakia's pro-European orientation, which enables it to talk to everyone. "Slovakia is geographically and culturally set up to fulfil such a fundamental role of connecting East and West," thinks Fico. According to him, Slovakia must also maintain a culture of peace. Therefore, he declared at the celebrations that his government would not support any wars. BRATISLAVA - At a time when the world is once again gripped by conflicts, wars are claiming innocent victims and tensions are escalating faster than peace, the legacy of Saints Cyril and Methodius is more relevant than ever," House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) said in an address he delivered during the national celebrations at Devin Castle in Bratislava, marking the arrival of Saints Cyril and Methodius on the territory of modern-day Slovakia in the 9th century. Rasi stressed that the missionaries' message of greater understanding, less hatred and dialogue instead of conflict remains of vital importance. The House chair recalled that Devin is one of the symbolic beginnings of our history. It also serves as a reminder that the Slovak story didn't begin yesterday, nor one or two generations ago. "It is a story that has been shaped for more than a thousand years: in faith, hard work, folk culture, merciless wars, the fight for our identity, for our language, and in the ability of our ancestors to stand firm in that struggle time again and again," stated Rasi. Saints Cyril and Methodius brought our ancestors writing, education and the word of God in a language understandable to them," said Rasi. "They also gave us understanding - the ability to speak, to listen, to understand each other. Understanding is the foundation of culture. Understanding is the basis of community and is also the basis of peace," he said. According to Rasi, understanding isn't a weakness, but a strength. "The ability to see the world through the eyes of others, the ability to seek common solutions even where none seem to exist. Understanding is what has kept us together as a nation for centuries - across regions, generations, people with different opinions. It has enabled us to survive wars, crises, and divisions. And just as Saints Cyril and Methodius once taught the Slavs to speak one language, today it's up to us to learn to speak the language of understanding. Not only in Slovakia, but also in Europe and the world," he said. Rasi as the House Chair perceives that parliament is a place of different views, disputes and often tension. But at the same time, he said it should be a place where, despite differences, the consciousness of serving the public isn't lost. "Saints Cyril and Methodius teach us that truly great works are not created for the applause of a single moment. They are created because someone thinks beyond today. Their mission has survived centuries because it was built on solid foundations - on faith, education, language, culture and understanding," Rasi noted in his speech. BRATISLAVA - In a speech he delivered during the celebrations of the Saints Cyril and Methodius Day at Devin Castle in Bratislava on Sunday, President Peter Pellegrini stressed the importance of the missionaries' legacy in three key areas: independence, equality and education for all. According to the president, these three principles drawn from the historical legacy of the Thessalonian mission are more important today than ever before. He said that the answer to the challenges of the modern age and the arrival of new technologies must remain high-quality education and a well-educated nation. "When mentioning Saints Cyril and Methodius, the first words that come to mind for many are scripture, faith, and culture. However, today I would like to draw attention to three other words that are also encoded in the historical legacy of the Thessaloniki mission and are more important today than ever before. They are independence, equality, and education for all," stated the head of state. Pellegrini recalled that Great Moravia was seeking the pillars of its independence in the 9th century, including cultural ones. "So when I speak of independence, we can confidently say today that without the education of the whole nation, culture, and awareness of its historical roots, it is impossible to preserve its independence in the long term," said the president. According to the head of state, Saint Cyril demanded equality when he fought for the equal status of Old Church Slavonic with other languages ​​in spreading the word of God. The fact that this was achieved was described by the president as a huge international diplomatic success. "Even today, it tells us that nations and their languages ​​have equal rights, regardless of their size or history," he said, adding that it also concerns the equality of all citizens, regardless of their origin, religion, skin colour or sexual orientation. "All citizens of Slovakia have the right to live together in their homeland in peace and have equal chances for their development," he stressed. According to the president, education was a benefit of the new language, as it made education accessible to the broad masses of people. "Today we live in times when technological achievements surpass even the boldest forecasts. However, exactly the opposite is happening to what the Thessalonian mission brought to Great Moravia," he said. He noted that the wealth contained in the unimaginable amount of information and modern technologies is concentrated in the hands of a few large corporations or even in the hands of a few individuals worldwide. "People who have never been elected by anyone, yet who nevertheless hold ever-growing power," he warned, adding that these people can directly decide who is allowed to use these modern technologies. "This is in sharp contradiction to the equality of people and nations," stated the president. At the commemoration of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Pellegrini called in particular on the younger generation not to stop educating themselves and not to let their creative minds be "fall asleep and degraded by the achievements of artificial intelligence". The president added that the answer to today's era and the rise of modern technologies must remain high-quality education and a well-educated nation. BRATISLAVA – Slovak IT security company Eset is continuing the preparations for its project involving a technology campus and new headquarters to be built on the site of the former military hospital in Bratislava's Patronka area, Eset Chief Operating Officer Pavel Luka told the media at an informal meeting earlier this week, adding that the company aims to begin construction in 2028 and complete the project in 2031. "We've already submitted an application for a zoning decision, and the documentation for a building permit is being prepared. Now that we've received a valid EIA [environmental impact assessment], the zoning procedure can move ahead at full pace as we continue to work on the building permit," said Luka. The modern technology campus will combine research, innovation, education and business. In addition to becoming Eset's new headquarters, it will provide premises for other technology companies, start-ups and research activities, as well as spaces open to the public. Eset will occupy a large share of the office space in a total of 12 buildings, while the remainder will be leased out. Eset also cooperates with universities, mostly technical ones, in order to strengthen links between Patronka and the campus area at nearby Mlynska Dolina so that students can become part of the innovation ecosystem. The Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) also plans to rearrange its campus in the Patronka area, while Bratislava Self-Governing Region is planning a major project here as well. The company places strong emphasis on sustainability and technology, so rooftops will be equipped with photovoltaic panels connected to a battery energy storage system. In light of the current heatwaves and drought, the project will also include rainwater retention measures and water-storage facilities. In order to promote cycling infrastructure and public transport, the company is holding talks with state-run rail infrastructure operator ZSR and the Transport Ministry about the Patronka transport terminal, said Luka, referring to the existing railway stop at Zelezna studienka, which could be connected to the public transport system. The total cost of the project is estimated at some €200 million, including the cost of land that the company purchased in 2017. BRATISLAVA - The State Electoral Commission on Sunday morning confirmed that the Saturday's (4 July) referendum failed, on account of the low voter turnout of 16.13 percent. The participation of more than 50 percent of voters was needed. From a total of 4,369,989 eligible voters, 705,227 cast their ballots in the referendum, of which 698,757 were valid. Voters cast their ballots in 5,545 precincts. A total of 5,218 votes were delivered from abroad via postal voting, making up 0.73 percent of the voter turnout. The question whether they agree with scrapping the so-called lifetime annuity granted under the law to certain constitutional office holders, including, for example, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD), was answered positively by 93.43 percent of those who came to polling stations. Meanwhile, 5.32 percent of voters expressed their disagreement with it. As for the second question, whether they agree with restoring the Special Prosecutor's Office and the National Crime Agency (NAKA), 92.23 percent of voters chose the answer 'yes', while 6.07 percent chose the answer 'no'. Statistics Office chairman Martin Nemky announced that the highest voter turnout of 21.84 percent was posted in Bratislava region, while the lowest turnout of 13.4 percent was reported in Kosice region. Concerning districts, the highest turnout of 24.18 percent was recorded in the district of Senec (Bratislava region), while the lowest one of 7.91 percent was seen in the district of Revuca (Banska Bystrica region). In the tenth referendum in independent Slovakia's history, voters were deciding on two questions: whether to abolish the so-called lifetime annuity granted under the law to certain constitutional office holders, including, for example, Premier Fico, and whether to restore the Special Prosecutor's Office and the National Crime Agency. The petition for the referendum was initiated by the extra-parliamentary Democrats party. It wanted to have three questions in it, but the question concerning the demand to shorten the electoral term ultimately wasn't part of the referendum. President Peter Pellegrini didn't include this question in it, as he believed that it contradicts to the Slovak Constitution. In line with the Slovak Constitution, the results of a referendum are valid if more than half of eligible voters take part in it and if the decision is adopted by an absolute majority of referendum participants. mf