MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Tuesday, 7 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Monday, 6 July): BRATISLAVA - The Slovakia 2040 Vision, drafted by the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV), together with feedback from an ongoing comprehensive peer review of the document, will be presented at a major conference on 1 September before being submitted to the government, Prime Minister Robert Fico told TASR in an interview. Fico said the document will undergo a thorough review during July, including assessments by official international reviewers. "A truly thorough and comprehensive review of the material will take place during July, and we also want to have official reviewers from abroad," the prime minister said. "We want to present the results of this review at a major official conference on 1 September. I expect it'll be submitted to the government about a week later," he added. According to Fico, the current text is already the fifth version of the vision document. "It is a visionary text backed by more than 350 experts," he said. While acknowledging that some of its conclusions are likely to spark debate, Fico underlined that the document provides a non-partisan, expert assessment of what Slovakia should look like in 2040 and the direction it should take in the future. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia will support the conclusions of this week's NATO summit, said the President's Office after President Peter Pellegrini held a working breakfast with Prime Minister Robert Fico and Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (both Smer-SD) on Monday. Pellegrini said that all three agreed that Slovakia will endorse the summit conclusions. He underlined, however, that any financial commitments relating to military assistance for Ukraine remain a matter for individual member states to decide. "Slovakia will support the conclusions of the NATO summit. At the same time, it remains the case that it won't participate in any further financial contributions or loans intended for military assistance to Ukraine," said Pellegrini. The president added that the principle of voluntary national decisions on assistance to Ukraine was confirmed in a letter from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, which Prime Minister Fico handed to him on Monday. Pellegrini said that Slovakia will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, supporting its energy infrastructure and supplying non-lethal systems. LEVOCA - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party has urged President Peter Pellegrini to oppose, as commander-in-chief of the Slovak Armed Forces, the restoration of Javorina military district (Presov region), SaS leader Branislav Groehling told a press conference on Monday, adding that dozens of residents from the Spis, Saris and Zamagurie areas have been contacting the party, shocked by the Defence Ministry's plan. Restitution claimants are also against the plan, urging the ministry to engage in a dialogue. Furthermore, they reject any unilateral steps by the ministry, such as pressure to swap or sell land. A petition launched by SaS against restoring the military training area has so far been signed by some 5,000 people. "We fundamentally disagree with this plan, and we'll do our best to prevent it from happening. People in eastern Slovakia deserve to know whether the president agrees that they should lose what they've been building up for years," said Groehling. BRATISLAVA - Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) and his Bulgarian counterpart Velislava Petrova-Chamova discussed current European and security issues, including the upcoming NATO summit, during their telephone conversation on Monday, TASR has learnt from the ministry's communications department. During the conversation, the ministers expressed their support for the upcoming NATO summit in Ankara. "Slovakia will support the upcoming conclusions from the summit and will continue to fulfil its commitments arising from its membership in the Alliance. However, our long-standing position is that the decision to provide military assistance to Ukraine rests solely with each member state. For this reason, the Slovak Republic will not participate in military aid or financial military support for Ukraine," stressed Blanar. "Slovakia and Bulgaria enjoy very good bilateral relations and are interested in maintaining an open dialogue on current European and international issues. Like the Slovak Republic, the new Bulgarian government is pursuing its national interests on several key issues," added Blanar. In this context, the Bulgarian foreign minister confirmed a similar approach to the EU's sanctions packages against Russia. BANSKA BYSTRICA - Culture Minister Martina Simkovicova (a Slovak National Party/SNS) nominee) on Monday announced that, effective as of 1 July this year, the State Opera in Banska Bystrica has been transformed into the Banska Bystrica National Theatre. At a ceremony in Banska Bystrica, she presented the deed of foundation to Ondrej Bernat, general director of the former State Opera. "The Culture Ministry decided that, with effect as of 1 July this year, the State Opera would be transformed into the Banska Bystrica National Theatre. By signing a new deed of foundation, Slovakia now has a third national theatre to represent the region of central Slovakia," said Simkovicova, adding that this lays the groundwork for expanding the institution's activities to include drama. According to Bernat, it's exactly 33 years since the State Opera in Banska Bystrica split away from the Jozef Gregor Tajovsky Theatre in Zvolen. As of 1 July, it's became a full-fledged three-ensemble theatre. "This isn't merely a change of name; this is also aimed at recognising the work of the theatre's employees, artists, administrative staff and technical personnel, who for years have been putting effort into bringing art to people every day. Despite difficulties and challenges, they've continued to offer what they do best – sincere and genuine art," stressed Bernat. BRATISLAVA – The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party has claimed that Slovakia's leaders are concealing the stance with which they are heading to the NATO summit in Turkey, describing such conduct as a mockery of the public. PS vice-chair Ivan Korcok described Monday's meeting between President Peter Pellegrini, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) ahead of the summit as a farce. "Fico has clearly instructed Pellegrini to agree to everything at the summit. However, the public has no idea what position the president is actually going to take there or what he's expected to agree to there. One thing is certain: at this summit, the president will once again be merely making up the numbers, and Slovakia will continue to be seen among its allies as a fare-dodger," the PS media department cited Korcok as saying. PS vice-chair and MP Tomas Valasek pointed out that the declaration from the summit won't commit anyone to providing financial support for Ukraine. In his view, Fico is exploiting Slovakia's foreign policy for domestic political theatrics. "The prime minister is rallying his own voters against the EU, NATO and Ukraine. These theatrics serve to distract attention from failed tasks at home, such as the absence of a plan to increase defence spending for that matter. Yet the central theme at the NATO summit is for every member state to present such a plan," stated Valasek. jrg