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

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 8 July): BRATISLAVA - Bratislava District Office has upheld the regional prosecutor's protests in the Istrochem case, Prosecutor-General Maros Zilinka stated on social media on Wednesday in connection with the obligation to clear up pollution at the site of the Istrochem chemicals plant, adding that the district office's decisions to discontinue proceedings on determining the party liable for the environmental damage have thus been annulled. "Bratislava District Office has upheld all three protests lodged against the decisions by a prosecutor of the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Bratislava," stated Zilinka, adding that the conduct of the prosecution service has demonstrated its "consistent protection of the public interest and the rights of the state". According to the Prosecutor-General's Office, all three protests were upheld by the district office on 3 July. They were filed by the Regional Prosecutor's Office in April, with copies also sent to Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee), as it hasn't yet been proven that the legal conditions have been met for the state to take responsibility for the clean-up. The prosecutor's protests concerned the district office's decisions in 2025 to discontinue proceedings on determining the entity liable for environmental damage at three sites at the former chemicals plant now known as Istrochem. KOSICE/BRATISLAVA - An investigation into alleged investment fraud involving international financial markets and crypto-assets has been concluded, with a prosecutor from the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Kosice filing an indictment against two individuals and two legal entities with the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok, Regional Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Jarmila Janova has told TASR. The alleged damages amount to nearly €24 million. Janova said that the case concerns a complex and extensive investigation into a sophisticated fraud scheme. According to the indictment, the defendants allegedly misled hundreds of victims in 1,032 separate cases between February 2015 and July 2019. The offences were committed in Kosice and elsewhere across Slovakia. "The total damage caused by one of the individual defendants has been calculated at €23,815,992. Of that amount, €17,154,995 was caused in joint participation with the second individual defendant and the two legal entities," said Janova. If convicted, the two individual defendants face prison sentences ranging from three to ten years. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia's Justice Ministry has submitted a series of proposed amendments to the annex on the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing System (PABS) to the WHO pandemic agreement during international negotiations, with the proposals intended to strengthen legal certainty, biosafety, transparency, traceability and risk management in the global exchange of pathogens with pandemic potential, the ministry's press department told TASR on Wednesday. The ministry underlined that the PABS will not be merely a technical mechanism for sharing biological materials and genetic sequence information. "It represents the implementation pillar of the WHO pandemic agreement and must be not only functional but also safe, trustworthy and enforceable. It is therefore necessary for it to contain clear rules for dealing with situations that may pose significant biological or security risks," the ministry said. The proposed amendments focus primarily on strengthening biosafety and biosecurity rules, establishing traceability mechanisms for PABS materials and sequence information, introducing procedures for expert assessment of serious security incidents, ensuring appropriate risk management rules where misuse of the system is suspected, enhancing legal certainty regarding participants' obligations, and maintaining appropriate protection of personal data, sensitive information and intellectual property. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia and India aim to build on the dynamic development of their bilateral relations by further strengthening their partnership in both political and economic areas, Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar said after meeting Indian Ambassador to Slovakia Apoorva Srivastava on Tuesday (7 July) at the conclusion of her diplomatic mission in Bratislava. According to the ministry's press department, Blanar said Slovakia and India now enjoy a comprehensive partnership that provides broad scope for expanding cooperation. "Slovakia and India are united by a shared commitment to promoting multilateralism, respecting international law and seeking peaceful solutions to conflicts," Blanar declared. The minister praised the ambassador's personal contribution to the development of Slovak-Indian relations and commended the results achieved during her tenure since 2023. He highlighted the intensification of high-level political dialogue, as well as support for cultural, academic and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. Blanar also recalled several high-level political visits during Srivastava's posting, describing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first official visit to Bratislava in June this year as a historic milestone. BRUSSELS/BRATISLAVA - The European Commission (EC) on Wednesday announced that it ended the infringement procedure against Slovakia launched in January 2026 due to amendments to whistleblower protection legislation after the law on transforming the Whistleblower Protection Office (UOO) into a new authority was repealed. According to the EC, the concerns regarding the breach of the EU's Whistleblower Directive and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights no longer exist. "Following the Commission's swift intervention and a constructive dialogue with the Slovak authorities, Slovakia repealed the contested amendment before it could take effect. As a result, the concerns identified by the Commission have been addressed, including those relating to the independence of the Slovak Whistleblower Protection Office," stated the EC, adding that it will continue to monitor whether the Whistleblower Directive is being correctly implemented and applied across all member countries. The Slovak Parliament passed a law on transforming UOO in December 2025, with the new legislation introducing several changes. In addition to the whistleblowers agenda, the newly established office was also meant to take over the agenda of compensating victims of crime from the Justice Ministry. The law was also intended to address reviews of protection during both criminal and administrative proceedings. ANKARA/BRATISLAVA – NATO summits do not have to be held every year and could instead be organised once every two years, President Peter Pellegrini told reporters after a summit in Ankara, Turkey. TASR learnt the news from its special correspondent covering the event. Pellegrini declared that the Alliance is able to function effectively with US President Donald Trump thanks to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. At the summit, Trump once again mentioned Greenland and the United States' ambition to acquire the island. Pellegrini highlighted Rutte's role in handling the issue. "There is even discussion behind the scenes about the possible expansion of US military bases in the territory without any need to change the country's status. From this perspective, I believe the Alliance, under the leadership of the NATO Secretary General, who has good and constructive relations with President Trump and, above all, knows how to communicate with him, will maintain its pace and the momentum of its unity," Pellegrini said. The summit's final conclusions ultimately omitted any reference to a next year's summit of NATO leaders in Tirana, Albania. Bloomberg reported on Wednesday that NATO was considering skipping next year's summit. Albania is among the Alliance's lowest defence spenders. BRATISLAVA - The opposition's Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) and Progressive Slovakia (PS) parties have welcomed the conclusions of the NATO summit in Ankara on defence investment, TASR learnt on Wednesday. Given the persistent security challenges facing Europe, KDH stated that Slovakia must invest rationally in its defence capabilities. However, it insisted that such spending must be subject to strict oversight, remain transparent and demonstrably strengthen the country's security. According to MP Tomas Valasek (PS), the NATO summit delivered good news for Slovakia, showing that the Alliance is making progress and continuing the shift of responsibility from the United States to Europe. "We are fully aware that rational investment in Slovakia's defence is essential to safeguard the independence and territorial integrity of our country as a proud member of NATO. However, these investments must go hand in hand with maintaining the state's social responsibility. Funds must be spent exclusively on acquiring military capabilities that will enable our armed forces to defend Slovakia against the new and modern threats the free world has faced in recent years," said KDH chair and MP Milan Majersky. jrg