MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 13 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 12 July): BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini does not expect major changes to the composition of the government this autumn, although he said individual ministers could leave their posts. The president made these remarks on the TA3's political discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics). Pellegrini said he believed the coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) and its nominee, Environment Minister Tomas Taraba, will resolve their dispute by the end of September. "There may be some changes or a minister may step down, but that would more likely be due to an individual minister deciding to pursue another opportunity. For example, if the Finance Minister wishes to become part of the leadership of the Slovak Central Bank. These would be individual decisions by ministers to continue their careers elsewhere, with replacements appointed accordingly," he said. Pellegrini noted that he had not yet discussed any possible change at the head of the Environment Ministry with Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD). He also criticised the parliamentary leadership over the scheduling of parliamentary sittings, arguing that MPs should continue debating until all agenda items have been completed rather than setting a fixed end date in advance. He also opposed postponing debates on opposition motions to dismiss ministers. ZAVAZNA PORUBA/BRATISLAVA - State Nature Conservancy (SOP) has warned of a bear in the area of the village of Zavazna Poruba (Zilina region). According to TV Joj, the bear attacked a man working outside his home on Saturday evening (11 July), causing minor injuries. The conservancy said the area is being monitored by the NAPANT Intervention Team. "We urge residents and visitors to exercise increased caution when moving around the area, including forest roads, hiking trails and adjacent woodland. We recommend avoiding travelling alone, particularly in the early morning and evening, and paying close attention to your surroundings," SOP officials said. They advised that anyone encountering a bear should remain calm, avoid approaching the animal, and immediately contact the emergency services on 112 or the intervention team. Mayor Vladimir Mlyncek told TASR the incident occurred in the built-up part of the village, about 100 metres from the municipal office. "Fortunately, it ended with only light injuries. Police and paramedics attended the scene, treated the man and took him to hospital for the necessary examinations," Mlyncek said. He added that members of the intervention team arrived within two minutes of the attack being reported, as they regularly monitor the area because of increased bear activity. BRATISLAVA - Opposition parties should sign an agreement on common priorities, opposition MP Veronika Remisova (Slovakia-For the People) declared on JOJ 24's discussion programme 'Politika 24' (Politics 24) on Sunday. In her view, the priorities should be restoring the rule of law, foreign policy and restarting the economy. "Opposition leaders should sign some form of agreement or memorandum in which they commit to three basic priorities. For me, these priorities are, first, restoring the rule of law; second, a foreign policy that serves Slovakia's interests rather than, for example, the interests of the aggressor Putin; and third, restarting the economy. I believe opposition leaders could agree on these three fundamental issues," she said. According to Remisova, such an agreement would reassure voters that, regardless of the differences or disputes between opposition parties, they would be able to deliver these three priorities together after the election. "In other words, an opposition agreement similar to a coalition agreement," she added. "I believe, based on my discussions with opposition leaders, that they are capable of reaching agreement on these three issues. We can then debate the technical details. Some parties want to reduce the flat tax to 17 percent, others to a different level or to 19 percent," she noted. The opposition MP said it was right for each party to have its own programme and priorities. "Progressive Slovakia has different priorities from ours or from SaS. It is good that voters have a choice, but at the same time it should not happen that votes are wasted because of oversized egos. Slovakia simply cannot afford that at the moment," she underlined, adding that the opposition should also seek to appeal to disappointed coalition voters. BRATISLAVA - Speaking on TA3's political discussion programme 'V politike' on Sunday, President Peter Pellegrini declared that he expects next year's public finance budget proposal to include measures to support economic growth, as Slovakia must restart its economy and make real investments. Pellegrini added that the budget must also allocate funding to complete unfinished hospitals. Pellegrini identified the transaction tax as a key issue. "I firmly believe the budget can be balanced through the transaction tax in a way that slightly eases the tax burden on entrepreneurs. There may also be other measures that simplify life for sole traders," he said. He added that Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) had announced plans to introduce tax licences that would allow sole traders to pay their tax at the beginning of the year, simplifying both their accounting and their obligations to the state. Pellegrini said he expected the prime minister to secure approval for the budget by finding common ground among the coalition partners' demands. The president claimed he will have reservations about the budget if it failed to include growth measures or funding for unfinished hospital projects. "If the budget reflects what I have been talking about — growth measures and the continuation of major infrastructure projects — meaning that public money is not simply being spent on current consumption but is also being genuinely invested, then I can imagine that the level of public debt does not have to fall dramatically next year or in the years that follow," he said. jrg