MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Monday, 20 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Sunday, 19 July): BRATISLAVA - Speaking on TA3's discussion programme 'V politike' (In Politics) on Sunday, Parliamentary Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar (Smer-SD) said regarding the merger of the Dovera and Union private health insurance companies that he can imagine Slovakia having a single state-run health insurer. Also on the show, opposition Progressive Slovakia's (PS) Parliamentary Vice-chair Martin Dubeci said he fears that the merger of the insurance companies will reduce overall competition and make them less efficient. Gaspar noted that the merger has not yet been completed. "If it's approved by the European Commission (EC) and if no objections are raised by the Health-care Supervisory Office (UDZS) as the competent state institution, then it will be in line with the law," he said. According to Gaspar, the EC's report on the state of the rule of law in Slovakia shows that developments undermining the rule of law occurred between 2020 and 2023. He added that the EC has become more willing to verify some of the information used in preparing the report, although the Slovak government criticises the Commission for not doing so consistently throughout the document. Gaspar also rejected claims that Slovakia has done nothing to combat corruption or protect journalists and public media. BRATISLAVA - There's currently no reason to discuss a successor to Prime Minister Robert Fico as leader of Smer-SD, as he's in full strength and is not going anywhere, Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) said on JOJ 24's discussion programme 'Politika 24' (Politics 24) on Sunday. "Robert Fico is in full strength, he represents all of Smer-SD's policies and I assume he'll continue to do so. He's not going anywhere. And, of course, I support him in that. So I see no reason why this issue should exist at all," said Kalinak, adding that he did not see himself as a potential successor. Instead, Kalinak considers himself to be part of an older political generation whose role is to oversee the development of the younger generation. He reiterated his past statement that he entered politics with Fico and will leave with him. "I think the way things are set up is fine and that we should continue in this direction," added Kalinak. Kalinak described the extra-parliamentary Republic party, which has a strong chance of entering Parliament after the next general election, as an acceptable coalition partner since both parties share the same view on defending traditional values. BRATISLAVA - The Slovak police have detained one of Hungary's most wanted fugitives, a 64-year-old man who was sentenced by an appellate court to six years in prison for drug-related crimes and a further two years for fraud, Police Corps Presidium spokesperson Lea Vilhanova told TASR on Sunday. After he failed to report to prison to serve his sentence, the authorities issued a European arrest warrant. "The man, who was among the 50 most wanted persons in Hungary, was successfully detained thanks to effective international police cooperation within the European Network of Fugitive Active Search Teams (ENFAST) and close cooperation between officers of the National Headquarters for Special Types of Crime of the Police Corps Presidium and their Hungarian counterparts," said Vilhanova. During the search, she said, the Hungarian authorities obtained information suggesting that the fugitive might be staying in Slovakia. "They therefore requested the assistance of their Slovak partners through the ENFAST network. Based on the exchange of information and coordinated action, police located him in the town of Sturovo (Nitra region), where Slovak officers detained him on 10 July," added Vilhanova. BRATISLAVA - Ombudsman Robert Dobrovodsky has welcomed the Justice Ministry's intention to submit a draft bill on one-off financial compensation for victims of unlawful sterilisations to the government at its session in December, but he views the plan with caution, as previous legislative initiatives did not result in the adoption of such a law. Dobrovodsky said that even in his 2025 annual activity report he had to note that despite the announced legislative intent, the draft bill had not yet been submitted and compensation for victims remained an unresolved challenge. "After decades of waiting, what matters is not merely the announcement of another date, but whether it is actually met and followed by the adoption of effective legislation," stated Dobrovodsky. ko