MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, 23 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, 22 July): BRATISLAVA - The Investment, Regional Development and Informatisation Ministry has announced two new calls for proposals under the Social Affairs programme aimed at strengthening the protection of victims of violence, with funding totalling more than €10 million, Investment Minister Samuel Migal (Independent) announced at a press conference on Wednesday, alongside Norwegian Ambassador Susan Eckey. According to Migal, the calls for proposals represent a specific step towards making the support system stronger, more accessible and better equipped to protect people who find themselves in extremely difficult situations. Both calls are funded by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. According to the Norwegian ambassador, the calls for proposals represent a new milestone, with the shared goal of Slovakia and Norway being a commitment to ensure that women and girls can live with dignity and free from fear of violence. Under these calls for proposals, applicants will be able to apply to improve the situation faced by women, their living conditions and the support available to them. According to the ambassador, the programme is also intended to foster cooperation between Slovak and Norwegian experts, who will have the opportunity to share their experience. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) have called on the government to promptly and transparently inform the public and Parliament about cyber operations carried out by Russian hackers against Slovakia, Mario Marcinek from KDH's communications department has informed TASR. "The European Union has clearly named the activities of the Russian intelligence services, listed Slovakia among the countries attacked and imposed sanctions on the persons and entities responsible. The Slovak government cannot therefore pretend that this is a marginal or unclear incident," said MP Branislav Skripek (KDH), who is also a member of the parliamentary European affairs committee. According to Skripek, Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) must explain what information is available to the government, when it learnt about the attacks and what diplomatic response it's prepared. KDH stressed that it has the right to know the basic scope of the incidents, their potential consequences and the measures that the state has taken to protect its systems and citizens. "We need to know whether sensitive information has been compromised, whether the state detected the attacks in time and whether it's done its utmost to prevent further intrusions," said MP Frantisek Majersky (KDH), a member of the special parliamentary committee to supervise the activities of the Slovak Intelligence Service. BRATISLAVA - A joint slate of centre-right conservative parties, including the Christian Democrats (KDH), the Conservatives-Christian Union, the Hungarian Alliance, the 'Slovakia' party and the 'For the People' party, would provide a viable alternative to the current fragmentation of Slovak politics, chairman of the Conservatives Milan Krajniak stated on Wednesday, as reported to TASR by Adam Rehak from the Conservatives' communications department. According to Krajniak, such an alliance could bring not only a strong election result but also a realistic chance of forming a government and implementing a programme focused on supporting families, economic growth, security and responsible management of state finances. "People in Slovakia want a strong centre-right alternative and don't want to choose solely between Smer and Progressive Slovakia (PS)," he said. Krajniak pointed out that it's important for the conservative bloc to have its own candidate for prime minister. "Our ambition is to put forward a premier who will guarantee support for families with children, economic stability and the consistent protection of Slovakia's national interests," he stated. BANSKA BYSTRICA - The main trial in the 'Purgatory' case continued at the Banska Bystrica branch of the Specialised Criminal Court on Wednesday. The case concerns allegations concerning the formation and operation of a criminal group within the highest echelons of the police and security services between 2012-2018. The trial continued with the testimony of the defendant, former head of the financial police Bernard S. [name abbreviated due to legal reasons], who described, using specific cases, how the alleged group was said to have interfered with police investigations. The former director of the Financial Police Unit of the National Crime Agency (NAKA) began giving evidence in the 'Purgatory' case on Monday (20 July), focusing in particular on the structure and activities of the alleged criminal group, which was said to be headed by two defendants, namely Nitra-based businessman Norbert B. and then Police Corps president and current House Vice-chair Tibor G. According to Bernard S., they were said to have met with other police officials to discuss various cases and proceedings. At these meetings, tasks were assigned, orders were received, and compliance with previous requirements was checked. BRATISLAVA - A carriage was derailed during the routine movement of a train operated by rail passenger carrier ZSSK in the vicinity of Bratislava-Nove Mesto railway station on Wednesday, ZSSK has told TASR, adding that the train was carrying no passengers and that no one was injured. As a result of the incident, one train was delayed; otherwise, regular passenger services weren't affected. "The information available so far doesn't suggest any fault on the part of the ZSSK train driver. Both railway infrastructure operator ZSR and ZSSK are investigating the cause of the incident and the circumstances relating to the railway infrastructure," added the company. ZSR has confirmed for TASR that an incident occurred at the station on Wednesday morning when a train was being moved, causing damage to infrastructure. "There were no passengers on the train, and none of the staff were injured. Services at Bratislava-Nove Mesto railway station were resumed at 10.50 a.m. The incident is currently under investigation, and so it isn't possible to provide further information," the ZSR communications department told TASR. BRATISLAVA - Following its discovery in Hungary, a new pest, the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), has now been officially confirmed in Slovakia within the EU, Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) told a press conference on Wednesday, adding that the first 18 adult specimens of the pest were detected in the district of Trebisov in Kosice region and that the insect is now present at 22 sites in south-east Slovakia. According to Takac, the pest poses a threat to ash trees, which account for around 2.2 percent of Slovakia's forest cover. "We sent samples of the pest to an officially accredited laboratory in France. We can now confirm that we officially received confirmation on Monday (20 July) afternoon that the pest has also been detected in Slovakia," stated the agriculture minister. ko