MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 24 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 23 July): BRATISLAVA - Chair of the Arts Support Fund (FPU) Council Matus Olha has informed TASR that he's decided to step down from his post. Olha said that his decision was prompted by what he described as "a sustained media lynching", which he was no longer willing to endure. At the same time, he said that he'll continue to serve as a council member. Olha believes that what the fund and its staff has been facing could no longer be called informing the public. "It's been a months-long media lynching. Unsubstantiated allegations have been repeated over and over until they become 'facts'. The explanations that we've provided have been withheld, as they would spoil a story that was written before the first question was even asked," stated the outgoing FPU chair. Olha said that he respects the right of journalists and the public to criticise the institution. However, he views the way in which FPU and its bodies had been portrayed as "a systematic campaign of attrition against specific individuals, with a real impact on specific people, which has become unbearable". KOMARNO - The Hungarian Alliance's nominee, the party's current vice-chairman Tibor Csenger, will also be standing for the post of Nitra self-governing region governor in the October elections, TASR has learnt at a press briefing in the town of Komarno (Nitra region) on Thursday. Apart from Csenger, Henrich Varga of the regional 'Team Nitra Region' party has so far confirmed his candidacy for the post of Nitra governor. He will run with the support of the PS, SaS, KDH, 'Slovakia', Democrats, Civic Conservative Party and Hungarian Forum parties. Incumbent Nitra region head Branislav Becik (Voice-SD) hasn't yet officially announced whether he'll stand for re-election. Nevertheless, he is backed by a group comprising mayors and local politicians from Komarno district. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) agree with the position of the Prosecutor-General's (PG) Office that the authorities mustn't remain idle and that requests for information on how to proceed with the registration of same-sex marriages concluded abroad must be duly processed, KDH's communications department has informed TASR. However, KDH stressed that such requests must be decided in line with the Slovak Constitution and EU law, which in practice means that they must be rejected. KDH leader and MP Milan Majersky claims that the current legal situation on the issue is unambiguous and that state authorities must respect it. "The Slovak Constitution, partly thanks to KDH's persistent political efforts, clearly stipulates that marriage is a unique union between a man and a woman. Slovak law contains no legal basis that would allow for the registration of a marriage between two people of the same sex concluded abroad. As an opposition party, we strongly insist on respect for the Constitution and maintaining the status quo," stressed Majersky. KDH is therefore calling on Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) to take immediate action on the matter and to ensure that the authorities proceed in line with the law and reject such applications. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party disagrees with the Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) regarding the extent to which information is provided to the public and to the special House committee for supervising SIS activities, claiming that SIS will publish annual reports on its activities in a new format, a move that it has criticised, MP and committee member Zuzana Stevulova (PS) and PS member Peter Bator told a press briefing on Thursday following the conclusion of an inspection at SIS. In this regard, SIS has announced that it will take legal action to protect itself. "We disagree with the Slovak Intelligence Service regarding the extent of the information that it should provide on the security situation and its own activities - both to the public, in terms of building public trust and addressing various concerns, and in terms of the data and information that it should provide to us as members of the supervising committee," said Stevulova. Regarding the publication of annual reports, SIS stated that it would no longer publish them to the same extent as was previously the case. "The last report published was from 2023. We've already debated the 2024 report in Parliament, so I expected it to have been published long ago. I inquired about this and was told that a new format, containing less information, would be published soon. I fundamentally disagree with that," added Stevulova. BRATISLAVA - The Administrative Court in Bratislava on Thursday overturned the Interior Ministry's decision to dismiss former first vice-president of the Police Corps Branko Kiss and referred the case back to the ministry for further proceedings, Kiss's lawyer Peter Kubina has posted on social media. The court also ruled that his transfer from Bratislava to Banska Bystrica was unlawful, as it hadn't been explained in any way. The Interior Ministry may lodge an appeal against the judgement with the Supreme Administrative Court. However, the judgement takes effect upon delivery of the verdict, and any acceptance of the appeal for consideration may have a suspended effect. In a response for TASR, the Interior Ministry stated that it respects the court's decision. It will decide on the next procedural steps after receiving and reviewing the judgement. "Once we've received a written copy of the judgement and its reasoning, we'll examine it thoroughly and then decide on the next procedural steps. We won't comment further on the decision at this stage, therefore," said ministry spokesperson Matej Neumann. BRATISLAVA - The City of Bratislava has lodged an appeal against the decision of the Environment Ministry concerning an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the waste-to-energy centre project proposed by the Slovnaft refinery, Bratislava's spokesman Peter Bubla told TASR on Thursday, adding that according to the city, the ministry has failed, for example, to address all the comments raised. The city council is requesting that the final decision should be overturned and the matter referred back for further consideration. "We're convinced that the Environment Ministry didn't address all the comments raised by the capital city during the EIA process. For example, it isn't at all clear from the decision how the issue of waste collection was dealt with," stated Bubla. Similarly, Bratislava City Council claimed that the impacts on public health weren't sufficiently examined and stated that when assessing the suitability of the site for a new incinerator, the Environment Ministry failed to take into account the nature of the area in question - namely, that it is a protected water management area bordering on several protected areas. Similarly, according to the capital city, the decision fails to take into account the current pollution load on the area from existing sources of pollution or the size of the area that will be affected in various ways by the proposed activity. ko