MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 25 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 24 July): BRATISLAVA - Slovakia isn't a member of the Coalition of the Willing, Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) confirmed on Friday, stating that the Slovak ambassador in Paris attended a Coalition of the Willing meeting on 13 July only as an observer, along with other representatives of the diplomatic corps. The Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry said that it's asked the French Embassy in Bratislava for an explanation regarding its statement about Slovakia's alleged membership in the Coalition of the Willing. Meanwhile, the Government Office has confirmed the same position as that of the Foreign Affairs Ministry on social media. The euBrief website reported that Slovakia had joined the countries forming the Coalition of the Willing in support of Ukraine. According to the website, Slovakia took part in the meeting in Paris in July and also endorsed the final statement issued by the co-chairs. Slovakia's participation in last week's meeting in Paris was confirmed by the French Embassy. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia wasn't, isn't and will not be a member of the Coalition of the Willing, which supports the war in Ukraine, said Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in a post on social media on Friday, adding that he hasn't attended any meeting of this group in his capacity as premier. Fico said that he personally spoke to French Ambassador to Slovakia Nicolas Suran on Friday, strongly urging him to ensure that the French Embassy doesn't disseminate any false information about Slovakia's membership of the Coalition of the Willing. "Ambassador Suran confirmed to me that this was a misunderstanding and that they will communicate this publicly as well," said the premier. "Our relationship with Ukraine is based on bilateral cooperation, within which we refuse to provide Ukraine with lethal aid donations or to participate in war loans or other financial aid to Ukraine for military purposes," stated Fico. He added that Slovakia focuses on humanitarian aid and cooperation on useful civilian projects between the Slovak and Ukrainian governments. Fico also pointed out that the events held on 13-14 July in Paris were celebrations marking France's national holiday, accompanied by a military parade. He said that he didn't attend this event and asked the Slovak ambassador to represent the country instead. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia's capital will once again symbolically return to the past and become Pressburg, as the Bratislava Coronation Festivities are taking place, commemorating Empress Maria Theresa, one of the most significant figures in European history, Nina Erneker, chairperson of the event's organiser, the Bratislava Tourism Board, has told TASR. Although the coronation itself is scheduled for Saturday, 25 July, the programme of festivities will start late on Friday afternoon on Tyrsovo Embankment. "Friday's main programme will begin on Tyrsovo Embankment at 5 p.m.. Visitors can look forward to a historical theatre performance, interactive period entertainment and, of course, a spectacular knights' tournament in honour of the future coronation of Maria Theresa," said Erneker. Friday's programme will focus on knightly culture and period entertainment. There will also be interactive performances by jesters and entertainers. The accompanying activities for families with children will include pony rides and historical games. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party has criticised Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) for his failure to take action following the announced merger of private health insurers Union and Dovera, SaS MP Tomas Szalay told a press conference on Friday. "He should reassure everyone - Union policy-holders, the people of this country, as well as health-care workers - that this merger between the Dovera and Union health-insurance companies won't harm anyone, and that it won't have any negative consequences for Slovak patients or Slovak health-care workers," said Szalay, adding that if he were the minister, he wouldn't have allowed such a situation to arise. "If you read the SaS programme, we proposed introducing a cap on the market share that any health insurer could hold," said Szalay. Furthermore, if Szalay were in Sasko's position, he would have tried to prevent Union from leaving the market and, following the announcement of the share acquisition, he would have immediately held talks with representatives of both private health insurers. BRATISLAVA - The Initiative for the Rule of Law has called on the Slovak government and Parliament to adhere to the rules of the standard legislative process, demanding that every draft bill with a significant impact on people, businesses, public finances or the functioning of institutions must be prepared in a transparent and predictable manner and with the participation of the stakeholders affected. The initiative, which brings together several business associations and chambers of commerce, also stated that a proper comments procedure, as well as the publication and a substantive evaluation of submitted comments, must form an integral part of this process. The Initiative for the Rule of Law referred to the latest report by the European Commission (EC), according to which Slovakia has made only limited or no progress on several recommendations from previous years, in particular with regard to the insufficient involvement of stakeholders in the legislative process, the frequent use of fast-track legislative procedures and parliamentary bills, as well as inadequate evaluation of the economic and social impacts of proposed measures. KIEV/BRATISLAVA - Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha held a telephone conversation with his Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) on Thursday (23 July). "I briefed my colleague on Russia's escalating threats to freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. Russia's actions pose a serious threat to regional security and global food security," Sybiha has posted on the X social network. According to Sybiha, they also discussed how Ukraine and Slovakia, together with their partners, can combine efforts to safeguard maritime navigation and strengthen alternative export routes. "We also spoke about the battlefield situation, the further development of our bilateral cooperation, including preparations for the next round of the Ukrainian-Slovak inter-governmental consultations, and Ukraine's accession to the EU," stated Sybiha. In the end, the chief of the Ukrainian diplomacy thanked Slovakia for supporting the opening of the first and sixth negotiation clusters and for contributing to the adoption of the EU's 21st sanctions package against Russia, agreed by EU member states in Brussels o Thursday. Sybiha added that they agreed to remain in close contact with the Slovak minister. jrg