MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 29 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 28 July): BRATISLAVA/PRESOV - Neither the government nor local authorities are obliged to prepare balanced budgets for next year, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) reiterated at a news conference in Presov on Tuesday, adding that he views this as "a resolved matter". Fico maintained that an exemption from debt-brake sanctions applies, as Slovakia's expenditures related to fulfilling its international agreements exceeds 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Slovakia's public debt has been exceeding the highest debt-brake bands for some time. One of the strictest sanctions obliges the government to submit a balanced budget for the following year, with the same obligation applying to local governments as well. However, the law also provides for several exemptions from these sanctions. "We've already officially informed local governments that they don't have to prepare balanced budgets. We continue to rely on the exemption that states that if the country's expenditure on obligations arising from our membership of international organisations exceeds 3 percent, the obligation to prepare a balanced budget doesn't apply," said the premier. PRESOV - MEP Judita Lassakova will be the Smer-SD party's candidate for the post of Presov self-governing region chair, party leader and Premier Robert Fico told a press conference in Presov on Tuesday. "She's one of the most active MEPs of all and can therefore bring benefits to Presov region from the European Union perspective. Presov region is one of the youngest in demographic terms; there remains an issue with the Roma community, and I wouldn't underestimate the health-care sector either, as this is a region where significant developments are taking place - the construction of a military hospital will be completed next year, and cooperation between the Defence Ministry and the self-governing region will be crucial. "This region is also close to Ukraine, which is why a policy of peace must continue to prevail here at the regional level," said Fico, adding that he expects Lassakova to run an active campaign and anticipates a tough contest for the post of regional chair. Lassakova confirmed that she's even changed her permanent residence for the sake of her candidacy. "It's simply a fact in local politics that you are closest to the public, you can address their problems on a day-to-day basis and, above all - and this is something I've learnt from my experience in the European Parliament - there's no strictly defined majority when it comes to the coalition and the opposition. And the same applies to local politics, whether you're dealing with municipal and town councils or regional councils. I'm looking forward to this work, and I'm particularly looking forward to meeting people. This is nothing new; I've been doing it for a very long time, I find it very fulfilling, and I'll endeavour to link these two spheres of politics from the European Parliament in a way that benefits the inhabitants of Presov region," she said. PRESOV - The construction of the new military hospital in Presov is proceeding according to schedule, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in Presov on Tuesday, adding that although technical problems have slowed the work down by around eight weeks, the resulting delay won't affect the planned deadlines. The premier added that all technical issues at the construction site have now been resolved. A total of 38 columns have been completely removed and rebuilt, with the problem arising from the incorrect processing of the concrete. "It involved approximately 130 cubic metres of concrete that needed to be replaced, and this has now been done. That was the main problem, which set us back by eight weeks," said Fico during a visit to the construction site. The repair work is due to be definitively completed by 31 July. Around 250 people are working on the site every day, seven days a week. BRATISLAVA - Prosecutor-General (PG) Maros Zilinka on Tuesday lodged a prosecutor's protest against the decision by President Peter Pellegrini, dated 5 March, to impose a disciplinary measure on Slovak Intelligence Service (SIS) director Pavol Gaspar, TASR has learnt from Zilinka's post on social media. In the protest, the prosecutor proposes that the president should revoke the contested decision in its entirety on the grounds that it was unlawful. "The reason for the public prosecutor's appeal is that the president's decision breached the provisions of the Act on the Civil Service of Members of the Police Corps, the Slovak Intelligence Service, the Prison and Judicial Guard Corps and the Railway Police," stated Zilinka. The PG went on to explain that the president, acting as the administrative authority, merely stated in the operative part of the decision that he was imposing a disciplinary measure on the party to the proceedings, without the operative part of the decision clearly setting out the action that constituted the disciplinary offence and in such a way that the action couldn't be confused with any other action. BRATISLAVA - A police investigator on 15 July rejected a criminal complaint against Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok (Voice-SD) over his trip to the Formula 1 race in Abu Dhabi in 2024, Bratislava Region Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Gabriela Kovacova confirmed for TASR on Tuesday. "In the criminal matter in question, an investigator of the Office for the Fight Against Organised Crime (UBOK) decided on 15 July 2026 under Section 197(1)(d) of the Criminal Procedure Code to reject a suspicion of, first, the offence of accepting and providing an undue advantage under Section 336c(1) of the Criminal Code and, secondly, the offence of accepting and providing an undue advantage under Section 336d(1) of the Criminal Code," said Kovacova. The prosecutor will review the legality of the decision, with the complainant entitled to file a complaint in this case, she noted. BEIJING - Relations between Slovakia and China are exceptional, and for Slovakia, China is the most important trading partner outside the European Union (EU), President Peter Pellegrini stated on Tuesday in Beijing following talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. However, Pellegrini highlighted the negative trade balance, as Slovakia imports more from China than it exports to that country. During the talks, he called for better and fairer access for Slovak companies to the Chinese market, therefore. "As the Chinese president said - only mutual cooperation brings benefits to both partners, not confrontation. Slovakia will therefore advocate at the European table the view that we should seek solutions to this situation through negotiations and round-table dialogue so that we can secure better and fairer access to Chinese markets not only for Slovak but also for other European manufacturers, thereby gradually reducing the trade deficit," he stated. According to Pellegrini, Slovakia is seen as a safe haven for Chinese investment. He highlighted the activities of Chinese investors in Slovakia, as well as preparations for further projects. "The pipeline of projects and future investments includes opportunities for projects in the fields of car-manufacturing, specialised technologies, the aviation industry and similar sectors," he stated, adding that Slovakia is open to creating further conditions that will make it easier for Chinese investors to enter the Slovak market. ko