MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 31 July 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thurday, 30 July): BRATISLAVA - Opposition parties Progressive Slovakia (PS) and Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) have criticised the Slovak government's response after a Russian missile landed in Poland on Thursday. SaS said the incident was further evidence that the pro-Russian stance of Prime Minister Robert Fico's (Smer-SD) government was directly undermining Slovakia's security. PS argued that the government should summon the Russian ambassador. SaS also said that any later condemnation of the incident by the government would not change the substance of the matter. "A Russian missile has landed on NATO territory, in our neighbouring country, and the Slovak government remains silent. Robert Fico has spent years claiming that Russia is not a threat and that this war does not concern us. The crater in a Polish field tells a different story. Slovakia needs a government that is prepared to identify the aggressor and take our country's security seriously," said SaS chair Branislav Groehling. According to MP Tomas Valasek (PS), Russia was acting with reckless disregard. "Any normal government would summon the Russian ambassador and demand that Russian President Vladimir Putin immediately bring this terrible war to an end. The 'creative minds' in the Slovak government are probably already looking for a way to blame the whole thing on Kiev," Valasek added. "Slovak diplomacy is in touch with our partners within NATO. We have consistently emphasised that the war in Ukraine has no military solution and brings only loss of life and destruction. We consistently and on principle condemn any attacks on civilian infrastructure or civilians, as well as violations of the airspace of other states that occur during wartime operations. I appreciate the measured approach taken by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who confirmed that the latest airspace violation involving Poland must be thoroughly investigated. It is essential to wait for the outcome of the investigation before hot-headed politicians continue their war of words, while people continue to die because of the lack of diplomacy on both sides. The Slovak opposition should also understand that peace is achieved not through exchanges of fire — whether verbal or with missiles — but only through dialogue and peace negotiations," Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) told TASR. The Polish Armed Forces, representing an EU and NATO member state, announced on X on Thursday that, as a precautionary measure to protect the country's airspace, they had scrambled fighter jets and an airborne early warning aircraft. Air defence and radar systems were also placed on alert. The military later reported that an unidentified object had crashed near the village of Tarnawa-Kolonia in the eastern Lubelskie province. Local residents reported hearing an explosion. Speaking at a meeting of the coordination team in Lublin, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that preliminary findings indicated the object was a Russian Kh-101 missile. BRATISLAVA - Ivan Korcok, vice-chair of the opposition's Progressive Slovakia (PS) party, confirmed on Thursday that he receives remuneration for his work in the party equivalent to an MP's salary and that the payments are invoiced through a company currently solely owned and managed by his wife. Korcok responded this way to findings by the news website Aktuality.sk, which reported that PS has paid tens of thousands of euros to Korcok through his wife's company. Korcok said he has chosen this arrangement because he decided that, as a politician, he did not want to be associated with any private business. He therefore withdrew from the couple's jointly owned firm in February last year. However, he continued working for the company as a family member, which he said was the only reason why invoicing continued through his wife's business. "My only objective was to ensure that I was not associated with any private business. In the interests of transparency and to dispel any future doubts, I will register as a sole trader in the coming days, through which I will receive my remuneration from PS directly," Korcok said. Aktuality.sk reported that Progressive Slovakia paid almost €70,000 last year to a company solely owned and managed by Korcok's wife. According to the website, PS said it used the family-owned limited liability company to pay its vice-chair for his work. BRATISLAVA - Health Ministry has greenlighted an investment to provide up to 250 air conditioning units for key departments in state-run hospitals, Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) said on Wednesday. The Association of Slovak Hospitals (ANS) welcomed the investment to improve conditions for patients but criticised the ministry for excluding non-state healthcare facilities. According to Sasko, the investment followed active consultations between the ministry and hospital directors, during which key needs that could be addressed technically were identified. "The condition of our hospitals does not allow such installations everywhere. That is why this immediate measure targets the most critical rooms, wards and operating theatres," Sasko said. He also announced plans to carry out a comprehensive audit of hospitals, to be followed by broader investment. "We will prepare a more systematic solution so that, when the next heatwave comes, perhaps next summer, it can be addressed more effectively," the minister said. The ANS criticised the decision to limit the investment to state-run hospitals. "Patients treated in hospitals outside the ministry's direct control pay the same taxes and social contributions as patients in state-run facilities. They should therefore be entitled to the same basic standards of care, including air conditioning in key departments. If the state finances such measures only for some hospitals, it creates unjustified disparities between patients," ANS First Vice-President Igor Pramuk said. According to the association, the situation is further compounded by the fact that state-run hospitals have long failed to pay social insurance contributions, while the state regularly writes off their debts and provides additional funding. The association called on the government to extend investment support for improving patient conditions to all hospitals, regardless of their ownership or founding authority. "Patients' rights must not depend on who owns the healthcare facility where they are treated," the ANS said. BRATISLAVA - The opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party is lodging an appeal against a decision by the Environment Ministry concerning the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a waste-to-energy centre project proposed by the Slovnaft refinery, arguing that Bratislava doesn't need another incinerator and stating that the impact of the refinery itself has become worse in recent years, while there are also other significant sources of pollution in the area, PS representatives told a press conference on Thursday. "We reject actions that run counter to Slovakia's interests, and we're lodging an appeal against the Environment Ministry's approval of this mega-incinerator," stated vice-chair of the parliamentary committee for agriculture and the environment Tamara Stohlova (PS). The opposition party views the Environment Ministry's approval as a betrayal of the public, its health and the environment. It spoke of gambling with and endangering human lives. Among other things, it maintains that the site is unsuitable, especially given that the area already involves huge environmental damage that affects both health and life. It pointed to the existing air pollution, which the new incinerator would further exacerbate, not to mention the emissions produced and greenhouse-gas effects. The party also stated that not only does the capital city not need a new incinerator, it doesn't want one, either. It highlighted the objections raised by several local authorities and a petition. It also spoke about the "utter arrogance of power", given that a favourable opinion was issued before the petition had been discussed. Appeals against the Environment Ministry's decision have already been lodged by the capital city of Bratislava, the municipality of Rovinka (Bratislava region) and the extra-parliamentary Democrats party. The ministry hasn't yet responded to questions from TASR regarding the lodging of these appeals. The ministry's approval of the waste-to-energy centre project is based on a final opinion issued recently as part of an environmental impact assessment (EIA) process before its entry into force. In its final opinion, the ministry set 56 additional technical measures and conditions aimed at increasing safety and minimising any adverse effects on the environment and human health. Slovnaft welcomed the ministry's approval, calling it good news for Slovakia and a strategic investment. The company also noted that during the EIA process several parameters were adjusted in response to feedback from the public and institutions. The refinery has declared its readiness to incorporate all additional technical measures and requirements specified by the ministry. LIPTOVSKY MIKULAS - Liptovsky Mikulas [Zilina region] is an example of a district town that is developing dynamically, undertaking both small and large projects such as cycle paths, green walls and inner courtyards, and renovating schools and nursery schools, Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) told a press briefing on Thursday, with Liptovsky Mikulas mayor Jan Blchac in attendance. The House chair added that the local authority has recently succeeded in securing approximately €18 million from EU funds for development. Rasi also mentioned the relocation of the railway line, on which work is due to begin by September at the latest, according to a government resolution. "To people who don't live here, this means nothing, but for those who do live here, and for the local communities, it's an extremely important matter," he explained, adding that the modernisation of the railway line in the Liptov area will involve the complete relocation of a 14.5-kilometre stretch of line. The parliamentary chair added that one major achievement for the town was last year's reclassification of the Liptov Hospital and Polyclinic to the higher second level. "The hospital was doomed to close because, of all the departments you have here - staffed by wonderful doctors, nurses, health-care workers, first responders, my colleagues - it was due to be turned into a rehabilitation and after-care hospital. And that's why I'm glad that we fought for it and the hospital has the status it deserves and will continue to develop; that there will be an MRI scanner here; that, above all, it will have a promising future; and that even young doctors will come to Liptovsky Mikulas because both the hospital and the town have a promising future," he stressed. BRATISLAVA - Jozef Lancaric will take over the helm of the Prison and Judicial Guard Corps (ZVJS) as of August after being appointed to the post of its general director by Justice Minister Boris Susko (Smer-SD). At the same time, the minister appointed Juraj Ondrus to the post of his deputy for economic affairs and promoted him to the rank of colonel. "I wish both of them a great deal of success in their new posts. I believe that with their experience and professional approach they will contribute to the further development of ZVJS," Susko has posted on social media. mf