MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 5 August 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 4 August): BRATISLAVA - Slovakia is set to experience another exceptionally hot day on Wednesday (5 August), prompting the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) to issue its highest-level heat warning for most of the country. The warning covers the entire south-west and south of Slovakia, as well as almost the whole of the Kosice region, where maximum temperatures are expected to exceed 38 degrees Celsius. A second-level heat warning will be in force for districts in the Zilina region and for most districts of the Presov region. BRATISLAVA - The government is preparing to sell the strategic assets of Bratislava's Winter Port to Arab investors, opposition MP Veronika Remisova (Slovakia-For the People) warned on Tuesday. Speaking at a press conference, she criticised the planned €170 million transaction, the liquidation of the Winter Port and the intention to transfer the land to investors from the United Arab Emirates without any open tender. "Fico's government bought back port assets for €170 million that the state privatised around 24 years ago for approximately €12 million," Remisova said. She argued that the state had purchased obsolete equipment, worn-out railway tracks and cranes, while the prime minister had already known at the time of the purchase that the Winter Port was to be dismantled to make way for a multi-billion-euro property development by Arab sheikhs. "We describe this politically as the theft of the century," she said. According to Remisova, the state borrowed €165 million to finance the acquisition of the port facilities, while annual interest payments of €8.1 million exceed the income generated from leasing the assets back to the SPaP port operator and boat carrier. Following the transaction, the company reported a net profit of around €96 million. She also called on Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a nominee of Smer-SD) to publish the valuation report, the loan conditions and other details of the deal. Remisova said the Winter Port and the Palenisko site are functionally interconnected. Railway tracks, roads and utility networks within the Winter Port also serve other sections of the port. If the existing infrastructure is removed and the Winter Port is dismantled, the state will have to build new railway lines, roads, utility networks and replacement port capacity. The framework agreement envisages an investment of at least €250 million in a new port at Palenisko and at least €1 billion in the redevelopment of the Winter Port site. Remisova criticised plans to implement the projects without a standard public procurement process, open tender or any other competitive selection procedure. Under the agreement, the government also undertakes to adopt the legislative and administrative measures necessary for the projects, ensure the issuance of the required permits and, where necessary, amend decisions already taken. As a warning, Remisova cited the Belgrade Waterfront project in Serbia, which she said had been criticised for a lack of transparency, the absence of an open tender and had triggered mass protests. She also referred to a planned project in Budapest that faced public opposition over concerns about its terms and was ultimately abandoned. In her view, these cases demonstrate the risks of large-scale investment projects awarded without open competition. The MP also announced her plan to file a criminal complaint over the transaction and request an audit by the Supreme Audit Authority. In addition, she intends to submit a complaint to the Public Procurement Authority and ask the European Commission to assess the exemptions from competitive tendering. Former head of the Inland Waterways Department Matej Vanicek called on the government, the Transport Ministry and Bratislava Public Ports to halt steps leading to the closure of the Winter Port. He argued that shutting it down without an adequate replacement would restrict inland water transport and the operation of the Danube port. According to Vanicek, the solutions presented so far do not meet the requirements for a full replacement of the existing port capacity. BRATISLAVA - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) is afraid to admit to his voters that it's in Slovakia's interests to be part of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" - a group of countries supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, said opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party chairman Michal Simecka in an interview with TASR TV. Simecka stated that the premier has in the past portrayed this grouping to Smer-SD voters as a 'club of warmongers'. "I believe that we should have been part of it from the beginning, as it's not only about military help for Ukraine, but also about plans for what the future security order in Europe will look like," he said. According to him, Slovakia's absence from this coalition harms the country's interests, leaving it isolated within the European Union. Some media outlets, citing the French Embassy, reported that Slovakia was a member of the Coalition of the Willing, as it had taken part in a meeting of the group in Paris on 13 July. Premier Fico subsequently denied this and stated unequivocally that Slovakia is not, and will not be a member of the coalition. Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) added that the Slovak ambassador attended the meeting only as an observer. The French Embassy in Slovakia told TASR that it hadn't issued any official statement regarding Slovakia's membership of the Coalition of the Willing and only mentioned that the Slovak ambassador took part in a meeting of the group. Concerning President Peter Pellegrini's visit to China, Simecka doesn't view the visit itself as a problem. However, he warned that trading with China also brings risks. "The penetration of Chinese technologies into the European market, or potentially into Slovakia, particularly in the security sector, represents a genuine security concern," he said. BRATISLAVA - Social-insurer Socialna poistovna (SP) continues to make progress in combating fraudulent sick leave absences, Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Minister Erik Tomas (Voice-SD) told a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the number of such cases continued to fall in the first half of this year, and, as a result, the proportion of people on sick leave has fallen below the 3-percent mark for the first time. The minister noted that these results stem from stricter rules that came into force in January 2025. He added that public finances have already saved €144 million as a result. When the first six months of this year are compared with the same period of last year, the number of sick leave cases has fallen by an average of 12,000 per month. The difference is even more pronounced when compared with 2024, i.e. the period before the legislative changes were introduced. "On average, compared with 2024, we've seen a monthly reduction of 23,000 sick leave cases," he stressed. Tomas also highlighted a gradual decline in the proportion of sick leave cases among all insured people registered with the social insurer. "While in 2024 - that is, before the legislative changes - this percentage stood at 3.7 percent, in 2025 we had already reduced it to around 3.3 percent, and now, when we compare the first half of this year, we are below 3 percent for the first time ever," said the minister. According to Tomas, the changes have also had a positive impact on public finances. A comparison of the first half-years of 2025 and 2026 shows savings of €72 million, and compared with 2024 the savings amount to €144 million. "The state saves money by not paying out sickness benefits; it then saves more because people return to work, pay social security and health-insurance contributions, and pay taxes. That's the positive impact on public finances. If we continue at this rate, we'll save the state almost €300 million in 2026 when compared with 2024," said the minister. BRATISLAVA - The Slovak Post Office has decided not to attend a meeting of the parliamentary public administration committee that was scheduled for Tuesday, its communications team has informed TASR. It stated that this is due to a reassessment of the meeting's agenda, taking into account the information that the company has already provided, as well as what it calls premature and misleading political interpretations of that information in the public space. "Our ambition was to present facts about how the Slovak Post Office functions and is being transformed in order to set things straight. However, when a professional discussion is turned into election political campaigning and our responses are distorted before they are even delivered, the personal attendance of the Slovak Post Office's management at the committee meeting loses its original meaning and can no longer lead to a matter-of-fact discussion," it said. The company stated that it remains ready to provide all necessary information and communicate in a transparent manner. However, it stressed that such discussions are meaningful only when they are based on verified facts rather than political conclusions. "All the key data and issues that should be discussed at the committee meeting are publicly available on our website," added the company. mf