MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Wednesday, 16 September 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Tuesday, 15 September): BRATISLAVA - Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) on Tuesday signed two contracts with representatives of U.S. Steel - Nippon Steel Slovakia regarding the provision of funding from the Modernisation Fund for decarbonising steel production and decarbonising industrial gas production. One contract relates to installing an electric arc furnace and the other to an air separation facility. The contracts were also signed at the Government Office by Katsuhiro Miyamoto, special adviser to U.S. Steel Kosice and president and chief executive officer of Nippon Steel Slovakia, and Isao Takenami, the company's operations director. After signing the documents, Taraba stated that the Kosice steelworks employs 8,500 people, with further staff employed by subcontractors. "It's vitally important for Slovakia - which is the most industrialised country per capita among the European Union member states - that we should maintain and develop our industry. The story of the steelworks in Kosice has come to bear a striking resemblance to the one we saw with the aluminium plant in Ziar nad Hronom [Banska Bystrica region]," said the minister. BRATISLAVA - Extremely serious decisions should be expected in the next two to three weeks, stated Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Tuesday in reference to Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee), adding that even after 34 years in politics, there are still some things he doesn't understand. "Unfortunately, that's the reality. If we want to prevent charlatans from coming to power in Slovakia, [poor substitutes] who stammer when faced with any questions concerning Slovakia's future and funding, we sometimes have to make decisions that I don't understand and didn't want to make, but, unfortunately, there's a reality that is pushing us into this and forcing us to do so," said Fico, adding that Taraba has done "a tremendous amount of work" in his role as environment minister, and that he holds his decisions in high regard. "It's impossible to understand what's actually happening on the Slovak political scene. Nevertheless, I believe that in the next two or three weeks we'll take decisions that will calm down this abnormal situation," said the premier, adding that in coalition governments attention and energy must be devoted to conflicts and to defusing them. BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini has received the resignation of Environment Minister Tomas Taraba from Prime Minister Robert Fico and will deal with it after he returns from a working trip to the United States, TASR was informed by the press department of the President's Office on Tuesday. "The president will deal with the dismissal of the Environment Minister from office after he returns from his working trip abroad to the United States of America, at which point the head of state will set a date for further proceedings," said the presidential palace. In a video posted on social media, Pellegrini added that he'll set a date for Taraba's dismissal. In the meantime, the president also plans to hold talks with Prime Minister Robert Fico on whether he should authorise another minister to head the ministry until a permanent successor is decided, and, if so, who that should be. In May, Fico, Taraba and SNS chair Andrej Danko agreed that if reconciliation between the incumbent environment minister and SNS wasn't achieved, Taraba would leave office by the end of September. Danko called for Taraba's dismissal, saying that it's inconceivable that he should remain minister while "taking credit for successes and attributing failures to SNS". According to SNS, there has been no substantive discussion with Taraba for a long time, including on important documents prepared by the ministry. SNS therefore says that it cannot bear political responsibility for zoning, wind farms, battery plants, pumped-storage power stations, fines imposed on the people for illegal wells, foreign business trips or other projects falling under Taraba's remit. BRATISLAVA - Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) is embroiled in a major conflict of interest involving one of the main suppliers to the Slovak Armed Forces, opposition MP Tomas Valasek (PS) declared at a news conference on Tuesday. Valasek was responding to media reports that a company owned by Kalinak has profited from cooperation with the Tatra brand of Czech arms manufacturer Michal Strnad. The latest information on cooperation between Kalinak and Strnad was published by Czech news website Seznam Zpravy. According to the site, Kalinak's company Kallan Consulting received millions of Czech crowns for lobbying on behalf of Michal Strnad's Tatra in the United Arab Emirates. The company was reportedly paid for consultancy and lobbying services even after Kalinak became defence minister. In light of this, the opposition Progressive Slovakia party has pointed to a major conflict of interest, including in the context of the purchase of Tatra trucks for the Slovak army worth more than €1.5 billion. "Robert Kalinak bought trucks from a company with taxpayers' money, without a tender, while he and his company have been receiving money for promoting that company for a long time," said Valasek. The PS vice-chair said that the latest reported case fits in with previously known information about "unhealthy relations between Kalinak and Strnad". He cited, among other things, framework contracts for purchasing ammunition worth €58 billion signed last year. According to Valasek, Strnad's arms companies wouldn't be able to produce that much ammunition in several years, perhaps not even in decades. BRATISLAVA - The first meeting of the National Commission for Water and Drought took place at the Government Office on Tuesday, attended by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD), Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (SNS nominee), and Investment, Regional Development and Informatics Minister Samuel Migal (independent), TASR learnt from the Government's Office press department on the same day. The main issue on the agenda was the need to establish a coordinated state response to the effects of drought, water shortages and increasing pressure on water resources. "I consider a coordinated fight against drought and the restoration of water infrastructure to be one of the key priorities of my government. The establishment and existence of this commission is certainly not a formal step. We have a lot of work ahead of us and I'm counting on the expertise and support of all its members. We must have the courage to seek concrete and as effective solutions as possible," Fico said. As chair of the commission, Fico appointed Taraba and Takac as two deputy chairs and formally presented appointment decrees to all members of the Decision-Making College. BRATISLAVA - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) held a traditional meeting on Tuesday at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs with heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Slovakia ahead of the upcoming 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York, presenting Slovakia's priorities for the forthcoming UN talks, with the country's bid for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for 2028-2029 as the main topic, TASR learnt from the ministry's press department on the same day. According to the minister, Slovakia is ready to assume responsibility for maintaining international peace and security and, if elected, to actively contribute to the work of the UN Security Council. The event was attended by 75 ambassadors and their representatives from 61 embassies. "The UN Security Council bears primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Its effectiveness depends not only on permanent members, but equally on elected members that are prepared to work constructively, facilitate dialogue, build bridges and help achieve consensus," Blanar declared. BRATISLAVA - Defence Minister Robert Kalinak (Smer-SD) confirmed that his company Kallan Consulting previously provided services to Army Trade, a company belonging to the CSG group of Czech arms manufacturer Michal Strnad, but, according to Kalinak, the cooperation ended at the end of 2023. The minister rejects any conflict of interest in current purchases for the Slovak armed forces. Kalinak told TASR that Kallan Consulting, which he owns, previously worked with Army Trade, providing lobbying, consultancy and legal-organisational services related to promoting the company in the United Arab Emirates. The cooperation was due to last until the end of 2023, he said. "It did not end because I became minister; there was a contract in place until then. By coincidence, it was at the same time," said the defence minister, who was appointed to the post in late October 2023. According to the CSG group, the contractual relationship between Kallan Consulting and Army Trade, now known as CSG Defence Trade, ran from February 2022 to December 2023. The cooperation concerned a specific business project in the United Arab Emirates. BRATISLAVA - President Peter Pellegrini urges people to choose compassion over division and solidarity over indifference, making the appeal on social media on the occasion of Tuesday's Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the patron saint of Slovakia. "May Slovakia be a good home for everyone — a country of respect, understanding, solidarity and humanity, where we look at one another with open hearts, help those who need it and never forget the power of a simple smile," the president posted. He also recalled Pope Francis' words that "the only time we can look down on a person is when we are helping them to get up". Slovaks have venerated Our Lady of Sorrows as their national patron since the 15th century. The first mention of the feast dates back to 1412. It was established for the entire Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XIII in 1727, who also authorised the veneration of Our Lady of Sorrows as the patron saint of Slovakia. The year 1732 is considered the official beginning of the tradition of pilgrimages to Our Lady of Sorrows, when the statue in Sastin was declared miraculous. Since then, Sastin has become one of Slovakia's most important pilgrimage sites. jrg