MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, 18 September 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, 17 September): BRATISLAVA - Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) will visit Ukraine, he said in his address during the ceremonial opening of the new academic year in Presov on Thursday, adding that he's due to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and new Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi, while Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also stated on Thursday that he would meet Fico in Ukraine on Friday (18 September). The Government Office has clarified that the Slovak prime minister will travel to Ukraine to attend a conference with the prime ministers of other EU countries. During his visit to Presov, Fico expressed concerns about how the conflict in Ukraine evolves. "The situation has never been as serious and tense in terms of the possibility of a pan-European military conflict as it is now," Fico said, adding that he doesn't want Slovakia to become involved in any war. He made the statement in the context of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, according to which an armed attack against one NATO member is considered an attack against all members. "Yes, we're part of NATO, we appreciate that, and we are committed to cooperation and meeting our obligations. But as prime minister, I'll do everything I can to ensure that Slovakia is never drawn into an armed conflict," said Fico, expressing his fears that we are "on the brink", while he cannot imagine what would happen in Slovakia if it faced problems arising from a war. BRATISLAVA/VIENNA - Slovakia was elected as a member of the IAEA Board of Governors for the 2026–2028 term at the current session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna on Thursday, returning to one of the agency's main decision-making bodies after 11 years, TASR learnt from the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry on the same day. "This is another sign of Slovakia's international recognition as a responsible and respected international partner. We're among the countries with the highest share of nuclear power in electricity generation in the world. We have decades of experience, a strong expert base and we know what the safe development of nuclear energy requires in practice. We therefore see our election to the IAEA Board of Governors not only as recognition, but also as a commitment to bringing our experience to the IAEA's decision-making," said Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD). Slovakia's priorities will include strengthening nuclear safety, supporting independent and effective IAEA safeguards and verification, as well as the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy, science and technology. According to Blanar, Slovakia wants to share practical experience, support capacity building, transfer expertise, and foster technical cooperation, particularly with states that are just beginning to utilise nuclear energy. BRATISLAVA - The activities of Marta S.,[name abbreviated due to legal reasons], the chair of NGO Project Forum and mother of opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Simecka, cannot be separated from him or his party, the coalition Smer-SD party has said in response to media reports regarding the charges brought against Marta S. on suspicion of subsidy fraud. Smer-SD is calling on the PS leader to publicly state whether the NGO covered any expenditures for him or other entities linked to PS, House Vice-chair Tibor Gaspar and MP Richard Gluck (both Smer-SD) told a news conference on Thursday. "Wednesday's [16 September] announcement cannot be detached from PS or from its leader, as he's attempted to do in his very first statement. There's no doubt that it's also his responsibility, and that of PS. The investigation will presumably gradually reveal whether, and to what extent, Simecka himself was aware of what was going on, i.e. whether he knew that the money he uses and receives from his mother was money that most likely originated from criminal activity, and whether any other people close to PS were potentially involved in it," said Gaspar. BRATISLAVA - New flats in Slovakia continue to decline in number and remain increasingly unaffordable, making it virtually impossible for young people to acquire their own housing, representatives of the opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party told a press conference held in Parliament on Thursday, adding that solutions to this situation exist at both Slovak and European level. According to PS leader Michal Simecka, the European Commission (EC) last week presented its draft Affordable Housing Act which is in line with the solutions spearheaded by PS in the spring of this year. "This means speeding up permitting processes, releasing supply, developing affordable rental housing and using neglected land on which construction could take place. The whole concept on which our approach is based, including the declaration of a state of housing emergency and acceleration zones, can also be seen in the European proposals," explained Simecka. According to him, the EC's initiative also means that EU member states will be able to draw €4.7 billion in European funds for the housing sector in the coming years. "What Slovakia needs, however, is a government with projects ready to go and able to draw on these funds from day one, enabling the construction of as many homes as possible," stressed Simecka, adding that the current cabinet is unable to do this. RUZOMBEROK - The Hubova-Ivachnova D1-motorway section, which will serve as a bypass around Ruzomberok (Zilina region), will be available to drivers as of 5 October, the Transport Ministry and the National Highway Company (NDS) announced at a news conference on Thursday. "We are just a few days away from the opening of this new, nearly 15-kilometre motorway stretch. The first motorists will be able to drive along the new motorway as early as on Monday, 5 October, at some time in the early evening," said Transport Minister Jozef Raz (a Smer-SD nominee). The opening ceremony will include a public event due to be held on Saturday (October 3). The Hubova-Ivachnova D1 section will save motorists several tens of minutes when travelling from western Slovakia to the east. At the same time, it will relieve the inhabitants of Ruzomberok of heavy traffic, smog and noise from transit transport. The almost 15-kilometre motorway section includes 19 bridges, three junctions and the 3.6-kilometre Cebrat Tunnel. The project is directly connected to the planned D1 Turany-Hubova section towards Martin. SABINOV - The decision whether a water reservoir is to be built near the village of Tichy Potok (Presov region) will be made by experts, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) told a press conference in Tichy Potok on Thursday, adding that the parameters and feasibility of the planned project need to be assessed first. According to Fico, eastern Slovakia needs another source of drinking water and cannot depend exclusively on the Starina water reservoir. Therefore, the government has to review water management projects prepared in previous decades, both in terms of their relevance and feasibility. However, experts must confirm that the Tichy Potok project is necessary and that its location is suitable, added Fico. "If they say that it shouldn't be built here because it no longer meets the criteria, or that the parameters have changed over the years, then it won't be here," he said. ko