MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Saturday, 19 September 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Friday, 18 September): BRATISLAVA/KIEV - Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has cancelled a planned trip to Ukraine due to illness. He is being represented at the Carpathian Initiative summit by Foreign Affairs Ministry State Secretary Marek Estok, the Government Office has told TASR. In addition to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and new Ukrainian Premier Serhii Koretskyi, Fico was also supposed to meet Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Ukraine. During his visit to Presov on Thursday (17 September), Fico expressed his concerns about how the conflict in Ukraine is evolving. "The situation has never been as serious and tense in terms of the possibility of a pan-European military conflict as it is now. I hope that tomorrow night, when I return from Ukraine, I won't be as sceptical as I am now," said the premier. Fico said that he doesn't want Slovakia to become involved in any war. He stated this in the context of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, according to which an armed attack against one NATO member is considered to be 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 premier, I'll do my utmost to ensure that Slovakia is never drawn into an armed conflict," said Fico. The Carpathian Initiative summit, which runs until Sunday (20 September), brings together representatives from eight countries in the Carpathian region: Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine. Its goal is to deepen regional cooperation in several areas, including security, the economy, and cross-border collaboration. The organisers expect the participation of state officials, representatives of EU institutions, business leaders and investors. KIEV - The integration of the Carpathian region presents an opportunity for Slovakia, Foreign Ministry State Secretary Marek Estok, who led the Slovak delegation at the summit of the newly formed Carpathian Eight (C8) in Ukraine, posted on X on Friday. "Slovakia is a key country at the heart of this region," said Estok, adding that the country is strengthening cooperation with the other seven members of the C8, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine. Slovakia's priority within the initiative, the launch of which was officially announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday, is the development of Slovak regions and benefits for Slovak businesses and citizens, said the state secretary. In addition to deepening regional cooperation in a number of areas, including security and the economy, the Carpathian Eight will also address the reconstruction of war-torn Ukraine, as Zelenskyy stated in early August. "The reconstruction of Ukraine will present an opportunity for neighbouring countries and their regions, and we want to make the most of it for the benefit of Slovakia," emphasised Estok, pointing out that Slovakia is already cooperating with Ukraine through joint intergovernmental talks and, as the country holding the presidency of the Visegrad Group (V4: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia), is actively supporting cross-border projects and the interconnection of transport and energy infrastructure. DUDINCE/BRATISLAVA - Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) has definitively cancelled, following an appeal, the construction of a waste incinerator plant near the spa town of Dudince in Banska Bystrica region, which was intended to process 130,000 tonnes of waste per year, TASR was told by the ministry's communications department on Friday. According to him, Slovakia, like the countries of Western Europe, is in dire need of modern facilities that convert waste into energy or heat, thereby not only reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill in Slovakia but also increasing the efficiency of energy recovery from waste. However, such facilities do not belong in spa towns. "After 2035, landfill disposal in Europe will come to an almost complete end. If Slovakia doesn't build additional capacity for waste-to-energy, we'll be dependent on neighbouring countries as to whether they'll accept our waste and at what cost. In practice, this will mean that neighbouring countries will be heating their towns with our money. These facilities need to be built in Slovakia, but not in spa towns," he emphasised. BRATISLAVA - The proportion of available job-seekers of working age within the working-age population stood at 4.04 percent in August this year, falling by three hundredths of a percentage point month-on-month, the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Centre (UPSVaR) reported on Friday, adding that the figure was 0.19 percentage points higher year-on-year. The number of available job-seekers of working age registered with job centres stood at 145,224 at the end of August, 1,122 fewer than in July. The figure was 6,119 higher than in August 2025. The total number of registered job-seekers reached 170,121 in August - a decrease of 1,446 people when compared with July, but a year-on-year increase of 4,891. Unemployment fell in five regions in August, with the most significant fall seen in Presov region - by as much as seven hundredths of a percentage point. The Labour Ministry recorded a fall in the number of unemployed among both young and older people. In August, there were 40,394 people aged under 29 registered as job-seekers. The number dropped by 1,102 month-on-month, partly due to this year's university graduates entering the labour market. In July, labour offices recorded 5,273 unemployed people with university degrees obtained this year; in August, the number went down to 4,433. BRATISLAVA - The summer just ending was the third warmest in Slovakia since 1931, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) announced at a news conference on Friday. This June was the fourth warmest for that month over this period, while July was the 20th warmest and August the second warmest. The highest number of summer days was recorded in the village of Muzla (Nitra region) - 87. The highest number of tropical days - 56 - was reported in the town of Hurbanovo (Nitra region). SHMU also recorded the longest heatwave there, lasting 22 days. SHMU climatologist Peter Kajaba pointed out that the institute has never before recorded such a long run of consecutive tropical days. He also highlighted the record temperatures exceeding 42°C that were recorded in Slovakia this summer. SHMU assessed precipitation levels as well. The peak of the drought was recorded in the second ten-day period of August. The soil moisture deficit in the Orava area reached as much as 100 millimetres. Severe to extreme drought appeared in locations across 90 percent of the country. The drought was even worse than the one in 2022, affecting both agriculture and forestry. BRATISLAVA - Estonian slackliner Jaan Roose covered 14.7 kilometres (km) on a slackline in 12 hours in Bratislava on Friday, setting a new world record. Roose balanced on the dynamic strap at a height of approximately 100 metres between the UFO observation tower on SNP Bridge and Bratislava Castle. No one has yet set a record under these conditions. The stretched strap he walked along was 666 metres long and 1.9 centimetres wide. Roose is a three-time world champion in slacklining - which is similar to tightrope walking but carried out on a looser, more dynamic line - and is the first slackliner to successfully perform a double backflip. He was also the first to cross the Strait of Messina from the Italian mainland to Sicily. am