MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Sunday, 20 September 2026 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Saturday, 19 September): MYJAVA - Commemorating key historical events is an essential prerequisite for the future of the Slovak nation, House Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) told TASR on the occasion of a ceremony held in Myjava (Trencin region) on Saturday to mark the 178th anniversary of the first Slovak National Council's (SNR) session, stressing that 19 September 1848 is a particularly significant date in the nation's history. "It was here that the first Slovak National Council, headed by Jozef Miloslav Hurban, Michal Miloslav Hodza and Ludovit Stur, first addressed the public and declared the fight for sovereignty. It was here that the struggle began for Slovaks to free themselves from Hungarian rule, shape the future of their country and secure their rightful place," stated Rasi. He recalled that while the first SNR was formally set up in Vienna, its first real session and declarations took place in the house of a widow called Anna Kolenyova. "I'm here mainly because if we do not remember such important historical events, we will not have a future of our own. It's a day that shaped us into the nation we are today, with our own culture, history and future," added Rasi. BRATISLAVA - Opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party has strongly condemned this week's remarks made by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD), with SaS leader Branislav Groehling adding that Fico questioned the fundamental commitment under the North Atlantic Treaty at a time when European leaders are warning of intensified hybrid attacks by Russia, TASR was told by Michal Goffa from the SaS communications department on Saturday. "Slovakia is a NATO member and we rely on our allies to help us if needed. When the prime minister publicly says that he doesn't care about 'some Article 5', he's sending our allies a signal that they can't rely on us, and so he's weakening our own security," stated Groehling. "I call on Robert Fico to convene the Slovak Security Council, clearly identify who is a threat to Slovakia and Europe, and confirm that Slovakia will respect its commitments even under his government," he added. SaS MP Maria Kolikova recalled that the Slovak Security Council can also be convened based on the president's proposal. "If the prime minister ignores our security, the president is obliged to act," stated Kolikova. BRATISLAVA - Environment Ministry State Secretary Filip Kuffa is the Slovak National Party's (SNS) nominee for the new environment minister, SNS leader and House Vice-chair Andrej Danko confirmed on STVR's politics programme 'Sobotne dialogy' (Saturday Dialogues), adding that Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) is due to meet Kuffa on Monday (21 September). Danko also said that he had no intention of taking over the ministerial post, noting that he's not well versed in environmental issues. Also on the show, Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) Vice-chair Viliam Karas said that with the dismissal of incumbent Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (an SNS nominee), the current government will become a minority government. He expects President Peter Pellegrini to proceed with Taraba's dismissal, although he believes that the president "doesn't feel like" dismissing him. When Taraba returns to Parliament, Danko expects him to try to persuade some MPs to join him. According to Karas, Taraba's return will weaken the government's political strength. Karas and Danko jointly opposed the idea of Canada becoming an associate member of the European Union (EU), as suggested by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union address this week. Karas considers this an unfortunate political gesture that has no foundation in EU treaties, adding that that the EU already has bilateral trade agreements with Canada. BRATISLAVA - Opposition MP Rastislav Kratky is joining the Christian Democrats (KDH), having also been a member of the party's parliamentary caucus since January, KDH chair Milan Majersky announced this at a press conference following the KDH Council's meeting on Saturday. Kratky wants to help draw up KDH's economic programme and said that the party's ambition is to present the best programme in this area ahead of the election. "I want to see a prosperous Slovakia, not a country that is rapidly building up debt. We need to strengthen competitiveness in order to be able to stabilise our domestic economic environment, because without money, the social system will lack stability and we won't be able to guarantee people their social standard," stated Kratky. He added that he believes in the values on which KDH is founded and wants to work with the party towards making Slovakia an economically successful country and a strong partner within the European community. jrg