MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Thursday, April 24, 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Wednesday, April 23): BRATISLAVA - The government at its session on Wednesday tasked Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) with asking the Biomedical Centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) as soon as possible to prepare a comprehensive report on a quantitative analysis for the presence of DNA and other substances in selected retention batches of vaccines used against COVID-19 in Slovakia. At the same time, the centre should draw up an expert opinion on the impact of substances present in the human body. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia will hold a day of state mourning on Saturday (April 26) in response to the death of Pope Francis, who had an extraordinary influence on public life in Slovakia. The government passed Premier Robert Fico's proposal to declare the state mourning at its session on Wednesday. It will be in place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and state flags should be lowered on that day. BRATISLAVA - The Slovak government should be represented at Pope Francis's funeral on Saturday (April 26) by Foreign Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar, said Premier Robert Fico (both Smer-SD) following the Cabinet session on Wednesday. At the same time, Fico noted that the government has decided to declare state mourning for the day of the Pope's funeral, as his death has affected a huge number of Slovaks. BRATISLAVA - Until the quantitative analysis of COVID-19 vaccine samples for the presence of DNA and other substances is completed, Slovakia will stop accepting agreed deliveries of vaccines against COVID-19, said Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) following the cabinet session on Wednesday in connection with the government's resolution on the analysis. Based on an agreement signed by the government of Ludovit Odor in May 2023, Slovakia should accept some 300,000 more vaccine doses worth approximately €5.7 million, said Fico. "Given that we have an opinion from a registered expert who points to an excessive amount of DNA and other substances in the vaccines used in Slovakia, I view the decision to suspend receipt of them as correct," stressed Fico. He declined to estimate the time frame necessary for preparing the analysis, and thus the length of the suspension. The government on Wednesday tasked Health Minister Kamil Sasko (Voice-SD) with asking the Biomedical Centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) as soon as possible to prepare a comprehensive report on a quantitative analysis for the presence of DNA and other substances in selected retention batches of vaccines used against COVID-19 in Slovakia. At the same time, the centre should draw up an expert opinion on the impact of substances present in the human body. BRATISLAVA - The measures introduced in Slovakia to prevent foot-and-mouth disease from spreading could be relaxed in the first ten days of May, around May 7 or 10, said Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) following the cabinet session on Wednesday. "As we can see, the [stated] incubation period of foot-and-mouth disease of seven to 14 days is probably not correct, the incubation period is probably much longer. This has been seen in Hungary, where a new outbreak has emerged after 20 days. The Slovak State Veterinary and Food Administration director is talking about May 7 or 10 as roughly the date on which we could start relaxing the measures," said Takac. BRATISLAVA - At Wednesday's government meeting, Environment Minister Tomas Taraba (a Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) provided an update on negotiations with Hungary regarding the implementation of the International Court of Justice's ruling related to the construction of the Gabcikovo–Nagymaros Waterworks System, noting that Gabcikovo could be one of the topics discussed during Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban's visit to Slovakia on Monday (April 28). "I believe that both Hungary and Slovakia now have sufficiently mature political leaderships that want to reach an agreement and are capable of finding common ground between our countries so that the Danube will no longer divide us, but unite us," Taraba told journalists, also proposing to postpone discussions on the matter, as the topic may make headway during Orban's visit on Monday. BRATISLAVA - The Biomedical Centre of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) acknowledges the government resolution on Wednesday that tasks SAV with preparing a report related to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines used in Slovakia, the Centre's general director Silvia Pastorekova told TASR on the same day. "However, the centre will not comment on the matter until it receives an official mandate from the Health Ministry and the specific wording of the request," added Pastorekova. BRATISLAVA - Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) views the planned participation of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in Moscow as a sovereign decision made by the prime minister of a sovereign country. Blanar was speaking on Wednesday in response to comments by the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, who warned EU leaders against visiting Moscow for this occasion. The minister emphasised that the EU is a union of sovereign states. "The prime minister of a sovereign country has the right to decide what he deems appropriate without being told what to do," stated Blanar. He added that the purpose of Fico's visit to Moscow is to honour a historical event and stressed that it has nothing to do with the current foreign policy situation. On Monday (April 21), Kallas warned leaders of EU-member states against attending the Victory Day celebration in Moscow on May 9, which Russia observes as the end of WWII. Given that Russia is currently waging war in Europe, she said that their participation would not be taken lightly. BRATISLAVA - Slovakia and Austria aim to strengthen cooperation between the two countries, with a particular focus on infrastructure projects to improve road and rail connections, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) stated on Wednesday following a bilateral meeting with Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs Beate Meinl-Reisinger. Blanar considers the current connection between Slovakia and Austria insufficient and said both sides aim to identify key infrastructure projects for joint development and funding at their next meeting. He noted that better links would boost cross-border and trade development, welcomed Austria's progress on the S8 expressway, and highlighted the modernisation of the Bratislava–Vienna railway. The minister praised Slovakia's relations with Austria, which he described as very good. He thanked the Austrian side for its prompt assistance regarding foot-and-mouth disease and highlighted the strong economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, while noting there's still room for improvement. lin