MORNING NEWS HIGHLIGHTS - Friday, April 25, 2025 - 9 a.m.

TASR brings a quick morning overview of the most important events seen in Slovakia on the previous day (Thursday, April 24): VATICAN CITY/BRATISLAVA - Two Slovak priests, Jan Dubina and Lubomir Welnitz, who have served for several years as papal masters of ceremonies, are involved in preparing Saturday's funeral of Pope Francis, according to the website of the Slovak Conference of Bishops (KBS). The priests were also present at recent events related to the farewell to Pope Francis. "They appeared, for example, during the transfer of Pope Francis's remains from the Domus Sanctae Marthae to St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican," the KBS stated. BRATISLAVA - A peaceful and prosperous future for medium-sized countries without large armies or strong economies, such as Slovakia, fundamentally depends on upholding international law and preserving diplomacy as the main means of resolving disputes between states, said Foreign and European Affairs Minister Juraj Blanar (Smer-SD) on the occasion of the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace on Thursday, TASR learnt from the ministry's communications department on the same day. According to Blanar, armed conflicts, trade wars, pandemics, climate change, illegal migration and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence all mean that cooperation between nations is indispensable for maintaining peace, stability, and prosperity. BRATISLAVA - Opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party leader Michal Simecka has called on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) not to travel to Moscow in May, stressing that such a visit would be an arrogant insult to all the victims of Russia's horrific aggression. "At least nine dead and 70 injured, including children, in Kiev. Yet another deadly Russian attack clearly shows that [Vladimir] Putin's regime has no interest in peace. I call on Premier Fico to cancel his planned May visit to Moscow. It would be an arrogant insult to all the victims of this horrific Russian aggression. Talking about peace isn't enough; Slovakia must stand firmly with Ukraine, our European allies, and on the side of international law and peace," emphasised the PS leader. BRATISLAVA - Farm subsidies worth €511 million have been paid out from the 2024 programme to date, making up 86.69 percent of the total sum of €589.5 million, Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) told a news conference on Thursday with Agriculture Payment Agency (PPA) general director Marek Cepko and local government representatives in attendance. A total of €377.4 million (96.26 percent) has been paid out in subsidies within the first pillar and €133.6 million (67.01 percent) within the second pillar. An amount of €78.5 million remains to be paid from the total sum by the end of June. BRATISLAVA - There is no geological study on the suitability of the military site in Levice for burying dead animals in connection with the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, according to the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, which presented a statement from the Dionyz Stur State Geological Institute to support its claim in Levice on Thursday. Party leader Branislav Groehling called on Agriculture Minister Richard Takac (Smer-SD) to resign, accusing him of lying about the existence of a geological study. According to Groehling, during a parliamentary committee meeting in March of this year, Takac, when asked directly by MP Alojz Hlina (SaS), claimed that a geological study had been conducted. However, Hlina argues that no such study was carried out, not even in Zahorie (Bratislava region), another site where dead animals were buried. BRATISLAVA - New House chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) will make his first official foreign visit to the Czech Republic on May 7, the MP stated during a meeting with Czech Ambassador to Slovakia Rudolf Jindrak on Thursday. During his official visit, Rasi will meet both of the Czech Parliament's top representatives, namely Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova and Senate Chair Milos Vystrcil. He'll also be received in Prague by Czech President Petr Pavel and Premier Petr Fiala. BRATISLAVA - I consider the environmental damage at the Vlcie hory landfill near Hlohovec to be critical, stated President Peter Pellegrini at a briefing during his visit to the landfill site as part of his regional trip to Hlohovec and Galanta (both Trnava region) on Thursday. According to the head of state, the groundwater may gradually be endangered, which poses a significant risk to the people living in the vicinity of the site. He called for a state of emergency to be declared at the site so that the state can take over the financing of the gradual removal of hazardous substances. "Critical environmental damage has been created here, which may gradually begin to threaten the groundwater and thus pose a significant risk to the population living in the vicinity, as many people still use wells for drinking water," stressed the president. Measured levels of hazardous substances continue to rise. "While the concentration of arsenic a few years ago was perhaps 1.2 milligrams per litre, it now stands at as much as 12.7 milligrams per litre," he pointed out, adding that the concentration of carcinogenic substances is increasing at an extreme rate in the so-called retention basins where water from the landfill collects. BRATISLAVA - The state should transfer some powers from the national police to city and local police forces, such as the power to measure driving speed and issue fines for speeding violations, President Peter Pellegrini declared during a press briefing on Thursday in Galanta (Trnava region). "The state must transfer some of its powers to local authorities and to municipal and local police," emphasized Pellegrini. The head of state added that fines collected by local police should become revenue for local authorities. Pellegrini noted that he had reached consensus on the need for legislative changes in this context during his meeting with Galanta’s mayor Peter Kolek and other city officials. lin