Healthcare personnel across entire sector reject consolidation measures, President Pellegrini appointed the new Healthcare minister and Slovakia advocates a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
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Health personnel across the entire sector unanimously reject the consolidation measures in the health sector passed by Parliament and voiced this stance at their meeting with President Peter Pellegrini. Together with head of the Medical Doctors' Union Peter Visolajsky, they criticised the government for its failure to discuss the measures with any of the organisations involved. The representatives of healthcare workers warn that the consolidation measures as they were adopted will impact the quality of healthcare provided to patients. They expressed readiness to negtiate and seek compromises.
President Peter Pellegrini urged the government to start talks with disgruntled health personnel on the planned consolidation measures. He said his decision about whether he will sign or veto the consolidation bill will hinge on the outcome of those talks. Pellegrini said this after his meeting with representatives of the health sector, who he claimed had asked him not to sign the consolidation bill in its current form. The Confederation of Slovak Labour Unions also asked the president not to sign the consolidation package.
President Peter Pellegrini accepted the resignation of Zuzana Dolinková and appointed Kamil Šaško as Minister of Health. The new head of the ministry said that it is important for him that his decisions will be based on scientific data and facts. The opposition does not dispute that he is a good manager, but claims that the health sector is not his domain. Minister Kamil Šaško stressed that solving the problem with health workers is also one of his priorities.
Two conservative opposition parties - The Christian Democratic movement (KDH) and the Slovakia (Slovensko) movement called on Prime Minister to oust Government Proxy for Investigation into COVID-19 Pandemic Management Peter Kotlár after he disseminated disinformation and undermining public trust in vaccination. Last week, the faculty of medicine of the Comenius University Bratislava criticised the statements of Peter Kotlar because of the lack of evidence.
The government will provide €50 million to towns and municipalities within 14 days, claimed Premier Robert Fico on Tuesday, adding that at the same time regional governments will have €20 million of their debts written off. Last week, we informed that the Slovak Towns Union warned that budget drafting in towns will be difficult, as a result of consolidation measures, so towns will need the help of the state. The opposition criticised the proposal by the premiere as inadequate and too late.
The new head of the Slovak National Theatre (SND) has refused to sign a contract with a Czech theatre that was set to perform a performance as part of the Drama Queer festival in Bratislava. The step raised concerns about censorship of art with queer themes that is in line with the efforts of culture minister Martina Šimkovičová. The decision of the SND head also resonated in foreign media.
The Interior Ministry's latest report on extremism (2022-2023) highlights that extremist groups mainly target Jews, Roma, liberals, and LGBTI individuals. It points out a rise in far-right groups that believe violence is a valid way to achieve their goals, along with the emergence of groups that focus on physical training and combat skills. The report also mentions the growth of movements like militant accelerationism and the incel community. According to the report, anti-government extremism is influenced by social and economic factors, as well as global crises, identifying social media as a significant challenge.
Premier Robert Fico admitted that the coalition might adopt changes to media legislation, pointing to a need to introduce the right to rectification and response and the regulation of prerequisites necessary for carrying out the work of a journalist. Fico called the current state of affairs in the country's media a mess and in his opinion, journalists do whatever they want and bear no responsibility for it. Recently, the premier was heard referring to a journalist in a pejorative way. Premier Fico had a series of derogatory remarks about the journalists in the past. In 2018, he stepped down as the prime minister in the wake of a murder of a journalist.
The Constitutional Court will review the constitutionality of the Slovak Television and Radio Act (STVR), accepting a motion of a group of opposition MPs from three parties who challenged the law at the constitutional court. The court did not grant their motion to suspend the effectiveness of the challenged provisions until a ruling is made. Before the Constitutional Court, they also challenged the law's incompatibility with the European Media Freedom Act and asked the Court to refer them to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Slovakia has reaffirmed its full support for Ukraine's EU membership during a joint Slovak-Ukrainian government meeting near Uzhhorod. He offered Slovakia's expertise in the integration process. Slovakia also intends to participate in all peace conferences aimed at resolving the Ukraine-Russia conflict. At the meeting, Slovak and Ukrainian ministers signed several memorandums on cooperation in various sectors, including a readmission agreement, educational and agricultural cooperation. Slovakia is also preparing another package of humanitarian and non-lethal military aid.
Foreign Minister, Juraj Blanár, called for increased international pressure to achieve a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Blanár emphasized that the two-state solution is the only fair and viable path to stabilizing relations in the region. Slovakia recently evacuated 34 of its citizens from Lebanon due to the worsening security situation.
Slovakia and the World Trade Center in New Orleans have signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at enhancing business relations between Slovakia and the USA. The agreement was announced by the Slovak Exporters Council, which aims to help Slovak businesses to better penetrate the competitive USA market, especially through partnerships and investments in Louisiana.
