Friday news digest: Matovič in hot water, UK goes green on Slovak list

Read your overview of news from Slovakia on Friday, July 17.

PM Igor Matovič met with EC President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Thursday. Meanwhile at home, he faces a plagiarism scandal. PM Igor Matovič met with EC President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Thursday. Meanwhile at home, he faces a plagiarism scandal. (Source: AP/ TASR )

This is your overview of news from Slovakia on Friday, July 17, 2020. Scroll down for a selection of good reads for the weekend. If you appreciate our service and would like to support us, the best way to do so is to buy our online subscription. Thank you!

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Politicians on Matovič plagiarism: Disappointment and shame

In her official reaction to the plagiarised final thesis of PM Matovič, President Zuzana Čaputová admitted she was left "disappointed and sad".

"The expectations of the public, including my own, of high standards in applying political power and drawing political responsibility, that the arrival of the Igor Matovič government has been linked with, remain unfulfilled for now," Čaputová wrote.

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Some coalition partners say they are disappointed but do not expect the government to fall over the plagiarised thesis. The opposition leaders, on the other hand, say they are ready to initiate a no confidence vote in the prime minister.

Read more reactions of Slovak politicians here.

Travellers from UK will no longer be required to isolate

Slovakia has made one change to its list of low risk countries. The United Kingdom has been added to the "green list". As of Monday, July 20, 2020, travellers arriving from the United Kingdom will no longer be required to go into home isolation upon entering Slovakia. They will also not need to report to their respective regional health authority.

Related article How to travel to and from Slovakia post-coronavirus Read more 

In other news:

  • July 17 is a national memorial day in Slovakia, commemorating the Declaration of Independence that was signed in 1992 and led to the emergence of the Slovak Republic after the break-up of Czechoslovakia on January 1, 1993.
  • The term of General Prosecutor Jaromír Čižnár officially ends today. He will meet with President Zuzana Čaputová on Monday to discuss his next steps. His successor has yet to be chosen. Parliament has recently passed a new law governing how the election should take place.

Do not miss on Spectator.sk this weekend:

Having survived countless lightning strikes, Slavín gets a makeover Read more  One of Bratislava's major landmarks will change. Take a look at the new Istropolis Read more  The oldest witnesses of history: Vote for Slovakia's prettiest tree Read more  Pandemic has shown us how important it is to keep borders open in the long run Read more  Leading HR professional: We need to be more human than resources Read more 

Top stories

Stock image.

Twice as many Ukrainians work in Slovakia now than before the Russian invasion.


Píšem or pišám?

"Do ľava," (to the left) I yelled, "Nie, do prava" (no, to the right), I gasped. "Dolšie," I screamed. "Nie, nie, horšie..." My Slovak girlfriend collapsed in laughter. Was it something I said?


Matthew J. Reynolds
Czech biochemist Jan Konvalinka.

Jan Konvalinka was expecting a pandemic before Covid-19 came along.


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