News digest: Slovak-Hungarian relationship has never been as good as now, Hungarian MFA says

Health Ministry fears spread of Delta strain from football match in Budapest. Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister refutes claims of a negative relationship with his Slovak counterpart.

(Source: SME.sk / Hej,ty)

Catch up on the main news of the day in less than five minutes with the Friday, June 18 edition of Today in Slovakia. We wish you a pleasant read.

Ministry fears spread of Delta variant from a recent football match

Hundreds of people from Slovakia attended a football match between Hungary and Portugal on June 15. The Health Ministry is calling on Slovak fans to register through eHranica upon return.

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The only requirement for travellers coming to Slovakia from Hungary at the moment is a negative Covid test result, but the ministry now fears that may not be sufficient and wants to offer fans free PCR tests.

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The epidemic situation in Portugal, where the Delta variant of coronavirus spread, forced Slovak authorities to re-evaluate the Slovak travel map. While people coming from Portugal this week with a negative PCR test result may avoid quarantine entirely, from Monday, they have to undergo a full 14-day quarantine.

The ministry now fears that the match may speed up the import of the Delta mutation in Slovakia.


Check out Spectacular Slovakia for weekend reading tips. This week, Peter Dlhopolec writes about Slovakia's second Euro 2020 match, Slovak Tuscany, an invasive Asian mosquito, and Bratislavans' favourite days for walks.


Coronavirus and vaccination news

  • Laboratories on Thursday carried out 3,794 PCR tests, 38 of which were positive. The number of hospitalised patients increased by 14 to 229. Fourteen coronavirus deaths were confirmed.
  • Western Balkan countries have shown an interest in the batches of the Sputnik V vaccines that Slovakia will not be able to use. He will submit to the government’s session a proposal to sell or donate the vaccines. It is possible to register for a vaccination with Sputnik in Slovakia until June 30.

Interview of the day

Hungary does not want to leave the EU, Foreign Minister of Hungary Péter Szijjártó said in an interview with Sme Video (the intro is in Slovak, but the rest of the interview is in English with Slovak subtitles). He also insists that if the notion that there is democracy in the EU is taken seriously, it means “everybody has the right to take part in the debate about how the future of the EU should look”.

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Szijjártó refutes claims that he has a negative relationship with his Slovak counterpart and insists that he did not help former Slovak prime minister Igor Matovič in exchange for less strict dual citizenship legislation in Slovakia, but rather because “he had a similar approach as we did regarding vaccination”.


Photo of the day

Thousands of poppies are blooming in fields across Slovakia. Read this story from our archive to find out why Slovaks and poppies have been an inseparable duo for centuries.


If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, buy our online subscription . Thank you.


In other news

  • Economy Minister Richard Sulík removed Andrej Holák from the position of Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of MH Management. Holák was detained by NAKA on Thursday only to be released later that day, according to TV Markíza.
  • According to information from TV Joj, the National Criminal Agency (NAKA) extended the original accusation in the case of Mýtnik (Toll Collector) to include businessman Jozef Brhel. He is also allegedly being prosecuted for money laundering. According to a television source, František Imrecze and businessman Michal Suchoba are also being accused of money laundering (SITA).
  • The Slovak Armed Forces have completed almost 20 years of operation in Afghanistan following NATO's decision. Since 2002, more than 4,300 Slovak soldiers have gradually taken turns in international crisis management operations under the NATO flag or within a coalition of the willing. Slovak troops served in the operations Enduring Freedom, ISAF, and, in the last five years or so, in Operation Resolute Support.
  • President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will visit Slovakia on June 21, when Slovakia’s Recovery Plan will be officially introduced here.
  • Comenius University is the only Slovak university listed in the Round University Ranking (RUR) by subject among the top 300 or top 400 universities in the world. In the natural sciences, the university took 288th place in the world, while it ranked 337th in the technical sciences.
  • Spring of 2021 was one of the three coldest springs in Slovakia in the last 40 years, confirmed representatives of the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) who evaluated the spring of 2021 from a climatological point of view.
  • Those who postponed the March deadline for tax returns have until the end of June to submit them. The Financial Administration reported there are 280,000 such taxpayers.

Do not miss on Spectator.sk today

Law change makes cannabidiol legal Read more  The Slovak region compared to Tuscany is a big unknown Read more  The cooperation of NATO allies will be ever more crucial in this new environment Read more 

If you have suggestions on how this news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk

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