Good evening. Here is theThursday, February 8edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Coalition MPs adopt Penal Code changes
A group of opposition MPs hold anti-government signs, like "Amnesty for Gašpar", "You're committing a crime" and "You accepted a bribe" in the debating chamber on February 8, 2024. (source: TASR)
The Special Prosecutor’s Office will cease to exist and several Smer people who are facing corruption or organised crime charges, including Smer MP Tibor Gašpar and ex-finance minister and central bank’s governor Peter Kažimír, will not be tried or may receive only a suspended sentence.
On Thursday night, the coalition MPs approved an extensive amendment to the Penal Code and other related laws, including the Criminal Procedure Law, despite the opposition’s obstacles in the parliament, protests throughout Slovakia and criticism from Brussels.
The coalition has been trying to change criminal laws since last December. In the past two weeks, Gašpar changed the original amendment twice.
President Zuzana Čaputová is prepared to veto these changes, but the coalition has enough votes to override it. The president and the opposition will also turn to the Constitutional Court, which can suspend the effectiveness of all the adopted changes to the Penal Code. If this doesn’t happen, the amendment will come into effect in mid-March.
“The adoption of the amendment to the Penal Code is bad news for Slovakia and all its citizens,” said the president.
Slovak people protest against the coalition-approved changes to the Penal Code outside the Slovak embassy in Prague on February 8, 2024. (source: TASR)
Related: Some of the changes include reducing penalties for corruption and economic crimes, shortening statutes of limitations (for rape and other crimes), changes to working with cooperating defendants, strengthening the protection of judges from prosecution, and reducing penalties for drug cultivators.
GP Maroš Žilinka: On Thursday, General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka rejected the notion that he has stayed silent regarding changes to the Penal Code or participated in some secret meetings with coalition politicians. “I’m not silent, but I don’t take part in marketing activities,” he said during Question Time in parliament on Thursday.
EU: The European Commission is suspending the appraisal of the fourth recovery plan payment for Slovakia, said Progresívne Slovensko (PS) on Thursday.Deputy PM for EU Funds and the Recovery Plan Peter Kmec (Hlas) confirmed this, adding that it is not something unusual. “The same happens in other European countries, for example in Italy,” said Kmec. He accused PS of playing a dangerous game with the country, trying to cast doubt on its recovery plan.
See the gallery from another round of anti-government protests, which took place on February 7. Progresívne Slovensko said on Thursday that protests will continue in the coming weeks:
More stories from The Slovak Spectator website
Politics: PM Robert Fico uses private information about ex-opposition MP Tomáš Hellebrandt’s health status against the politician.
Business: “It’s no secret that the pace of construction is not what I would like it to be,” the Bratislava mayor Matúš Vallo said about the construction of the Petržalka tram track.
Court: War-approving social media posts is a right of freedom of expression, the Slovak court says.
History Talks: How can a village become an urban centre? It all starts with the cattle.
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FEATURE STORY FOR THURSDAY
Hiking in the snow in the Tatras
Hiking in the High Tatras during winter has its charm.
The winter High Tatras are a paradise for skiing lovers, but what if you are not a skier? When sufficiently equipped, you can set off for a winter endeavour and hike some local touristic trails. Under winter conditions, it is something completely different than during other times of the year, writes Jana Liptáková.
TOP 10
Bratislava events for foreigners
Illustrative photo. (source: Pixabay)
Preparing a mask, observing the night sky, dating at the party (February 14 is drawing near), going to a hockey game? We offer all this in our latest selection of events in the capital.
In other news
The Globsec conference may be moved from Bratislava to Prague or Warsaw this year. The official reason is the intention of the organisers to rotate this event, but SNS leader Andrej Danko and Smer leader Robert Fico have been attacking Globsec for a long time.
Speeding up procedures, cutting down red tape and helping procurers - these are the main goals of a draft amendment to the Public Procurement Act prepared by the Investment Ministry. (TASR)
Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč (Smer) wants to include quotas for Slovak food products in shops in the constitution. (euractiv)
Richard Glück (Smer), who punched Slovensko leader Igor Matovič in the face in his car when he disrupted a Smer party protest, became an MP on Thursday. He replaced Martin Nemky, who was appointed by the government as head of the Statistics Office.
The commissioner for children Jozef Mikloško considers it necessary to proceed with the comprehensive regulation of mobile phones in primary and secondary schools. According to him, this would improve teaching and the protection of children, for example against cyberbullying.
Hungarian Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky (l) shakes hands with his Slovak counterpart Robert Kaliňák during the welcoming ceremony in the Heroes' Square in Budapest, Hungary, on February 8, 2024. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: It will be cloudy. Light rain is expected in some places. The highest daytime temperature will rise to 12 °C. (SHMÚ)
FEBRUARY 9 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Zdenko.
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