Good evening. Here is theThursday, February 22 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Fico finds a way to bypass Čaputová
PM Robert Fico and President Zuzana Čaputová walk out of the Presidential Palace on October 25, 2023. (source: TASR)
On Thursday, Premier Robert Fico accused President Zuzana Čaputová of playing games in regard to the appointment of his candidate Pavol Gašpar as Slovak Information Service chief. He is convinced that she doesn’t want to appoint him.
Gašpar is the son of charged Smer MP and ex-police chief Tibor Gašpar; he is facing corruption and organised crime charges. Gašpar Jr. is a deputy minister at the Justice Ministry. He was also briefly charged last year, and he also threatened to kill Special Prosecutor Daniel Lipšic. Despite his young age of 36, and no previous high-paying jobs, he owns several properties.
The president said several days ago that she might leave this homework to her successor. Fico, however, demands that the president say yes or no to his nomination and explain her decision. At the same time, he hinted at his back-up plan in case Čaputová doesn’t act the way he wants her to.
“We’re not small children. If the president doesn’t act, we will,” Fico said during Thursday’s Question Time in parliament, adding that the SIS will have a new chief within a few days. On Thursday his cabinet changed the statutes of the SIS service, a classified document, without providing any detail.
The opposition is concerned, claiming that the governing coalition is about to “hijack the secret service”. The parliamentary committee to oversee SIS activities will take place next week to discuss the matter.
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FEATURE STORY FOR THURSDAY
Slovak investor: Slovakia should be Mexico of Europe
Maroš Breda, co-owner of the Chinese winery Chateau Nine Peaks. (source: Chateau Nine Peaks)
Chinese labour is becoming more expensive for Western companies, and when transportation threatened by military conflicts is added to costs, companies prefer to move their factories. “Slovakia should take advantage of this trend and become an important producer for the European market,” says manager and investor Maroš Breda, who previously participated in development projects in China and now owns a winery there.
EVENTS IN BRATISLAVA
Explore Bratislava courtyards
One of many Bratislava courtyards. (source: Courtesy of Lucia Lišková)
Searching for Bratislava activities on a budget? Visit a choral festival or a concert for Ukraine. Not your thing? Here are 10 more events for you, including Matej Fabian’s exhibition “Strategicon” at Soga.
In other news
On Thursday, the Košice City Court acquitted the 10 police officers of bullying Roma boys. The Constitutional Court annulled the previous acquittal. The case goes back to March 2009. According to the court, there is not enough evidence to prove that the deed happened. The verdict is not final, the prosecutor appealing against it. (TASR)
The allowance for accommodation facilities to accommodate refugees from Ukraine will be adjusted to €6 per night regardless of their age, starting March 1. With this step, the Transport Ministry is following up on the change in the amount of the allowance paid by the Interior Ministry to natural persons. The ministry wants to motivate expats to integrate into normal life, and at the same time respond to the declining interest of accommodation providers. (TASR)
The existing statutes of limitation should apply for crimes such as rape and sexual abuse, according to an amendment to the Penal Code approved by the government on Thursday.
The unilateral favouring of Ukraine has had serious economic impacts on the country, in particular agriculture, said PM Robert Fico on Thursday, adding that the only way forward for the government is to continue to implement the ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine. (TASR)
If farmers’ demands are not taken seriously, they will be seen in the streets more often, the Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber said after the Thursday protest. More than 2,000 tractors and 4,000 farmers took to the roads and streets in the country to oppose the EU’s climate and agricultural policies and bureaucracy. On Monday, a walkout organised by young farmers took place.
WEATHER FOR FRIDAY: Remaining cloudy on Friday with showers and rain in many places. It will be a warm day with daytime temperatures from 6°C to 13°C. (SHMÚ)
FEBRUARY 23 NAME'S DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Roman, Romana.
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