Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, June 12 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Legal action over donation of MiG-29s
Slovakia sent 13 MiG-29 jets to Ukraine in 2023. (source: TASR - Ján Krošlák)
The Defence Ministry has announced that it will take legal action in regards to the donation of Slovakia's MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine in 2023. The jets were donated by the then interim government of Eduard Heger.
Now the ministry claims the government had no authority to do so, adding that the jets were donated without proper legal analysis. Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer) says that by doing so, his predecessor as minister Jaroslav Naď (Demokrati) weakened Slovakia's Armed Forces.
The jets, which were obsolete and only a handful of which were airworthy, had all been grounded indefinitely in 2022 after it was revealed that their maintenance was reliant on Russian technicians employed via a lucrative contract awarded to the firm of a Slovak oligarch close to Smer party leader Robert Fico.
The Ukrainian Air Force flies the same type of jets, so the donated airframes were considered useful to it for spare parts – or in extreme cases to be pressed into service, as wartime circumstances demanded.
According to 31-year-old deputy minister Igor Melicher (Smer), an audit at the ministry has shown that there is no evidence that the ministry ever worked on an analysis. In his opinion, the interim government made a major decision regarding foreign policy and thereby violated the constitution.
Naď says that a legal analysis was made, and was prepared both by the Defence Ministry as well as then-justice minister Viliam Karas.
According to Naď, the Foreign Affairs Ministry agreed with his and Karas' opinions, and that the legal departments of the Government Office and President's Office also addressed the issue. "Legally-wise, it was absolutely clean," he stressed.
Naď remarked that he would make the same decision again, as the donation saved lives and Slovakia will be reimbursed for it from the European Peace Facility.
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
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POLITICS: The government has approved a law change that will give Prime Minister Fico a lifetime pension, and will limit protests in front of politicians' residences.
SLOVAK MATTERS: Many Slovak words for 'ugly' have supernatural overtones.
SPORT: A former coffee-seller is leading Slovakia into the Euro 2024 football championship. What are the team's chances at the tournament, according to foreign journalists?
SLOVAK ROOTS: Reconnecting with the distant past and one's heritage.
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FEATURE STORY FOR WEDNESDAY
Who are Slovakia's newly elected MEPs?
The European Parliament (source: TASR/AP)
Last weekend, Slovaks elected 15 MEPs, with Progressive Slovakia taking 6, Smer 5, the extreme right-wing Republika party 2 and Hlas and the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) 1 each. In this overview, you will find their short biographies. Among them are influencers, former TV reporters, conspiracy theorists, as well as long-time politicians.
EVENT FOR SATURDAY
Discover Roman history in Slovakia
Gerulata in Bratislava's borough of Rusovce, was a Roman military camp. Dating back to between the 1st and 4th century AD, it was part of the Limes Romanus, the frontier of the Roman Empire. (source: TASR)
Every year, Limes Day reminds residents of Bratislava that the territory of the city was once the border of the Roman Empire. This year's 10th edition will take place on Saturday, with a guided tour around Gerulata. A special bus will be dispatched to get people from Bratislava to Rusovce and then to another nearby Roman site in Austria and back. You can also visit the area by bike: an organised trip will depart from under the Most Lanfranconi bridge. Registration is required. Learn more here.
IN OTHER NEWS
According to Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer) and Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas), Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) is communicating with the coalition while recovering from his shooting. "His condition corresponds to the course of rehabilitation. He is focused on returning to full health, subordinating all medical procedures to that end," said Kaliňák, adding that, in his opinion, Fico's recovery will take a few more weeks. (TASR)
Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nominee) was supposed to attend a parliamentary session on Tuesday, June 11 and present a draft amendment regarding the Media Services Act. However, she was nowhere to be found. On Wednesday, the Denník N daily reported that she was instead on a private trip in Croatia with Peter Kotlár, the government's special envoy for the investigation of the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the act, Slovakia is supposed to designate a national Digital Services Coordinator. Originally, Slovakia was due to select one before February 17, but did not do so, resulting in European Commission taking action against Slovakia. (Denník N).
The Slovak Electricity Transmission System (SEPS) plans to continue to help Ukraine resolve emergency situations. The company extended the contract on the provision of emergency assistance in the form of short-term power supply by another 12 months. (SITA)
Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová (r) during her final visit to the Czech Republic as head of state. She met Czech President Petr Pavel (l). Later, she will receive the Czech Republic's highest honour, the Order of the White Lion, while at the same time she will award her counterpart the highest Slovak state award, the Order of the White Double Cross. (source: TASR)
Diplomat, former OSCE secretary-general and former foreign affairs minister Ján Kubiš will be President Peter Pellegrini's advisor for international policy issues. Kubiš ran for president in March, but was disqualified in the first round after receiving just 2 percent of the vote. (TASR)
On Wednesday, Parliament approved the deployment of up to five Slovak soldiers at the operational headquarters of the European Union's Naval Force Operation ASPIDES in Greece. (TASR)
A drone used for an intervention against mosquitoes in Bratislava's Petržalka borough. The drone applied a biocide called Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI), a naturally occuring bacterium that feeds on mosquito larvae. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR THURSDAY: Cloudy to overcast skies, with showers and rain in many places. Temperatures of between 17°C and 22°C, and between 12°C and 17°C in some northern parts, are expected. (SHMÚ)
JUNE 13 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Anton
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