As the mercury rises, Slovak politicians will “cool off” – or so we are told

Welcome to your weekly commentary and overview of news from Slovakia. Heger plans to do a lot of talking this summer, but there is only so much good that talking can do. A former general prosecutor escapes judgement at the last moment. Everyone is feeling the effects of inflation - including the tax collection forecast.

Matovič, communication or both. What is the coalition’s problem?

The gentlemen will now repair to the billiard room, where they propose to continue their discussions behind closed doors. There may or may not be food, or even a glass of wine, to make the nascent compromise easier to digest. At the end of the summer they will emerge, transformed, from these ruminations to present to the public their brand new deal. The finance minister, who also happens to be leader of the government’s largest party, will be a changed man, communicating and behaving in a style so calm and considered that we will scarcely recall his consistently rabid outbursts over the past decade and more. The stubborn economy minister, far from threatening to prematurely bring down the second government of which he has been a member, will take a step back and accept his colleague once again – just as in that press conference announcing the arrival in Slovakia of a fifth carmaker only a few weeks ago.