Good evening. Here is the Monday, February 24 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Who will be the new ministers?
Coalition parties chairs from left: Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas), Robert Fico (Smer) and Andrej Danko (SNS). (source: TASR)
Last week, the ruling coalition signed an amendment to the coalition agreement, which essentially meant ministry reshuffling. Smer has gained two more ministries, the Investment Ministry originally held by Hlas, and the Sports and Tourism Ministry formerly held by SNS, reflecting that both have lost a few MPs.
This was a first step in once again securing a stable majority of the ruling coalition in parliament, preferably the original 79-member majority.
Now the question remains who will be the new ministers. Over the last few days, two name have been mentioned. Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) should be directly involved in negotiations.
Speaking on the political shows V Politike and O 5 Minút 12, both SNS chair Andrej Danko and Defence Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer), respectively, did not rule out that Rudolf Huliak might become the sports and tourism minister. Last year, the far-right MP and leader of the small, Russia-friendly National Coalition party, left the SNS caucus, along with Ivan Ševčík, Pavel Ľupták. Huliak and his group have wanted a ministerial post – specifically, the Environment Ministry – which he was close to securing after the last election, until then-president Zuzana Čaputová blocked his appointment over his climate change denial.
However, Huliak's party also wants Slovakia to leave the EU and NATO, something President Peter Pellegrini might have a problem with. "I'd not like a minister that would want Slovakia to leave the EU and NATO in the government," he said, without mentioning Huliak and avoiding any other question as to Huliak's appointment.
The other possible minister might be Hlas MP Ján Ferenčák. Although originally one of the four rebellious party MPs, he was not expelled. His name was hinted at by Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer) who stressed Ferenčák's experience while speaking on the Na Telo political show.
According to Kaliňák, the next step will be talking to the group around Huliak, now joined by former Hlas MP Roman Malatinec, then followed by talks with Ferenčák, Radomír Šalitroš and Samuel Migaľ. The latter two were expelled from Hlas.
President Pellegrini may see the names this week, according to Blanár.
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FEATURE STORY
From a carefree childhood to a target of persecution
Frank Lowy (source: Courtesy, Frank Lowy)
After losing much of his family in the Holocaust, Frank Lowy left his birthplace. He became a multi-billionaire and a philanthropist, but kept returning to Fiľakovo, a town in southern Slovakia, looking for traces of his family.
He restored the cemetery and, on the site of the demolished synagogue, erected a memorial to its lost Jewish community. As this community, including his father who perished in the Holocaust, had supported the town's football team, so did he.
EVENT FOR THE COMING WEEKS
The tragic story of the Titanic
A new exhibition showcasing items from the Titanic, including various visual assets, tells the story of the most famous ocean liner. The exhibition is in Sport Mall in the Bratislava borough of Lamač. (source: TASR)
Showcasing around 200 real artifacts recovered from the seafloor, a new exhibition dedicated to the Titanic has now opened in the Bratislava borough of Lamač. These include the ship's equipment, pieces of furniture, porcelain, and personal belongings of passengers. Visitors will also be able to witness reconstructions of the engine room, dining room and cabins, as well as learn the personal stories of various people that were onboard the ocean liner. The exhibition will last until August 24. Click here to get tickets and learn more.
IN OTHER NEWS
According to a new survey by the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Ukrainians mostly feel accepted in Slovakia and are interested in integrating into the society. More than two-thirds are employed, children are being integrated in schools, and most see their future in the country, although the language barrier still remains a challenge. The survey was carried out on a sample of 503 people who arrived here after Russia invaded their home country. According to UNICEF, finding housing, nutrition and a job remain the biggest challenges of Ukrainian refugees. Since the start of the war three years ago on this day, three million Ukrainian refugees have cross the Slovak border, with 130,000 out of them gaining the temporary protection status as of January 2025. Of them, 74 percent view the relations between them and the majority population as positive, while 24 percent view them as neutral. However, at least a third of households have a member that has experienced adversarial behaviours towards them. (SAV, TASR)
President Peter Pellegrini wants to hold another round table in regards to the potential increase in defence spending, so as to be able to present the widest-possible consensus on Slovakia's position at the next NATO summit. Both coalition and opposition parties will be invited. According to the president, Slovakia allocates and plans to continue allocating 2 percent of its GDP to defence and is open to discussions on increasing this funding, but an option that Slovakia might not increase the spending should also be discussed. Ruling coalition party SNS is against any increase in spending. US President Donald Trump recently asked countries to spend 5 percent of their GDP on defence. (TASR)
A mountain rescuer during an exercise on a 19-metre tall ice tower in Oravská Polhora. (source: TASR)
Addressing rising prices and living costs should be the EU's top priority over the next five years is the opinion of 40 percent of young people in EU, with 47 percent of Slovaks aged 16 to 30 in agreement, according to a new Eurobarometer survey. The second biggest issue is focusing on the environment and climate change, which is of concern to a third. A similar percentage of Slovaks think so, too. As for support for the EU, about a third of Slovaks agree that they support both the union itself and the way it currently operates, while another third supports it, but is dissatisfied with the operation. Only 4 percent are against the EU. The results are similar to overall trends observed across the EU. The survey was carried out at the turn of September and October 2024, with 1,046 Slovaks and 25,863 people across the EU taking part. (TASR)
On Monday, Defence Ministers of Slovakia and Poland, Robert Kaliňák and Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, respectively, signed an agreement on strengthening cooperation in arms industry. The talks focused on Slovakia's interest in Polish portable air defense systems, joint activities in the production of 155 mm calibre ammunition, the joint production of an armored personnel carrier based on the Polish Rosmak vehicle with a Slovak turret, and Slovakia's interest in Korean K-2 tanks, which Poland will manufacture. (TASR)
On Saturday, Slovak female biathletes placed sixth in the relay race at the BMW IBU World Championships in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, making for the best position in the last six years. Throughout the race Ema Kapustová, Paulína Bátovská Fialková, Anastasia Kuzminová and Mária Remeňová were competing for medals, ultimately finishing 31 seconds behind Sweden, which came in third. The male biathletes did not finish their relay race later in the day. (Sportnet)
Ice skater on the frozen reservoir Dubník I in Stará Turá, western Slovakia. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: Cloudy to overcast skies, occasionally light rain and fog. Daily temperatures will rise to between 2 °C to 11 °C. (SHMÚ)
FEBRUARY 25 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Frederik, Frederika
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