Good evening. Here is the Monday, April 7 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Europe rearmament... What is it good for?
PM Robert Fico (Smer) at the Slavin Memorial to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava from fascism on Friday, April 4. (source: TASR)
This year, April 4 marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava from fascism. On the occasion, celebrations were held at the Slavín memorial, where 6,845 Soviet soldiers were buried.
The event, organised by the Slovak government, also featured a speech by Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Igor Bratchikov, despite Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine. Around 2,000 people, mostly seniors, attended the event, as did the pro-Russian biker group Brat za Brata. Also present was extremist Daniel Bombic.
In his speech, PM Robert Fico (Smer) criticised ambassadors from European Union countries who chose not to attend. He accused them of disrespecting the memory of WWII victims and claimed they were "boycotting" instead of doing their duty.
However, according to the Sme daily, many EU ambassadors had informed the Slovak government days earlier that they would not attend due to the presence of the Russian envoy.
Fico further criticised Slovakia's NATO allies for increasing defense spending and questioned why the EU should allocate €800 billion for rearmament.
Neither President Peter Pellegrini nor Bratislava Mayor Matúš Vallo attended the event.
Fico also mentioned his upcoming trip to Moscow in May to commemorate the end of WWII at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He expressed hope of personally thanking Moscow and the Red Army for liberating Slovakia and concluded his speech with praise for the Soviet troops.
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FEATURE STORY
Parts of Bratislava to see significant development
The upcoming changes to the Bratislava's Zimný Prístav area (Old Port) have been touted as the "real estate business of the century". (source: TASR)
It's been turbulent times for the real estate market. A dramatic decline replaced years of growth. Nevertheless, developers have not been twiddling their thumbs.
Instead, they have been either purchasing land or getting projects ready for further implementation. The Index magazine has looked at several sites and the upcoming projects.
EVENT FOR THIS WEEK
Na Zdravie! Cheers!
Illustrative image. (source: TASR)
This one is for all the beer lovers. This week from Wednesday to Friday, the Stará Tržnica venue in Bratislava's city centre is going to host the Salón Piva craft beer festival. You can look forward to dozens upon dozens of not just local, but foreign breweries as well. For more information, click here.
IN OTHER NEWS
On Monday, in an open letter, Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) employees warn of a crisis that is threatening the professional integrity, operational capacity and the reputation of the institute. The letter is addressed to the SHMÚ management, government, Environment Ministry and the general public. The experts warn of forced layoffs, budget cuts, the destruction of expertise and loss of trust in the institute's management due to threats on the latter's part. They also claim that their bonuses are cancelled, and work benefits, cooperation on international projects, foreign business trips are being limited. According to them, if SHMÚ is paralyzed, it will not be possible to properly ensure the early warning of extreme weather events, support for crisis management, the Mountain Rescue Service, meteorological services for aviation and defense, etc. Later on Monday, Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba (SNS nominee) ordered an in-depth audit of SHMÚ, claiming that the institution has fewer than 500 employees, yet almost 1,500 contracts. He also said that he knows of no case of bullying in the institution. (TASR)
Speaking on the V Politike talk show on Sunday, SNS chair Andrej Danko said that the transaction tax is an experiment that needs to end, and that it solely depends on PM Robert Fico (Smer). The tax is part of the consolidation package introduced by Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenický (Smer), which aims to bring €700 million to the state coffers. Danko wants to discuss scrapping the tax with the coalition partners first; if he fails, he will propose it in the parliament. Progressive Slovakia chair Michal Šimečka, also on the show, called on Danko to vote in favour of the former's proposal to scrap the tax, but would support Danko's proposal. Danko also said that there are MPs in the coalition against the tax and that his party would like its abolition by January 1, 2026 at the latest. In response, Hlas chair Matúš Šutaj Eštok said his party is ready to discuss the issue at a coalition council. (TASR)
Disinfection frames at the Petržalka-Berg Slovak-Austrian border crossing on Monday. (source: TASR)
According to Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár (Smer), Slovakia willing to discuss increasing defence budget over 2 percent of GDP and that achieving domestic consensus among relevant political parties is a priority. Among NATO countries, a proposal to increase defence spending to as much as five percent of GDP is on the table. (TASR)
An unknown person reported a bomb in the apartments of investigator Ján Čurilla and prosecutor Daniel Lipšic via e-mail, promising that they would die on Monday, April 7. Police officers with dogs searched both of their homes at midnight. General Prosecutor Maroš Žilinka strongly condemned the threat, saying that this was not only an attack on particular prosecutors, but also on the prosecution service as a law-protecting authority. In late March, the General Prosecutor Office faced a bomb threat, preceded by an attack and threats to prosecutors of the regional prosecutor's offices in Banska Bystrica and Trenčín, according to the office spokesperson Zuzana Drobová. (Denník N, TASR)
Former education minister Juraj Draxler was fined €300 for an anti-campaign against Ivan Korčok who ran for president last year. The Bratislava Municipal Office issued the fine based on the motion of the Let's Stop Corruption foundation, according to which the Facebook campaigning had an impact on up to 2.2 million accounts. Draxler spent approximately €11,000. The foundation criticised the decision as Draxler was fined the lowest possible amount, and pointed out that Hlas chair Matúš Šutaj Eštok and MEP Branislav Ondruš (Hlas) also paid for an anti-campaign, but were not fined. (SITA)
The European toad during its migration near the village of Lietavská Svinná - Babkov, Žilina Region. (source: TASR)
WEATHER FOR TUESDAY: The cloud cover will change throughout the day, occasionally and especially in the north rain below 500 metres of altitude, snow above. Daily temperatures will rise to between 2 °C in the north to 13 °C in the south-west. Level 1 ground frost warning issued for most of Slovakia with the exception of northern regions during the night. (SHMÚ)
APRIL 8 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Albert
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