Welcome to Today in Slovakia — where hatred may have just climbed out of the political arena (unless it was just a thief with terrible timing).

Before dawn on Wednesday, an intruder scrambled onto the roof of Denník N journalist Martin M. Šimečka and his wife Marta Šimečková — herself a human rights activist and translator — and smashed a window above the room where she slept. Then fled, media reported.

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The couple live in Bratislava. And yes — they’re the parents of Progressive Slovakia (PS) leader Michal Šimečka, the main rival of Prime Minister Robert Fico.

Police are investigating. PS went straight to social media, calling on citizens to share stories of theft and insecurity: “Let Fico finally see what ordinary people go through.”

The twist: for the past year, Fico has made the Šimečka family a political punching bag, accusing Marta Šimečková of cashing in on state grants — without proof. She’s publicly denied it and even published an open letter explaining the finances of her NGO.

Fico, who survived an assassination attempt last May, loves to say the opposition spreads hate. But this week’s shattered glass in Bratislava suggests the government might be doing just fine spreading some of its own.

Or maybe it really was just a burglar. In Slovakia these days, it’s hard to tell the difference.  

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A Polish plug for Slovakia

Polish President Karol Nawrocki (centre right) and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini walk into the Presidential Palace during their meeting in Bratislava on 5 November 2025. (source: TASR – Jaroslav Novák)

While the Šimečkas were dealing with broken glass, President Peter Pellegrini was polishing diplomacy. Polish head of state Karol Nawrocki, a populist, paid an official visit to Slovakia on Wednesday, pitching a plan to make Poland a regional gas hub — sending US LNG south to Slovakia and Ukraine. The idea: less Moscow, more Washington. Pellegrini liked the idea.

THE BIG IDEA — Nawrocki said Poland could soon send 4–5 billion cubic metres of American gas annually, roughly Slovakia’s entire yearly consumption. A joint statement could follow this week at a transatlantic energy forum in Athens, Reuters reports.  

Pellegrini stressed he wants gas at a “reasonable price and with fair transit fees”. Despite diversification efforts, Slovakia remains reliant on Russian energy.

JOINT FRONT — The two presidents also found harmony on migration (“no quotas”) and defence ties. Pellegrini said Slovakia plans closer cooperation with Poland’s arms industry, eyeing Korean-made K2 tanks that Warsaw will soon produce locally.

NUCLEAR BUDDIES — Slovakia offered its nuclear know-how as Poland builds its first atomic power plant — an area where Bratislava boasts decades of experience.

UNITED ON UKRAINE — Nawrocki rejected talk of any split, saying he “doesn’t understand where the perception comes from” that Slovakia is less supportive of Ukraine. “It’s real, measurable help — reflected in the statistics, whether in energy, logistics, or military support,” he said. It may sound supportive, but the language of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, whom Nawrocki also met, tells a different story. And it’s language the Polish government, led by Donald Tusk, doesn’t seem to appreciate.

ON THE ROAD — Both presidents also agreed on the need to finish key cross-border infrastructure.

WHAT THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR HAD ON WEDNESDAY:

Axed after 14 days 

Vojtech Ferencz (source: ­SITA)

But Wednesday wasn’t all handshakes and photo ops. The head of Slovakia’s state forestry company Lesy SR barely had time to unpack. After just two weeks in the job, Vojtech Ferencz was sacked by Agriculture Minister Richard Takáč (Smer) on Wednesday. His replacement: Juraj Marko, the boss of the firm’s Tribeč branch, according to Denník N.

THE SHORT-STAY CEO — Ferencz, a former deputy minister and ally of politician and businessman Peter Žiga (Hlas) — whose family trades in timber — was brought in to “clean up” the state enterprise. Two weeks later, he was out. 

FOLLOW THE WOOD — Sources say Ferencz began digging into which companies actually process their wood — and which just resell it for profit. That curiosity may have cost him the job.

BACK IN BUSINESS — Since Smer’s return to power, the Smer-linked Norbert Bödör network has reportedly regained influence in Lesy SR. Ferencz’s mistake, observers say, wasn’t corruption — it was not understanding the assignment.

FAST AND FEARLESS — Even for Smer, firing your own man after two weeks is impressively shameless. Reformers should beware — the forest is reserved for friends. 

Huliak ups the ante

Rudolf Huliak (source: TASR)

Slovakia’s sports minister loves forests — or rather, hunting in them. But he’s got a different problem now. President Peter Pellegrini refused to sign Sports and Tourism Minister Rudolf Huliak’s casino bill on Monday — and the Slovak National Party (SNS), a junior coalition partner, says it won’t help him override the veto. Without their seven votes, the fragile ruling coalition doesn’t have the numbers.

THE PLAN — Huliak wanted the state-owned lottery Tipos to take over casino licenses and funnel €100 million a year into the budget. As it turned out, the rushed and poorly written bill — due to take effect just four days after passage — was tailor-made to let Tipos seize five major casinos before their permits expired.

INSIDE JOB — Since taking over the Sports and Tourism Ministry, Huliak, a former SNS ally, has packed Tipos’s board with loyalists and steered state grants toward people tied to his Rural (Vidiek) Party and hometown of Očová.

THE MESSAGE TO COALITION PARTNERS — “As you call into the forest, so it echoes back,” Huliak warned this week — a not-so-subtle threat that his MPs won’t automatically back government bills. During his recent media appearances, Huliak claimed to have five sympathetic MPs, not just the three from his party, promising their names will soon be “clear from the votes”. 

THE RHETORIC TURNS RAW — “If you’re not a mafia member, a thief or a fraudster, you have no chance to do anything for people in this country,” Huliak said on Tuesday — casting himself as a crusader against corruption and “mafias in gambling”. 

PENTA PUSHES BACK — Investment group Penta hit back at Huliak’s claims that it’s part of a “mafia” trying to destroy physical casinos. The group — which owns betting giant Fortuna with strong online presence — called his remarks “absurd”, arguing he’s twisting facts about Slovakia’s gambling market. Penta noted that brick-and-mortar casinos pay just 17.4 percent in effective taxes, among the lowest in the EU. In Slovakia, online gambling is taxed more heavily than physical casinos — the opposite of most countries. Penta suggested Huliak’s outrage obscures who really benefits from low taxes.

HULIAK’S NEW TARGET — Meanwhile, Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba — also from the SNS stable — is pushing a bill to tighten his control over the Environmental Fund, which manages hundreds of millions of euros in pollution fees. The proposal is being fast-tracked through parliament this month. After losing support on his casino plan, Huliak has turned his fire on Taraba, calling him a “lobbyist for online gambling groups” and hinting that his MPs could block the fund reform. His faction is now drafting amendments to the bill, but hasn’t said what they’ll include.

In other news

• Thousands of protesters once again filled Bratislava on Wednesday, demanding the resignation of intelligence chief Pavol Gašpar, son of a close ally of Prime Minister Robert Fico, over a series of scandals. The crowd led by the SaS party — joined for the first time by other opposition politicians from KDH and Progressive Slovakia — marched from the city centre to the Government Office, chanting “Resign!” and “Mafia, resign!” (Denník N)

• The retrial over the 2018 murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée will begin in January, the Specialised Criminal Court confirmed. Businessman Marian Kočner and his associate Alena Zsuzsová are accused of ordering the killing, which shocked Slovakia and triggered mass protests. The new panel, chaired by Judge Miroslav Mazúch, has set 43 hearing dates, starting 26 January. (TASR)

• Bratislava has launched its next PAAS zone in the Old Town — around Hrad and Sokolovňa — with paid parking running daily from 8:00 to midnight. Rates range from €1.50–€2 on weekdays and half that on weekends. Locals have 60 days to swap or refund their old Old Town stickers.

A protest march organised by the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party calling for the resignation of Slovak Information Service (SIS) director Pavol Gašpar, held in Bratislava on 5 November 2025. (source: TASR – Pavel Neubauer)

• Greenpeace Poland has taken Slovakia to the European Commission, accusing it of breaching EU law by allowing hunters to kill up to 350 brown bears without a proper environmental review. (TASR)

• Algeria has opened its first-ever embassy in Bratislava. Deputy Foreign Minister Marek Eštok received the new ambassador, Habiba Derradji Kherrourou, marking a fresh chapter in Slovak–Algerian ties.

• Slovakia will have to import most of its low-emission hydrogen if it wants to meet EU climate goals, the government admitted in a new long-term strategy adopted Wednesday. The plan outlines hydrogen production scenarios through 2050, but concedes domestic conditions are far from ideal. (TASR)

THE BRIGHT SIDE

CLEANED. Nepali Sherpas have wiped away the graffiti left by Slovak rapper Separ on a rock at Everest Base Camp, after traveller and activist Dorota Nvotová arranged its removal — a small win for the Himalayas, and for Slovakia’s image abroad. (Closer)  

SHINING. Prešov’s Christmas tree is already standing tall in the city centre — a 13.5-metre silver fir with a heart-warming backstory. The tree, gifted by the Krajči family from nearby Ľubotice, was planted 23 years ago for their son’s 20th birthday and will now light up the city. A present once for one, now for all. (SITA)    

GRAZING. Residents of Lučenec got an unexpected dose of rural calm on Wednesday morning when a lone sheep was spotted peacefully grazing outside the local hospital. Photos of the four-legged visitor quickly flooded social media. The sheep — seen wandering around town for several days — remains unclaimed but has turned an ordinary workday into a small pastoral idyll in the middle of the town. (Bystricak)  

A full moon glows over Bratislava on Wednesday, 5 November 2025. This November full moon is the largest of the year — a so-called supermoon — appearing slightly bigger and brighter because the Moon is nearly 30,000 kilometres closer to Earth than usual. The last time it looked this large was in 2019, though the difference from an ordinary full moon is barely noticeable to the naked eye. (source: TASR – Martin Baumann)

READING. In Pezinok, kiosk owner Vladislav Marušić is giving away 2,000 books for free after the town cancelled his lease to build parking spaces — a move he calls revenge for his environmental activism. Locals have rallied online, suggesting the rescued books find new homes in libraries and hospitals. (Bratislavak)

OOPS.  Sports Minister Rudolf Huliak, still smarting from President Peter Pellegrini’s veto of his gambling bill, had another rough day on JOJ 24 on Tuesday — this time for an unscripted bodily interruption. Mid-interview, he let out a loud burp, quickly asking, “Pardon, can that be cut out?” only for the host to remind him they were live. Smiling, she added, “It’s human — it happens, it’s after lunch.” Huliak apologised, blaming the timing — “It’s lunchtime” — and tried to laugh it off. 

CURSED. In Čadca, a thief made off with a carpet left drying on a communal rack — only to face a handwritten warning from its furious owner: “Return the carpet! Or you’ll be cursed!” The note, which added that the rug had been soiled by a dog and infested with ants, went viral on Slovak social media, turning a petty theft into an internet comedy hit. (Zilinak)

Thursday, 6 November — What to expect

• Bratislava City Council holds its regular session.

• German-Slovak Chamber of Commerce (AHK Slowakei) press briefing on investor sentiment and the outlook for 2026.

• KDH Deputy Chair Marián Čaučík to brief on a parliamentary inspection at the Agricultural Payment Agency.

• Association of Slovak Writers to present the Pavol Országh Hviezdoslav Award for translation and promotion of Slovak literature abroad.

• Slovakia face Austria in the Deutschland Cup ice hockey tournament.

• Slovan Bratislava play KuPS Kuopio in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

THURSDAY’S FRONT PAGES

SME: Even government mayors see the thefts.

Denník N: Law of the street.

Pravda: Gambling splits the coalition. Huliak calls it a betrayal.

Hospodárske noviny: Šaško discusses the hospital with the Dutch.

Thursday weather: Mostly clear skies. Daytime highs 10-16°C. (SHMÚ)

Name day: Renáta.

That’s all from us today — thanks for tuning in. We’ll be back Thursday.

P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at [email protected].

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