Good evening. Here is the Wednesday, August 27 edition of Today in Slovakia – the main news of the day in a few minutes.

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On Friday, August 29, Slovakia marks the 81st anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising, which is a public holiday. As such, all shops will be closed, with a few exceptions.

Gvt cancels discussion of vaccine analysis findings

PM Robert Fico during the press briefing after the government session in Senica. (source: TASR)

On Wednesday, Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) chair Martin Venhart was scheduled to present the results of an analysis on Covid-19 vaccines at the government’s away-from-home session in Senica, western Slovakia. The results of the analysis, published last week, refuted claims by Peter Kotlár, the government proxy overseeing the investigation of Slovakia’s pandemic response, that the vaccines rewrite human DNA.

However, at the last minute, Venhart was informed that the government would not discuss the analysis, reports Aktuality.sk.

This prompted Venhart to appeal to President Peter Pellegrini for a meeting, citing the “urgent need to present the results of the analysis.” The Presidential Office confirmed receipt of the request, and the meeting is scheduled for next week.

Following the session, Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) stated that discussion of the analysis was not on the agenda, as he did not “want to burden the session with unrelated issues.” He added that it would not be discussed at next week’s session either. At the same time, he expressed full support for Kotlár, dismissing any suggestion of pressuring his removal. Fico described Kotlár as “an honest man and a great fighter” and wished that all ministers were like him, adding that Kotlár would be dismissed “over my dead body.”

Fico denied that this stance undermined the authority of SAV.

Scientists attacked: Following the publication of the analysis—whose full results have yet to be released—several coalition representatives immediately questioned the findings, including Tourism and Sports Minister Rudolf Huliak, a known climate change denier, and Smer MEP Ľuboš Blaha, who labelled SAV scientists as “progressive, politicised charlatans.” Blaha, an employee of SAV’s Institute of Political Science, has had longstanding conflicts with the academy, and SAV has previously distanced itself from him over his attacks on female journalists. No coalition MP has defended SAV.

Criticism: Opposition party SaS and MP Veronika Remišová (Slovensko-Za Ľudí-KÚ) criticised the government, calling specifically on the coalition Hlas to seek Kotlár’s dismissal. SaS chair Branislav Gröhling expressed concern that the full analysis might not be made public, suggesting that the coalition tolerates Kotlár to maintain its narrow majority. Kotlár was elected to parliament on the SNS slate.

Simultaneously, Remišová urged Health Minister Kamil Šaško and Education Minister Tomáš Drucker (both Hlas) to condemn the attacks on SAV scientists by Kotlár and Blaha. Drucker has previously criticised Kotlár, even comparing his rhetoric to conspiracy theories about a flat Earth, though he recently acknowledged Kotlár’s role in ensuring coalition stability. In the past, Šaško said that he would “always stand by facts.”

Progressive Slovakia MP Oskar Dvořák was very harsh in his criticism, saying that Fico “cares more about keeping his very own conspiracy theorist than about public health.” He also criticised Šaško for being passive, arguing that if SAV’s analysis was not enough to stand up for patients, he has no business being the health minister.

According to Aktuality, former SAV chair Pavel Šajgalík warned politicians that he considers “undermining the results [as] a road to hell.”

Calls to defend science: On Wednesday, the Slovak University of Technology (STU) in Bratislava called on the state to rely on scientific conclusions and communicate them clearly. STU emphasised that the work of scientists, universities, and research institutions is vital to strengthening public trust in objective knowledge. Comenius University added that only scientists may question scientific results, and then only on the basis of established procedures. The Academic Senate of the University of Trnava in Trnava also rejected the statements of Kotlár and other politicians that aim to discredit scientific research. At the same time, it called on public figures and citizens to defend science.

The Republic Union of Employers (RÚZ) also urged politicians to respect the work of scientists and refrain from questioning the outcomes of expert analyses. The union expressed concern that attacks on SAV scientists undermine public trust in facts and create space for disinformation.

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FEATURE STORY

A tale of two housing market

The Bratislava downtown. (source: Jozef Jakubčo)

Two rooms, at least 50 square metres in size, located in the centre of Bratislava or at least in its immediate vicinity, and costing no more than €230,000. This was the wish list for Jana and Daniel, a couple in their 20s with average incomes, when they set out to buy a flat in the capital at the start of this year. After seeing the first few offers, they quickly realised that with their budget a new build was out of reach.

Their story illustrates a wider problem: who are the new apartments in Bratislava really built for?

EVENT FOR THE WEEKEND

End the summer with a bang

The Uprising festival. (source: TASR)

Since its inception in 2008, the Uprising festival has become a staple event to say goodbye to summer. This year’s 18th edition will once again take place at the Zlaté Piesky lakes on the outskirts of Bratislava this weekend, August 29-30, bringing in acts such as Pendulum, Rudim3ntal, as well as musicians including Queen Omega, Don Carlos, Songer. Although originally targeting reggae fans, its scope has widened, bringing ska, Latino, drum and bass, dub and more genres. Grab your tickets here.

IN OTHER NEWS

• A third of Slovaks cannot afford a week-long summer holiday abroad, compared to the EU average of 27 percent. Slovakia ranked 8th in this regard; the worst off is Romania, followed by Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and Croatia. Compared to other neighbouring countries, only 18.5 percent of Czechs, 18.9 percent of Austrians and 25.5 Poles cannot afford such holiday. The main reason is the sharp rise in prices in Slovakia, reducing disposable income, lower wages. (SITA, Eurostat)

• The D1 highway in the direction of Bratislava will be closed from Thursday evening. The detour route will follow the road I/61 from the Senec intersection towards Zlaté piesky. (Bratislava Police via Facebook)

• Fomer Slovak footballer Marek Hamšík will take part in a charity match organised by the Portuguese Football Federation, in which legendary Portuguese players will face-off against the team comprising of legendary players from other countries, including Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo, Kaká, Alessandro del Piero, Carles Puyol, Petr Čech. He will be the only Slovak player on the team. The match will take place on September 15, the money collected will be donated to charities in Ukraine, Portugal and other countries. (TASR)

The Košice National Olympic Swimming Centre, the most state-of-the-art of its kind in Slovakia, will officially welcome the general public on Saturday, August 30, with a 24-hour swimming marathon. (source: TASR)

• The ban on open fires in the Bratislava city forests has been lifted. Visitors can start fires and use grills in designated places. (Mestské Lesy via Facebook)

• From Monday, September 1, the public transport services in Bratislava will resume their regular schedule. This means that the tram 3, now running to the end of Petržalka, will operate in 2.5-minute intervals in the morning rush hour. Bus 131 will resume operation on September 15, while bus 184 will do so on September 16. Buses 31, 39 and 87 will resume their regular schedules also on this day. (TASR)

• Slovak President Peter Pellegrini signed the Police Cooperation Convention for South-Eastern Europe, making the international cooperation when it comes to automatic exchange of DNA data, dactyloscopic data, vehicle registration data, joint threat analysis, witness protection, cross-border surveillance, and other forms of cooperation more efficient. (TASR)

WEATHER FOR THURSDAY: Expect light cloud cover that occassionaly might increase. Daily temperatures will range from 29°C to 34°C. Level 1 wind warning issued for westernmost districts from noon to evening. (SHMÚ)

AUGUST 28 NAME DAY IN SLOVAKIA: Všetko najlepšie to all Augustíns!

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