What Slovakia Is Writing About: Coalition Agrees on Budget with 4.94% Deficit, Transaction Tax to Fall Only in 2028. SNS Sticks with Kuffa

The Coalition Council agreed on Friday on next year's budget with a deficit of 4.94 percent of GDP and wants to abolish the transaction tax only from 2028. On Monday, October 5, the government is prepared to approve the budget as well as changes at the environment ministry, which is currently led temporarily by PM Fico following Tomáš Taraba's dismissal. TASR ↗ SNS, meanwhile, continues to insist on Filip Kuffa as the new minister. Public debate is being overshadowed by the tragedy in Staškov and the question of how the state should respond to violence in schools. STVR ↗

The Budget: An Agreement That Pushes the Costliest Question Past the Elections

Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenický announced after the Coalition Council that next year's deficit will be 4.94 percent of GDP, i.e. just under five percent. The transaction tax is to be abolished from 2028. STVR ↗ Denník N summarized the same agreement by saying the coalition will "abolish [the transaction tax] only after the elections." Denník N ↗ Regular parliamentary elections are expected in 2027, so both formulations essentially describe the same thing.

Kamenický also claimed that the government is prepared to submit the budget on Monday and that there will be no tax or levy increases. Hospodárske noviny ↗ The statutory deadline for submitting the proposal to parliament is October 15. The government is relying on an exemption from the debt brake, and the opposition has turned to the Constitutional Court over its interpretation. Aktuality.sk ↗

The opposition read the negotiations as a trade of votes. Even before the Coalition Council, SaS spoke of "buying votes," and according to the agency, Gröhling criticized weeks of media messages exchanged between coalition partners about what constitutes a blackmail condition for whom. SITA ↗ Political scientist Samuel Spáč told Aktuality that a good law is not necessarily the one with the best impact, but the one for which an advantageous position can be negotiated. Aktuality.sk ↗

The Environment Ministry: SNS Sticks with Kuffa, Media Recall His Past

After the Coalition Council, Danko repeated that SNS stands by its position that the candidate for head of the environment ministry is Filip Kuffa. TASR ↗ SME adds that Kuffa remains the sole candidate even after the Coalition Council, and the government will settle on the name of Taraba's successor next week. SME ↗

Denník N published a profile presenting Kuffa as someone who, as state secretary, spent three years contributing to the weakening of nature protection. It recalls the quad bike in the national park, the helicopter over the Fatra mountains, and purges within nature conservation. Denník N ↗ This is the newspaper's assessment; SNS insists that Kuffa has the education needed to run the ministry.

The post became vacant within a single week. On September 28, STVR reported that Fico had withdrawn the motion to dismiss Taraba. STVR ↗ Yet the very next day parliament dismissed him anyway, with 77 MPs voting no confidence, as almost the entire opposition joined the seven SNS caucus members. Denník N ↗ In the debate, Taraba criticized Danko's conduct and said he would continue to support Robert Fico's government even after his dismissal. Bratislavský kuriér ↗ President Pellegrini formally dismissed him on September 30, and the environment ministry is now temporarily led by Fico. TA3 ↗ Danko subsequently denied that SNS had breached the coalition agreement by voting for the dismissal. STVR ↗

The Constitutional Court Also Blocks the Minister of Justice

Denník N writes that Justice Minister Boris Susko's efforts to change the composition of the disciplinary chambers of the Supreme Administrative Court have run into trouble at the Constitutional Court. According to the newspaper, the intervention affects 24 cases. The list of coalition laws that have not passed the Constitutional Court continues to grow. Denník N ↗

Opposition: Squares on November 17 and an Internal Dispute Within PS

At a press conference on Friday, Igor Matovič announced that the Slovakia Movement has reserved squares in regional capitals for November 17 and is inviting PS, SaS, KDH, and the extra-parliamentary Demokrati to appear there together. Hospodárske noviny ↗ The offer came on the same day that Martin Dubéci of PS called for Matovič to step down as leader of the Slovakia Movement. Aktuality.sk ↗ So far no one has publicly confirmed whether the other parties will join the event.

Staškov: A Dispute Over What the State Should Do

According to statements from politicians, the tragedy at the elementary school in Staškov must not become a subject of party political battles. Richard Raši called for respect toward the victims. SITA ↗ At the same time, opposition women politicians claim that the education ministry's proposal currently before parliament will not solve violence in schools. Turčanová of KDH pointed out that expensive cameras will not save schools. Hospodárske noviny ↗ According to STVR, the government is also preparing a law against the radicalization of children. STVR ↗ Denník N notes that rumors are trying to pin the tragedy on the school, even though the internet and family environment may have had an influence. Denník N ↗

Under the Radar

The Donald Trump administration redirected more than 50 million dollars in military aid, which was also intended for Slovakia, to four Latin American countries, despite objections from Democrats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. TA3 ↗ The European Commission, meanwhile, is suing Slovakia over its missing electronic customs system. SITA ↗ And President Pellegrini posted a photograph with US President Trump on social media. STVR ↗

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