Slovakia: PM Fico addresses coalition disputes and fiscal warnings

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has addressed internal coalition tensions, specifically regarding the position of Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba. Fico expressed support for Taraba, describing him as a “good minister,” but noted that the SNS party must resolve its internal disputes regarding Taraba’s potential replacement by September 30. Fico emphasized that he respects the coalition agreement, which allocates the environment ministry to the SNS, and ruled out a general reshuffling of ministries between coalition partners.

On economic matters, Fico announced that the transaction tax will be abolished starting January 1, 2027. This move is expected to require approximately 450 million euros in budget adjustments, potentially through broad spending cuts. Meanwhile, the Fiscal Responsibility Council (RRZ) has warned that the government is failing to meet legal obligations to reduce the national debt, which reached 61.4% of GDP at the end of 2025. The RRZ noted that without further measures, the debt could exceed 75% of GDP by 2030.

In political developments, Tomáš Szalay, a physician and healthcare analyst, has joined the Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party. Szalay intends to focus on systemic reforms within the Slovak healthcare sector, including hospital management and outpatient services.