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Slovakia

Slovakia is a central European country bordering the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Ukraine and Poland. The nation recently held an early parliamentary election that saw populist Robert Fico return to power.

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All Content on this topic

Two workers walking outside an oil refinery

War in Ukraine: Russian oil still flowing into the EU

Ukraine is taking direct action to limit the flow of Russian oil and gas to Europe.
BusinessAugust 1, 2024
DW Sendung Fokus Europa | Frankreich Wahlen Migration

Focus on Europe – Spotlight on People

Muslims in France fear for their future.
PoliticsJuly 18, 202426:04 min
Slowakei | Die Leute halten ein Banner mit der Aufschrift „Hände weg von RTVs (Slowakisches öffentliches Radio und Fernsehen)“

Slovakia: How political unrest consumes a country

Death threats, assassinations – the fight between political groups is escalating in Slovakia.
SocietyJuly 18, 202405:15 min
A photo of a damaged stage at the Pohoda Festival, in Trencin, Slovakia, on July 12, 2024

Slovakia: At least 15 hurt as storm hits music festival

Thunder and strong gusts of wind damaged a large tent and staging at the Pohoda festival in the western city of Trencin.
CatastropheJuly 13, 2024
Emergency personnel work

Several killed after train hits bus in southern Slovakia

The Prague-Budapest train collided with a bus in the town of Nove Zamky, Slovakia.
CatastropheJune 27, 2024
People protest against the planned revamp of RTVS in Bratislava.

Slovakian parliament approves plan to revamp RTVS

Opposition members walked out of parliament before the vote to overhaul the country's public broadcaster.
PoliticsJune 21, 2024
Pellegrini speaks during his inauguration in Bratislava, Slovakia

Slovakia: Fico ally Pellegrini sworn in as president

The new president of Slovakia, Peter Pellegrini, called for a "just peace" in Ukraine during the swearing-in ceremony.
CrimeJune 15, 2024
Bratislava castle and two apparent blocks seen against an orange evening sky

Slovak journalists fear govt. repression after Fico shooting

Critics have said Slovakia's government appears to be using the prime minister's shooting to curtail press freedoms.
PoliticsJune 15, 2024
A mass of cheering people hold hands with their arms upfifted while some Hungarian flags can be seen in the background

EU elections: No hard right turn in the east

Poland, Slovakia and Hungary delivered the biggest surprises, with Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban looking vulnerable.
PoliticsJune 10, 2024
Police arrest a man after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and injured in the town of Handlova, Slovakia, on May 15, 2024.

Alarm over rise in politically motivated violence in Europe

This year's EU vote is taking place against a backdrop of rising political violence. A spate of attacks sparks concern.
PoliticsJune 9, 202401:42 min
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico looks straight at the camera

Slovakia: Robert Fico makes first comments since shooting

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico blamed opposition parties for an assassination attempt last month.
PoliticsJune 5, 2024
Fico speaks at a campaign rally in September 2023

Slovak PM Fico released from hospital after shooting

In mid-May, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot with four bullets and had to undergo multiple surgeries.
PoliticsMay 31, 2024
A group of people stand under a banner that reads "European Elections" in Brussels

After Slovakia, EU elections face digital threats

Digital deepfakes can influence elections at the last minute. A recent case in point: Slovakia.
SocietyMay 27, 202404:21 min
A bear in a dumpster

Bears on the prowl in Slovak towns and villages

Politicians say the answer to a spate of brown bear attacks is to make it easier to shoot the protected animals.
Nature and EnvironmentMay 26, 2024
Deutschland | Omas gegen rechts

Focus on Europe - Spotlight on People

Right-wing populists could make strong gains in the European elections at the beginning of June.
SocietyMay 23, 202426:03 min
Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Robert Kalinak

Slovakia: PM Fico's condition currently not life-threatening

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot at point-blank range when meeting supporters.
PoliticsMay 19, 2024
The F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital in Banska Bystrica

Slovakia: 'Positive prognosis' for injured PM Fico

Premier Robert Fico is in a stable but serious condition after a shooting attack, Slovakia's health minister says.
CrimeMay 18, 2024
A bodyguard in suit and tie, and rescue workers dressed in orange accompany a stretcher

Slovakia: 'We have to stop this hatred'

After months of anti-government protests in the capital there was shock but limited compassion from Bratislavans.
PoliticsMay 18, 2024
F.D. Roosevelt University Hospital where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is being treated in Handlova, in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia

Slovakia: PM Fico in 'serious' state after another operation

Friday's operation lasted almost two hours, Robert Fico's deputy said.
PoliticsMay 17, 2024
Prime Minister Robert Fico is seen wearing a suit, holding a red binder

Robert Fico shooting highlights Slovakia's deep polarization

The assassination attempt on PM Robert Fico is indicative of Slovakia's long history of political strife and violence.
PoliticsMay 17, 2024
A general view of the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital where Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was undergoing operation after being shot

Slovak PM in stable condition after surgery

On Wednesday, Robert Fico was targeted by a gunman during a public event.
CrimeMay 16, 202402:34 min
Picture taken on May 15, 2024 shows Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico being transported from a helicopter by medic

Slovakia: PM Fico able to speak, 'lone wolf' suspect charged

Slovakia's president-elect visited Prime Minister Robert Fico in hospital, saying he was able to speak but not easily.
PoliticsMay 16, 2024
Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico speaks with people in Handlova, Slovakia

Former Slovak PM Heger: Political violence on the rise

Speaking with DW, former Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger said "violence has no room in democratic society."
CrimeMay 16, 202405:26 min
A view of rescue workers and policemen taking Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico into a hospital

Slovak PM Fico severely injured after being shot

Slovakia's PM Robert Fico is out of life-threatening condition after severe injuries from an assassination attempt.
CrimeMay 16, 202402:08 min
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico being transported from a helicopter by medics to the hospital

Slovak PM Robert Fico shot and injured

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in hospital in serious condition after being shot four times on Wednesday.
CrimeMay 16, 2024
Emergency workers wheel Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, to a hospital in the town of Banska Bystrica

Slovakia: PM Fico shot in 'an attack on democracy'

Slovakian Prime Minister Fico underwent surgery after being shot in an "assassination attempt," his office has said.
CrimeMay 15, 2024
DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe 2 May 2024

The Gaza flotilla activists stranded in Turkey, why Scotland's Humza Yousaf quit while Spain's Pedro Sanchez stays and media activists call for the right to information. Also: EU election season is now underway, why EU enlargement states have veered to the far right, the end for Slovakia's public broadcaster, Venice's pay-to-get-in rule and Denmark cashes in on Sweden’s Eurovision limelight.
PoliticsMay 2, 202454:59 min
DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe 25 April 2024

Fifty years after Portugal's Carnation Revolution, we journey through the mutinous streets of Lisbon, plus the EU's Green Deal is in trouble. Can it be saved? We also focus on the topic of land — Danish land that’s been deliberately flooded, Bulgarian land deliberately left un-tilled and Italian land bought up by the mafia. And: why Slovakia's brown bears have become a big wedge issue.
PoliticsApril 25, 202454:59 min
Slovakian President-elect Peter Pellegrini

Slovakia: Ukraine-skeptic Pellegrini wins presidential race

Peter Pellegrini is set to become Slovakia's president after defeating opposition independent Ivan Korcok.
PoliticsApril 7, 2024
Robert Fico in Vietnam

Vietnam-Slovakia ties to improve, thanks to new Slovak PM

Robert Fico is looking to reestablish ties with Vietnam seven years after relations became strained.
PoliticsApril 5, 2024
DW Podcast | Inside Europe | provisorisch f ROAD

Inside Europe 28 March 2024

Will Putin use the Moscow attack to further tighten his grip? Could a pro-western candidate win Slovakia's presidential election? And the refugee crisis in Europe that no one is talking about. Also: A secret recording hints at more corruption in Hungary's government, is it 'Time's up' for Spain's late-night bar culture? and 100-year-old Dutch prisons are remodeled for the 21st century.
PoliticsMarch 28, 202454:59 min
A symbol picture of a bear in Slovakia

Slovakia says bear that wounded 5 shot dead

The bear had bit and scratched people in Slovakia, with one individual almost losing an eye.
Nature and EnvironmentMarch 27, 2024
Peter Pellegrini and Ivan Korcok pictured during a TV duel.

Slovakia: Presidential election proceeds to runoff

Ukraine is a key issue in the Slovak presidential race, with Peter Pellegrini and Ivan Korcok set for the runoff.
PoliticsMarch 23, 2024
A man walks past election posters of two presidential candidates: Ivan Korcok (left) and Peter Pellegrini (right), Bratislava, Slovakia, March 15, 2024

Slovakia decides: Democracy's future at stake in election

A victory for the populist prime minister's ally on Saturday will make it easier to push through unpopular policies.
PoliticsMarch 21, 2024
Robert Fico, Prime Minister of Slovakia

Slovakia: Thousands protest public broadcaster revamp plan

The protesters warned that the changes would give the government full control of the Slovak public television and radio.
Press FreedomMarch 16, 2024
Slowakei Bratislava | Proteste gegen Strafrechtsreform

Focus on Europe - Spotlight on People

Slovakian painter Andrej Dúbravský is openly gay and a target of the country's culture minister.
SocietyMarch 14, 202426:05 min
Slowakei Bratislava | Proteste gegen Strafrechtsreform

Slovakia: Protests against the government

Andrej Dúbravský is an openly gay painter and has become a target of Slovakia's culture minister.
SocietyMarch 14, 202405:56 min
From left to right: Slovakia's Fico, Poland's Tusk, the Czech Republic's Fiala and Hungary's Orban

Ukraine: Deep divisions among central European nations

Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia – known as the Visegrad Four – are divided on Russia's war in Ukraine.
PoliticsFebruary 27, 2024
DW Dokumentationen | Die letzten ihrer Art - Lastenträger der Tatra

The Last of their Kind – Porters in the Tatra Mountains

Delivery service in the world’s smallest high mountain range is still done the traditional way.
SocietyFebruary 13, 202428:35 min
Slovak PM Robert Fico speaks to the press during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not seen) in Berlin, January 24, 2024. Behind him are the Slovak and German flags

Slovakia: What's changed in Fico's first 100 days in office?

Returning PM Robert Fico's first 100 days in office have been marked by widespread protests at home and unease abroad.
PoliticsJanuary 31, 2024
A large crowd of people holding up placards and EU and Slovak flags at a protest

Is Slovakia on a fast track to illiberalism?

Protests have grown in response to the prime minister's judiciary proposals, which many say threaten the rule of law.
Rule of LawJanuary 15, 2024
Rainbow and transgender flags on sale at the Rainbow Pride Bratislava Parade, Bratislava, Slovakia, July 22, 2023

Slovakia: Surgery once again a condition for gender change

The revocation of guidelines on gender transition in Slovakia has caused dismay and concern in the LGBTQ+ community.
DiversityJanuary 12, 2024
A screenshot shows Keir Starmer and an audio track

Deepfakes: Manipulating elections with AI

Deepfakes are being used around the world to discredit political opponents — and the fakes are getting harder to spot.
Digital WorldDecember 5, 202301:10 min
Slovak President Zuzana Caputova (centre, in a pale blue coat) poses for a 'family photo' with the members of Robert Fico's (left of the president) new government, Presidential Palace, Bratislava, Slovakia, October 25, 2023

Slovakia: Fico's cabinet includes controversial appointments

The cabinet of Slovakia's populist Prime Minister Robert Fico includes some controversial figures.
PoliticsNovember 24, 2023
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (left) grimaces as he speaks to his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico (right), at the European summit in Brussels, Belgium, October 26, 2023

Hungary, Czech Republic grapple for influence over Slovakia

The Czech Republic is trying to use its close ties with Slovakia to keep its neighbor in Europe's pro-Ukraine camp.
PoliticsNovember 21, 2023
Slovak prime minister Robert Fico arriving at a summit

Slovakia: Is populist PM Robert Fico a threat to EU, NATO?

How much of a risk does the return of nationalist Robert Fico as prime minister pose to EU and NATO unity?
PoliticsNovember 3, 2023
Illegal migrants cross the Slovakia-Hungarian border near Vyskovce Nad Iplom, Slovakia on September 6, 2023.

Slovakia sends troops to Hungarian border to curb migration

The government said more than 40,000 undocumented migrants had been detected within its borders this year.
MigrationOctober 31, 2023
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico (left) and President Zuzana Caputova (right)

Slovakia forms coalition government with pro-Russia party

New Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico promised to end military help for Ukraine in his electoral campaign.
PoliticsOctober 25, 2023
Four small children play outside yellow bungalows on both sides of a simple road while carpets and laundry dry on walls and lines in the sun

Slovakia: Record number of Roma elected to parliament

Most of Slovakia's new Roma lawmakers are members of OLANO and Friends, which has huge support in the Roma community.
PoliticsOctober 19, 2023
The election billboard for the Republika party, the Smer party, and the SNS party from left to right seen on the street in Bratislava.

Populists and propaganda: Electoral thriller in Slovakia

The Slovak election campaign was turbulent, and featured pro-Russian propaganda, fake news and anti-Europe slogans.
PoliticsOctober 8, 202312:36 min