Slovakia

Data from the 2021 census revealed, among others, that almost 4% of the inhabitants were not born in Slovakia, that more women than men live in the country and that the number of people without a religious faith has increased since the last census in 2011

General practitioners can no longer prescribe medicines recommended by a specialist; the Association of Outpatient Providers warned this would require more visits to doctors for chronic and elderly patients and called for the amendment to be re-evaluated

President Zuzana Caputova expressed just two wishes for the country for the year that has just begun: to build cohesion and cultivate humanity in order to overcome the health crisis as well as any future crisis

Although vaccines for children have arrived in the country since 17 December, registration has not been launched

The country's largest solar power plant will be built in the west, with an investment of €60 million; the plant could also become part of the project focusing on green hydrogen production

The country is one of the most resilient to potential attempts by foreign governments or agencies to influence public opinion and institutions in Central Europe and the Balkans, coming third in the latest Vulnerability Index conducted by Globsec

Students of the Comenius University in Bratislava marched for free universities, namely to withdraw the current wording of the amendment to the University Act from the legislative process

The historic Jurkovic thermal power station in an iconic building on the banks of the Danube in Bratislava has been given a new life, becoming a place with offices, a gallery, a café, a restaurant and a multi-purpose hall

Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatovic has expressed her concerns about a Slovak bill, currently in second reading in Parliament, that aims to make abortions less accessible

The bill that aimed at abolishing the mandatory Slovak music quotas for commercial radio stations has been withdrawn by Culture Minister upon request of the Ministry of Finance

The country, together with Czech Republic and Germany, will become part of the Central European Hydrogen Corridor, designed for transporting up to 120GWh per day from promising sources in Ukraine

According to the Slovak Statistical Office, in August 2021, the country's annual inflation reached 3.8%, the highest in almost 9 years, affecting especially fuel, rents and food products areas