AGP Executive Report

Water Security in Focus: Slovakia’s Supreme Audit Office warns water infrastructure has been neglected for years, with over 50% wear-and-tear, huge drinking-water losses, and an estimated €8–10 billion to get systems back to speed—while the ministry says it’s pushing EU and environmental funds but spending so far lags. Energy + Climate Policy: EU countries backed a plan to keep a larger pool of spare carbon permits in the ETS Market Stability Reserve to prevent carbon price spikes as energy costs rise. AI Infrastructure Debate: Slovakia is pitching Bratislava and a planned Málinec pumped-storage site for big data centres, citing nuclear power surplus and water for cooling—critics argue droughts and energy demand don’t add up. UN Diplomacy: President Peter Pellegrini told the UN General Assembly the world is worse than a year ago, naming climate change among major challenges, while Foreign Minister Juraj Blanár pushed respect for international law and stronger multilateral cooperation. Local Environment Angle: A “giant fox” has been spotted in forests above Bratislava, adding to Slovakia’s wildlife buzz.

Water Infrastructure: Slovakia’s Supreme Audit Office warns the country’s water systems have been neglected for years, with over half the infrastructure worn out and drinking-water losses exceeding 50 million cubic metres annually; fixing the backlog could cost €8–10 billion, while the Environment Ministry says it’s pushing EU and environmental-fund money toward wastewater and new networks. Heat & Power Risks: A new report highlights how Europe’s hotter summers are stressing rivers used to cool thermal and nuclear plants, forcing shutdowns or output cuts as water temperatures rise and drought lowers intake levels. Public Transport Costs: A Greenpeace study finds Bratislava’s annual public transport pass jumped from €199 (2023) to €263 (+32.2%), with Slovakia near the bottom on affordability and ticket options. Mobility Shift in Slovakia: Slovakia’s car fleet has grown to 3.8 million, but electric and public transport use are rising, with more than 111,800 EVs produced last year and rail and bus journeys increasing. Flood & Water Tech Links: The Sarawak Business Federation is exploring cooperation with Slovakia on waste and water management tech, including deposit return systems and flash-flood prediction. Energy Infrastructure Milestone: Mochovce 4 in Slovakia has started power generation, moving through staged output tests toward full commissioning. Nature & Cities: Bratislava’s Šantisko playground above Kamzík was rebuilt with an eight-metre wooden fox centerpiece designed to blend into the forest setting.

Heat & power stress: A new report highlights how Europe’s extreme heat and drought are pushing nuclear plants to cut output or shut down when river water gets too warm or too low for cooling, raising fresh debate about reliability as climate impacts intensify. Slovakia mobility shift: Slovakia’s car fleet has doubled to 3.8 million over two decades, but European Mobility Week data also points to greener trends—more public transport use, growing rail demand, and a rise in electric vehicles. Bratislava public transport affordability: A Greenpeace study finds Bratislava’s annual transit pass jumped from €199 (2023) to €263 (+32.2%), even as the city still ranks mid-pack among European capitals. Solar subsidy overhaul: Slovakia’s SIEA is restructuring the Green Households program, moving from vouchers to direct cash payments—and cutting the maximum supported PV size and grant amounts. Mochovce 4 power milestone: Slovakia’s Mochovce 4 started power generation at the latest commissioning stage, moving toward gradual ramp-up and final high-power testing. Green infrastructure in the city: Bratislava’s Šantisko playground in Kamzík was rebuilt with an eight-metre wooden fox centerpiece, designed to blend into the forest setting. Renewables across Europe: Eurostat reports EU renewables held above 54% of electricity generation in Q2 2026, with solar leading—useful context for Slovakia’s ongoing clean-energy policy changes.

Green Mobility in Slovakia: Slovakia’s car fleet has doubled to 3.8 million over two decades, while public transport use is rising fast (502 million journeys in 2025) and rail travel remains a low-impact option (74 million trips). Urban Transport Costs: A Greenpeace study says Bratislava’s annual public transport pass jumped from €199 (2023) to €263 (2026), up 32.2%, even as the city still ranks mid-pack on overall affordability. Playgrounds in Nature: Bratislava rebuilt the Šantisko playground in Kamzík with an eight-metre wooden fox, aiming to blend play spaces into the forest setting. Solar Support Shift: Slovakia’s Zelená domácnostiam (Green Households) program is being reworked: vouchers are replaced by direct cash payments, and solar support is tightened (lower PV caps and grants) while heat pumps get more focus. Carpathian Eight Cooperation: Slovakia is part of the new Carpathian Eight regional framework, linking security, energy, and cross-border development across eight countries. EU Red Tape Push: Slovakia signed a call for a “legislative deep-cleaning” pause to simplify EU rules and cut burdens. Renewables in the EU: EU renewable generation held above 54% in Q2 2026, with solar leading among renewables.

Nature & Cities: Bratislava’s Kamzík recreation area has a new eight-metre wooden fox at the rebuilt Šantisko playground, designed to blend into the forest and replace old equipment with climbing, slides and other play features. EU Red Tape: Austria-led countries including Slovakia want a 12-month “deep-cleaning” pause on new EU laws, arguing Brussels should check whether existing rules are fully implemented and still add value. Energy & Politics: Europe’s energy squeeze is being blamed for boosting far-right momentum ahead of major elections, with Germany’s AfD surge cited as an early warning. Renewables Watch: Eurostat reports EU renewables supplied 54.1% of net electricity in Q2 2026, with solar leading; Slovakia sits at just 19.8%—one of the lowest shares. Solar Support Shift (Slovakia): Slovakia’s Zelená domácnostiam program is moving from vouchers to direct cash, cutting maximum supported PV size and grants while shifting support toward heat pumps. Waste Policy: Slovakia has cancelled a planned waste incinerator near Dudince, arguing spa towns aren’t suitable for waste-to-energy facilities. Carpathians Cooperation: Ukraine and neighbours launched the Carpathian Eight and a Carpathian Integration Initiative focused on security, energy resilience, transport and sustainable development, with biodiversity protection highlighted.

Extreme Weather & Renewables: A new Solargis report says summer 2026’s heat and rainfall pushed sunshine levels far away from historical norms in major solar markets, making it harder to forecast output from solar and wind and raising grid and investor risk. EU Renewables Snapshot: Eurostat reports renewables generated 54.1% of EU electricity in Q2 2026, with solar leading within renewables (41.6%) and Slovakia lagging at 19.8% of electricity from renewables. Slovakia Climate Record & Drought: Slovakia saw its third-warmest summer since 1931, with a 22-day heatwave, record tropical days, and severe to extreme drought affecting about 90% of the country. Waste Policy in Slovakia: Environment Minister Tomas Taraba has definitively cancelled a planned waste incinerator near Dudince, arguing spa towns shouldn’t host waste-to-energy plants and warning Slovakia may face higher costs and more landfill burdens without new capacity. Carpathian Eight (C8) Energy Push: Ukraine and neighbors launched the Carpathian Eight to link security, transport, and energy, including interconnectors, storage, renewables, and cross-border projects—positioning the Carpathians as an EU energy contributor.

Climate & Water Stress: Slovakia just logged its 3rd-warmest summer since 1931, with a 22-day heatwave, record tropical days, and severe-to-extreme drought across about 90% of the country, hitting agriculture and forestry. Waste Policy: Environment Minister Tomas Taraba has definitively cancelled plans for a waste incinerator near Dudince, arguing spa towns shouldn’t host waste-to-energy plants and warning Slovakia could face landfill and groundwater burdens without new capacity. Renewables Watch: New Eurostat data shows renewables made up 54.1% of EU electricity in Q2 2026, but Slovakia is at just 19.8%—one of the lowest in the bloc. Carpathian Cooperation (Energy & Nature): Ukraine and partners launched the Carpathian Eight push linking security, energy, transport, and EU integration, with explicit focus on renewables, storage, and protecting Carpathian biodiversity. Regional Summit Update: Slovakia’s PM Robert Fico cancelled his Ukraine trip due to health, with Slovakia represented by a state secretary at the Carpathian Eight events.

Climate & Water Stress in Slovakia: Slovakia just logged its 3rd-warmest summer since 1931, with a 22-day heatwave, record tropical days, and drought hitting about 90% of the country, including severe soil moisture deficits in Orava—another reminder that heat and dry spells are getting harsher. Renewables Snapshot (EU, with a Slovak contrast): New Eurostat data show 54.1% of EU electricity came from renewables in Q2 2026, but Slovakia sits at just 19.8%, far below leaders like Latvia and Denmark. Waste & Landfill Policy: Slovakia’s environment minister has definitively cancelled a planned waste incinerator near Dudince, arguing spa towns shouldn’t host waste-to-energy plants and warning Slovakia may face higher costs and more landfill burdens without new capacity. Carpathian Cooperation (C8): Ukraine launched the Carpathian Eight forum, linking energy, transport, security, and sustainable development across the region; Slovakia’s PM Robert Fico skipped due to health, sending a state secretary instead. Regional Energy Ambitions: At the Carpathian Economic Forum, Zelenskyy pushed the Carpathians as a potential electricity supplier to the EU, backed by renewables, storage, and interconnectors.

Carpathian Eight Summit: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy thanked C8 leaders, businesses and Carpathian communities after launching the Carpathian Integration Initiative, pitching billions in cross-border projects on energy resilience (renewables, storage, interconnectors), sustainable development and even biodiversity protection. Slovakia angle: Prime Minister Robert Fico cancelled a trip to Ukraine for health reasons, but Slovakia still sent representatives to discuss energy and industrial cooperation. EU renewables snapshot: Eurostat says renewables generated 54.1% of EU electricity in Q2 2026; Slovakia sits at 19.8%, one of the lowest shares. Waste policy in Slovakia: Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba definitively cancelled a planned waste incinerator near Dudince after an appeal, arguing spa towns shouldn’t host waste-to-energy plants. Climate pressure: SHMU reports Slovakia’s summer was the 3rd-warmest since 1931, with severe drought affecting about 90% of the country. Drought across Europe: An AFP analysis flags record-dry August conditions in Slovakia and other countries, with climate change making such dry spells far more likely.

Renewables Watch: Eurostat reports renewables generated 54.1% of EU electricity in Q2 2026, with solar leading; Slovakia sits at just 19.8%, among the lowest in the bloc. Heat and Drought: Slovakia logged its third-warmest summer since 1931, with a 22-day heatwave, record tropical days, and severe drought hitting about 90% of the country. Waste Policy: Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba has definitively cancelled plans for a waste incinerator near Dudince, arguing waste-to-energy should not be placed in spa towns and warning Slovakia could face landfill and groundwater burdens without new capacity. Carpathian Cooperation: Ukraine launched the “Carpathian Eight” with Austria, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia, aiming to link security, energy resilience, transport and sustainable development across the region. Energy Security: EU gas diversification remains under pressure as storage levels stay low in parts of Europe, while debate continues over how to replace Russian supplies.

Climate & Water Stress: Slovakia logged its third-warmest summer since 1931, with June the 4th-warmest and August the 2nd-warmest on record; SHMU also flagged a 22-day heatwave and severe to extreme drought hitting about 90% of the country, with Orava’s soil moisture deficit peaking at 100 mm. Industrial Decarbonisation: Nippon Steel plans a major modernization of the Košice steelworks, with signed documents for financial support tied to steel decarbonisation—aimed at cutting emissions and boosting competitiveness. Parliament & Environment Politics: Slovakia’s autumn parliamentary session opened with a heavy agenda and a move to dismiss Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba, keeping environmental governance in the spotlight. Regional Cooperation (Carpathians): Ukraine launched the “Carpathian Eight” summit, pushing for stronger transport, energy links, storage, renewables and cross-border trade; Slovakia’s PM Robert Fico skipped due to health, sending a state secretary instead. Energy Security: EU gas policy coverage continues, including discussion of Europe’s shift away from Russian supplies and what it means for winter readiness.

Drought Watch: Nine European countries, including Slovakia, logged their driest August on record, with central Europe hit hardest and the EDO warning level rising as rainfall, soil moisture and vegetation all deteriorated. Industrial Decarbonisation: Slovakia is moving ahead with major steel cuts: the environment ministry signed contracts worth €743m+ for an electric arc furnace and an air separation facility at Košice, targeting about 2.96m tonnes CO2e less per year. Parliament & Environment Politics: Slovakia’s autumn parliamentary session opened with a heavy agenda and motions to dismiss key ministers, including Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba—raising the stakes for how climate and energy policy will be handled. Wildfire Readiness: Hungary and Slovakia ran a large forest and vegetation firefighting drill at Lake Varbó, focusing on coordinating ground teams with aerial support for extreme-weather fire response. Circular Economy Push: EU ministers backed the Circular Economy Act, aiming to remove barriers for circular business models and improve how policies are actually implemented. Energy Security Context: Slovakia’s president reiterated EU and NATO membership as the only reliable security and prosperity framework, while urging lower energy costs and stronger diplomacy.

Steel Decarbonisation: Nippon Steel is modernizing the Košice steelworks with major upgrades backed by Slovakia’s Environment Ministry, with contracts worth €743 million and expected cuts of about 2.96 million tonnes of CO2e per year. Industrial Climate Jobs: Evonik broke ground on an ~€80 million biotech expansion at its Fermas site in Slovenská Ľupča, adding new downstream fermentation tech, aiming for completion in early 2028 and creating around 50 jobs. Parliament & Environment Politics: Slovakia’s autumn parliamentary session opens with a heavy agenda and fresh moves to dismiss Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba, as coalition leaders warn proceedings could run deep into the year. Circular Economy Push: EU ministers back the Circular Economy Act, expected to become law in 2026, targeting fewer barriers for reuse and recycling and better implementation across member states. Wildfire Readiness: A large Hungarian-Slovak drill at Lake Varbó tested coordinated ground and aerial firefighting for forest and vegetation fires linked to extreme weather. Tourism & Nature Economy: Slovakia is stepping up efforts to attract GCC visitors, leaning on spa and medical tourism, mineral springs, and nature-led experiences. Energy Security Watch: Europe’s gas squeeze remains a concern as storage sits well below the usual winter target, with supply disruptions keeping prices elevated.

Public transport affordability: Greenpeace research says ticket prices have risen in 14 European capitals, pushing calls for cheaper “climate tickets” that cut emissions and fossil-fuel dependence. Diplomacy & security: Slovak President Peter Pellegrini used his State of the Republic address to back EU and NATO as Slovakia’s only realistic security option, while urging stronger ties with India and China and more EU action to lower energy costs and pursue peace. Steel decarbonisation: Slovakia’s Environment Ministry signed two Japanese-backed contracts worth over €743 million to cut steel emissions, including an electric arc furnace and an air separation facility, targeting about 2.96 million tonnes of CO2e per year. Circular economy push: EU ministers backed the Circular Economy Act expected to become law in 2026, aiming to remove barriers and boost reuse and recycling across Europe. Wildfire readiness: A Slovak-Hungarian drill at Lake Varbó tested coordinated ground and helicopter firefighting support for extreme-weather vegetation fires. Tourism with nature & wellness: Slovakia is targeting GCC visitors with spa and medical tourism, healing springs, and nature-focused trips. Energy storage deal: InoBat and Palmer Energy Technology agreed a reciprocal battery supply partnership, with system integration and future manufacturing tied to Slovakia. Heat & drought pressure: Reports highlight Slovakia’s record heat and severe drought risk, adding urgency to how the country plans energy-heavy projects like data centers. AI data centers debate: Slovakia’s leaders say water and stable power could attract AI data centers, but critics warn about heavy local resource demands amid drought and energy concerns.

Steel Decarbonisation: Slovakia’s Environment Ministry signed €743 million contracts with U.S. Steel-Nippon Steel Slovakia for an electric arc furnace and an air separation facility, cutting about 2.96 million tonnes of CO2e per year. Circular Economy Push: EU ministers back the Circular Economy Act, aimed to become law in 2026 to remove barriers for circular business models and improve implementation. Heat & Energy Transition: Switzerland data show heat pumps are booming in new buildings, but many households still rely on oil and gas—an energy-policy lesson for Slovakia. Gas Security Worries: Analysts warn Europe may face a “severe” winter with storage well below the usual 90% target, after LNG disruptions and low inventory levels. Biodiversity & Fire Readiness: A large Hungarian-Slovak drill at Lake Varbó tested coordinated ground and aerial firefighting for extreme-weather forest fires. Tourism & Nature: Slovakia is targeting GCC visitors with wellness, mineral springs, and nature-focused trips, pitching safety and landscapes. Batteries & Storage: InoBat and Palmer agreed a European battery energy storage partnership, including reciprocal supply and controls integration tied to Slovak manufacturing. Water & Food: A Slovak aquaculture feature highlights efforts to grow freshwater fish supply for local consumers. Policy & Governance: RSF and MEPs urge full EMFA implementation to protect public media independence and stable funding.

Slovakia’s steel decarbonisation push: Deputy PM and Environment Minister Tomáš Taraba signed two contracts with a Japanese steelmaker for low-carbon upgrades at U.S. Steel-Nippon Steel Slovakia, including an electric arc furnace and an air separation facility, totaling over €743 million, with expected cuts of about 2.96 million tonnes of CO2e per year. UN diplomacy with an environmental angle: Foreign minister Juraj Blanar met ambassadors ahead of the UN General Assembly, spotlighting Slovakia’s bid for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat in 2028–2029. Heat pumps trend (and the gap to households): Switzerland data show one in four residential buildings now has a heat pump, but only 22% of households use them—oil and gas still dominate heating. Energy and climate pressure on policy: Prime Minister Robert Fico warned “extremely serious decisions” may come in weeks amid a coalition dispute involving Environment Minister Taraba. Data centers debate: Slovakia is weighing sites for AI data centers, citing water and power stability, while critics warn about drought impacts and high resource demands. Green biotech investment in Slovakia: Evonik broke ground on an ~€80m biotechnology expansion at Fermas in Slovenská Ľupča, adding fermentation tech and about 50 jobs, aiming for more sustainable pharma manufacturing. Food and water resilience: A Slovak aquaculture report highlights efforts to grow local fish supply, with farmers pushing more freshwater and salmonid production for domestic plates.