Slovakia’s V4 presidency, the migrant situation in Ceuta, the autumn elections – all these were topics of my conversation with Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic Richard Raši (HLAS-SD). But we also touched on lighter and more personal subjects. “The older you get and the faster your life moves, the more you realise the value of places that are connected to you not by your position or your work, but by your own story,” he told me, among other things.
Which place do you feel closest to?
For me, that place is undoubtedly Liptov, especially Liptovský Mikuláš and Jasná. A large part of my childhood is associated with these places because I used to visit my grandmother there practically every summer and every winter. These are exactly the kind of memories you carry with you throughout your life – holidays, family, mountains and the feeling that you have whole days ahead of you during which you do not have to deal with anything. And in winter, skiing in Jasná was an inseparable part of it.
Is it true that you once spent your summer holidays canoeing on Czech rivers?
Of course, I experienced holidays like that too. For several years, my friends from Prague and I used to go canoeing on Czech rivers, most often the Vltava. And it was exactly the kind of canoeing holiday everyone probably imagines. The whole day on the water, evenings at a riverside campsite, sleeping in tents and, above all, plenty of time with friends.
In June, you met members of the Czech government in Prague to discuss the priorities of Slovakia’s V4 presidency. What conclusions did you reach?
In Prague, we agreed above all that the Visegrád Four makes sense when it delivers tangible results for the citizens of our countries. Slovakia assumed the presidency on 1 July 2026, and our ambition is to return the V4 to practical regional cooperation, and to focus on issues where we share common interests and where we can be stronger in Europe when we speak with one voice. The official objective of the Slovak presidency is to contribute to a stronger, safer and more competitive Europe. With our Czech partners, we identified several very specific areas in Prague. The first is energy security and affordable energy prices. Slovakia and the Czech Republic are industrial countries, so we have a common interest in developing nuclear energy and in ensuring that European climate measures do not harm our households or the competitiveness of our industries. That is also why we discussed ETS2 and the ban on the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines from 2035. The second major topic is European funding after 2027. A new multiannual budget of the European Union for 2028–2034 is being prepared, and the V4 countries have a common interest in coordinating their positions so that our regions, infrastructure, healthcare and economies are in a strong position when future European funds are allocated. We therefore agreed with the Czech side to coordinate our positions from the very start of preparations for the new EU funds. And there is one more area that matters to me personally – young people. That is why Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Tomio Okamura and I agreed on regular student internships between our parliaments, we support cooperation between model parliaments and we are also preparing a V4 Youth format. If Visegrád is to have a future, it cannot merely be a project for politicians. It must also have meaning for the generation that will lead our countries in ten or twenty years. In one sentence: we want fewer declarations and more practical cooperation – in energy, the
One significant result of your meeting was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and the establishment of the Czech-Slovak Mutuality Award. Who is this award intended for?
For me, the Czech-Slovak Mutuality Award is above all a way of turning our exceptional relations into something tangible while also carrying them forward into the future. Tomio Okamura and I signed a memorandum in Prague officially establishing the award. It is intended for individuals who have made a significant contribution to the development of relations between Slovakia and the Czech Republic, whether in culture, science, diplomacy or public life. It will be presented annually, alternating between Slovakia and the Czech Republic. And there is another principle I like about it. The Slovak side will not honour a Slovak, nor the Czech side a Czech. It will be the other way round. There is symbolism in that. We want to look at our neighbours through our own eyes and say: we value this person for what they have done for our mutual relations.
One of the issues resonating across Western Europe is uncontrolled migration in Ceuta. What should the EU do to prevent such events?
Events like these genuinely test the preparedness, resilience and ability of the entire European Union to cooperate. Ceuta is, in a way, a test. It has exposed weaknesses in the protection of the EU’s external borders and the need to pay greater attention to illegal migration, because this is an issue that will not simply disappear. There are several weaknesses in the current European approach, and our Minister of the Interior Matúš Šutaj Eštok also identified them at a meeting of the interior ministers of the individual Member States – unclear rules and inconsistent communication, an insufficiently effective return policy, weak efforts to combat migrant- smuggling networks, a lack of early-warning systems and a high degree of dependence on cooperation with countries of origin and transit. The solution follows from this. The fundamental measure must be the consistent physical protection of external borders. At the same time, an effective return policy is essential. If illegal entry into a country does not result in a return to the country of origin, smugglers immediately see it as a success. Thirdly, we need to focus on a tough fight against migrant-smuggling and trafficking networks, including monitoring the role social media play in organising migration routes. Slovakia has long advocated precisely this approach. I am pleased that following the events in Ceuta, the European Commission has also begun to take a similar view. It must be the Member States that decide who enters Europe. Not smugglers.
Municipal and regional elections are approaching. What would you like to see from them?
As Speaker of the National Council, I called the municipal and regional elections for Saturday, 24 October 2026. I would like to see two things. First, a decent campaign. I myself served two terms as Mayor of Košice, and I know that local government is not about ideology. It is about everyday life, from the road outside your home to the regional hospital. In these elections, people are deciding the future of the place where they live. So let candidates compete on the basis of what they have actually achieved, not on who can shout the loudest. At the same time, I would like national politics to be drawn into this contest as little as possible. When that happens, the campaign becomes a fight against someone rather than for something. Achievements are lost, real issues disappear, and people in towns and municipalities pay the price. Second, I would like a strong voice for the regions. Slovakia cannot develop from Bratislava alone. Strong regions need strong representatives who understand their needs and know how to promote them. That is why I hope for mayors and regional governors who will confidently negotiate on behalf of their towns and regions. And we in parliament will create the conditions for them to do so.
CV BOX
Richard Raši (born 2 April 1971 in Košice) has been the Speaker of the National Council of the Slovak Republic and Vice-Chair of the HLAS-SD party since the end of March 2025.
In 1995, he finished his studies in general medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of Pavel Jozef Šafárik University in Košice and later also completed a first-level certification in surgery and a special exam in trauma surgery. He earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Slovak Medical University in Bratislava in 2004. In 2010, he finished his PhD studies at the Technical University of Košice.
Since 1995, he has worked at the Trauma Surgery Clinic at the L. Pasteur University Hospital in Košice, where he served as Deputy Director of preventive and therapeutic care from 2004. In March 2007, he was appointed Director of the University Hospital Bratislava.
From 2007 to 2020, he was a member of the SMER-SD party but then moved to HLAS-SD. From 2010, he served as Mayor of Košice for eight years and served as Minister of Health for two years starting in 2008. He also served twice as Minister for Investment, Regional Development, and Informatization (2018–2020 and 2023–March 2025).
Raši is married and has three daughters.
We have a common interest in developing nuclear energy.
The fundamental measure must be the physical protection of external borders.
For several years, my friends from Prague and I used to go canoeing on Czech rivers.
With Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini.
With Tomio Okamura during a visit to Prague.
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