Archive of articles - December 1999

Letter to the Editor: Roland Café not deserving of mention

Macro-economy 1999

The macro-economic situation in 1999 benefited from a tremendous change in government policy that focused on reining in the fiscal and current account balance deficits, restructuring state companies, liberalizing regulated prices, and making preparations for the privatisation of state banks, the telecom monopoly and other formerly 'off limits' state firms. Two austerity packages were passed to meet these aims, but the belt tightening caused unemployment to rise to 17.73% by November and GDP growth for the first three quarters of 1999 to slow to 1.8%.

Letter to the Editor: Tolerance vs. Racism

Around Slovakia year in review

Frogs face hazardous mating trekTwo men drown in septic tankRare surgical operation deemed a success220 year-old cow's heart found in chapelFive tiger cubs poisonedLexa smokes 50 cigarettes a day, gains 6 kilogramsHungarian politician burned to death

New Year's Eve in capital

New Year's Eve 2000 in Bratislava should be a vast improvement on last year's debacle, when the Old Town was virtually empty, roaming drunks fired rockets at each other and innocent bystanders, and the only refuge to be had was at kiosks selling over-priced hot wine.This year the city promises a classier, safer night. "We want to make the atmosphere in Bratislava's Old Town like Vienna's Kärtnestrasse, London's Trafalgar Square or Times Square in New York to welcome the year 2000," said Milan Vajda, spokesman of the Old Town Mayor's office.

The Presidency

In order to be considered for EU membership, one of the most important criteria Slovakia had to fulfil was the election of a president. The country had been without a president since March 1998 when Michal Kováč's term ended and then-Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar assumed most presidential powers.After parliament proved unable to agree on a new presidential candidate, the Dzurinda government passed two laws in January and March 1999 paving the way for direct elections.

Man of the Year 1999: Deputy PM Ivan Mikloš

Woman of the Year 1999: Emilia Sičáková

If she could spend one hour speaking to any famous person, she would choose the French Cardinal Richelieu. She's an avid reader of economic books, although she used to read romance novels until her first love went sour - "I realised that love isn't that romantic." She's a middle child who says her parents were her biggest influence growing up. Her favourite singers include Mariah Carey and Seal, but she also professes to be a fan of Slovak folk music. She's just 25-years-old, yet she's one of the most influential women in Slovakia.She's Transparency International Slovakia PresidentEmília Sičáková.

Economic trust re-gained abroad

The most significant economic events in 1999, according to several analysts and economists contacted by The Slovak Spectator, were the second austerity package passed in May, the December EU summit in Helsinki which invited Slovakia to begin accession talks, and the lowering of the corporate income tax approved in November.With responsible economic measures and a proven commitment to reform, especially in restructuring state companies, the Slovak government re-established trust abroad, analysts agreed. This goodwill, however, didn't translate into more foreign direct investment (FDI), which actually fell in 1999 from the previous year.Martin Barto, head of strategy at the state-owned bank Slovenská Sporiteľňa, was most pleased by the reduction of the current account deficit and balance of payments.

Letter to the Editor: Where was everybody else?

Letter to the Editor: Ragtime will be missed

Foreign Policy

For Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda, who said on January 1 that the Slovak government wanted to "jump on the train of European integration," 1999 was a highly satisfying year. Slovakia took significant strides towards joining western bodies, and was far better received internationally than observers had expected at the beginning of the year.But the going was not always smooth. Slovakia's broken promise to close the Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear power plant by the year 2000 resulted in a drawn-out battle of words with neighbouring Austria, who threatened to block the country's EU ambitions.Furthermore, Slovakia's decision to allow NATO troops access to its airspace and railways during the NATO bombing campaign in Kosovo split the nation and weakened domestic support for NATO integration.

Stará Tržnica: difficult birth, beautiful child

Year after year, passersby in downtown Bratislava had grown acustomed to turning their heads at the sight of Stará Tržnica ('Old Market'). Dust, clanging machinery and a shabby steel fence shrouded what had once been the capital's proudest monument at the bottom of SNP square.But on December 13, after endless delays in reconstruction, squabbles over funding, and long periods of inaction, the gates of the reconstructed old market swung open to admit a curious public.At first glance, the remodelled building left onlookers rather disappointed. While the structure has been beautifully preserved, the inside remains surprisingly cold and empty; with few shops to browse in and few goods to buy.

Crime

During his January 1 public address to the nation, Prime Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda took the opportunity to spell out the government's stance against crime for the year to come."The year 1999 will be the year of an uncompromising fight against criminals, blackmailers and the underworld," he said. "The mafia is like a cancer - it is an insidious disease and we have to fight it. We have to act fast."Statistics show that the government's 1999 goals were not met. According to the Slovak Police Presidium in Bratislava, 12,526 violent crimes were reported during the first 11 months of the year, up from 11,515 during the same period in 1998. Murders, robberies and rapes also recorded increases in 1999.

Give an hour's salary to help a Slovak child

The Foundation for Slovak Children is calling on all people to give their last hour's salary of the milleneum to help Slovak children. The campaign has been running since the middle of October and boasts the support of many businesses and media.The campaign has been all over the country, starting with a powerful television commercial plea featuring children 'speaking' in the dubbed voices of famous Slovak actors: "Greetings to all adults, we children need your help. Give us one hour."You can give your year's final hourly wage to the Foundation's financial department, at bank account number 1999 2000 60/8080 (Bank Austria Creditanstalt) or you can simply call Slovak Telecom, Tel.: 018 222, and hold the line - 55 crowns per 20 seconds will be directly donated to the fund and charged to your telephone bill.

FDI: Key Dates

January 13 - The German car giant Volkswagen announces that it will build new construction facilities and open a new plant to double production. The company announces the cost of the construction to be $237.5 million.March 9 - Cabinet approves strategic plan to attract more foreign direct investment, however, few concrete details on incentives are laid out.

Three state banks divest bad loans

IRB has carefaker administration lifted

Yearning for a better life in Slovakia: How high the waves

'The Shipwreck', by French artist Delacroix, is one of the most poigant treatments of human yearning that Western culture has yet produced. It hangs in the Louvre, and shows a raft afloat on an almost empty ocean. In the distance, over the threatening waves, is a tiny sail, and as a viewer you don't know whether the ship is coming towards the survivors - spelling rescue - or going away, meaning certain death for the fifteen-odd figures which crowd the raft.The most striking thing about the picture is the appearance of the people who survived this 1816 shipwreck (a real event). They're all muscle and flexed sinews, and strain towards that tiny sail with an energy unlikely to be found among castaways who have been adrift without adequate rations for the better part of two weeks. Therein lies the painter's statement - how great the depths of human yearning, and how faint the response; how steep the waves and how uncertain the future.