Archive of articles - January 2000

Winter (1970)

Trials of a Finance Minister

Finance Minister Brigita Schmögnerová believes that history has repeated itself - that Slovakia, through the 1990's, has gone through the same nation-building challenges that confronted the new Czechoslovak state in 1918.After one year in her post, however, Schmögnerová says her tasks at the turn of the millenium are more mundane than romantic - fighting turf battles with cabinet ministers over limited state funds, and urging cabinet colleagues to take clientelism out of party politics.The Slovak Spectator spoke with the Finance Minister about the year ahead at her Bratislava office on January 24.

Chambers of Commerce still searching for unity

A relatively new phenomenon in Slovakia, foreign chambers of commerce have taken off during the 1990's and now boast over 700 members among the domestic and foreign business communities. But while they have become a fixture on the scene, the chambers have been less successful in co-ordinating their efforts to provide a united voice for foreign investors in the country.The eight foreign nations which are represented in Bratislava through a chamber of commerce offer their members a range of benefits, including legal advice, corporate searches, networking opportunities and representation to government institutions.Of all the chambers in town, the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) has seen the most growth since its inception in 1993, and more than a dozen different countries are now represented in its present membership.

Nuclear debate snarls energy policy

The Slovak government's energy policy, approved by cabinet on January 12, needs only one element to be complete - a decision on whether the third and fourth block of the Mochovce nuclear power plant should be completed as planned. Mochovce has been painted as an energy goldmine by its supporters, but opponents think it's a waste of money and have adduced convincing evidence to back up their case.The completion of a plan for Slovakia's energy sector is a vital part of the government's long-term economic development aims, which include deregulating energy prices as a condition for Slovakia's entry into the European Union.

Police say foreigners needn't fear new law

Most foreign nationals in Slovakia need not fear planned changes to the residency law, according to police officials in charge of issuing residence documents for foreigners. The changes, which are designed to crack down on foreign criminals operating in the country as well as bring Slovak visa legislation in line with EU requirements, will be sensitively handled to avoid causing needless headaches to law-abiding nationals of countries like the United States, Canada and Great Britain.The police assurances toned down earlier statements made to The Slovak Spectator on January 3, when a senior official said the new law would require all of Slovakia's 30,000 resident foreign nationals to submit to document controls and present themselves at regional police headquarters to have a visa sticker issued in their passports. Instead, foreigners will have the visa stickers issued this year during the normal process of renewing their residence permits, and will not have to make any extra trips to police stations.

Community Calendar

The Danish Chamber of Commerce Bowling partyInternational Women's club in BratislavaHash House run

Parking a key problem in capital

Many people are familiar with traffic patterns in the centre of Bratislava during evenings and weekends. Drivers circle the streets trying to find a place to park; many spots are vacant but inaccessible, having been prepaid by other users.Parking has become the biggest problem in the centre of Bratislava. More than 160,000 cars frequent the capital, an increase of 60,000 compared with 1990. But while the number of cars is growing, the centre has not changed to accomdate them, resulting in traffic congestion and complaints from pedestrians about the cars parked on sidewalks and grass plots.

News Briefs

Investigator says Krajči accepted 2 million Sk bribeSDĽ party unhappy with cabinet decisions to hike pricesSlovaks, Czechs discuss visas for east bloc statesIVO Poll: little support among voters for early electionsRoma attend assertiveness and behavior training

Letter to the editor

Jokes aside, English teaching has progressedExpat's teaching experience deeply enrichingSlovakia should make entry conditions easierTax incentives law explained

Review: CD reflects changing Slovak tastes

Although still heavily dominated by pop, the Slovak music scene is steadily being infiltrated by other styles. Long standing pop heavyweights such as Richard Müller, Jožo Ráž and Miro Žbirka are increasingly being forced to compete for Slovak album sales with younger, often more innovative stars like soloist Jana Kirschner, 'new punk' group Ine Café and jazz musician Peter Lipa.Reflecting these changes, production company Universal Music has released a compilation of 17 songs by Slovak artists on an album titled "Koniec dobrý - všetko dobré" (All's well that ends well). The end result, an eclectic alchemy of styles and artists, is a must buy for anyone familiar with or wishing to hear more of the modern Slovak music scene.

Slovak likely first pick in NHL draft

He was the leading scorer for Slovakia at the 2000 World Junior Championships, including a 2 goal performance against the Czech Republic on December 26. He has been called a "game-breaker with terrific offensive tools" by international hockey scouting agencies. He scored 20 points in 33 games for Trenčín of the Slovak Extraliga at the age of 17. And in June, he is expected by many hockey experts to be the first player taken in the 2000 National Hockey League amateur draft.Marián Gáborik is not a typical teenager. Two weeks shy of his 18th birthday, he is a star for Dukla Trenčín after having scored 16 points in the team's first 19 games. He has a potent offensive game that has NHL teams drooling, and has won the respect of NHL scouts and players alike.

Economic woes keep political soup on the boil

Slovakia's political scene is beginning to resemble a professional sports league, with its bogus expansion teams, calculating free agents and endless doping scandals. In politics, as in sport, no one really pretends they're doing it for the public any more.We already have a government which is composed of 11 distinct parties. Prime Minister Dzurinda, who captains the cellar-dwelling SDK, has proposed the establishment of a new party - the SDKÚ - to which he would jump ship with most of the SDK's biggest names. By doing this he may get rid of some political enemies within the SDK, but he is turning his back on those voters and coalition parties which put their faith in the SDK in 1998.

New parties crowd onto political stage

Two new parties have been added to Slovakia's crowded political stage in the last six months, following in the country's tradition of adventurous political enterprises. Political analysts say the founding of the 'Direction' party of popular MP Róbert Fico and the 'Party of the Democratic Centre' of former ambassador Ivan Mjartan owe more to the personal ambition of each man than to Slovakia's need for serious politicians."Both the Democratic Centre and Direction are the results of the high ambitions of individual politicians who weren't patient enough to move up the ladder within their former parties," said Luboš Kubín, a political scientist with the Slovak Academy of Sciences. "It reminds me of Kremlin-style politics, which are dominated by 'power parties' based on the popularity of individual politicians. I have no faith in such parties."

Pubs

Black RoseMontana's Grizzly BarThe Dubliner Irish Pub17's BarMamut (Stará Sladovňa)

Corporate briefs

VSŽ looking for new US Steel offer, says spokesmanEconomy Minister helps ZSNP on loan restructuringTranspetrol boasts 621 million Sk profit for 1999Surging Globtel improves profit estimate for 1999Whirlpool Slovakia turnover 6.3 billion crowns for 1999

e-Business: E-business a qualitative revolution

Internet is no longer the academic communications environment it was only a few years ago. Some 200 million people will be on the Net by the end of this year, while even conservative estimates project 500 million connected users by the end of 2003. Over 62,000 new users will come online every day in the US over the next several years; outside America, growth rates are even higher.It's impressive. But I don't believe the sheer scale of what is happening constitutes a revolution. I believe the real revolution lies in what all these connected people, businesses and institutions are doing on the Net. What's generating all the excitement is a fundamental transformation in the way things are done in the world. We're certainly seeing this in commerce.

SPP buys 45.9% Nafta stake for 1.1 billion Sk

A long-contested stake in gas storage company Nafta Gbely has finally found a home. The buyer is Slovak gas distribution company Slovenský Plynárenský Priemysel (SPP), which has agreed to pay 1.1 billion Slovak crowns ($26 million) to the FNM privatization agency in return for 45.9% of Nafta shares. The deal was announced on January 20 following a meeting between FNM President Jozef Kojda and SPP Director Pavol Kinčeš.Through the deal, fixed at a share price of 750 crowns, the SPP will increase its current holdings in Nafta to 55.9%. Equity analysts said the purchase will finally give Nafta the strong shareholder it needs to restructure its loan portfolio and rebuild its aging storage tanks.

Economic Briefs

Minister says devolution of power to start 2001Hugely improved trade gap at 45.7 billion Sk for 1999Slovak jobless rate hit 20.1% in December 1999Economy Minister vows quick sale of SPP and TranspetrolDeputy PM says FNM bonds to speed privatisation

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