Archive of articles - April 2000

Letters to the editor

Slovak firms not ready for Balog's suggestionsStill wondering about fly screens in SlovakiaMark Stolarik, Canada

Mečiar charged with abuse of power

The stand-off between the Slovak Police and the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) boss Vladimír Mečiar came to a dramatic head at 9:00 on April 20 when masked commando police units used explosives to blow down the front door of the ex PM's villa in Trenčianske Teplice and formerly charge him with abuse of power and fraud. The charges were related to alleged illegal bonuses totalling 13.82 million Slovak crowns ($321,000) Mečiar gave to various ministers during his last tenure in office from 1994 to 1998.Slovak police had been publicly calling on Mečiar to act as a witness in the 1995 kidnapping case of the former President's son Michal Kováč Jr. for over a month, monitoring his home 24 hours a day in hopes of serving him with a summons to testify.

Four success stories: the model for Slovak women

Concluding a three-part series concerning the changing roles of women in Slovak society, The Slovak Spectator chose to profile four representatives from an ever-growing number of successful Slovak women.The women represent four different worlds - art, politics, business, and the NGO sector. Despite being active in different areas, they all have one thing in common: they are setting the model for new generations of successful and independent women.

Divided Roma unable to agree on single political ideology

The 'Roma problem' in Slovakia intensified on April 13 when Belgium issued visa requirements for Slovaks travelling abroad. Fearing that the situation could harm the country's European Union ambitions, Slovak officials have been at their wit's end trying to come up with a solution to the problem. Meanwhile, the Roma minority continued complaining of persecution and poor living standards which they said were forcing them to seek a better life elsewhere.Hampering the situation has been the Roma's inability to unite into one political party and thereby create a unified voice. While estimates place the Roma population as high as 450,000 - which under one party could therefore secure nearly 10% of the electorate - attempts at unification have repeatedly failed.Roma leaders and observers say that reasons behind the failure to unite include a natural inclination to identify only with their local villages. Furthermore, a stigma is placed on any Roma who attempts to join 'white society'. As a result, even the best attempts at securing government representation have been futile - one case in point was the Slovak Roma party known as the RIS which had two party officials lay claim to the party chairmanship. Unable to settle the matter, the case was passed on to the courts where it will be decided which leader was elected in accordance with party rules.

Top Pick: The 7th International Festival of Ghosts and Sprits

Those seeking a trip out of Bratislava have the perfect excuse to visit beautiful Bojnice castle which is once again hosting its International Festival of Ghosts and Spirits on Monday May 1 and during the Weekend of May 5-8.Among the many attractions at the festival are guided 'ghost-tours' of the castle featuring ghosts, demons, witches and other frightening creatures promising to create a magic images for viewers through their terrifying world. Demons and Ghosts of the Carpathians is the theme this year and it will be come alive with incarnations of Count Dracula and the Slovak-Hungarian female version of the vampire; the blood-countess Elisabeth Bathory of Čachtice.

Community Calendar

International Women's Club Bratislava

Reactions

Pubs

Montana's Grizzly BarThe Dubliner Irish PubKeltKGB17's Bar

Beginning construction

Foreign investment in Slovakia is increasing, and recently there has been significant activity related to the construction of business complexes and supermarkets. Thus, the issue of how to commence the construction process has moved to the forefront.Under current laws, two permits are required for a construction project: a zoning permit (which must be obtained first) and a building permit. Applications for both permits are made to the relevant district office of state administration, part of the Ministry of Environment. A regional office and a central ministerial office, respectively, will serve as appellate bodies in the case of application denials.A zoning permit application may be submitted by the landowner or by a person acting with the landowner's written consent. Certain required documentation, such as zoning plans and descriptions, must accompany the application.

Circus Elektra: Mečiar side-show clouds the real issue

As the film footage of the unthinkable police raid on Vladimír Mečiar's 'Elektra' pension in Trenčianske Teplice first bombarded domestic and international airwaves, the majority of the public and national media came out against the violent means used by the police in nabbing the holed-up three-time ex-Prime Minister. The TV Markíza crew - waiting inside the villa at the top of the entry hallway while taping the 'black masks' wire explosives to the glass front door and blow it to pieces - brought the images to the front room of practically every Slovak. And a majority who saw the ridiculous scene were correctly appalled by the police's silly tactics.

Business Briefs

Topvar reports decreased year-on-year salesVSŽ shareholder meeting to be held in MayMOL begins buying up Slovnaft sharesTatravagónka begins deliveries to LuxembourgEstonian Premier boosts investment hopesSKB subjected to forced administration

Headhunting

I overheard a conversation between an upset manager and a headhunter. The manager was angry because the headhunter told his colleagues that they could earn much more money with his client and that the client is a much better employer.In this case I think the headhunter is a curse to himself, applicants, his client and the industry. Fortunately this is not a standard procedure and Slovakia has several very reliable recruiters taking their work very seriously.But to select the good ones from the bad ones is not always that easy. Below are some useful tips.

Good Friday protest rally draws few supporters

In response to the break-in and subsequent arrest of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) party leader and three time former prime minister Vladmír Mečiar on April 20, a protest rally was held the following day at Námestie Slobody in Bratislava. A crowd of approximately 2,000 predominantly elderly citizens gathered to voice their support for their accused leader, and to vent their anger over the arrest and the tactics used to bring Mečiar into custody.HZDS Secretary General Jozef Grapa scheduled the rally would for a day after the arrest in order to give party supporters - around 30% of the voting public - enough time to travel to Bratislava. His planning was foiled, however, when only a small fraction of HZDS backers showed up.

Minister Miklós: Awareness is our primary goal

A member of the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK), Environment Minister László Miklós says that environmental concern has always been in his blood. A self-described "scientist", he earned his degree from the Faculty of Natural Sciences in Bratislava in 1973. From 1973 till 1990, he worked as a researcher at the Slovak Academy of Science's Institute of Experimental Biology and Ecology.Miklós's political career began in 1990 when he was selected by the Public Against Violence party, which formed the first post-communist Czechoslovak government, for the post of first Vice-Minister of the Environment Ministry. He held that post until 1992, when he returned to the world of academia. Miklós has been Slovak Minister of Environment since national elections in 1998.

HZDS MP: Raid was an 'attack'

Rudolf Delinga is a member of parliament for Vladimír Mečiar's Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS). On April 20, he was inside the Trenčianske Teplice villa when the police raid took place. Delinga sat down with The Slovak Spectator on April 26 to give a close-up account of the seizure.The Slovak Spectator (TSS): What happened during the police raid against Vladimír Mečiar?Rudolf Delinga (RD): I had entered Mr. Mečiar's villa at around 7:00. There were already police units in the surrounding streets so I had to pass through a police control...

Deficit shrinks after cabinet session

The huge budget deficit threatened by the Finance Ministry for 2001 was revealed as a hollow threat following a special cabinet session as the government tried to head off what Finance Minister Brigita Schmögnerová had said could be a 70 billion crown shortfall, four times the level planned for this year.The 2001 budget figures that were released at a press conference after the cabinet meeting on April 26 set the public finance deficit for 2001 at between 3.5% and 4% of GDP - 32.5 to 37.2 billion Slovak crowns ($823 million).On the eve of the cabinet session analysts said that the initial huge figure was released to force other coalition members into debate on the thorny question of whether to opt for drastic cuts in expenditures and vital public sector reform or introduce new taxes like monopoly and real-estate tax and re-launch discussion on boosting revenues.

Omnium threatens to go to Hungary

The government is looking at what could potentially be a damaging lost investment after the French auto parts producer Plastic Omnium threatened to take its business to Hungary, claiming a massive communication breakdown with Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Ivan Mikloš.After the government discussed incentives for the company during its special session on April 20, Mikloš sat with Plastic Omnium's top representatives and re-discussed incentives that were described by the French side as nothing short of a catastrophe."The results of the meeting were really upsetting for me. I think that Mr. Mikloš was not properly informed about our investment intentions," said Michel Lacombe, Plastic Omnium's consultant for the Slovak investment.

TIMELINE OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO MEČIAR ARREST

March 1994Slovak President Michal Kováč, a member of Mečiar's Movement for Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) party, appealed to the Slovak Parliament to vote against Prime Minister Vladimír Mečiar during a vote of non-confidence. Mečiar's government later that month lost the vote and the rivalry between the two former allies intensified.October 1994

Economic Briefs

Central bank accepts repo sterilisation bidsJanuary payment balance deficit at 600 million crownsMoney supply grows 4.9 billion crowns in March