Archive of articles - April 2000, page 5

Culture Shock: The 'real' Slovakia awaits beyond Blava

Slovaks outside Bratislava have always said that the capital city is not the 'real' Slovakia. For all its renewed charm, Bratislava is not very close to the nation's hearts. The livid concrete scars of Petržalka, Dúbravka and Dlhé Diely are not Slovakia. The suffocating dirt and grime of the big city is not Slovakia. The rude and aggressive attitude of strangers and those working in any customer service job is also not Slovakia.No, Bratislava is not the real Slovakia. The real Slovakia is a village that borders a stream cascading down from jagged peaks or rolling hills. The real Slovakia is a city with medieval charm, gigantic cathedrals, castle walls and cobblestone squares.

Bratislava Fitness Clubs

Fitness ClubHlaváčikova 39Tel: 6531 3822

Quote of the week

Tourism firms trying to promote Slovakia

Melding a friendly culture, relatively inexpensive services and some of the most spectacular natural scenery and historical sites to be found throughout Europe, Slovakia seemingly has all of what makes for a tourist hotspot.Indeed, since the fall of communism in Slovakia in 1989, tourism agencies have sprouted up throughout the country to spread the good word on Slovakia, with the number now totalling more than 50 nation-wide. But mention Slovakia to people outside Slovak borders - most notably in western countries - and the most likely response is a look of blank ignorance.For those Slovak tourism agencies located abroad, attracting attention to a country that people know little or nothing about remains an arduous task, a task made none the easier by lagging government support.

News Briefs

Hamžík presents national programme to EC's RochelEx-Communist leader Biľak charged with high treasonDzurinda's SDKÚ begins member registrationTV Markíza fined 2 million Sk for Müller interviewHZDS's Kramplová says coalition was watching herIllegal immigrants discovered after truck crash

Letters to the editor

Fly problem not serious in SlovakiaMein Kampf should not be locked awaySilicon investors must be protected

Business Briefs

DMD unions protest management activitiesSPP, SE and distributors sign contract on Globtel advisorSPP and Gazprom launch pipeline negotiationsAZZZ sticking on Labour Code draft revisionsSPP plan gets support of supervisory board

Review: Paintings reflect socialist era

In 1996 the Slovak Collection of Visual Arts began selling pieces from the country's socialist era. The art of the period was characterised mainly by state-imposed themes such as the struggle of the proletariat, the celebration of work and workers, and the pleasantness of life under socialism; artists were expected to adhere to classical forms and to obey the imperative that art be easily understood by everyone.A small exhibition of this work, entitled Zaujímavé obrazy socialistického realizmu (Interesting Paintings of Socialist Realism) is now on display at Galéria Linea,in the Bratislava suburb of Ružinov.The 'gallery' is really just a room with a few tables and a cheap buffet on the bottom floor of an office building.

Slovnaft in huge regional tie-up

Oil giant Slovnaft is set to become a pivotal part of a future central European fuel giant following the acquisition of a 36% stake in the company by Hungarian oil and gas firm MOL on March 31. The deal is the first major regional cross-border merger in the sector.In a move that had been widely expected after weeks of leaked information to Slovak and other media, MOL paid $262 million for the initial equity stake, and has an option to acquire a majority stake in the firm in two years. The purchase will come through a $150 million hike in equity and the purchase of existing shares.The deal will leave Slovnaft set to benefit from MOL's ambitious plans for regional expansion using both firms' resources.

State takes hard line on shipyard credit

Sunk in profitless waters, the Slovenské lodenice Komárno(SLK) shipyard has been stuck hard in negotiations with the Ministry of Economy on the guarantee of a 28.9 million DEM (578 million Slovak crowns) loan to stave off what would be potentially devastating job cuts.According to the shipyard's management, the loan - which will be provided by SLK customers - can relaunch production at the shipyard and help the company avoid firing 995 employees. It would also keep the level of unemployment in the Komárno region, the company's home base, at the current 25.5%.However, the government has slapped down conditions on the guarantee that will call on company management to finish current ship construction and put the firm back on a financially even keel. While state officials are loathe to see further job cuts at SLK, they say they need assurance that the funds will not be misused by management.

Migaš says lobbyists influence Slovak politicians

"The Slovak government is being influenced by Slovak economy lobbyist groups," said Speaker of Parliament Jozef Migaš April 2 on Slovak Television's weekly debate forum Five Minutes till Twelve. "And it's no good for the country."Migaš's strong words were levied at two groups in particular - M.E.S.A. 10, an economic think-tank founded in the early 90's by Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Ivan Mikloš, and the G7, an unofficial group of seven media and big industry representatives. While the accused enterpreneurs immediately refuted the allegations, at least one analyst agreed with Migaš.Anton Marcinčin, an economic analyst with the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, said that Slovak enterpreneurs did indeed enjoy power over politicians, although he disagreed with the groups Migaš called out. "I agree with Migaš, but I don't agree with the groups he mentioned," he said.

Most wanted professionals in 1Q00

The MediaMonitor, a survey which follows all the personnel advertisements in the national newspapers in Slovakia, shows a surprising change in who exactly is considered to fall into the category of most wanted professionals.The previous year, about one third of all advertisements were for sales professions. The first quarter of this year has already shown a decline to 17% - a drop of almost half. And, as we already expected, professions in Information & Communication Technology (ICT) are gaining an ever-growing share of the marketplace.

Slovak still an obscure subject at London University

LONDON: Opposite central London's Russell Park, just a few metres from the famous British Museum, the School of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies offers students a programme in the languages and cultures of the Czech and Slovak Republics. Part of the University of London, the programme is the only place in Britain where students can receive university degrees for Slovak.Since Slovakia is still a young and relatively unknown country to most Britons, finding a place to study the Slovak language and culture in Great Britain, let alone earn a full university degree in the field, remains a challenge. British students are still more drawn to higher-profile Slavic languages such as Czech, Russian and Polish, partly because destinations like Prague and Moscow remain more fashionable than Bratislava, and also

Slovak secrecy to be tested

In order to prepare the country for NATO membership, high-ranking Slovak officials with access to secret information will soon have to answer some tough questions: "Do you owe anyone more than 100,000 Slovak crowns?", "Have any special intelligence agencies [such as the SIS, KGB, or the CIA] ever held a special interest in you or have you ever had any contact with members of these agencies?", "Where have you stayed abroad and why?"Questions like these will soon be presented to Slovak officials in the form of a questionaire to be created by the National Security Office, a body which will monitor the protection of confidential information at Slovak ministries and state bodies. The security office will be created from the existing Information Security Department at the Interior Ministry.

Community Calendar

American Chamber of Commerce - Internship FairHash Run WeekendInternational Women's Club Bratislava

Around Slovakia

Richard Muller faces charges of drug promotionMein Kampf to be used only for scientific purposes

Cabinet passes vital bankruptcy law

Three months after an original deadline, one of the most important legal changes for the last few years, a revision of the Bankruptcy Law, was approved on March 22 at a government session.After several delays for heated discussions at ministries and government committees, the draft of the new law will see a wide range of revisions to approximately 15 laws, including the Commercial Code, Civic Code, Tax and Custom Laws.The main aim of the new law and its supporting legislation is to give more rights to creditors and allow them to play a major role in determining the future path of a bankrupt company. Under current legislation, owners of financially troubled companies are able to block the attempts of creditors to push their firms to closure and recover at least some of their assets.

New Faces/Departures

On The Slovak Spectator's fifth anniversary on March 1, publisher Rick Zedník announced that a 51% share in the company had been sold to Bratislava publishing house VMV, which puts out well-known Slovak titles like the Slovak daily Sme and the weekly Domino Fórum. The paper's four current owners - Americans who started the enterprise in 1995 - retain 49% in the Spectator and an active interest in the paper's future.As of April 1, The Slovak Spectator has moved to a new address in downtown Bratislava at Dostojevského rad 1. Some staff changes have accompanied the transfer, including the hiring of Ed Holt, 27, as Business Editor. Ed, a native of London, served until the beginning of March as Editor in Chief of the Central European Business Weekly, and has written for and edited regional papers for the last two and a half years.

Lafarge cementing Slovak position

As the government continues to hone its programmes to attract lucrative foreign direct investment to Slovakia, foreign companies continue to trickle in.One company currently on the move in Slovakia is the French-based construction supplier Lafarge Group. Having been interested in the Slovak market since 1994, the firm presently aspires to gain a stronger foothold in Slovakia to complete a network of plants throughout central and eastern Europe.Their most recent undertaking has been the creation of a joint stock company, Lafarge Slovakia, scheduled to be officially established in April. This currently small (5 employees) Bratislava-based acquisition company has big plans to buy companies involved in the production of gypsum, limestone and construction materials.