Archive of articles - February 2002, page 8

US boosts border detection

Industrial output slows in 2001

Chemes sold to Slovak buyer

Inflation at three-year low

Fuel prices going up

Real wages up 4.6 per cent on 2000

Licenses more transparent

Slovakia again a problem for EU

SPP audit ends as sale nears

Facing fat facts

Extortion remains daily fact of life for small businesses

WHEN the regular working day is over, a more violent and sinister element of the Slovak economy preys on ordinary entrepreneurs, say Slovakia's businessmen and women.Small to medium-sized businesses say they are being held to ransom by the Mafia, and that a culture of fear and silence has grown up around their vicious and criminal activities. Few want to speak to reporters, and no one wants their identity revealed. The names in this article have been changed to protect the identity of those who did speak to The Slovak Spectator over a month-long investigation into life in the pocket of the Slovak Mafia."I know for sure that they have access to all bars in Bratislava's city centre. They always come by when a new place opens up, and the owners never refuse to pay to get 'protection' from other organised groups in the area. They can often be seen in expensive black cars. That's them", says Ján, a small shop keeper.

Seizing the olive branch: Mečiar's 'government of experts'

With the opposition HZDS party at over 30 per cent in the polls, and support for its opponents withering, it's time that Western powers started thinking seriously about what happens if the HZDS wins September elections and forms a government.We've all grown accustomed to categorical rejections of the HZDS and leader Vladimír Mečiar from bodies Slovakia is trying to enter, such as Nato and the European Union. We've all heard optimistic statements from politicians like Deputy PM Ivan Mikloš that the parties of the current government will somehow pull the fat out of the fire and score another election victory in 2002.

SDĽ talking fusion with left parties

Eurotel profits up 23 per cent in 2001

Slovaks with cash changing face of Old Town nightlife

THERE IS evidence in Bratislava's Old Town that the faint, but lingering scent of money sifting in from the West is wreaking havoc on the local restaurant and café scene in Bratislava.The Old Town on Friday and Saturday nights is overflowing with business professionals, young locals and expatriates willing and able to pay for quality food and entertainment. It is obvious that many Slovaks have more cash at their disposal than in the past. While one-room flats in Petržalka selling for Sk1 million ($20,000) or more remain out of reach for most young Slovaks, the odd cocktail for Sk100 or dinner after work in the Old Town seems no longer unreasonable.

Countrywide Events

BRATISLAVAWESTERN SLOVAKIACENTRAL SLOVAKIAEASTERN SLOVAKIA

Jobless set to grow to new record

Motions filed for BMG bankruptcy

Slovakia a risky destination