Archive of articles - February 2004, page 8

Economic elite gives premium mark

A CLUB of the economic elite praised the ambitious reforms that its youngest member, Slovakia, has undertaken.In its annual report, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said it was impressed by the country's macroeconomic policies but also urged the Slovak government to further rationalise public spending.

Night pictures at Washington's gallery

TALENTED young Slovak photographer Robo Kočan brings his pictures to the Koloman Sokol Gallery in Washington, DC. Entitled Stories by Night-light, the exhibition opens on February 18.Kočan was born in 1968 in the eastern Slovak town of Poprad. He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Bratislava in 1996 and studied at The Nottingham Trend University in Great Britain and Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts in Dijon, France. He has participated in many individual and group exhibitions all over the world.

Košice gets offer from SLSP

August 1968 pictures shown in America

THE NATIONAL Czech and Slovak Museum and Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA opened an exhibition last Monday of photographs by Ladislav Bielik entitled August 68.Curated by Pavol Meluš, August 68 had its American premiere at the Koloman Sokol Gallery of the Slovak Embassy in Washington, DC last September. It was organised to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the invasion of the Warsaw Pact armies in what was then Czechoslovakia.

Referendum trauma

REACTING to President Rudolf Schuster's decision to merge the April 3 presidential elections with the referendum on early parliamentary elections, PM Mikuláš Dzurinda appealed to the Slovak people to ignore the popular vote.The opposition, other than the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) party, has welcomed the president's decision. But Dzurinda and many other coalition officials have accused the president of trying to win the votes of members of the electorate unhappy with the right-wing reforms.

President goes Vatican

Not extraordinary but popular

Pizza Mizza Where:Tobrucká 1, BratislavaTel: 02/5296-5034Open: Monday to Friday 8:00-23:00, Saturday, Sunday 11:00-23:00English menu: NoReservations: YesRating: 8.5 out of 10FINDING a pizzeria on almost every corner in Slovakia's capital has become commonplace.

Kukan most popular candidate

Slovaks, Germans buy stake in Dutch firm

Slovaks will not invade Western markets

IN RESPONSE to the instincts of European Union member countries to shield their labour markets prior to the robust EU enlargement coming on May 1, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Eduard Kukan said that fears of Slovak labour invading other European markets were unfounded.Kukan requested that ambassadors of EU member countries to Slovakia inform their governments that Slovakia would consider the introduction of any further transitional labour periods for the 10 new member countries unfair.

Reader feedback: This is politics

More state funds for Kechnec

German Mannesmann chooses Slovakia

Steel split worsens; no productive solution

AN AGREEMENT has yet to appear on the horizon between Slovakia and the European Commission (EC) over the problem of above-quota steel production by US Steel Košice (USSK).Pál Csáky, deputy prime minister for European integration and the head of the EU entry negotiation team, said that the solution is now fully in the hands of USSK and the government is only waiting for the company's decision.

Ten reasons Bratislava is the best capital in the world

1: Short time to reach any location within the cityAs a businessman I was used to scheduling customer visits assuming a travel time of between 30 and 90 minutes. But here in Bratislava you can reach any location in 20 minutes.

HRW criticises deficient arms trade control

The switch from red to green

"IN SLOVAKIA, even the vegetarian food comes with bacon."A sentiment often heard from foreign visitors, and not unjustly. To many native ears, the word "meatless" merely descri-bes a meal that does not feature a steak or chicken breast as its centrepiece.Things might be changing, however. In the past year, truly vegetarian food has appeared at the top of the menus and advertised on the windows of at least four new restaurants in the country's capital.

PM: Ex-communists no problem for Slovakia

Recipe for EU success

AFTER weeks of hassles, the ruling coalition agreed on January 27 that Ján Figeľ would be Slovakia's first nominee to the European Commission, the European Union's chief executive body.The former chief negotiator with the EU and current MP for the Christian Democratic Movement is widely regarded as a top foreign and EU policy expert and his selection has been met with a positive reaction both in the union and at home.