Archive of articles - April 2008
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Household gas price to go up by 4 percent
Households will pay 4 percent more for gas supplies from this summer, the Pravda daily reveals on April 30. The reason is expensive crude oil, the price of which is linked to the price of gas which Slovak gas utility SPP buys from Russia. According to the information available to the daily, SPP is already preparing to apply for a price increase with the state regulatory authority, which must first approve it. The increase would hit 1.4 million families. About 65,000 small businesses will pay 4 percent more from May 1. SPP did not need to get state approval for the May price increase, since tradesmen are not protected customers. SITAb>Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reportsThe Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
More euro-adoption inflation concerns
Even though the European Commission has already indicated that rising inflation will not threaten Slovakia's adoption of the euro, the country’s definitive inflation estimate might end up being higher, according to the April 30 edition of the Hospodárske noviny financial daily. According to confidential information close to the European Central Bank, the institution has concerns about price growth in Slovakia. The bank will have the decisive say in evaluation of Slovakia’s preparedness for eurozone entry. According to it, inflation could be pushed up by wage growth. A new factor which could also drive inflation is the elimination of the so-called monetary “pillow”: inflation is currently dampened by a strengthening crown. This will no longer be possible after the euro is introduced.
Preparatory work on new nuclear plant should start this autumn
Preparatory work should start in the autumn on a project to build a new nuclear facility in Slovakia. According to the Economy Ministry's draft ‘Possibilities for Securing the Construction of a New Nuclear Power Source in Jaslovské Bohunice,’ JAVYS (the state-run enterprise which manages and decommissions nuclear power plants), in cooperation with the Economy Ministry, should start working on a feasibility study this October. At the same time, the documents required for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study should be prepared. The government plans to make a decision about construction of the new nuclear facility by the end of this year, the SITA newswire wrote.
NBS: Inflation up due to global cost factors, no interest-rate change
Demand risks in the area of inflation are not increasing in Slovakia, the governor of the country's central bank (NBS), Ivan Šramko, said at a press conference on April 29.
Mlynky confirms its decision to evict Slovak House
The Hungarian village of Mlynky (Pilisszentkereszt) on April 29 confirmed its decision from a month ago to evict the Slovenský Dom (the Slovak House), which serves as the head office of the village's Slovak minority and civic organisation. Marta Demjenová, chair of the Slovak population in Mlynky, told the TASR newswire that Hungarian Ombudsman for Minority Rights Erno Kallai called the decision "illegal" on April 1. "First we will turn to the Office of Public Administration, because they haven't assessed the decision yet," Demjenová said. "If it rejects the decision, our situation will be easier."
Parliamentary committee debates 2007 Prosecutor General's report
The Parliamentary Defense and Security Committee voted unanimously on April 29 to accept the Prosecutor General Office's report on its activity for 2007, which was occasionally critical of the government, the TASR newswire wrote.
SDKÚ joins Smer and KDH to back act on proving origin of property
A proposal for a constitutional amendment on proving the origin of property will have the support of opposition SDKÚ MPs in Parliament's first reading, SDKÚ chairman Mikuláš Dzurinda said on April 29.
NBÚ director Blanárik may have informed for ŠtB
On April 29, the Hospodárske Noviny financial daily reported that during communism, a person with the same name, date of birth and place of birth as the National Security Office (NBÚ) director František Blanárik was listed as informing for military counterintelligence, the National Memory Institute (ÚPN) released on April 28.
Unions believe state should pay more for insurance
Payments that the state transfers to health and social insurance funds for the insured should increase from the current 4.5 percent to 5 percent of the average wage in Slovakia, suggested Trade Unions Confederation (KOZ) President Miroslav Gazdík following his meeting with President Ivan Gašparovič.
Fico believes electricity prices could be lower
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said that the price of electricity in Slovakia could be lower, the SITA newswire wrote.
Petranský: I made Mečiar angry
On April 29, the Pravda daily ran an interview with Ivan Petranský, head of the Nation's Memory Institute (ÚPN), who said that HZDS head Vladimír Mečiar had phoned to scold him for lacking courage.
Diesel price increase by 50 hellers, petrol by 30 hellers per litre
The price of diesel will rise by 50 hellers per litre by April 29, while petrol prices will rise 30 hellers per litre, the Natankuj.sk website reported on April 28.
Nineteen members of 'Acid-bath Gang' convicted of tax fraud
The Special Court in Pezinok on April 28 found 19 members of the former "Acid-bath Gang" guilty of defrauding the state of millions of crowns of taxes in the late 1990s and early part of this decade.
Independent MPs to propose Act on Proving Origin of Property
Independent MPs Vladimír Palko and Pavol Minárik, who recently left the parliamentary caucus of the opposition Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) and set up the new Conservative Democrats of Slovakia (KDS), intend to submit a proposal for a constitutional amendment on proving the origin of property, the TASR newswire wrote on April 28. According to the amendment, which is to be discussed at the next parliamentary session, the police will have the right to launch investigations into people's incomes, the value of their property and how they acquired it in response to a written notice or on their own initiative. If the police find that the value of the property of the person concerned exceeds the individual's verifiable income by 1,000 times the minimum wage, the case will be passed on to the Prosecutor General's Office. If a court subsequently rules that cash, movable or immovable property has been accumulated via illegal earnings, the property will be confiscated by the state.
Petranský: Mečiar told me about abolition of ÚPN
Ivan Petranský, director of the Nation's Memory Institute (ÚPN), said at a press conference on April 28 that HZDS chairman Vladimír Mečiar had informed him two weeks ago of the coalition's intention to abolish the institute.
Ministry spent Sk265 mln on new investment incentives last year
The Economy Ministry gave out Sk265.7 million in new investment incentives to foreign investors last year. According to the ministry's final account for 2007, nine companies received state assistance last year. Visteon Slovakia was granted the biggest sum, Sk85.5 million, followed by Sony Slovakia (Sk52.5 million) and Unomedical (Sk48.7 million).
Economic sentiment dips in April
The economic sentiment indicator dropped 0.9 percentage points within the last month to 99.1 points, the Statistics Office informed. The month-on-month decline was influenced by the negative development of confidence indicators in individual sectors. The economic sentiment indicator dropped 7.7 points year-on-year and 1.9 percentage points compared with the long-term average, the SITA newswire wrote.
Coalition might abolish Memory Institute
On April 28, the Pravda daily reported that the coalition is looking to abolish the Nation's Memory Institute, which was set up under the Mikuláš Dzurinda government to archive files on the country’s communist and fascist history and make them available to the public.
SDKÚ and media representatives preparing analysis of Press Code
The Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), the country’s strongest opposition party, and the Slovak Syndicate of Journalists (SSN) are preparing a legal analysis of the Press Code that can be presented to the Constitutional Court, the SITA newswire wrote.
Post delivered millions more items last year
SLOVAK POST (Slovenská Pošta), based in Banská Bystrica, received, transported and delivered almost 350 million first and second class letters, parcels, advertising consignments and postal cheques in 2007.
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- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
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- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners More articles ›
