Archive of articles - July 2008
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Slovak Antitrust Office examines behaviour of soft drink maker Kofola
The Slovak Antitrust Office (PMÚ) is examining the conduct of soft drink producer Kofola, which was fined in the Czech Republic for concluding contracts with clients on common prices for re-sale of its products. The PMÚ is examining the situation in the Slovak market and if any indications of a violation of the law on protection of competition arise, it will initiate administrative proceedings, said PMÚ spokesperson Alexandra Bernáthová. According to Kofola spokesman Martin Klofanda, the company is not concerned about the PMÚ finding evidence similar to that in the Czech Republic. "Such procedures were not applied in Slovakia; it was only an error in the Czech Republic," he told the SITA newswire. SITA
Spanish firm to take part in reconstruction of Bohunice V2 nuclear power plant
Slovakia's dominant power producer, Slovenské Elektrárne, a.s. (SE), has announced that a Spanish company will participate in the reconstruction of the V2 Jaslovské Bohunice nuclear power plant. The company Iberdola Ingenieria y Construccion will carry out the reconstruction of steam separators and re-heaters in V2 for SE, the owner of the two reactors of the V2 nuclear power station. SE informed the SITA newswire that the overall value of the order is €12.469 million (Sk413.894 million). SE signed the contract with the Spanish company in early July 2008. SE will start increasing the output of the V2’s two reactors in Jaslovské Bohunice this year. "We are going to modernise and increase the output of one steam turbine, electric energy generators and transformers," said the deputy director of the SE investment section, Gian Luca Noferi. Output of the V2 nuclear power station will thus grow from its current 880 MW to about 1,000 MW.
Air carrier Opera Jet offers flights from Slovakia
Another private airline has begun offering flights from Slovakia. The company Opera Jet, s.r.o. was granted an operating licence on June 17 this year. Its aeroplanes already fly from Slovakia but its official entry into the Slovak market and a promotional campaign are scheduled for early August. Opera Jet was set up in February, when the investment and development company Opera bought into the airline company Air Carpatia Services. The company's fleet comprises two Cessna planes. However, it plans to purchase two more planes soon and a Dassault-Falcon aircraft in 2010. Opera Jet services are destined mainly for passengers seeking privacy and comfort. Prices per flight hour amount to thousands of euros. Head of the board of directors Pavel Richtárik said that despite changing input prices the company considers the private flight sector to be very promising. SITA
19.89 percent broadband internet access in Slovakia, says TÚ
The penetration of broadband internet access on fixed-line and mobile networks in Slovakia reached 19.89 percent in the first half of this year. According to the Slovak Telecommunication Office (TÚ), which gave the figure to the European Commission (EC), penetration thus rose 2.65 percentage points during the past six months, the SITA newswire wrote. The penetration of broadband internet in the fixed-line network was 9.57 percent as of June 30. TÚ spokesman Roman Vavro stated that the European Commission did not take into account mobile communication when comparing countries last year. Mobile connections make up over 50 percent of penetration in the Slovak Republic.
ÚVO asks court to postpone deadline
The Public Procurement Office (ÚVO) on July 30 asked the Bratislava Regional Court to extend the deadline for it to respond to suits filed by the three bidders expelled from supplying the electronic toll collection system in Slovakia.
KSS to choose presidential candidate on Saturday
The Slovak Communist Party (KSS) is to choose its candidate for next year's presidential elections on August 2, the TASR newswire was told by KSS chairman Jozef Hrdlička on July 30.
Ministry seeks Sk20 million to cover euro adoption expenses
Euro adoption will require Sk20.4 million (€663,900) from next year's state budget, an Interior Ministry press release reads on July 30.
Gašparovič hands over credentials to two new ambassadors
President Ivan Gašparovič on July 30 handed over official credentials to two newly-appointed Slovak ambassadors - Ladislav Straka, who will serve in South Africa, and Marián Záhora, who is heading for Libya, the President's Office told the TASR newswire.
NBS keeps key interest rates on hold in July
The National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) again left key interest rates in Slovakia unchanged in July. Following a meeting of the NBS board on Tuesday, July 29, the two-week sterilization repo rate remains at 4.25 percent per annum. Slovakia's central bank thus met analysts’ expectations that it would mimic interest rates in the eurozone. The key interest rate of the European Central Bank is currently also 4.25 percent. The NBS also left its one-day sterilization repo rate unchanged at 2.25 percent p.a., and the one-day refinancing rate at 5.75 percent p.a., the central bank told the SITA newswire. SITA
Slovakia agrees with EU draft directive on wider discrimination ban
The European Union (EU) has said it will direct its member states to widen the ban on all kinds of discrimination, including discrimination outside the labour market. Slovakia has said it agrees with the new directive. The French EU Presidency will seek to conclude the new directive by the end of this year. SITA
First EU money offered within Health Operational Programme
Specialised hospitals could soon receive financial assistance towards their reconstruction and modernisation within the Health Ministry-managed Health Operational Programme. The ministry has announced a call for bids for non-refundable contributions from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), according to information on the ministry's web site. The overall volume of finances earmarked for this call amounts to Sk600 million (€19.92 million). The minimum non-refundable contribution per bid is Sk50 million (€1.66 million), while the maximum is Sk200 million (€6.639 million). The call is time-limited. Bids will be accepted until October 23, 2008. SITA
PAS opposed to blacklisting of businessmen involved in bankruptcies
The courts should be used to deal with businessmen who make companies bankrupt by using dirty practices, thinks Slovak Business Alliance (PAS) Executive Director Robert Kičina. He was reacting to the Justice Ministry’s announced intention to introduce a so-called register of disqualified statutory representatives and members of statutory organs of trade companies who have brought companies to bankruptcy. "Just as companies are established, so they also cease to exist as well. It is a common phenomenon in the business environment, and I see no reason to sanction managers of these companies by publishing their names on a kind of blacklist," said Kičina. He added that if a businessman commits a crime that results in a company's bankruptcy, "we have the Penal Code for that."
Regional UNFPA office will be in Bratislava
The United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA) regional office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia might be headquartered in Bratislava, according to a recent proposal. The office will be in the Administration of Special-Purpose Facilities (SUZA) building, which falls under the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry, the TASR newswire wrote. UN expert Werner Moidl inspected the premises in early July, focusing on security. If the premises meet the basic security criteria, a group of UNFPA experts will visit Bratislava soon to look into the deployment of offices according to the requirements of the fund. Since 2001, Bratislava has been the seat of one of nine regional centres of technical assistance of UN Development Programme (UNDP), which focuses on the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Locating the office of an international organisation here is prestigious, according to a Foreign Affairs Ministry position paper. Turnover of the UNDP regional centre in the form of ordered supplies of goods and services from local companies amounted to around Sk15 million (€497,909) last year, while it employs 56 Slovaks among its 140 employees. Last year, the UNDP/UNFPA Executive Council adopted a decision to establish five regional offices on a new organisational structure for UNFPA. Four of these have already been established in Bangkok, Cairo, Johannesburg and Panama City. TASR
Slovak National Gallery celebrates 60th anniversary
The Slovak National Gallery (SNG) in Bratislava is celebrating its 60th anniversary on July 29. It was founded by the Ministry of Culture on July 29, 1948 on the initiative of Slovak journalist and writer Laco Novomeský.
NBS: Inflation will decrease a year after euro introduction
The National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) has significantly upped its estimate for inflation in 2008 in the most recent mid-term prediction presented to its board on July 29.
SAEC expects online revenue to rise
The Slovak Association for Electronic Trade (SAEC) told the TASR newswire that Sk722.22 million (€23.97 million) was generated from the sale of goods and services through the internet in the first half of this year.
NBS: Economic development prognoses have not changed
Neither the current nor the expected development of Slovakia's economy have diverged significantly from the central bank's prognoses, according to a statement by Viliam Ostrožlík, vice-governor of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), on July 29.
Economic sentiment indicator on decline in July again
The economic sentiment indicator continued shrinking in July. According to the data of the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ), its value dropped 0.4 percentage points from June to 96.5 points, owing to negative development in all of its partial indicators.
Mikloško is KDS presidential candidate
František Mikloško is the official candidate of the Conservative Democrats of Slovakia (KDS) for the post of the Slovak president, KDS representatives told a news conference on July 29.
Prosecution of journalists halted
The charges have been withdrawn against the editors of the Žurnál weekly for publishing a story that allegedly revealed classified military information, Martin Šesták, the weekly’s PR manager told the SITA newswire.
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