Archive of articles - January 2009

If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.

jan feb mar apr may jun jul aug sep oct nov dec

Reading news on the Internet grows in popularity

A poll released on Thursday, January 29, shows that last year 14.3 percent of the population read news every day on the Internet, while 27.8 percent regularly read daily print papers, the TASR newswire wrote.

Slovak Post claims losses of €2 million due to EC decision

Slovak Post claims it has had losses of approximately €2 million since October due to the European Commission's decision on October 7 that Slovakia must reopen its market in the field of hybrid post services, the TASR newswire wrote.

MP threatens to outlaw bank fees for coin deposits

MP Jan Ďuračka (SNS) and member of the Parliamentary Committee for Finance, Budget and Currency threatened on January 29 to put forth a bill in parliament banning commercial banks from charging fees for depositing coins in customer’s accounts unless the banks stop the practise.

Primary food producers express concern about market situation

Unfavourable situations in the agricultural and food commodity market have caused considerable economic problems for primary producers, the TASR newswire wrote. This has been further exacerbated by the global economic crisis and may put some companies out of business, the Slovak Agriculture and Food Chamber (SPPK) warned in a statement on January 29.

Jahnátek says government will bring natural gas reserves under its full control

The government intends to gain full control of underground natural gas storage tanks and will have three energy-related legislative amendments fast-tracked in parliament, Economy Minister Ľubomír Jahnátek said at a news conference on January 28. “The state will be entitled to assign potential users of the underground storage tanks. The state will also gain powers to grant, through the Economy Ministry, natural gas storage or extraction capacity leasing rights,” said Economy Minister Ľubomír Jahnátek following the weekly government policy meeting.

Economic sentiment in January hits lowest level since 1997

The mood about the economy in Slovakia continued to deteriorate in January. Slovakia’s Statistics Office reported that the overall economic sentiment indicator (ISE) fell 3.1 percentage points from December to 79.1 points. The office stated that this is the lowest value of the indicator since January 1997. This low value is explained by negative confidence indicators in the industrial and construction sectors. In y-o-y terms, the economic sentiment indicator was 21.5 percentage points lower. Moreover, it shrank 21.3 points below its long-term average, the SITA newswire wrote.

Ryanair to fly to two more destinations from Bratislava this year

The biggest low-cost airline in Europe, the Irish company Ryanair, will soon start regular flights to two more destinations from Bratislava, the SITA newswire wrote.

Prices of frequently purchased goods and services down 0.1 % in mid-January

The prices of the most frequently purchased goods and services fell by 0.1 percent in the period between January 11 and January 20, the Statistics Office announced on January 28.

Finance Ministry seeks €332 million savings to tackle crisis

By bringing together and re-allocating some previously planned budget expenditures, the Finance Ministry will attempt to save €332 million (Sk10 billion) to use to maintain economic growth and employment in Slovakia during the global economic crisis, the Finance Ministry stated in materials approved by the government on Wednesday, January 28.

Šimko ends presidential bid, recommends Mikloško

Former defence minister and Misia 21 party chairman Ivan Šimko announced on Wednesday, January 28, that he would not stand for president in the upcoming election and recommended his supporters vote for Conservative Democrats of Slovakia (KDS) nominee Frantisek Mikloško instead. "While collecting signatures for my candidacy I found out that František Mikloško has more significant support among Christian structures. I view this as a kind of primary among Christian voters and I respect the results," Šimko told the TASR newswire, adding that he has withdrawn from the contest in order to prevent a split in the Christian vote.

New head of Telecommunications Office appointed

The government appointed Ladislav Mikuš as director of the Slovak Telecommunications Office, which regulates the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors, on January 28.

Dutch development co-operation minister addresses conference

Dutch Development Co-operation Minister Bert Koenders spoke at the Slovakia and Development Aid - Challenges and Experiences conference in Bratislava on Wednesday, January 28, during a one-day visit to Slovakia. The TASR newswire reported that Koenders also raised the subject of development aid at a meeting with Slovakia's new foreign affairs minister, Miroslav Lajčák, with whom he spoke about co-operation with his country in Afghanistan. Lajčák, who is still the international community's High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, assured him that Slovakia's participation in the NATO-led ISAF mission and civil and reconstruction activities in Afghanistan remains a priority of the country's foreign policy.

Tupy murder trial continues

The trial of five defendants charged with the 2005 murder of Bratislava student Daniel Tupý continued on January 28 with the testimonies of more witnesses.

Government to assess MPs' drink-driving proposal

Members of parliament who are involved in car accidents should lose their right to refuse alcohol test (or tests for any other addictive or illegal material) without punishment according to a proposal by coalition MPs Rudolf Pučík (SNS), Ján Richter (Smer) and Ján Kovarčík (HZDS).

Mutual funds report negative net sales of €26.4 million

Open-end mutual funds administered by members of the Slovak Association of Asset Management Companies (SASS) reported an outflow of €26.398 million in the fourth week of this year.

Volume of new bank loans fell 0.5 percent in December

In December 2008 the volume of new loans banks provided to clients in Slovakia fell 0.5 percent month-on-month (m/m) to Sk172.845 billion (€5.737 billion).

Martináková submits petition for presidential candidacy

The law on presidential elections is absurd and prevents people from getting to know the candidates, said non-parliamentary Free Forum (SF) presidential candidate Zuzana Martináková on Tuesday, January 27, after submitting petition sheets supporting her candidacy to the office of Parliamentary Chairman Pavol Paška.

SPP says it 1 billion m3 of gas reserves

Slovak gas utility SPP is well prepared for the rest of the winter, with 1 billion cubic metres of gas reserves at its disposal, SPP CEO Bernd Wagner told journalists on January 27.

Radičová reacts to Fico claims

Iveta Radičová's has said she has a completely clear conscience over allegations that she bought off MPs in 2005.

New legislation in pipeline in response to recent gas crisis

Following a dispute between Russia and Ukraine earlier in January that left Slovakia without gas supplies from Russia for nearly two weeks, the country is set to amend its legislation governing emergency gas reserves in order to prevent any repetition of the situation, according to statements from gas utility SPP.

Services and publications

Travel guides Bratislava College Online directory Investment guide E-shop Rankings Career guide Subscription Monitoring Newsletter Travel podcast

Companies and institutions

Law firms Who's who: Law firms HR firms Who's who: HR companies Professionals in Slovakia