Archive of articles - April 2009

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Economy Ministry says Transpetrol general meeting was invalid

The Slovak Economy Ministry said that it considers the Transpetrol general meeting convened by Ignac Ilčišin on April 29 to be invalid, according to the ministry's representative who attended, Peter Žiga, after a government session on the same day, reported the TASR newswire.

Paška meets Syrian President al-Assad in historic parliamentary building

Slovak Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paška met Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the historic former Parliamentary building in Bratislava on April 29, Paška's spokesman, Jozef Plško, told the TASR newswire.

Construction Minister says consortium need not return €9.96 million

Slovakia has already paid €9.96 million to the winner of the now-cancelled bulletin-board contract, Construction Minister Igor Štefanov said on April 29, as reported by the TASR newswire.

Slovak Ambassador to EU notes five years of success

Slovakia has used the first five years of its EU membership efficiently, Slovak Ambassador to the European Union, Maroš Šefčovič, told the TASR newswire on April 29, adding that the country enjoys a very positive and pro-European image. “I think Slovakia's story is viewed as very successful in the EU, as we're really a country that has increased the quality of life and standards of living in a short time, maybe the most from all the 10 countries that joined the EU in 2004. We're one of the first new countries to adopt the euro, so we've really joined the exclusive club of the most-developed economies within the EU and I think ... we always try to take a constructive, pro-European constructive stance,” said Šefčovič, as reported by TASR. In Šefčovič’s opinion, the accession negotiations between the EU and Slovakia were very difficult, as Slovakia had to catch up with countries that had started their negotiations earlier.

US Commission hails decision on Romani sterilisation victims

In a statement released on April 29, the Commissioners of the US Helsinki Commission welcomed news that the European Court on Human Rights issued a decision on April 28 awarding damages to eight Romani women who had sued the Slovak Government in connection with their sterilization without informed consent.

Environment Ministry says it will publish controversial contract

Environment Minister Ján Chrbet from the Slovak National Party intends to make public a controversial contract for the sale of excess carbon-dioxide emissions to a private company after Premier Robert Fico urged him to do so on April 25, the ministry said on April 29. With this in mind, the ministry has asked the company in writing for its consent to publish the contract, the TASR newswire wrote. “If Mr. Chrbet doesn't have any secrets to keep, let him publish the contract ... so that we can see to what extent people acted in accordance with the law,” said Fico on Saturday, April 25.

Slovakia reports one unconfirmed case of swine flu

One unconfirmed case of swine flu may have already emerged in Slovakia, the Health Ministry's spokesperson, Zuzana Čižmáriková, told the TASR newswire on April 29.A woman was hospitalised in Nitra on the morning of April 29 with clinical symptoms and her recent travel history is of concern, but the suspicion of swine flu has yet to be confirmed.

Prime Minister wins libel lawsuit against Trend weekly

Prime Minister Robert Fico won a libel lawsuit against the publishing company of the Trend weekly as the Bratislava Regional Court ruled on April 29 that the publisher must pay €8,000 in non-pecuniary damages and publish an apology, the SITA newswire wrote.

U.S. Steel Košice asks for voluntary terminations after a record-high loss

The biggest private employer in Slovakia, the steel works owned by U.S. Steel Košice, wants to reduce the number of its administrative employees by fifteen percent by the end of June of this year, the economic daily Hospodárske Noviny wrote on Wednesday, April 29. This will affect 450 managers and administrative who have been asked to “voluntarily” leave their jobs.

Confidence in economy continued to fall in April

Slovakia’s indicator of economic sentiment (IES) continued to fall in April, dropping by 4.4 points month-on-month (m-o-m) to 68.8 points and bringing confidence in the Slovak economy to its lowest level since 1997, when the figures were calculated for the first time, reads a report by the Statistics Office published on April 28.

Former minister says state will not recover €11.62 million from bulletin-boad tender

Former Finance Minister and SDKÚ vice-chair Ivan Mikloš said on April 28 that even though the contract awarded in the disputed bulletin-board tender will be cancelled by the consortium of companies, it will not change the fact that the state will lose the €11.62 million that has been already paid out to the consortium, as reported by the TASR newswire.

SPP must pay 400 million Czech crowns for 1990s promissory note

According to a decision by the Bratislava Regional Court on Tuesday, April 28, Slovak gas utility Slovenský Plynárenský Priemysel (SPP) will have to pay 400 million Czech crowns (€14.94 million) to Czech company DRAFT-OVA because of a promissory note signed by a murdered former chief executive.

HZDS nominee elected deputy speaker

Tibor Cabaj, the nominee of the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), was elected to the post of parliamentary vice-chairman – also known as the deputy speaker – in a closed parliamentary ballot on April 28.

Ján Golian approved as Radičová's replacement in parliament

Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) former MP Iveta Radičová, who recently gave up her mandate after breaking parliamentary rules by voting on behalf of a party colleague, will be replaced in parliament by Ján Golian, parliament’s mandate and immunity committee announced on Tuesday, April 28.

EC welcomes positive signals in disputed tender, but expects results

The European Commission (EC) welcomed the decision of the Slovak Construction Ministry to cancel its disputed tender, but expects an official explanation from the Slovak authorities.

No new screening for security chief

The parliamentary committee for supervising the activities of the National Security Office (NBÚ) did not pass a resolution on April 28 demanding that NBÚ chairman František Blanárik should undergo a new security screening, committee chairman Anton Korba (Slovak National Party) announced the same day.

Slovakia prepares for swine flu

The swine flu virus, which by April 27 had resulted in the deaths of at least 150 people in Mexico, has now appeared in Europe - but had not reached Slovakia as of April 29.

SMK confirms departure of 46 party members

The Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) has confirmed that 46 party members from the Rimavská Sobota district quit the party on April 27.

Consortium agrees to cancel its bulletin-board contract

The international consortium which in 2007 won the controversial ‘bulletin-board’ tender held by the Slovak Ministry of Construction and Regional Development (MVRR) has agreed to cancel the resulting contract to provide services associated with the distribution of European Union (EU) funds.

Prices of selected goods rises

Prices of selected goods and services, which are being monitored by the Slovak Statistics Office in connection with the euro switchover, rose moderately in the second ten days of April following a drop in the previous period. While in the first ten days of April the average prices of 196 frequently purchased goods and services fell by 0.7 percent, they grew by 0.3 percent during the following ten days, the SITA newswire reported.

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