Archive of articles - July 2009, page 4

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Scrapping bonus turned out to be popular in Slovakia.

Car-scrapping bonus boosts car sales

DURING the first half of 2009 Slovaks bought almost 41,300 new passenger cars. Compared with the same period of 2008 this was an increase of 18.4 percent. In June alone, Slovaks bought 10,355 passenger cars: sales normally average 4,000 to 5,000 units in Slovakia.

Jana Liptáková 20. jul 2009

Historic newspaper celebrates

JULY 14th marks the 245th anniversary of the The Pressburger Zeitung. The Pressburger Zeitung first published in 1764. It was the first long-running German language newspaper in Greater Hungary, the TASR wrote. Pressburg is the German name for Bratislava.

Compiled by Spectator staff 20. jul 2009

Osadné documentary wins at the Karlovy Vary film fest

A FILM by Slovak director Marko Škop won the award for best documentary film over 30 minutes at the 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on July 11.

Compiled by Spectator staff 20. jul 2009

Minister Richard Raši expects a merger will cut costs.

State health insurers might merge

JUST several months ago Slovakia’s Health Ministry brushed aside the idea of merging Slovakia’s two state-owned health insurers into a single giant institution as being far too complicated, but the global economic crisis has turned the concept into something that the ministry is now advocating.

Beata Balogová 20. jul 2009

Arrests in prostitution bust

FOUR Slovaks are in custody in Bratislava awaiting extradition to France after police claimed to have busted a major European on-line prostitution ring.

Tom Nicholson 20. jul 2009

The renovated border crossing Ubľa and Malyj Bereznyj opened in December 2008.

Sharing a border and economic ties

UKRAINE is Slovakia’s only neighbour that is not a member of the European Union and the Schengen zone. Even though this puts the links between Ukraine and Slovakia at a different level, Ukraine is a strong economic partner with Slovakia as well with the entire European Union. Slovakia has been almost 100 percent dependent on Russian natural gas, Russia supplies about 25 percent of EU countries’ gas consumption, and about 80 percent of that gas flows to Europe through Ukraine’s network of pipelines. The January 2009 natural gas crisis which severely affected Slovakia and much of Europe following a payment dispute between Ukraine and Russia, reminded everyone of the strategic importance of Ukraine.

Jana Liptáková 20. jul 2009

Quote of the Week:

“This criticism is based on absurd lies.”

20. jul 2009

The PM often accuses the press of lying.

Relations worsen between media and state

THE LETTERS sent by former justice minister Štefan Harabin demanding out-of-court financial settlements from several Slovak media publishers have again stirred debate about media freedom and relations between the governing political parties and media in Slovakia. The deterioration in these relations and the tense atmosphere in the country a year after the 2008 Press Code was adopted were topics The Slovak Spectator discussed with Ivan Godársky, the legal advisor to Memo 98, a non-governmental organization which was established before the 1998 parliamentary elections to monitor and analyse the Slovak media environment, including the coverage of the country’s political scene.

Michaela Terenzani 20. jul 2009

Austrian investors see opportunities

THE ECONOMIC relationship between Austria and Slovakia is flourishing even though the economic crisis has made Austrian investors a little more cautious. The tradition of gradually building up cooperation is continuing and Slovakia's adoption of the euro has erased the possibility of exchange rate losses.

Jana Liptáková 20. jul 2009

Prince Eugene’s Orangerie in Schloss Hoff.

Slovaks crossing the ‘forbidden bord

THE INTEREST of Slovaks in travelling to Austria is no longer restricted by closed borders and barbed wire. Since the fall of the Iron curtain, Slovaks easily travel across the Slovak-Austrian frontier to spend their leisure time enjoying Austria’s beautiful nature or exploring its historical sites. Slovaks, especially those from west-southern Slovakia, frequently travel to the Auland-Carnuntum region for day-long trips.

Jana Liptáková 20. jul 2009

Health care debt money misused after 2006

A FINANCE Ministry report presented to Slovakia’s cabinet on July 8 has finally silenced the Fico government’s claims that its predecessor misused funds in paying off debt in the health care sector. The ministry’s auditors said they found “no serious deficiencies” in the accounts of Veriteľ, the state company used to retire Sk36 billion (€1.2 billion) in bills owed by hospitals and health insurance companies between 2003 and 2006. According to documents obtained by The Slovak Spectator, serious questions remain over how the Ministry of Health under the current government spent at least a quarter of the Sk650 million (€12 million) that was left over from the liquidation of Veriteľ in June 2006.

Tom Nicholson 20. jul 2009

Austrian institutions in Slovakia

Austrian Embassy

Compiled by Spectator staff 20. jul 2009

STV still without a budget for 2009

STV COUNCIL, the governing body of the public service broadcaster Slovak Television (STV) failed to approve a modified draft budget and programing plan of the broadcaster on July 14. This was a version updated by STV Director General Štefan Nižňanský, the SITA newswire reported.

Compiled by Spectator staff 20. jul 2009

Sme daily loses libel trial

A SLOVAK court awarded another high sum to a former public official in a libel trial against the press: a tendency which has been followed by the local media and also the International Press Institute with growing concern.

Beata Balogová 20. jul 2009

Did you know?

Vast country Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe in terms of land area (603,700 square kilometres)and fifth in Europe in terms of population (46.2 million people).

Compiled by Spectator staff 20. jul 2009

Ukraine: General facts

Political system: republic

Compiled by Spectator staff 20. jul 2009

Growing or using cannabis is illegal in Slovakia.

Drug market has changed

ILLEGAL drug use in Slovakia has changed in many ways since the nineties, after the borders of the country and its market opened for different kinds of goods and services – including illegal ones. Twenty years after, experts say the situation is stabilised but still differs from the countries of western Europe in the number of users, the kinds of drugs they use and public attitudes to illegal drugs.

Michaela Terenzani 20. jul 2009

Railways are a promising means of transport.

Broad-gauge railway project moves ahead

NATIONAL railway companies from Russia, Austria, Ukraine, and Slovakia signed a steering committee declaration in late May to keep the project of extending a broad-gauge railway track across all four countries moving forward. The next step is the formal establishment of a joint venture to develop the feasibility study for this project. The declaration was signed on May 29 in Sochi, Russia during the 4th international business forum, Strategic Partnership 1520, the SITA newswire wrote.

Jana Liptáková 20. jul 2009