Archive of articles - August 2009, page 2
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Krakow opens its crypts
IN THE Polish city of Krakow, two Nights of Churches, including some which hold relics that could easily be found in museums, were organised on the evenings of August 14 and 15. During the event, entitled Cracovia Sacra, 23 churches and monasteries around the city allowed visitors to explore their grounds. the www.krakowpost.com website reported.
Quote of the week
“Nobody should pretend that Stephen I is some Slovak king. We’ve got our Svätopluk and not Stephen."
Topoľčany blast kills one and injures five
A BLAST at the Euromont TO factory in Topoľčany, in which five people were injured and one killed on August 25, was triggered by explosives, according to Slovakia’s Police President Ján Packa.
Singing a single V4 melody
THE VISEGRAD Group countries share large swaths of common history, roots and traditions but at the same time they are diverse enough to provide unique attractions and experiences for tourists from inside as well as outside the Visegrad region. And while economic cooperation within the Visegrad Group might sometimes be rather problematic because of the competitive nature of the Visegrad countries’ economies, tourism is the sector in which the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have together tuned to a single melody.
Business prospects in V4
THE VISEGRAD Group represents a consistent geographical region on the eastern border of the European Union. This makes the region strategically important and also creates opportunities for the group’s member states – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – to utilise their partnership at the regional level as well as within the European Union, though they often regard each other as competitors rather than friends, even after 20 years of systemic changes.
Accreditation in disarray as some universities flunk
IT HAS TAKEN less than a year to evaluate Slovakia’s higher education institutions through a process of complex accreditation. One consequence might be that the number of universities shrinks to 12, or even fewer. Accreditation, which is supposed to reflect the state of higher education in Slovakia and to divide universities into three categories, has so far brought more confusion than clarity to the already dysfunctional higher education system in Slovakia.
People often get what they want, not what they need
WE ARE NOW reaching the point where ministerial posts could be made prizes in a national lottery in Slovakia. For guessing three out of five numbers the lucky punter could get a government contract, awarded by a ministry of the winner’s choice. Four out of five would land you a state secretarial post for six to eight months. Anyone blessed with lady luck and the winning ticket would get to be the country’s next minister of agriculture or environment. The record of these ministries under the government of Robert Fico has made this absurd scenario almost plausible.
Czech, Polish and Slovak castles presented
OVER THE first weekend of August a two-day conference of experts and the general public was hosted by the Spiš Museum in Levoča, entitled SúHRADnice (a wordplay on súradnice/coordinates and hrad/castle). The conference focused on the renovation of historical buildings and the protection of castle sites; its second part included presentations for the public. International partners included Pernštejn Castle in the Czech Republic and Niedzica Castle in Poland. The first day of SúHRADnice 2009 was held in the town hall in Levoča, and the second day at Spiš Castle.
Hungarian president denied entry to Slovakia
GROWING tension in Slovak-Hungarian relations, recently heightened by the Slovak parliament’s amendment to the State Language Act and the subsequent Hungarian reaction to it, climaxed on Friday, August 21, when the president of Hungary was barred from entering Slovakia on an unofficial visit to the Slovak town of Komárno. Since then, Slovak and Hungarian politicians have been hurling blame as well as offensive statements at each other across the Danube.
The strategic importance of V4
The Visegrad Group (V4) was first formed as an informal grouping with one of the primary aims to support integration of its four member states, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia into the EU. That goal was fulfilled more than five years ago but since then the V4 has proven its viability by taking on new challenges in the further enlargement of the EU by cooperating with countries currently outside the union as well by pursuing energy security in the Visegrad region.
Czech Republic supports V4 priorities for next year
The Czech Republic identifies with the priorities for cooperation among the Visegrad Group countries (V4), said Milan Řepka, the spokesperson of the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in an interview with The Slovak Spectator about the changing role of the V4 and the challenges it faces in the future.
Visegrad countries
Czech republic Capital: Prague Area: 78,864 sq km
Deficit down by €1.3 billion
THE CURRENT account of Slovakia’s balance of payments ended in a deficit of €837.1 million after the first half of 2009.
Spirit marks the Visegrad Summer School
IN THE SEARCH for something that might be called ‘the Visegrad spirit’ it is often better to leave the world of high politics and business relations and go to places where the spirit lives among people in their everyday work and interests. Krakow becomes one of such places every year at the start of the summer, when the Visegrad Summer School (VSS) opens its doors for another group of students from all around central and eastern Europe (CEE) to gather in a lovely location just outside the city and spend some days in fruitful discussions.
History of V4
ON FEBRUARY 15, 1991 the President of the Czechoslovak Republic, Václav Havel, the President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, József Antall, met in Visegrad, Hungary and agreed on the creation of an informal grouping of the three central European countries, the Visegrad Group.
V4 countries will not make it alone
ALONE, none of the Visegrad Four countries can be such a critical force that it could eliminate risks affecting the region or create a qualitatively-new situation for further development, Gábor Iklódy, state secretary and political director of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Iklódy about the challenges that the Visegrad Four countries face and the prospects of the grouping in the 21st century.
Tourism in the Visegrad Group region
The Visegrad Group countries make up a compact part of central and northern Europe bordering Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania and Romania on the east, Germany and Austria on the west and Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia on the south. This part of Europe offers a whole array of natural gems ranging from snow-topped mountains to lowlands with verdant fields and clear lakes and even a long coastline along the Baltic Sea. And the region’s position as a crossroad between the west and the east has given each country many varied and unique cultural and historical sites.
NBS: Economy has bottomed out
THE STATISTICS Office’s Q2 preliminary data showed that the Slovak economy recorded a further significant year-on-year fall, but the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) believes that the second quarter might prove to be the bottom of the fall in GDP.
Addressing extremism
IN THE MIDST of growing anti-Roma sentiment across central and eastern Europe, with Slovak neo-Nazi groups organising rallies against what they call Roma crime and a police state, and with some politicians resorting to populist but dangerous solutions to the problem of deprived minorities, the subject of extremism has recently emerged at the centre of public discourse.
Border crossing hosts unusual art
A GATHERING of 19 art professionals from the Visegrad countries at the Kráľ (Rimavská Sobota District)-Bánrévé border crossing between Slovakia and Hungary culminated on August 1 with a public presentation that demonstrated a great interest in the unconventional perception of borders, factual as well as abstract, through the eyes of young artists.
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- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
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- The compass points to Kúty, and people are starting to follow
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners More articles ›
