Archive of articles - December 2009, page 7

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Euro-socialists embrace Smer - again

ROBERT Fico’s party is now officially welcome in the fold of European social democratic parties. Smer was the very first political party to have its membership in the Party of European Socialists (PES) suspended, in 2006, when Fico included the Slovak National Party (SNS) as a member of his ruling coalition – going against the tradition of PES to not unite with nationalist parties.

Beata Balogová 14. dec 2009

Sesternica

UNLIKE English, Slovak has different words for a cousin of the male or female gender – bratranec and sesternica. And there’s good reason too – the country is so small and intertwined and knowing people in the right places is so important that mastering a detailed vocabulary describing all the different shades of family relations is vital for personal success.

Lukáš Fila 14. dec 2009

Quote of the week

"I can't pretend that I'm not thinking about it very intensively."

14. dec 2009

Religious symbols OK, says parliament

PLACING of traditional religious symbols in public facilities belongs within the cultural and legal tradition of European countries and should be respected, according to a declaration of the Slovak Parliament approved by MPs on Thursday, December 10.

Compiled by Spectator staff 14. dec 2009

MP and Agriculture Ministry debate status of 'Tokaj' designation

Slovakia has not abandoned the geographic designation Tokaj because Slovakia has the term as a protected designation of origin and continues to exert this right, the spokesperson for Slovakia's Agriculture Ministry, Adriana Jobbíková, said on December 10, as reported by the TASR newswire.

11. dec 2009

Slovak parliament objects to European court ruling on religious symbols

A ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) regarding the placing of Christian crosses in Italian schools is in conflict with Europe’s cultural heritage and its Christian history, according to a declaration published by the Slovak Parliament on December 10, the TASR newswire reported.

11. dec 2009

Slovak PM lambasts media for ‘terrorising dead father and grandfather’

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called on journalists at a press conference on December 10 to stop attacking his family, saying that he is their target and not his wife, mother, son or deceased father and grandfather, the TASR newswire wrote.

11. dec 2009

Parliament approves critical report on Slovak emissions sale

The selection process of the buyer of Slovakia’s emission quotas as well as the negotiations with potential partners and Interblue Group in 2008 was not handled in a professional way, according to a report drafted by the Environment Ministry and submitted to parliament on December 10, the TASR newswire wrote. A total of 75 out of 77 MPs voted in favour of accepting the report, a motion which succeeded in its third attempt – as Parliament lacked a quorum during the first two votes.

11. dec 2009

IT companies promise transparency on state contracts

Firms operating in the information and communications technologies sector have agreed that they will transparently inform the public on state orders and over 40 companies have signed the so-called December Memorandum of the Slovak IT Association (ITAS), the SITA newswire reported.

10. dec 2009

Prosecutor General thinks shady land transfer could be reversed

Slovakia’s Prosecutor-General Dobroslav Trnka said on December 9 that he did not rule out the possibility that the transfer of land in the High Tatra mountains by the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) could be reversed, adding that his office will seek to resolve this affair in accordance with the law, the TASR newswire reported.

10. dec 2009

SNS’s Slota will not be punished for private jet trip

Slovak National Party (SNS) chairman Ján Slota will not be punished for flying a private jet because the parliamentary committee for conflicts of interest did not make a resolution of the issue on December 9, which means that the proceedings against Slota will have to be halted, said the chairman of the committee, Agnes Biró of the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK), the TASR newswire wrote. Jozef Valocký from Smer, who represented Slota before the committee, claimed that the SNS head was not engaged in a personal flight, as he was accompanied by a pilot.

10. dec 2009

Parliamentary committee rejects MPs' inspection at environment ministry

A majority of members of the parliamentary committee for agriculture on December 9 rejected a proposal to hold a MPs’ inspection at the environment ministry, the TASR newswire wrote.

10. dec 2009

Nationalists’ ‘Patriot Bill’ passes first reading in Slovak Parliament

A bill drawn up by Slovak National Party (SNS) according to which pupils should start their classes with the Slovak national anthem was passed to its second reading in parliament on December 9.

10. dec 2009

Dismissed Trenčín University rector to file criminal complaint

Miroslav Mečár, the former rector of Alexander Dubček University in Trenčín (TnUAD), announced at a press conference on December 9 that the university senate’s recent decision to remove him from his post is illegal and that he would fight it.

10. dec 2009

Central bank board member Makuch likely to become governor

Jozef Makuch, a member of the bank board of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), is likely to become the bank's new governor, after the government approved his proposed appointment on Wednesday, December 9, Prime Minister Robert Fico's spokesperson Silvia Glendová said. Makuch's nomination must now be approved by Parliament, before President Ivan Gašparovič has the final say on his appointment. The new governor, who is 56 years old and has been on the NBS bank board since January 2006, will replace Ivan Šramko, whose term in office expires later this year. Parliament approved an amendment to the NBS Act in early November whereby changes to the functioning of the bank's board were introduced. As a result, the board will only have five members instead of the current 11. The board's members are now also eligible for appointment to the board for an unlimited number of terms, instead of the previous maximum of two. The NBS governor and vice-governor will be able to serve two terms at most, rather than one, as was previously the case. The changes had prompted media speculation that they were designed to pave the way for Šramko’s re-appointment to a second term.

10. dec 2009

Former HZDS MP stripped of parliamentary posts on Mečiar’s initiative

Slovak MP Milan Urbáni, who until recently represented the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), has been stripped of his positions as chairman of the parliamentary Committee for European Affairs and reserve member of Slovakia’s Permanent Parliamentary Delegation to the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. He was recalled from the posts by the Slovak Parliament on December 9.

10. dec 2009

Latest Slovak pay data announced

Data from the Statistics Office of the Slovak Republic show that the highest average nominal monthly wage in the first ten months of this year was reported in the IT and communications sector, where it reached €1,498.94.

9. dec 2009

Smer becomes full member of Party of European Socialists

Slovakia's largest governing party, Smer, has become a full member of the Party of European Socialists (PES), one of the largest factions in the European Parliament, after PES members voted overwhelmingly to admit the party on Tuesday, December 8, Smer spokeswoman Katarína Kližanová-Rýsová said.

9. dec 2009

Slovakia's sales in industry lower by 11.9 percent year-on-year in October

Sales in industry in Slovakia fell by 11.9 percent in October 2009 compared to the same month last year.

9. dec 2009

Decision regarding future NBS Governor still pending

Discussions in government over the filling of the post of governor of the National Bank of Slovakia (NBS), the country’s central bank, and top positions at the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) are currently underway, Prime Minister Robert Fico's spokesperson Silvia Glendová announced on December 8. No agreement has yet been reached.

9. dec 2009

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