Archive of articles - May 2010, page 14
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
Slovakia’s growth to top EU in 2010
SLOVAKIA, along with Poland, should top the ranking of economic growth within the European Union this year, according to the Spring Forecast 2010-11 published by the European Commission on May 5.
Retail sales post first growth since 2008
RETAIL sales in Slovakia in March grew for the first time since December 2008. According to data from the Slovak Statistics Office, retail sales in the third month were 0.2 percent higher than in the same period a year ago and reached €1.376 billion, the SITA newswire wrote.
PM Fico on debt crisis: I don't trust the Greeks
SLOVAKIA will contribute to a huge international bridging loan for Greece, but not straightaway and only under certain conditions: that was the message of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico to the international community in early May, in response to the €110 billion rescue package being assembled to rescue Greek finances. The debate over Slovakia’s contribution to the European rescue package has generated some sharp words, with Fico stating publicly that he does not trust the Greeks and that until the country adjusted to economic reality, Slovakia would contribute nothing.
Environmental NGOs question €566,000 grant to an unknown civil association
The state-run Environmental Fund has allocated a subsidy amounting to €566,000 to a civic association named Eko-budúcnosť (Eco-Future), the SITA newswire wrote on May 6. The association received funding for six projects, four educational and two related to environment protection.
SNS representatives state their position on billboard campaign
The euroAWK advertising company has already covered all the 29 billboards rented by the Slovak National Party (SNS) that had a photo and message that critics said provokes racial intolerance, the TASR newswire was told on May 6 by Peter Jančarik, who spoke on behalf of euroAWK. “This doesn't mean, however, that the public won't come across these billboards, as they can be placed in the advertising spaces of other billboard companies, in spaces that don't belong to euroAWK,” he said. The SNS billboard campaign aroused strong feelings among politicians and NGOs. The Union of Roma in Slovakia labelled it disgusting and is demanding that SNS should apologise to the Roma minority. It is also considering filing a criminal complaint. Ondrej Dostál from non-parliamentary party OKS has done this already.
NDS admits problems in the way truckers are charged for highway tolls
The National Highway Company (NDS) on May 6 admitted there are faults in the way electronic tolls are charged for motorway use for trucks over 3.5 tonnes after a group of truckers filed a complaint with prosecutors involving fraud and business data distortion earlier this week, the SITA newswire reported. On May 4, the Slovak Transporters Union (UNAS) complained, among other things, that they are unlawfully charged for highway use even within municipal areas or charged for a longer-than-covered piece of road. A case in point they offered is a stretch of highway from Topolcany and Chlebany where truckers say they pay for 2 additional kilometres.
Bratislava Airport’s new terminal to open in early June
The new passenger terminal at the Bratislava Airport with annual capacity of 3.5 million travellers should be opened before the start of the summer season in early June, the SITA newswire wrote.
European Commission acts over Slovaks’ medical expense
The European Commission has decided to send Slovakia a formal request to comply with its obligations over rules on reimbursement of medical expenses incurred in another member state. The commission believes that patients from Slovakia are being wrongly denied reimbursement claims following medical treatment elsewhere within the EU. They are then faced with medical bills that, according to EU rules, should be paid by their own member state, the commission said, as reported by the SITA newswire.
Počiatek reiterates 5.5-percent deficit target for 2010
Lowering the public-finance deficit from 6.8 percent of GDP in 2009 to 5.5 percent this year represents quite a challenge, but the government is determined to meet its obligations, Finance Minister Ján Počiatek (a Smer nominee) said after a government session on May 5.
Slovak court sentences German citizen to five years for drugs offences
A district court in Košice has sentenced Birger Tobias Christopher G. (33) from Frankfurt am Main to five years in prison for possession of 839.68 grams of hashish. The seized amount would be enough for production of 2,218 doses with a street value of around €4,436.
Transport Ministry insists PPP projects are cheaper
The Transport Ministry said on Wednesday, May 5, that another analysis it was submitting to the government showed that building motorways via private-public partnership (PPP) projects is less costly than via standard public procurement.
House prices fell over 8% y/y in Q1
The average price of residential real estate in Slovakia continued to decline in the first quarter of this year. The average price per square metre of residential real estate was €1,296 in the first quarter, down 8.3 percent from a year ago.
Racist SNS billboards covered up
Billboard company euroAWK on Wednesday, May 5, expressed regret over the fact that their advertising space had been used to present an image evoking racial hatred, the TASR newswire reported. According to a company representative, euroAWK immediately pasted over 29 such billboards across Slovakia at the company's own expense. It said it wants to dissociate itself from the type of political campaigning represented by the advertisement, which was for the Slovak National Party (SNS).
Roma Initiative slams lack of government effort
The Roma Initiative in Slovakia (RIS), a group representing the country’s Roma communities, says it is concerned about the lack of attention paid to resolving Roma problems in Slovakia by the current government, RIS chairman Alexander Patkoló said at a press conference in Banská Bystrica on Wednesday, May 5. Patkoló is also a candidate in the forthcoming general election for the Alliance for a Europe of Nations (AZEN) party.
Cabinet approves Fico's trip to EU summit on Greece
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico received the backing of his cabinet on May 5 for his attendance at an extraordinary session of the leaders of eurozone countries in Brussels on Friday, May 7.
European Commission predicts 2.7-percent growth in Slovakia in 2010
The European Commission has given the chapter on Slovakia in its regular spring economic prognosis the headline: 'Moderate Growth Ahead'. According to the commission's estimates, Slovakia and Poland will see the fastest economic growth in 2010, namely 2.7 percent of GDP. The prognosis for 2011 is even more optimistic, with Slovakia’s GDP expected to grow by 3.6 percent, the TASR newswire reported on May 5.
Open racism rears its head
THE SLOVAK National Party (SNS) is once again revealing its true colours: the party is waging its parliamentary election campaign with a billboard featuring a bare-chested Roma man whose photo was digitally altered by adding tattoos and a thick golden chain. The SNS billboard slogan: “So that we do not feed those who do not want to work”.
Number of traffic deaths in Slovakia decreases in first four months of 2010
The number of fatalities on roads in Slovakia decreased by 21 and the number of injured people by 158 in the January-April period of this year compared with the first four months of 2009. The Slovak Statistics Office released statistics data on traffic accidents for the first four months of this year on May 4 and they were reported by the SITA newswire.
Prime Minister’s Fico’s “cartoon” lawsuit has first hearing
Two diametrically differing opinions on a cartoon published in the Sme daily were presented at a hearing on May 4 at the Bratislava 4 District Court, which dealt with Prime Minister Robert Fico’s lawsuit against the Petit Press publishing house for a cartoon that the prime minister says made fun of his serious health condition and ridiculed him.
NGO Forum says minority rights have worsened in Slovakia
Protection of minority rights in Slovakia has worsened during the past four years, the Forum NGO, a research institute on minority issues, stated at a news conference on Tuesday, May 4, the SITA newswire reported.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Slovakia passes NGO law, civil society fears a chilling new era
- They could have left. But these young Slovaks stayed
- News digest: Brussels committee launches scrutiny of EU funds in Slovakia
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- Fico’s adviser accused of corruption, then hits back at prosecutor
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- News digest: Brussels committee launches scrutiny of EU funds in Slovakia
- They could have left. But these young Slovaks stayed
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- ‘Listen, Martina, this is not just your country’: protest song becomes rallying cry for folklorists Video
- Slovakia passes NGO law, civil society fears a chilling new era
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Zdeno Chára inducted into world hockey hall of fame Video
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovak roots: claiming what you knew you had
- Poland edges toward green light on long-delayed Kraków–Košice rail revival
- After years of straddling two worlds, this American is now reconnecting with his Slovak roots
- Fico’s adviser accused of corruption, then hits back at prosecutor
- Slovak Chamber of Auditors introduces Europe’s first AI platform for auditors
- Slovakia passes NGO law, civil society fears a chilling new era
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- News digest: Brussels committee launches scrutiny of EU funds in Slovakia More articles ›
