Archive of articles - June 2010, page 3
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Slovakia stalls on euro bailout
EYEBROWS are being raised in Europe over a tug of war taking place in Slovakia over whether to agree to participate in the European Union’s financial safety-net programme to support the eurozone. The outgoing Robert Fico-led government and its finance master, Ján Počiatek, declined to give the country’s consent to what the EU calls the European Financial Stabilisation Facility, a programme worth €750 billion, without the approval of the four-party right-wing coalition which will form Slovakia’s next government.
MPs come – and go
THE RESULTS of the June 12 vote mean that the Slovak Parliament will this year wave goodbye to an unusually large number of long-term MPs compared to the aftermath of previous parliamentary elections. Some of those now facing political oblivion have been in parliament since the transition to democracy in Slovakia after the 1989 revolution. They will be replaced by a relatively high number of newcomers.
Coalition states its aims
AFTER several days and nights of talks between the four centre-right parties that will make up the next Slovak government, the new coalition presented its programme statement to the public on June 23. Although some of its points will perhaps disappoint some of those who voted for the parties, observers praised it as one of the best programmes that a future government has ever come up with.
Institutions of the Netherlands in Slovakia
Royal Netherlands Embassy
Fitch may upgrade Slovakia’s rating
THE FITCH group, an international credit ratings agency, states that if the new coalition government in Slovakia proves stable, cohesive and able to implement fiscal and structural reforms, the agency might upgrade the country’s rating over the medium term, the SITA newswire wrote.
Smyth becomes AmCham president
MICHAEL Smyth is the new president of AmCham in Slovakia, replacing Róbert Šimončič who resigned after accepting an offer to serve as the director general of the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO), the SITA newswire reported.
Belgian trade experts exude optimism
SLOVAKIA remains attractive for Belgian investors and the economic crisis has only postponed rather than changed their interest. Belgian trade experts and investors say economic cooperation between the two countries offers several unexplored opportunities and that Belgian businesses appreciate Slovak state assistance for investors, the tax system, and the country's labour force, among other factors.
Stibor's church on the Váh
THE ORIGINS of the church in Nové Mesto nad Váhom lie in 1263 when Benedictine monks began building it. From their efforts only a few ruins still remain. The church we see in this postcard, which was printed before World War I, was built by one of the most powerful Hungarian aristocrats: Stibor. This magnate of Polish origin, who lived in nearby Beckov Castle, controlled a big part of the territory of present-day Slovakia.
Slovakia gets UN human rights post
SLOVAKIA, represented by Fedor Rosocha, the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations office and other international organisations in Geneva, was selected as vice-president of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on June 21, the TASR newswire reported.
Houses in Kapušany endangered by landslides
SUBSIDENCE affecting the castle hill in the municipality of Kapušany, near Prešov in eastern Slovakia, following heavy rains, has now caused damage to 23 houses. As the Mayor of Kapušany Jozef Pribula told the SITA newswire, on June 7, 79 inhabitants have had to be evacuated for safety reasons.
Belgium: General facts
Political system: Federal parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
Quote of the week
“If we are all [so] accommodating, in the end we’ll open a bottle.”
Books in English now available
The Road. Cormac McCarthy. Picador, 2009.
Culture and tolerance: hand in hand
THE NETHERLANDS is a country that has historically supported human rights, and a philosophy of supporting activities which advance human rights and challenge all forms of discrimination is an inseparable aspect of events supported by the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Slovakia. And because tolerance and culture go very well together, a lot of Dutch cultural events are used to address the topic of human rights.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Specific regime for commercial leases in the Slovak Republic legal order
Despite the absence of legislative changes in the domain of commercial leases in the legal order of the Slovak Republic, some recent legal problems confronting legal practice are justification enough to briefly focus on some of the most relevant points in this area.
Trade unionists protest at Yura Eltec
MEMBERS of the KOVO trade union held a protest action at Yura Eltec Corporation Slovakia in Rimavská Sobota, a cable systems producer, on June 22, the SITA newswire reported.
The candidates who leapfrogged into seats
MUCH post-election media attention has been devoted to two less high-profile groupings which made it into parliament under the colours of other political parties. In Slovakia, voters can either cast a ballot for a political party without expressing any preference for its individual candidates, thus accepting the order on the party’s list of candidates, or they can give preferential votes to up to four candidates on a party’s slate by simply circling their numbers. This time around, 11 out of 150 MPs have made it to parliament despite the fact that they ran in party-list positions from which they had little chance of being elected without collecting preferences.
Slovak V4 presidency starts in July
SLOVAKIA will take over the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group beginning July 1 for one year when Hungary completes its term, the SITA newswire reported.
Sharing Dutch values and expertise
WATER has been intertwined with the foundations of Dutch democracy since the 16th century, when people had to pool their resources to make the ever-present water in the Netherlands work for everyone’s benefit. These first ‘water boards’ and their elected representatives still exist, says Dutch Ambassador Daphne Bergsma, who believes that the Netherlands’ experience with managing water could greatly benefit Slovakia, as it has recently experienced widespread devastation from flooding.
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- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Show me your moves! Slovak hockey stars share their best pick-up lines
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- 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 ›
