Archive of articles - June 2010, page 7
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Helping companies to stay together
T IS very important to remain open to outside influences in these difficult economic times. This is what Nicolas Martel, the new director of the French-Slovak Chamber of Commerce (FSOK) thinks can help companies live through the current difficult times. He believes that business leaders sometimes need to step back and look at the broaden picture.
Quote of the week
“Riško, hold your balloon and wait.”
Slovak-French nuclear cooperation
MARTA Žiaková, the chair of the Nuclear Supervision Office (ÚJD), and her French counterpart André-Claude Lacoste signed an agreement on the exchange of expert information and cooperation in nuclear safety at the Slovak Embassy in Paris on June 8. The agreement between the offices, which have been cooperating within WENRA, the network of chief regulators of western European countries with nuclear power plants, and ENSREG, the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group, represents another successful step in the deepening of French-Slovak cooperation in nuclear safety and in protection against radioactive radiation, the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry press department announced.
Specialised court gets a new chairman
THE SPECIALISED Criminal Court in Pezinok has a new chairman, Oldřich Kozlík, who was appointed following a competitive selection process. Kozlík had been previously serving as the court’s acting chairman and he took up the permanent post on June 11, said Justice Ministry spokesman Michal Jurči, according to the SITA newswire.
Spánombohom (video included)
PERHAPS the most unforgettable TV moment in Slovak history came in 1998, when outgoing prime minister Vladimír Mečiar said his goodbye on a public-television talk show. “What should I say at the end? I loved life and I still love it. I lived to the maximum, I worked to the maximum, I gave you it all. So why talk? Come on, let’s sing,” rambled Mečiar with an insane look. And then he sang: “Spánombohom /With gracious God, idem od vás /here I leave you, neublížil som /I have done no harm, neublížil som /I have done no harm, žiadnemu z vás/to any of you.”
Minister heads to the Supreme Court
THE JUDICIAL Council of Slovakia approved the temporary assignment of the current Justice Minister, Viera Petríková, nominated by the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), to the country’s Supreme Court for one year. Her deputy, State Secretary Dušan Hudák from the Slovak National Party (SNS), received an identical assignment.
Slovakia marks M.R. Štefánik anniversary
GENERAL Milan Rastislav Štefánik was an astronomer and politician as well as a general in the French Army. He was also well-known for his work in astrophysics and solar physics and served as the minister of war in the first Czechoslovak government. But primarily he was the chief driving force behind the formation of a democratic Slovak nation for the first time in contemporary history, said Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák in May 2009 during a two-day international conference on Štefánik’s contributions to Slovakia and Europe. Slovakia will be marking the 130th anniversary of Štefánik’s birth on July 21. He was born in Košariská in 1880. He died in an aeroplane crash in Ivánka pri Dunaji on May 4, 1919 but the actual causes of the accident are still unknown.
Institutions of France in Slovakia
The French Embassy to Slovakia
SDĽ refuses to sign election protocol
THE REPRESENTATIVE of the Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ) serving on the Central Electoral Commission (ÚVK), Peter Weiss, refused to sign the official protocol on the results of the general election held on Saturday, June 12, the TASR newswire reported.
SMK is out of parliament, its future unclear
THE ELECTION results came as a cold shower for the leadership of the only political party in Slovakia based on purely ethnic-Hungarian foundations. After its failure to clear the 5-percent threshold, the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) will experience life outside parliament for the first time in its 12-year history, most likely under a new leadership. Seven new MPs representing the Slovak-Hungarian Most-Híd party will be the only ethnic Hungarians in parliament.
Dexia Group to sell its Slovak affiliate
THE French-Belgian Dexia Group will seek a new majority owner for its Slovak affiliate, Dexia Banka Slovensko, by the end of October 2012, the SITA newswire wrote in February.
Mečiar exits the stage
WHEN Vladimír Mečiar, weeping, sang his farewell song “S pánom Bohom idem od Vás, neublížil som, žiadnemu z Vás” (I depart from you with God, I never hurt any of you) on public- service Slovak Television in 1998 after losing that year’s parliamentary election, not many would have believed how long his goodbye would last. Now, more than a decade later, Mečiar appears finally to be heading for the exit.
Together we can build the future!
AS SOON as the President of the French Republic Nicolas Sarkozy met Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on October 2, 2007, he expressed his special favour towards everything that concerns central Europe and his belief that these countries, for so long torn away from western Europe, can bring a lot to the European Union.
Kitsch Competition
The Slovak Spectator announces its first ever Kitsch Competition and invites our readers to post or mail their favourite post-Communist or Communist kitsch. The deadline for submitting entries is July 4. Please submit your entries by regular mail to The Slovak Spectator, Lazaretská 12, Bratislava 811 08, or via email to spectator@spectator.sk with CONTEST in the subject line or by posting your entries on the Spectacular Slovakia Facebook page.
Young people in Bratislava call for decriminalisation of marijuana
A few hundred young people gathered in front of Presidential Palace in Bratislava on Thursday, June 17, to call on Slovak authorities to decriminalise the use of marijuana, the TASR newswire reported.
Vote 2010: Future governing coalition discusses cabinet posts
The Most-Híd party is showing interest in not only the agriculture ministry but also in the ministries of health and environment and is eyeing the post of deputy prime minister for human rights and minorities, the SITA newswire wrote.
EP president calls on the future Slovak government to help Greece
If the European Union (EU) undertakes measures to assist Greece, this decision will have to be made by all eurozone countries, said European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek on Thursday, June 17, in reaction to reluctance shown on the part of the likely future Slovak government, the TASR newswire reported.
Foreign Affairs Minister attends closure of Swedish Embassy in Bratislava
Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák on Thursday, June 17, gave a send off to the outgoing Swedish Ambassador Michael Westerlind as well as to that country's embassy, which is among those being closed down this year in a handful of the EU countries due to budgetary constraints, the TASR newswire wrote. Lajčák said that in recent weeks he has discussed the shutdown with his Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt. "An embassy smack-dab in a country is the most important tool of development in bilateral relations. Its termination is a fact we have to live with," Lajčák told TASR. He praised Westerlind for his contribution to the development of Slovak-Swedish relations and expressed gratitude for his great cooperation.
Vote 2010: Radičová asks to meet President Gašparovič
Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) election leader Iveta Radičová asked President Ivan Gašparovič for a meeting in a telephone call on Wednesday, June 16, the SITA newswire reported.
- 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
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 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 Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- 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 More articles ›
