Archive of articles - August 2010, page 7
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SARIO boss dismissed
ECONOMY and Construction Minister Juraj Miškov (SaS) has recently dismissed the heads of several state institutions controlled by his ministry. The ministry said the dismissals will allow it to appoint what it calls “first-rate professionals”, picked through competitive selection, to lead the institutions.
Defence Minister selects a new chief of the Slovak Military Intelligence Service
A new chief of Slovakia’s Military Intelligence Service (VSS) has been selected. “It's Mr. (Roman) Mikulec. Today I introduced him to the people who work there,” said Defence Minister Ľubomír Galko (SaS) after the government session on August 18, the TASR newswire reported. Galko told TASR that the new VSS director is an apolitical expert, who has been active in military intelligence for years. The earlier appointment of Milan Hudec for the post caused uproar, as former Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer) learned that Hudec did not hold a valid security clearance. Fico further stated that Hudec learned about the VSS framework after being appointed to the post without proper authorisation.
Shareholders in Bratislava Airport to meet on September 9
AN EXTRAORDINARY general meeting of shareholders in the state-run company Letisko M.R. Štefánika – Airport Bratislava, will be held on September 9. The board of directors convened the meeting at the request of the government privatisation agency, the National Property Fund (FNM), the majority shareholder representing the state. The airport’s minority shareholder, the Transport Ministry, will also be represented, according to the SITA newswire.
INEKO: State companies added considerably to 2009 deficit
State-run railways, medical facilities and the public-service media put a heavy burden on public finances, increasing the 2009 deficit by 1.1 percent of GDP, compared to 0.7 percent in 2008 and 0.6 percent in 2007, according to data in an analysis released by the INEKO think tank on August 17.
Forestry company Lesy SR to trial electronic auctions
The state-run forestry company Lesy SR wants to test public procurement via electronic auctions, the SITA newswire reported on August 18. The company’s management said it considers the approach to be a transparent and efficient system of procurement that will eliminate corruption and save approximately 15 percent of the cost of procured goods and services.
Slovak Spectator apologises for website crash on August 17
THE SLOVAK Spectator’s website, www.spectator.sme.sk, experienced severe difficulties after a hacking attack on Monday, August 16. As a result, access to The Slovak Spectator’s web-service remained restricted on August 17.
Low confidence in the corporate sector results in depressed borrowing
Confidence in the corporate sector continues to be low, as reflected in demand for new loans. This was a finding of a report by the Finance Ministry and the central bank (NBS) on lending opportunities for the Slovak banking sector in the corporate sector. In the first half of this year, a majority of banks reported a year-on-year decline in demand for loans in reaction to the lower volume of investment activities. The amount of loans in default continued to grow. In the first quarter of this year, such loans exceeded €1 billion, and 7 percent of loans were in default. In late June, this figure rose to 7.5 percent, the SITA newswire wrote.
New ambassadors present their credentials
The state secretary of Slovakia’s Foreign Ministry, Milan Ježovica, on August 17 received the ambassador-designate of the People’s Republic of China to Slovakia, Ziping Gu, who presented copies of his credentials, the ministry’s press department told the TASR newswire.
Parliament to look into slap delivered by SNS vice-chair
Parliament’s Mandate and Immunity Committee will look into the slap across the face that Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) MP Igor Matovič received from Slovak National Party (SNS) vice-chair Anna Belousovová a week ago, committee head Gábor Gál said on Tuesday, August 17, the TASR newswire reported.
Draft state budget for 2011 assumes €1.45bn in spending cuts
Slovak ministers and other public administration bodies should operate with a budget of €14.830 billion next year, based on draft expenditure limits for 2011 which the Finance Ministry prepared for individual budgetary chapters in connection with the preparation of the draft general government budget for 2011-2013. The amount is €1.447 billion lower than this year’s budget. The proposed expenditures also include EU structural funds and national co-financing.
Floods: Banská Bystrica stabilised, landslides block trains in Košice
The flood situation in Banská Bystrica Region after heavy rain on Monday, August 16, stabilised on Tuesday, the TASR newswire was told by Banská Bystrica Fire Brigade Headquarters spokesperson Bibiana Bendíková. Clean-up work has now begun in areas affected by floods.
Deputy minister: Interblue Group Europe doesn’t want to end contract
Interblue Group Europe, which clams to be the legal successor of the US-based Interblue Group that bought a large tranche of Slovakia’s carbon dioxide emission quotas during the previous government, has refused to terminate its contract to buy the emissions quotas, Agriculture and Environment Ministry State Secretary Martin Ružinský said on August 17, the TASR newswire reported.
Allocation confirmed for Košice as European 2013 Culture Capital
The Slovak government has confirmed the allocation of €60 million for the city of Košice for cultural infrastructure within the project of the European Capital of Culture on Friday, August 13, the first DeputyPrime Minister and Minister of Transport Ján Figeľ informed at a press conference in Košice on Monday. Figeľ wants to create a higher awareness of the city of Kosice and get it into wider European relations.
New heads of Slovakia’s Customs Directorate and Tax Authority appointed
Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš on Monday, August 16, appointed former Privatisation Minister Mária Machová as the new director general of Slovakia's Customs Directorate, the directorate's spokesperson Miroslava Slemenská told the TASR newswire.
Transport Minister Figeľ says R4 dual carriageway construction will launch on August 27
Construction work on the R4 express road connecting Kosice to the village of Milhošť, located south of the city and near the border with Hungary, will be launched by the end of August, said the Transport, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Ján Figeľ on Monday, August 16, the TASR newswire reported. He said August 27 is now the date for beginning of the R4 construction. “It's an investment that's been discussed for a long time, and a tender competition was recently held for this investment,” said Figeľ.
PM Radičová ends her holiday due to floods and returns to Slovakia
Prime Minister Iveta Radičová interrupted her holiday in Croatia and is coming back to Slovakia due to the floods that have hit the Upper Nitra area especially hard, Radičová's spokesman Rado Baťo told the TASR newswire on August 16.
Handlovka River water levels are now expected to begin falling
Water levels in the Handlovka River in the town of Prievidza in Trenčín region have stopped rising and no more floods in local neighbourhoods are imminent for now, the head of the water-management company in the Upper Nitra area, Marián Jursa, told the TASR newswire on August 16. A few hours earlier, a third-degree flood alert was declared on the Handlovka River for a second time as another severe storm hit the Upper Nitra area at around 15:00 and lasted approximately half an hour. Since the flood alert was announced, locals in and around the towns of Prievidza and Handlová have been getting ready for another possible flood wave.
Activist Hlina says he may run for mayor of Bratislava
Businessman and activist Alojz Hlina, who became well-known after stealing the Slovak state flag from Slovak National Party (SNS) headquarters in Bratislava and undertaking other types of political protests, announced that he will probably run for the post of Bratislava mayor, the TASR newswire reported.
Slovak ministers propose abolishing tax exemptions to save €440 million in 2011
Minister of Finance Ivan Mikloš (SDKÚ), Minister of Labour Jozef Mihál (SaS) and Minister of Health Ivan Uhliarik (KDH) have jointly prepared proposed changes in the income tax and deduction system that would do away with what they called unsubstantiated exemptions and deformations, Mikloš announced at a press conference on Monday, August 16, as reported by the TASR newswire. According to the finance minister, the state budget could gain €440 million next year, with prospects of increasing this figure to €560 million and €635 million in the following two years.
Finance Minister Mikloš says Slovak government will provide €11 million in flood aid
Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš (SDKÚ) announced on Monday, August 16, that he will submit a document at the government session scheduled for Wednesday to set aside €11 million for local authorities to tackle the aftermath of floods that hit part of the country, the TASR newswire reported. Government ministers are also working on additional extraordinary measures aimed at facilitating rescue and relief work in the areas affected by the floods.
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- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process More articles ›
