Archive of articles - October 2010

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Interior Minister Lipšic (centre) and Mayor Slezák (left) visiting the settlement.

Soros focuses on Roma issues during visit

CALLING George Soros a financial tycoon and one of the best-known contemporary economic thinkers would be only partially true since many of his important activities are linked with philanthropy. His philanthropic face was the one he mostly presented during his recent tour around Europe, including a stop in Bratislava in mid October.

Michaela Terenzani

Starosta

“WHEN I’m with you, I wish to be honest and witty, as the mayor of our city. Our heads would be clear, and our souls feel so near,” (Túžim ti vravieť z mosta do prosta, tak ako v našom meste starosta, hlavy by sme mali čisté, a duše cítili to isté) sings Slovak pop band No Name in its song “Starosta”, perhaps the world’s only hit single touching on the issue of municipal politics.

Lukáš Fila

Real estate portals in Slovakia

www.reality.sk

Compiled by Spectator staff

Pointing the finger

CONSPIRACY is the word that two of Slovakia’s former prime ministers, Vladimír Mečiar and Robert Fico, were inclined to use whenever their governments were showered with international criticism. They always had a whole legion of ‘enemies’ to whom they could point when they needed to put a different spin on the country’s weak international rankings.

Beata Balogová

Quote of the week

“A good coffee in the morning, raking the garden, walking the dog, giving your grandmother a kiss is better than reading some media.”

‘Sunflowers’ to sprout in Petržalka

CONSTRUCTION of a new city quarter called Southern City was launched in mid October in Bratislava’s Petržalka district. Known as Slnečnice (Sunflowers), Cresco Popper Investment is building 70 family houses and almost 200 apartments at the development site, the SITA newswire wrote.

Compiled by Spectator staff

Nine centuries, and still standing: St Michael's Church at Dražovce.

Dražovce's Romanesque church retains its 12th-century beauty

THE CHURCH of St Michael near Nitra is among the most beautiful sacral monuments in Slovakia, making it a very popular site for weekend tourism.

Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská

Slovakia’s deficit hits 7.9% in 2009

THE GENERAL government deficit in 2009 in Slovakia was 7.9 percent of GDP and the country’s total public debt reached 35.4 percent of GDP according to calculations made by Eurostat, the EU Statistical Office, the SITA newswire reported.

Compiled by Spectator staff

A tinker from Hvozdnica

TINKERS tended to fascinate artists in a way that was unparalleled among other craftsmen. Painters from Budapest, Prague and Vienna, as well as other European cities, portrayed them in their work. These distinctive individuals, often dressed in clothes which differed from those worn by ordinary urban dwellers, attracted artists. It is thanks to this appeal that we now have a large number of images of tinkers.

Branislav Chovan

Prosecutor will not act against Harabin

SUPREME Court President Štefan Harabin did not commit a crime when he refused to permit auditors from the Finance Ministry to examine the accounts of the court, Jana Tokolyová, the spokeswoman for the General Prosecutor’s office, informed the SITA newswire.

Compiled by Spectator staff

Completion of Slovakia's highways remains some way off.

Ministry: PPP study was manipulated

PUBLIC-PRIVATE partnership (PPP) projects in Slovakia can hardly complain about a lack of media attention. Since the ruling coalition led by Iveta Radičová took over in July, the government has scrapped the first PPP highway package, to build a 75-kilometre section of road between Martin and Prešov, accused the previous management of the Transport Ministry of corrupting data about the estimated costs of using PPP for highway construction, and may have negotiated a better price for the third package of highway projects.

Beata Balogová

Foreign investors still eye real estate here

THE CURRENT interest in making real estate investments in Slovakia is better now than over the last few years even though the country is not the first choice among the Visegrad Group (V4) in attracting investors from other parts of Europe. Nevertheless, Slovakia has good investment opportunities in several real estate sectors and Slovakia’s geographical position as well as its adoption of the euro gives it a competitive advantage in certain kinds of deals.

Jana Liptáková

MPs remain above the law

ANOTHER attempt to curb the immunity from prosecution of MPs and judges failed on October 26. The demise of the draft constitutional law was predictable given the long-lasting reluctance of Slovakia’s parliamentarians to give up their privileges.

Beata Balogová

Košice area woos investors

EVEN though it is still not connected to Bratislava by a highway, the eastern Slovak regions of Košice and Prešov have much to offer investors, whether it is in the form of location, available labour force or their strong educational base. A number of successful established investments demonstrate the prospects. The city of Košice and the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia (AmCham Slovakia) organised a conference, Košice Invest 2010, on October 19 to present the investment opportunities in Košice and the wider region.

Jana Liptáková

Real estate consultancy services in Slovakia

CB Richard Ellis

Compiled by Spectator staff

Protecting the forests

THE ELEMENTARY school on Tajovského Street in Poprad has been named the best in Slovakia in 2010 for knowing and protecting the country’s forests. This was the eighth year of the national competition and it was enhanced with a benefit concert by Miro Šmajda held in Poprad Arena on September 30.

Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská

Radičová plans to tackle eco-burdens

IN THE aftermath of the disastrous spill of toxic sludge in northern Hungary, Slovakia's Prime Minister Iveta Radičová convened a meeting with the country’s environment minister and business representatives to discuss drafting and passing a law to deal with environmental burdens that are potentially hazardous, the SITA newswire reported.

Compiled by Spectator staff

Interest in buying residential real estate has picked up and falling prices have stabilised.

Lower prices and interest rates may spur home sales

AFTER the turbulence during the economic crisis, the fall in housing prices, and the halt or slowdown in new projects, the residential property market has now stabilised. Official statistics report a continuing slight decrease in the prices of apartments and houses but since real estate tends to mimic the country’s general economic development, moderate improvements in Slovakia’s economy and record-low mortgage rates have recently helped generate more activity in the market. But it will be necessary to wait and see whether developers have learned a lesson and started to take into account the wishes and finances of potential buyers when drawing up new projects.

Jana Liptáková

General prosecutor candidates vetted

THE THREE candidates for the post of general prosecutor, Dobroslav Trnka, Eva Mišíková and Ján Hrivnák, introduced themselves to the Slovak parliament’s constitutional and mandate committee on October 27. Parliament is expected to hold a vote to select the new general prosecutor on November 3.

Compiled by Spectator staff

Good insulation and better designs can improve the energy efficiency of all building types, as well as reducing CO2 emissions.

Slovaks are slowly beginning to address energy performance in building design

RISING energy prices and concern about the fate of the planet are affecting the real estate market. Users of real estate, whether residential, office or industrial space, are trying to reduce energy consumption by better use of insulation; and builders of new developments are using the latest technologies and materials as well as new designs to cut heating bills while keeping or even increasing the comfort of the properties themselves. The idea of low-energy or passive houses is not yet widespread in Slovakia but increasingly stringent standards set by law for new buildings, as well as rising energy prices, offer real hope that such properties will become more common in Slovakia despite their higher initial cost.

Jana Liptáková

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