Archive of articles - December 2010
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Slovak police blame Turkish authorities
The international police operation, during which a Czech lorry driver unwittingly carrying a substance used in the production of heroin was detained in Turkey, was handled brilliantly by the Slovak police but was botched by Turkish authorities, Slovak Police Corps President Jaroslav Spišiak told a press conference.
Unsuspecting driver spends four days in Turkish jail
A major international police operation aimed at arresting a gang of drug traffickers has gone awry, as an unsuspecting Czech lorry driver who transported substances from Slovakia that are used in the production of heroin wound up in jail in Turkey over Christmas, according to SME daily.
Two rail companies to receive €200 million each for services to state
The state has ordered services worth over €400 million for 2011 from the country's rail-infrastructure operator Slovak Railways (ŽSR) and passenger-transport provider Railway Company Slovakia (ZSSK), with the contracted sums divided more or less evenly between the two, Transport Minister Ján Figeľ (Christian Democrats-KDH) told a press conference on Monday, December 27. The deal with ZSSK, which is set to be given €205 million next year, has been signed for a longer period of time than was previously the case.
IES: Confidence in Slovak industry grew by 2 points m-o-m in December
Confidence in the Slovak economy as expressed by the Index of Economic Sentiment (IES) grew by 2 points on monthly terms to reach 94.8 points in December, the Statistics Office announced on Monday, December 27. The increase was mainly due to increased confidence in industry, retail, and the construction industry. In a y-o-y comparison, the IES grew by 12.4 points, but it is still 3.6 points below the long-term average, the TASR newswire wrote.
Judicial Council praises president's veto, Žitňanská confident MPs will override it
Slovakia's Judicial Council welcomes President Ivan Gašparovič's decision on December 23 to veto an amendment to the Judges and Judicial Assistants Act as approved in Parliament recently, the Office of the Judicial Council told the TASR mewswire on Monday, December 27. According to the Council, the president's move was an act of statesmanship. Despite media pressure, the president refused to tolerate the politicising of the judiciary. "MPs ought to consider expert objections thoroughly and realise that the amendment does away with reforms in the judiciary that were adopted when Slovakia joined the European Union," said the Council's chairman Štefan Harabin, who also happens to chair the Supreme Court.
Focus survey results indicate most Slovaks feel safe
Citizens of Slovakia find their country safe, according to results of a current public opinion survey conducted by the polling agency Focus between November 29 and December 10. Slovaks consider their country safer from the viewpoint of internal security (71 percent) than from external security (66percent). Only a small group of respondents finds Slovakia an unsafe country (4-5 percent).
Slovakia to provide shelter for 100 refugees
Interior Minister Daniel Lipšic, along with Lim Wei Meng of the Geneva-based UN High Commissioner's Office for Refugees and Zuzana Vatrálová of the International Organisation for Migration signed an agreement in Bratislava on Wednesday, December 22, to provide temporary shelter for 100 refugees in Slovakia.
MEDIAN SK poll: Smer remains strongest party in Slovakia on 41.7 percent
Main opposition party Smer is still the strongest political party in Slovakia, and would have received 41.7 percent of the vote had a general election taken place in November/December, according to a MEDIAN SK agency poll published on Wednesday, December 22. Second place went to the main coalition party Slovak Democratic and Christian Union-SDKÚ with 14.6 percent, followed by the Christian Democrats-KDH - 11.7 percent, Freedom and Solidarity-SaS - 8.4 percent, the Slovak National Party-SNS - 7.8 percent, and Most-Híd - 6.5 percent. No other party gained more than the 3-percent support level needed to receive state funding, not to mention the 5 percent needed to make it into Parliament, the TASR newswire wrote.
President again refuses to sign law on merger of public TV and radio
President Ivan Gašparovič has again refused to sign a law with regards to merging public-service Slovak Television (STV) and Slovak Radio (SRo) that was re-approved by Parliament last week after having already been vetoed by Gašparovič. Notwithstanding the absence of the president's signature, the law will come into effect on January 1, 2011.
New Year's Eve party in Bratislava to feature music and sports
This year's New Year's Eve party in the Slovak capital, the 12th of its kind, is well prepared to meet public expectations concerning its traditional cultural quality, mayor of Bratislava Milan Ftáčnik said at a press conference on Wednesday, December 22. He promised that he will return from a short holiday to attend the New Year's Eve party.
Police capture man who made hoax bomb call to Slovak Radio
Police in Trnava have pressed charges of scaremongering against a 21-year-old man from the village of Šelpice (Trnava region) after the man confessed to telephoning a false warning that a bomb had been placed in the Slovak Radio building in Bratislava on Sunday, Trnava Regional Police Directorate spokesperson Martina Kredatusová told the TASR newswire on Wednesday, December 22. "When questioned, the man stated that he acted influenced by narcotics. He could face two years in jail if convicted," said Kredatusová.
FinMin reduces prognosed inflation in 2011 to 3.3 percent
The Finance Ministry's Financial Policy Institute (IFP) on Tuesday, December 21, announced that it reduced the figure of the prognosed inflation in 2011 from 3.7 percent to 3.3 percent. The main reason for the reduction is the recent decision made by the Regulatory Office for Network Industries (ÚRSO) on the prices of energy for households, the shipwreck of the planned hike in the excise tax on beer in Parliament and further developments, said the IFP.
Harabin: Ambassador may be messing with Slovakia's internal affairs
Supreme Court Chairman Štefan Harabin said, in a written statement on Wednesday, December 22 that some of the statements that of the outgoing British Ambassador, Michael Roberts, made in an interview for the Sme daily earlier this week lend the impression that he has been meddling in Slovakia's internal affairs.
New Bratislava Old-Town Mayor Rosová sworn in
Newly-elected mayor of Bratislava's Old Town Tatiana Rosová was sworn in on Monday, December 20, receiving the pertinent insignia from outgoing mayor Andrej Petrek at the first session of the new council following the local elections in November, the TASR newswire learnt. Handing over to Rosová (Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), Christian Democrats (KDH) and Most-Híd, Petrek said that he is leaving office with favourable economic results and a borough free of debts and loans.
Chren again survives Hayek turmoil, remains EcoMin state secretary
Economy Ministry’s State Secretary Martin Chren (Freedom and Solidarity-SaS) remains in his post, that's the upshot of the impromptu press conference called by Prime Minister Iveta Radičová (Slovak democratic and Christian Union-SDKÚ) and Speaker of Parliament and SaS leader Richard Sulík on Monday, December 20. Shortly after the new government took office a bit of turmoil ensued over a contract signed with Hayek Consulting while Chren and Ivan Svejna (who resigned over the affair) were installed as state secretaries. A report issued by the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) earlier in the day declared that state money had been squandered on contracts with Hayek Consulting, TASR wrote. "I have delegated the decision on the state secretary to the SaS chairman personally," said Radičová as quoted by the TASR newswire. "No request to dismiss him (Chren) came from my mouth."
No bomb found in Slovak Radio building
An anonymous call that the police received shortly before noon on Sunday, December 19 - claiming a bomb in one of Slovak Radio buildings in Bratislava - turned out to be a false alarm. "Pyrotechnic teams have searched the site and the result was negative," Bratislava Regional Police spokesperson Petra Hrašková told the TASR newswire two hours after the hoax call, adding that the whole Slovak Radio site on Mýtna Street was evacuated, and neighboring streets were blocked off by police for security reasons.
Slovaks plan to spend a little more on Christmas gifts than last year
Slovaks plan to spend €381 on average on Christmas shopping this year, according to a survey carried out by TNS agency over the recent weeks. As for buying presents alone, Slovaks on average plan to spend €195 on them which is a slight increase compared to last year. Expenditures on gifts vary greatly in terms of regions, age groups, and income groups. People living in the Bratislava region plan to spend the largest amounts on gifts (€344) among all eight Slovak regions.
Lajčák tapped for EU diplomatic job
FORMER foreign minister Miroslav Lajčák has been appointed the European External Action Service’s Managing Director for Russia, the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans by the head of EU diplomacy, Lady Catherine Ashton.
Nationalist relics remain
A statue of Svätopluk, a ninth-century regional leader, was erected in the main courtyard of Bratislava Castle late in the term of the Robert Fico-led government and proudly unveiled just before the general election. It was criticised by historians and artists for its historical inaccuracy and for mythologising history. It remains in place, but is one of several nationalist-inspired relics from the previous government which the Radičová government has not been able to sweep away entirely.
November - The year in business
New environment minister appointed – The Ministry of Environment restarted its operation as a standalone ministry on November 1 and President Gašparovič on November 2 appointed József Nagy as the new head of the country’s resurrected Environment Ministry.
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- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
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- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners More articles ›
