Archive of articles - December 2010, page 5
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Viktor Orbán chooses to meet SMK but not Most-Híd
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who also leads Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party, chose not to meet representatives of Slovakia’s governing Most-Híd party during his official visit to Bratislava on Tuesday, December 14. Most-Híd draws much of its support from among Slovakia’s Hungarian-speaking population.
Coalition plans to change powers of the General Prosecutor’s Office
The governing coalition has decided to seek changes in the powers of the General Prosecutor’s Office, Prime Minister Iveta Radičová announced after a five-hour meeting of a working group that had been charged with preparing proposals for changes in the office's functioning, the SITA newswire wrote.
Hungarian PM Orbán will meet with Slovakia’s SMK party but not with Most-Híd
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who is visiting Slovakia on Tuesday, December 14, will have a working lunch with senior officials of the non-parliamentary Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) said József Berényi of the party to the SITA newswire.
NGO project aims to curb Czech and Slovak corruption in public contracts
A new project undertaken by the Czech NGO Oživení and Transparency International Slovensko (TIS) is aimed at reducing space for corruption in the process of awarding large public contacts in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the SITA newswire wrote.
Slovakia’s Coalition Council cancels the third PPP highway package
The third public-private partnership (PPP) package for construction of the D1 highway section between Hričovské Podhradie and Dubná Skala has been scrapped and the four-party Coalition Council decided on December 13 that the construction of the Višňové tunnel will be started in 2011 with EU and state funds, the SITA newswire reported.
Beskydy Euroregion celebrates it 10th anniversary
EUROREGION Beskydy, a grouping of Czech, Polish and Slovak regions celebrated its tenth anniversary in the spring of 2010. During its first decade the members of Beskydy organised a number of cross-border sporting and cultural events, built new tourist paths, and published joint promotional materials. Thanks to the activities initiated under the auspices of Beskydy Euroregion many more tourists have become interested in visiting the region, Czech media reported.
Czech and Polish cycle paths to be connected
THE EU is supporting the interconnection of bicycle routes between the Czech Republic and Poland in the Semilsko region. The interconnection will be made from Jelení Hora in the Czech Republic to Szklarska Poreba in Poland. The Czech towns of Semily and Jelení Hora have obtained a subsidy of about €17,000 to cover costs for preparation of the project documentation, Czech media wrote.
Slovakia ships humanitarian aid to Montenegro
A shipment of humanitarian aid from Slovakia, containing generators, lighting equipment and other rescue material arrived to the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica on Sunday, December 12 and was handed over by the head of the embassy in Montenegro, František Lipka, to the Montenegro Red Cross, the SITA newswire reported. After a decision by the Operational Crisis Staff the aid will be distributed into regions hit by floods, the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs told SITA. Montenegro was hit by heavy and long rains which caused major flooding in the whole country, the worst in recent history.Transport and supplies of drinking water and electricity was interrupted. Material damages are thought to be huge and thousands of people were evacuated or were left homeless.
Finance Minister Mikloš says necessary steps to save the euro must be taken
The euro should stay in circulation and every step necessary must be taken towards that aim, Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš (SDKÚ) said on Monday, December 13, when asked about whether it is possible to revert to the former Slovak currency, the Slovak koruna, the TASR newswire wrote. Slovakia should remain part of the eurozone in the finance minister’s view.
Education Ministry heralds major savings due to electronic auctions
Slovakia’s Education Ministry has attained more than 60-percent savings in its electronic procurement of textbooks, with the expenditures to plummet from €4.5 million to €1.5 million, said Education Minister Eugen Jurzyca to a press conference on December 13, the TASR newswire reported. The ministry has undertaken a third electronic auction that translated into considerable savings in the ministry's expenditure, Jurzyca said, adding that the number of items to be provided by the supplier will actually be even larger notwithstanding the slashed prices.
Court acquits head of Košice erotic club of organising prostitution
A verdict of the Košice I District Court from August 2010, which acquitted an owner of massage parlours of organising prostitution, is now final as it was confirmed by the Košice Regional Court which rejected an appeal made by the prosecutor, the SITA newswire reported.
Bank analyst says rise in foodstuffs prices was expected
The 5.1-percent year-on-year rise in prices of foodstuffs and alcohol-free beverages in November was to be expected, but still falls short of the record-breaking levels seen in the summer of 2008, UniCredit Bank analyst Ľubomír Kršňák said on December 13, as reported by the TASR newswire. The Slovak Statistics Office announced earlier in the day that inflation rose by 1 percent year-on-year in November. The price increase recorded in the area of foodstuffs and alcohol-free beverages was their fastest in the past two years.
New website for Centrope region
THE REGION of Centrope, consisting of municipalities in four countries, is bringing citizens in each of the countries closer together in many ways. A new internet portal, www.mycentrope.com, was officially launched on October 28 in a ceremony at Vienna’s river terminal Wien City by prominent guests from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Slovakia, the TASR newswire wrote.
A water bus will join Danube regions
IN THE NEAR future a new form of river transport called the Dunajbus will offer regular boat service on the Danube from Slovakia’s town of Šamorín to Hungary’s Rajka, on to Bratislava and Devín in Slovakia and ending in the Austrian town of Hainburg. The goal is to intensify cross-border contact and travel between people living along the Danube. The project has been green lighted by the EU operational programme Hungary-Slovakia, 2007-2013, and should boost cross-border tourism and commuting. The Trnava Region parliament discussed the project in mid October as it would be responsible for 5 percent of the total project costs of €122,850. Other partners are Bratislava Region, Hungary’s Győr-Moson-Sopron County, and regions in eastern Austrian, the TASR newswire wrote.
Education Ministry plans changes in response to poor reading skills
Long delays in supplying textbooks to Slovak schools will translate into less than positive assessments of the quality of education and the skills of Slovak students in the years to come, Education Minister Eugen Jurzyca of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union party (SDKÚ) told the TASR newswire in response to the latest results released by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The recently published PISA results showed that 15-year-old Slovak students lag behind their counterparts in 60 countries when it comes to reading and natural sciences. Slovakia was placed 61st among 65 countries in these categories, although improvements have been seen in mathematics, with Slovakia beating its V4 neighbours (Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic) in this subject.
SNS MP Vincent Lukáč reportedly involved in altercation in Košice hotel
Slovak National Party (SNS) spokesperson Jana Benkovaá told the TASR newswire on Sunday, December 12, that SNS MP Vincent Lukáč was physically attacked in Košice's Yasmin Hotel on December 11. Media reports, however, differ significantly from what Benkova described as a "private incident not initiated by Vincent Lukáč".
Consumer prices stable in November in Slovakia
Inflation in Slovakia in November was stable according to the Slovak Statistics Office which reported that the annual rate of inflation measured by national methodology was 1.0 percent in November, the same as in October, the SITA newswire reported.
Young Scouts bring ‘Light of Bethlehem’ to Slovakia
Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič's wife Silvia was presented with the Light of Bethlehem by Slovak Scouts at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava on Saturday, December 12, the SITA newswire wrote. The distribution of the Light of Bethlehem, which was originally lit in the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, has a 21-year tradition. On December 13 the flame was blessed at a ceremony in St. Emeramus's Cathedral in Nitra and was then presented to the Slovak public.
Air tragedy impacts Polish politics
FOR POLAND and its citizens, 2010 will be yet another dark spot in the collective memory of a nation that regards suffering as one of its main characteristics. It was the year when dozens of Poland’s major public figures, including the presidential couple, tragically died in a plane crash near Katyń – a place with strong symbolic meaning for the Polish people. Just weeks after the tragedy, the shaken nation needed to elect a new president – and chose the speaker of parliament, Bronisław Komorowski. Poland’s President Lech Kaczyński, along with his wife and 94 VIPs of Polish society were killed while travelling to a ceremony to commemorate the 1940 massacre of Polish army officers and others in the forests of Katyń near the city of Smolensk, Russia.
Tackling the crisis
THE VISEGRAD Group countries are closely integrated into the wider European economy and all of them have been adversely affected by the global crisis. Their economic growth slowed and – except for Poland – swung into negative numbers. Expectations for 2011 are brighter, though analysts say national governments’ willingness to reform will be crucial.
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