Archive of articles - September 2011, page 14
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Judicial Council seeks to discipline constitutional judges
Slovakia’s Judicial Council, chaired by Štefan Harabin, may bring disciplinary proceedings against three justices of the Constitutional Court, Ján Luby, Ľudmila Gajdošíková and Ladislav Orosz, over their ruling in a complaint brought by Daniel Hudák, a close ally of Harabin when he was a Justice Minister.
Sections of D1 highway bid at lower price than under cancelled PPP
Three sections of the D1 Highway, originally planned as a public-private partnership (PPP) project, that were to have cost €747 million, have a new price offer of €312 million.
WikiLeaks: independent MPs bought by Penta to pass health-care reform; Penta denies information
A cable sent by the United States Embassy in Bratislava that was published by the WikiLeaks portal recently indicates that corruption took place in the Slovak Parliament at a time when health-care reform was being approved in 2004, with financial group Penta suspected of bribing Independent MPs, newswire TASR reported.
Trade Unions walk out of tripartite session; ministry calls it an irresponsible step
Representatives of trade unions walked out of a session of the tripartite, their meeting with government officials and employers' organisations, on September 5, claiming that the decisions agreed on at the previous meeting have not been put into practice.
Ukraine: Dzurinda gets assurance that 2009 gas crisis will not be repeated
Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov assured Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Mikuláš Dzurinda that Ukraine will serve as a reliable partner in deliveries of natural gas, and the gas crisis in Slovakia from early 2009 will not be repeated, newswire TASR reported.
Smer to pioneer first no-confidence motion in Radičová
Prime Minister Iveta Radičová is soon to face her first no-confidence motion in the Slovak Parliament since she took office, as opposition Smer is initiating a special parliamentary session featuring no-confidence in Radičová as its only item, says Smer leader Robert Fico, news wire TASR reported. Speaking to media on September 5, Fico said the initiative of his party was not just over the dubious rental of the Tax Directorate offices in Košice but also what he called Radičová’s “overall lack of capability in running a government and due to the consequences that have thereby been inflicted on Slovakia”.
Slovak Telekom opens data centre
ONE of the biggest telecommunication companies in Slovakia that provides both fixed-line and mobile services, Slovak Telekom (ST), is not limiting its business to telephony. On June 1, it officially began operations at its new data centre in Bratislava, which involved an investment exceeding €15 million.
Happiness at Work
“I feel happy at work“! I would like to start every day with these words. Or “I really like going to work” or “I adore my job”! Well, the third example might be a little bit exaggerated. The truth is that I might be closer to this sentence: “ My job is not good at all” or I find myself at the level that “I won’t go there anymore!”
Tying up the loose ends of coupon privatisation
MANY Slovaks have already forgotten their participation in the country’s coupon privatisation of the early 1990s. Only after issuing their annual money order to pay administrative fees for the securities they received at that time are they reminded that they own ‘something, somewhere’. But after realising that they may be holding nothing more than a continuing obligation to pay hefty annual administrative fees, many Slovaks have sought to rid themselves of these securities – and found that many of them no longer had any actual value or that no one was interested in purchasing them.
It’s Tree of the Year time again
THIS YEAR marks the ninth year of the Ekopolis Foundation’s Tree of the Year poll, in which the country picks its top tree, one which later competes with winners from other countries.
Amended Press Code takes effect
AN AMENDMENT to the Press Code passed by parliament on May 31 will come into force as of September 1. It is intended to soften some of the code’s more controversial aspects, the SITA newswire reported.
‘Standstill is a step backwards’
SLOVAK businesspeople as well as economic analysts are looking with slight concern at the German economy, when its growth slowed markedly during the second quarter of 2011. While the German-Slovak Chamber of Commerce suggests that it would be wrong to place too much emphasis on recent figures, fears on the Slovak side are understandable as Germany is the country’s biggest economic partner.
Doctors start preparing quit notices
TRADE union activists from the state-run Roosevelt Hospital in Banská Bystrica began collecting resignation notices from doctors on August 30, saying they think most notices will be provided after September 5 when the doctors get specific forms, the SITA newswire reported.
Germany's major role
THOSE in this region who study the German language are making a good investment in their education and their potential future employment with German companies, Axel Hartmann, Germany’s ambassador to Slovakia argues, explaining that his country invests considerable funds in German-language training in Slovakia. The German ambassador is not only a fierce advocate of studying German but also of telling the story of the fall of the Berlin Wall to the younger generation who, though they have no real-life experience of living with the artificial separation of Europe, still need to be aware of the importance of those historical changes for their lives.
Cathedral smokes out worms
THE SLOVAK capital’s largest church, St Martin’s Cathedral, which in its current form dates back to the 14th century, has been recently been undergoing renovation. However, it has also had to deal with an unwanted side-effect of an earlier makeover: woodworm, which was unwittingly introduced during work on the roof in the 1990s. The parasite is believed to have got in via wood which was used without having had all the bark removed. Since 1993, the woodworm has been consuming the wood in the roof, threatening to destroy the whole edifice and even spread to the cathedral’s wooden decorations and statues.
Language skills build many bridges
AN OLD Slovak proverb says that the more languages you speak, the more times you are human, meaning that they make you a better person. Despite its antiquity, this saying is echoed in the modern trend for learning several foreign languages. As a recent study by the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) found, half of all people living in Slovakia claim to speak – at least to some extent – two or more foreign languages; and only 19 percent speak none of the six most widely-spoken foreign languages.
Payroll-levy bill readied for vote
THE CABINET of Iveta Radičová on August 21 agreed the changes that it wants to make from next year to the way Slovakia calculates mandatory payroll levies, and will now take them to parliament. But the reactions so far from associations representing self-employed people and artists – and even from some MPs within the parties of the ruling coalition – suggest that the cabinet's proposed bill will face a rough ride.
Wanted: better command of German
THREE months after the complete opening of the German and Austrian labour markets, Slovaks continue to be very interested in working in these German-speaking countries. Job agencies report a higher number of available jobs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland than at the beginning of the year as well as an even higher number than when the German and Austrian markets opened on May 1. However, low command of the German language by many Slovaks often disqualifies them from getting the available jobs, the Sme daily wrote in late August.
Judges may be allowed to comment
UNLIKE the Czech Republic, Slovakia’s judges are not allowed to comment publicly on the verdicts they pass in court cases. But now Justice Minister Lucia Žitňanská wants to change this by amending the law, the Sme daily reported.
Slovakia trims its growth forecasts
WHILE Europe hopes that the prospect of a double-dip recession will remain only a subject of economic discourse and not a reality, economic analysts and state institutions in Slovakia have taken off their rose-tinted glasses and taken a fresh look at the forecast growth of the Slovak economy during the remainder of 2011 and in 2012.
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- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- Slovakia passes NGO law, civil society fears a chilling new era
- They could have left. But these young Slovaks stayed
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- Fico’s adviser accused of corruption, then hits back at prosecutor
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
- News digest: Brussels committee launches scrutiny of EU funds in Slovakia
- They could have left. But these young Slovaks stayed
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- ‘Listen, Martina, this is not just your country’: protest song becomes rallying cry for folklorists Video
- Slovakia passes NGO law, civil society fears a chilling new era
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
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- Bratislava unveils its first 3D-printed bus stop Photo
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- Why a British teacher chose Slovakia as home Audio
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- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
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- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
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- Slovak roots: claiming what you knew you had
- Poland edges toward green light on long-delayed Kraków–Košice rail revival
- After years of straddling two worlds, this American is now reconnecting with his Slovak roots
- Fico’s adviser accused of corruption, then hits back at prosecutor
- Slovak Chamber of Auditors introduces Europe’s first AI platform for auditors
- Slovakia passes NGO law, civil society fears a chilling new era
- Irish metal band to make long-awaited debut in Bratislava Video
- News digest: Brussels committee launches scrutiny of EU funds in Slovakia More articles ›
