Archive of articles - December 2011, page 4
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October: The top business stories of 2011
Government falls over EU bailout vote. The Radičová government falls after Freedom and Solidarity (SaS), one of the four parties of the governing coalition, refuses to support a change to the European Financial Stability Facility that is also linked with a confidence vote in the government. Subsequently, the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) and Most-Híd – the three other coalition parties – get an agreement from the opposition Smer party to approve the EU bailout legislation in exchange for early parliamentary elections on March 10, 2012.
August: The top business stories of 2011
Honeywell starts construction. Honeywell, a US-based company, chooses eastern Slovakia for a new factory that will manufacture turbochargers for passenger cars and trucks on a five-hectare plot in the IPZ Prešov-Záborské industrial park. Honeywell’s investment is €38.3 million and the plant will employ nearly 450 people in its first phase.
Demitra RIP
SEPTEMBER
26 parties file slates for 2012 election
A TOTAL of 26 political parties filed candidate lists with Slovakia’s Ministry of Interior before midnight on December 11. The Central Election Commission (ÚVK) will now check all the party’s lists and other documents and make a final decision before December 31 on which political parties meet the conditions for fielding candidates in the March 10 parliamentary elections, the TASR newswire reported.
Alleged NBÚ hackers acquitted
THE BRATISLAVA Regional Court has ruled that two people charged with infiltrating the computer network of the National Security Authority (NBÚ) are not guilty, the TASR newswire reported.
Judiciary undergoes changes
Looking back at the reforms implemented by the Iveta Radičová cabinet during its short tenure, observers say the enactment of several changes to the judicial system, such as the amended laws on judges and public prosecutors’ offices, had perhaps the greatest impact.
Slovakia 'is warming up'
IN EARLY June a flash flood swept through several villages lying just below Červený Kameň castle in the Small Carpathians hitting the village of Píla the hardest. The massive flood wave took the residents by total surprise as it came after a fairly brief thunderstorm in the mountains. Nevertheless the flood wave caused millions of euros in damage to state, municipal and private property.
Sexy
GIVEN how attractive Robert Fico is to the masses, it’s no surprise that pop-singer Tina picked him to become the godfather of her new album Sexy. The choice is natural for the Smer leader as well – elections are coming, and the role of godfather is one he must be accustomed to anyway.
Rankings of Slovak faculties released
FINDING the right university is among the biggest challenges faced by high school students. They must consider multiple issues such as their personal aspirations and the quality of education offered, as well as things like the commute between their home and the school. Though it cannot gauge the inner thoughts of young people or quantify a school’s atmosphere, Slovakia’s Academic Ranking and Rating Agency (ARRA) tries to present a useful guide to the quality of education offered by Slovak universities and colleges.
Parliament fulfils doctors’ demands
PATIENTS in Slovak hospitals should not have any unpleasant surprises this Christmas. Slovakia’s parliament, despite some reluctance and misgivings, enacted nearly all of the agreements incorporated into a memorandum between the doctors’ union and the government that ended weeks of protests and culminated in thousands of doctors leaving their posts at state-run hospitals on December 1.
The government collapses and early elections are announced
SLOVAKIA entered 2011 with a functioning centre-right government that had ambitions to reform the country’s judicial system and payroll levy system, as well as to begin addressing the problems of the public health-care sector and its finances, among other goals. Market watchers anticipated economic recovery along with a revival in the labour market, while political analysts foresaw little danger of major turbulence in the government. As 2011 draws to a close, the picture looks very different.
Inflation rate highest since late 2008
THE RATE of inflation in Slovakia rose for the fourth month in a row, reaching an annual rate of 4.6 percent in November 2011, with consumer prices in the month being 4.4 percent higher than November 2010, the SITA newswire reported.
Business in review
Tourism law takes effect. A revised law to support tourism development passed by parliament in October becomes effective on December 1, simplifying the process to create local and regional tourism organisations and allowing non-neighbouring municipalities to work together and qualify for state funding. The head of the Slovak Tourist Board calls the modified law the best news for the tourism sector in the past 20 years and believes it will attract more visitors to Slovakia.
Slovaks losing trust in the EU
CITIZENS of Slovakia now trust the European Union less, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey which found that this particular indicator had fallen by 10 percent over the past year. The percentage of Slovaks who believe that membership in the EU has been beneficial for the country also fell by 6 percentage points, the TASR newswire reported.
Slovakia backs crunch summit deal of EU states
A FISCAL agreement was the only way to respond to the current crisis in Europe: that is how Slovak Prime Minister Iveta Radičová summed up the closely watched summit of European leaders held on December 8-9 in Brussels. Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš left no room for doubt over where he wants to see Slovakia in the event that divisions within the eurozone or the European Union deepen: on December 13 he stated that Slovakia fully supports the basic direction that most European Union member states have agreed to take. That basic direction, in Mikloš’s words, is “to build a fiscal union through strengthening the rules and their enforceability”.
March: The top business stories of 2011
Warehouse construction in eastern Slovakia. The Goodman Group begins building a 21,000-square-metre production and warehouse complex in an industrial zone near Košice Airport at a cost of €16 million.
June: The top business stories of 2011
Ministry unveils Singapore project. Slovakia’s Economy Ministry unveils what it calls the Singapore project, with the aim to create one of the best global business environments in Slovakia and the best in central and eastern Europe, stating that after the measures are in place a company can be established within two days in Slovakia at a cost of only €1. The ministry also proposes to use more electronic documents in public registries and to simplify administrative procedures in other ways.
Christmas at the castle
BETLIAR Manor House and nearby Krásna Hôrka Castle, both of them close to the town of Rožňava in south-eastern Slovakia, have prepared Christmas decorations to attract visitors over the festive season. The Výstava vianočných ozdôb a prestretých stolov / Exhibition of Christmas Decorations and Laid Tables was prepared by Brigita Nagyová (in Betliar) and Zuzana Baffiová (in Krásna Hôrka), together with Katarína Takáscová, who designed the dining tables. The exhibition lasts until January 16 and is open daily, except Mondays, from 9:30 until 14:00; during the Christmas holiday it is closed from December 24 to December 26, from December 31 to January 2, and on January 6.
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- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
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- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
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- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
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- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
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- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- He designed Gatwick. But this is his masterpiece
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The compass points to Kúty, and people are starting to follow
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners More articles ›
