Archive of articles - March 2012, page 11
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Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Conference on young democracies
OPEN governance, transparency and democracy should be issues for all countries of Europe, the US and other nations across the world, said outgoing Prime Minister Iveta Radičová at a two-day international conference From Crisis to Open Government where problems faced by young democracies such as Slovakia were discussed. There was a particular focus on lobbying and people’s perception of it, as well as how to make the work of governments more open to citizens, the TASR newswire reported.The prime minister spoke about lobbying during her speech and stated that it is often regarded as a form of corruption even when spoken about positively. But Radičová said that even if countries deal with lobbying through regulations and laws they will discover that not even the best legal rules are sufficient.
Deadly explosion at VOP Nováky
THE EXPLOSION of a grenade in an ammunition warehouse at the VOP military maintenance company in Nováky killed one person and injured three others on March 7, the SITA newswire reported.
We cannot save enough, say Slovaks
SLOVAK savers are not satisfied with how much they are managing to save. An international survey conducted by ING Bank shows that Slovaks were next to last in a saving satisfaction ranking among European countries, the TASR newswire reported in late February.
RegioJet trains start Komárno run
THE FIRST privately-owned passenger trains operating solely within Slovakia ran between Komárno and Bratislava on March 4. The operator of the trains is RegioJet, a subsidiary of the Czech Student Agency company. The TASR newswire reported that the private carrier will completely replace state-run passenger trains on this particular route.
Fewer financial agents after reform
THE REVISION to the law on financial advisory and mediating has brought a fundamental change in the operation of financial agents and advisers. All agents now have to undergo educational and examination procedures in order to meet the conditions for expert competence. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of financial agents operating in the Slovak market, the SITA newswire reported.
Sniffing for banknotes
POLICE dog Rasty accompanied his instructor Ján Löw to the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic in mid February for a training programme on sniffing out forged banknotes.
Apple has largest capitalisation
FOLLOWING blockbuster holiday-season quarterly results, Apple shares surged well above the $500 mark, turning the California-based computer giant into the largest company in the world by market capitalisation.
Bankruptcies rose slightly in 2011
Focus shortTHE NUMBER of business bankruptcy petitions filed in Slovakia during 2011 increased moderately to 392. Compared with the previous year this represented an increase of 17 bankruptcies, or 4.53 percent.
Doubts about 99 Percent's registration might lead to post-election confusion
ONLY days before the parliamentary elections, allegations have been made which could cast doubt on the participation of the new 99 Percent – Civic Voice party. The party has attracted publicity via a huge, though controversial, media campaign and has polled above 5 percent, the threshold for winning seats in parliament, in recent opinion surveys.
The cost of failure
THE TROUBLED state of the public finances in Greece is a real challenge for policymakers in Athens, and indeed Europe as a whole. One might argue that the fathers of the eurozone made a mistake when creating the rules for the common European currency area by not leaving a back door open for potential leavers. Maybe stricter rules should have been applied compared to those of Maastricht, set during the initial phase of the European Monetary Union entry procedures, and even more importantly, during the years following entry. The course of action under current circumstances appears to be very costly, as the Greek drama is continuing unabated.
Marianka’s 'moony' pub
The village of Marianka near Bratislava has been famous for centuries because of its monastery and as a worship site for pilgrims from western Slovakia, Moravia, Austria and Hungary. Because of its immense the monastery and pilgrimage site have been depicted in many different postcards.
China and EU: Friends with issues
CHINA and Japan both pledged to help the sovereign debt-ridden eurozone on condition that their assistance would be provided through the International Monetary Fund and the eurozone's own institutions – the European Financial Stability Facility and the future European Stability Mechanism.Both countries were also adamant that eurozone countries had to do more to help themselves.
Greece still on knife’s edge, but key deals struck
IT WAS a tough February for Greece, as time ran out for the debt-ridden country to secure cash in order to pay its debt maturing in March. Athens came under immense international pressure to come to terms with its difficult position if it wanted to avoid a messy default and a possible exit from the euro area.
Facebook seeks more friends after its historic IPO
THE WORLD’s largest social network announced its $5-billion initial public offering on February 1. It is the largest IPO on record for an internet company. The market capitalisation of Facebook could reach $75-100 billion.
Few file for personal bankruptcy in Slovakia
WHEN a company finds itself trapped in a desperate financial situation because of bad management decisions or unfavourable economic developments in its business sector it can file for bankruptcy and restructuring. Individuals in Slovakia can also petition to enter the process of personal bankruptcy, as this became part of Slovak law in 2007. But filing for personal bankruptcy in Slovakia is a complicated and lengthy process and it has not been widely used by individuals. The outgoing government of Iveta Radičová had said it would seek to amend the personal bankruptcy rules but failed to do so because of its shortened term.
Identifying firms with solvency issues
THE CURRENT, less-than-ideal economic situation is making companies in Slovakia more cautious. As a result, they are looking more carefully than in the past at their trading and business partners. Some of them are calling for an official insolvency register that would allow anyone to trace the payment habits of existing or potential commercial partners. The Justice Ministry planned to launch registers to fill this gap, but its plans have been put on ice pending the outcome of the March 10 election.
Firms active in credit management and collection of receivables
-Association of Slovak Collection Agencies (ASINS), www.asins.sk-Atradius,www.atradius.sk-Coface Slovakia Credit Management Services, www.coface.sk-Creditreform, www.creditreform.sk-EOS KSI Slovensko, www.eos-ksi.sk-Euler Hermes, www.sk.eulerhermes.com-Exekučná, www.exekucna.sk-General Factoring, www.generalfactoring.sk-Intrum Justitia Slovakia, www.intrum.sk-Profidebt Slovakia, www.profidebt.sk-Transcom Worldwide Slovakia, www.transcom.com
Pension funds management companies
-Association of Pension Funds Management Companies (ADSS), www.adss.sk-Aegon Dôchodková Správcovská Spoločnosť (DSS),www.aegon.sk-Allianz - Slovenská Dôchodková Správcovská Spoločnosť, www.asdss.sk-AXA DSS, www.axa.sk-Dôchodková správcovská spoločnosť Poštovej banky, www.dsspabk.sk-ING DSS, www.ingdss.sk-VÚB Generali DSS, www.vubgenerali.sk
A Czech evening with a Slovak flavour
AFTER a classical piece and a performance featuring contemporary Slovak choreographers and their works, the Balet Bratislava ensemble has now chosen some Czech pieces. The performance, called Czech In: Kylián Vaculík, combines two shorter pieces by the renowned artist of Czech origin Jiří Kylián and choreography by Czech Libor Vaculík.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Iconic Slovak barn still draws crowds. Without donors, it might have been lost Photo
- 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
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- 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
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- 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 More articles ›
