Archive of articles - April 2012, page 3
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Slovakia's current account surplus hits €363 million in February
The surplus in Slovakia's current balance of payments account increased in February according to preliminary data released by the National Bank of Slovakia, which stated the surplus was €363.4 million. In annualised terms, February's surplus on the current account rose by nearly €75 million, the SITA newswire wrote.
Transport minister replaces chiefs of highway and rail companies
Transport Minister Ján Počiatek replaced the heads of three state-run rail companies as well as the director of the National Highway Company (NDS) on April 25, the TASR newswire was told by ministry spokesman Martin Kóňa.
Election of Supreme Court vice-chair postponed for a ninth time
The election of a new vice-chair for Slovakia’s Supreme Court has been postponed once again, as Igor Burger, the only candidate for the post, has proposed having the new Judicial Council hold the vote, the TASR newswire reported, noting that eight Judicial Council members, nominated by judges as well as nominees of the parliament and the president, will have their terms end in late June. Burger cited "turbulence in terms of constitutionality of this Judicial Council’s members" as the reason behind his motion, alluding to three members nominated by the former government who took office in January before the term of their predecessors ran out.
PM Fico discusses defence spending with US ambassador
The US Ambassador to Slovakia, Theodore Sedgwick, met with Prime Minister Robert Fico on April 25 to discuss defence policy and the TASR newswire reported that the US would welcome more investment by Slovakia in defence while also writing that the ambassador recognises the deployment of Slovak armed forces in international operations and the country’s current economic situation. "Of course, we would like to see bolstering of the defence budget; however, we have to remain realistic. It's difficult seeing it happening as Slovakia has to meet the deficit limit of three-percent of GDP [by 2013]," Sedgwick told TASR after the meeting, adding that "this will require greater economic growth, but Slovakia is an outstanding partner in the field of defence."
PM Fico and PM Orbán to meet today in Warsaw
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will be attending an economic forum called Poland – Central Europe – China in Warsaw on April 26 and is expected to meet with his counterparts Viktor Orbán (Hungary), Donald Tusk (Poland) and Wen Jiabao (China) in bilateral talks during his brief visit to Poland. The event is focused on economic cooperation and joint growth of central-European countries and China, the Slovak Government Office told the SITA newswire.
Transport official has short stint
MICHAL Sántai had a rather brief managerial post at the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development, the so-called super-ministry which among other things now supervises the flow of European Union funding to Slovakia. Sántai, who was appointed by Transport Minister Ján Počiatek to lead the section responsible for coordinating EU funding, resigned on April 23 – just days into his job – after the Sme daily reported on his activities during the first government of Robert Fico, when he worked at the scandal-plagued Ministry of Construction under Fico’s coalition partner the Slovak National Party (SNS).
Slovan
IT’S BEEN a nice spring for tycoon Juraj Široký. First, Smer won the parliamentary elections. And then, just this last weekend, HC Slovan (Slav) won the ice hockey playoffs, beating their long-time rivals from Košice.
Sulík: Draft bill was backdated to circumvent rules of procedure
A new bill was backdated in parliament in such a way as to meet the lawful deadline even though it was delivered a day too late, Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) chairman Richard Sulík claimed at a press conference held on Tuesday, April 24.
Fico discusses fiscal consolidation with EC president in Brussels
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, in Brussels for an official visit on Tuesday, April 24, tried to convince European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso that there must be different attitudes to consolidation of public funds in individual countries. Consolidation of public funds in Slovakia, one of the EU’s poorest countries, also has a moral aspect, Fico claimed.
Bratislava woman gives birth on trolleybus
A pregnant passenger gave birth while travelling on a number 204 trolleybus in Bratislava on Tuesday, April 24.
Metalurg Steel employees' strike could last all week
Approximately 100 employees of Metalurg Steel in Dubnica nad Váhom came out on strike on Tuesday, April 24, over unpaid salaries, causing a halt in production, chairman of the OZ KOVO trade union Emil Machyna said. According to Metalurg Steel manager Juraj Mac, production in key departments has been unaffected by the strike. On Monday (April 23) Mac ascribed the delayed salaries to the fact that the company is not able to dispatch its products on time.
NATO boss praises Slovakia’s role in Afghanistan
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO’s secretary-general, has thanked Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico for his country’s presence in Afghanistan as part of the ISAF peacemaking mission there. During a meeting between the two held in Brussels on April 24, Fico reassured his international partners that Slovakia would continue to fulfil its commitments towards NATO and that it would remain part of the operation as long as necessary.
Slovak businessmen leave for tax havens
The number of Slovak businesspeople heading for tax havens is increasing. According to data presented by the Czech Capital Information Agency (ČEKIA), up to 3,072 companies in Slovakia, i.e. 1.6 percent of the total number of businesses operating in the country, are located in places considered to be tax havens. Most of these companies are resident in the Seychelles, the US and in Cyprus, the SITA newswire reported.
SDKÚ’s Bratislava regional branch backs Žitňanská for party leadership
The presidium of the Bratislava regional branch of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) has backed former justice minister Lucia Žitňanská to become chair of the party. The decision followed a four-hour debate that took place on Monday, April 23, the TASR newswire reported.
Authorities launch another inspection of so-called ‘crazy shops’
Inspectors from the National Inspectorate of Labour (NIP) have started checking shops in the Euphoria chain after the Sme daily published a report on the effects of several drugs currently being sold there as gifts.
Heading south (video included)
21 Once upon a time in Komárno there was a small town right in the centre of another, pulsing and growing. But although the walls of the Fortress in Komárno still stand, the life vanished through the broken windows years ago, leaving only a mysterious silence. However it does not take much to re-imagine what was once there and even on a simple afternoon walk between the powerful walls, you can feel the history breathing from every side. And if you dare to borrow a torch and go even deeper, you can discover more secrets hiding underground. Once the largest construction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Komárno fortress is now abandoned-but it is waiting to be explored.
EXPAT LIFE
Every month expatriates arrive in Slovakia to make this central European country their new home. Though reasons for relocation may be different, the challenges each person must handle are quite similar: they must arrange housing, become legal residents and legal employees, enrol their children in an appropriate school and determine where to buy basics such as groceries and where to obtain necessary services, all the while overcoming culture shock and settling into a new environment.
Slovak police report they disbanded 24 crime groups in 2011
The Slovak police last year terminated the operations of three branches of criminal groups operating in the Bratislava region and disbanded twenty-four organised groups, the draft Report on Slovakia's Security for 2011 states. The report is undergoing inter-department review, the SITA newswire reported.
Eurostat reports Slovakia's 2011 deficit at 4.8 percent of GDP
Slovakia's government closed last year with a deficit of 4.8 percent of GDP according to the EU statistics office, Eurostat, which included loans to state-run hospitals and railway companies as part of the deficit. These loans occurred during the first government of Robert Fico between 2008 and 2010 and increased the deficit by €633 million, or about 0.9 percent of GDP, the SITA newswire wrote based on the Eurostat report.
Interior Ministry releases review of police action at Gorilla Protest
A review undertaken the Interior Ministry reported that a police action taken at a Gorilla Protest on March 9 in Bratislava was adequate and appropriate.
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- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
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- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process More articles ›
