Archive of articles - December 2012, page 9
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Slovakia isn’t green yet
For global business players it is often a matter of prestige to be based in green or eco-friendly buildings. This preference, in turn, puts pressure on developers to incorporate ‘green rules’ in their projects and adjust their standards to meet customers’ demands. Professionals note that this trend is now arriving in Slovakia and that, despite a delay, Slovaks too are realising that energy-efficient structures which are friendly to the environment might also be in their long-term financial interests. Nevertheless, observers note that the mindset of local consumers in Slovakia tends to act as a brake on the faster spread of green buildings.
Players return to their ‘original roots’
Everyone has had to adopt new strategies to respond to changes in the market brought on by the financial crisis.
Investment and real estate highlights
NOVEMBER 2011 A new 46-kilometre dual carriageway, dubbed Pribina after a historical Slav, was added to Slovakia’s highway network. The stretch of the R1 road connecting Nitra with Tekovské Nemce is the first tangible product of a public-private partnership (PPP) project. It was constructed over 26 months and carried a price tag of €800 million.
Start-up Slovakia
Small and medium-sized enterprises play an important role in the country’s economy as they have a big influence on employment, as almost 70 percent of employed people in Slovakia work in them, and they also generate about 40 percent of GDP. They are highly flexible, as it is simpler for them to introduce changes and innovations. However, individually, such businesses do not have noticeable economic power, and this might result in insufficient attention being paid to their needs and problems. There is not a unified opinion concerning which form support for them should take although, in general, the importance of support is stressed, especially in the initial phases of a company – its start, development and survival. Critics of such support often point to the ineffective use of resources which stands in the way of natural market patterns.
Grim events marked real estate and highway construction in 2012
In the real estate and construction markets, the year 2012 was affected by a less than optimistic general economic situation, both in Slovakia and abroad, and was marked by two tragic events. On November 2 a highway bridge in eastern Slovakia collapsed during construction, claiming the lives of four, and on July 1 a five-storey building under construction in Bratislava’s 3nity development collapsed, fortunately without any fatalities.
Kollár to challenge Sulík for SaS leadership
Jozef Kollár, an MP for the opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party and the former head of its parliamentary caucus, confirmed on Thursday, December 6, that he intends to challenge party founder and current leader Richard Sulík for the SaS top job at its congress in March 2013.
Slovakia's GDP growth slowed to 2.1 percent in third quarter
The Slovak economy continued to grow in the third quarter of 2012, but the pace decelerated to 2.1 percent of GDP year-on-year, according to data published by the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) on Thursday, December 6. Revised figures from the second quarter show that GDP grew by 2.6 percent, down from 2.9 percent in the first quarter. In a quarter-on-quarter comparison, GDP was rose between the second and third quarters by 0.6 percent when seasonal influences were taken into consideration.
Work on D1 stretch resumes, with Kurimany bridge still under investigation
Construction work on the Jánovce-Jablonov stretch of the D1 highway in Prešov Region, interrupted due to the fatal collapse of a half-completed motorway bridge between the villages of Kurimany and Iliašovce on November 2, resumed on Thursday, December 6.
OECD: Slovakia should improve its tax collection
Angel Gurria, the secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), has recommended that the Slovak Government should improve its tax collection system. He made the comments during an official meeting with Prime Minister Robert Fico on Thursday, December 6, the TASR newswire reported.
Doctors in Žilina protest at sacking of colleagues
Doctors in Žilina hospital started filing resignations en masse concerning the emergency service at 14:00 on Thursday, December 6, in protest at the firing of their colleagues. The Health Ministry at one point considered evacuating patients, the Sme daily wrote in its Friday issue.
Teachers reject pay offer
THE OFFER of a 5-percent pay hike and tenure – i.e. guaranteed employment – for teachers aged 55 and older, confirmed by the government after marathon negotiations with trade union leaders, has failed to satisfy Slovakia’s frustrated public-school teachers. If the government of Robert Fico does not improve its offer, teachers will start a countrywide relay strike from December 11 to December 14, the leaders of the Trade Unions of Employees of the Education Sector and Science (OZ PŠaV) have threatened, although at the time of writing their strike action remained suspended. However, on December 6, Robert Fico announced that his government would increase the salaries of teachers and non-pedagogical employees in the education sector by 5 percent regardless of whether the unions agree to or reject the deal, the Sme daily reported.
Journalism school turns 60
WHAT is the future of journalism? Are graduates of journalism prepared for real work in the media? These were some of the challenging questions discussed during the 60th anniversary of the Department of Journalism at the Comenius University (UK) in Bratislava.
Retail sales in Slovakia in October fell by 1.8 percent year-on-year
Retail sales in Slovakia are continuing their year-on-year slump. According to data from the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ), in October they fell by 1.8 percent to €1.543 billion. In September they fell by 1.7 percent; the last time retail sales saw annual growth was in May. For the first ten months of this year, retail sales reached €14.666 billion, down 0.5 percent from the same period of last year. In monthly terms, retail sales fell 0.9 percent between September and October.
Pharmacy loyalty schemes to be banned, sterner rules on medicine exports
Pharmacy loyalty bonuses in Slovakia are to end, as the Health Ministry is re-introducing a ban on loyalty schemes and also instituting a rule that one person can receive a licence to provide health care treatment only at one public pharmacy, reads the amendment to the Medications Act that was passed by 78 votes in parliament on Wednesday, December 5. Providing it is signed by the president, the legislation will come into effect as of January 2, 2013.
Actor Cinkota jailed for drug offences
THE BRATISLAVA Regional Court has sent Slovak actor Dušan Cinkota to jail for eight years, rejecting his appeal against a lower court’s verdict. Cinkota, together with his co-accused, Martin Havran, who received a five year sentence, was found guilty of drug trafficking, the SITA newswire reported on December 5.
Teachers’ unions reject government pay offer
Unions representing Slovak public school teachers and other school staff, who are currently engaged in a dispute over pay and other issues with the government, have rejected a pay rise offered by the cabinet.
State to collect €231 million less in tax revenues in 2012
State revenues from taxes and levies between 2012 and 15 are expected to be 0.3 percent of GDP lower compared to the original estimates from September 2012, the Finance Ministry’s Financial Policy Institute (IFP) announced in a special prognosis released on Wednesday, December 5, the TASR newswire reported. According to the new estimates, the state will collect €231 million less than expected in 2012, and €254 million less next year.
Senec cadastral office director charged in Glance House case
An investigator on Wednesday, December 5, pressed the first charges in relation to a disputed property transfer in Bernolákovo (Bratislava Region), allegedly enabled by a letter written by deputy general prosecutor Dobroslav Trnka, the TASR newswire reported, quoting police spokesperson Anna Dobiašová.
Slovakia scraps flat tax
AS EXPECTED, the Slovak parliament, dominated by Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Smer party, has approved changes to the tax system that will cancel the flat tax and raise income tax rates on companies, politicians, and those with higher earnings, to get extra money for the state’s depleted coffers. Only time will tell whether the government’s plan to increase revenues will meet expectations, but reactions from the business community indicate that Slovakia is losing one of its key symbols as a progressive economy, as the flat tax was considered one of Slovakia’s biggest strengths in the eyes of foreign investors.
Štafetový štrajk
ALTHOUGH Prime Minister Robert Fico is known for being a runner, he may have trouble keeping pace with the teachers. Their relay strike (štafetový štrajk) may not be as effective as a fully-fledged, simultaneous protest, but it can drag on for much longer. And ongoing unrest at the schools is certainly not good PR.
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