Archive of articles - April 2013
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
Čaplovič wants salary hike for teachers in 2014
The Minister of Education, Science, Research and Sports, Dušan Čaplovič, will approach Finance Minister Peter Kažimír next year and lobby for an increase in teachers’ salaries.
Opposition blocks constitutional committee session on Constitutional Court
Opposition MPs managed to block a session of the parliamentary constitutional-legal committee to discuss the draft amendment to the organisation of the Slovak Constitutional Court, which parliament is to approve in a fast-tracked proceeding.
Antimonopoly Office approves J&T's purchase of Poštová Banka shares
Financial group J&T can finally acquire the majority stake in Poštová Banka, as the Antimonopoly Office (PMÚ) approved the purchase, the TASR newswire learned on Monday, April 29.
Slovnaft fined €9 million for misusing monopoly in 2005-2006
The Supreme Court has confirmed the decision of the Slovak Antimonopoly Office (PMÚ) to impose a fine of €9.03 million on oil refinery Slovnaft for misusing its dominant status on the market in the wholesale sale of petrol in 2006 and diesel in 2005-2006, the TASR newswire learned on Monday, April 29. Slovnaft, which has one of the most advanced refineries in Europe, was the leader on the Slovak market in wholesale at the time, and was not exposed to any relevant competitive pressure. According to the court, Slovnaft – taken over by the Hungarian concern MOL in 2000 – misused its status with non-transparent pricing policies, and the setting of prices for customers according to their willingness to pay for fuel, or intention to change the supplier. PMÚ said that Slovnaft had enough information on every wholesale consumer at the time concerning its preferences and attractiveness for competitors, which enabled it to offer individual prices to these customers.
Slovak Helsinki Committee for Human Rights supports Malinová
The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Slovakia has voiced concern over the summoning of Hedviga Malinová for a hospital psychological examination.
Gas explosion in Prague injures dozens, including one Slovak
A gas leak caused a powerful explosion on the morning of Monday, April 29 in downtown Prague, close to the National Theatre and the famous Slavia café.
People’s Platform: Government shouldn't rush Constitutional Court bill
The three opposition parties grouped in the People's Platform, the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) and Most-Híd, have called on the government not to push through an amendment to the law on the organisation of the Constitutional Court in fast-tracked legislative proceedings in parliament, the TASR newswire learned on Monday, April 29.
People’s Platform will propose its own candidate for NKÚ post
The leaders of the opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) and Most-Híd, united under the People’s Platform, want to introduce their own candidate for the head of the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ). Béla Bugár, chair of Most-Híd, stated this during a press conference held on April 26.
Prime Minister supports Čaplovič
Education Minister Dušan Čaplovič has the full support of Prime Minister Robert Fico. Fico said so during the political talk show Sobotné Dialógy, broadcast by the Slovak Radio (SRo) on April 27.
SaS proposes compulsory pre-school attendance
The opposition Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party plans to introduce compulsory pre-school attendance for children older than 4 years of age as part of the so-called Roma Reform, the TASR newswire reported on April 26.
Cars accounted for one sixth of Slovakia’s exports last year
Slovakia exported goods worth €62.8 billion last year, proving that the country’s exports focus on only a handful of sectors, according to the analysis by Poštová Banka. Cars, TV sets, LCD screens and mineral oils accounted for as much as 30 percent of Slovak exports, the TASR newswire reported on April 27.
Man impersonating diplomat caught smuggling cigarettes
A man pretending to be a Polish diplomat attempted to smuggle nearly 600 cartons of cigarettes with Ukrainian control stamps from Ukraine to Slovakia. The tax evasion might have exceeded €16,500, the SITA newswire reported on April 28.
New immigration law set for May
A RECENT amendment to the Act on the Residence of Foreigners, which is the main law covering Slovakia’s immigration policy, will become effective as of May 1, 2013. The amendment mainly changes conditions for third-country nationals who have the status of ‘Slovaks living abroad’ when they apply for residence in Slovakia. ‘Slovaks living abroad’ is a special category for descendants of Slovaks who emigrated, mostly after the Second World War and during the communist era, and who are eligible to seek Slovak citizenship under certain conditions.
Countrywide Events
Western SLOVAKIA
Foreigners' police still 'nightmare' (video included)
IT’S 6:00 on a Friday morning, and Petržalka, Bratislava’s biggest borough, is just waking up. But within the city district, a group of people unusually diverse for Slovakia has already gathered: young and old, black and white, workers and students, some with children, each speaking a different language. They are waiting for the doors of Bratislava’s only Office of the Border and Alien Police to open. Those who have been here before are prepared for a long day, the mere thought of which is enough to instil anyone with a deep sense of frustration.
AUSTRIA
Austria is a federal state in central Europe with a parliamentary democracy. The country has been a member of the UN since 1955, and in 1995 it became a member of the European Union. The capital, Vienna, has 1.65 million inhabitants and the metropolitan area has about 2.2 million inhabitants. It is the political, industrial, economic and cultural centre of the country.
Amphibians on the move
SLIGHTLY delayed by the long winter, the annual migration of common toads (or European toads) from their winter forest habitat to the reservoir at Striebornica near Piešťany began on April 10. As in every year since 1988, volunteers will aid in the migration, helping the amphibians cross a heavily travelled road that stands between them and the reservoir. The event is organised by the civic association Živá planéta / Living Planet in cooperation with the administration of the Small Carpathians protected area, Pierre de Coubertin Secondary Grammar School and Slovak Scouting in Piešťany.
Thousands of Slovaks work in Austria
THE NUMBER of Slovaks working or studying in the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Ireland, Germany and Austria is estimated to be 300,000, the Sme daily wrote in December 2012. The daily cited the findings of sociologist Miloslav Bahna from the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the author of the study Two Decades of International Migration from Slovakia.
Austrian institutions and organisations in Slovakia
Austrian EmbassyAmbassador: Markus Wuketichwww.bmeia.gv.at/sk/botschaft/bratislava.html
Following in Slota's footsteps
IF IT wasn’t such an outright attempt to tap taxpayers’ money, one could easily treat the case of Horné Plachtince as the inspiration for a perfect melodrama script for the silver screen: a small village where a passing car is enough to create a buzz makes it really big. After partnering with a private firm founded by a person with a serious conflict of interest, a former spy and a woman who has already been involved in one of Slovakia’s shadiest public tenders, it can procure services for ministries, the national academy of sciences or even the state-run newswire.
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- 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
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- 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
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- Slovakia plans to restrict access to new medicines amid funding shortfall
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- The disinformation scene has become a tool of media capture
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- A mayor resigns over €2.7 million fraud scandal at town hall
- Show me your moves! Slovak hockey stars share their best pick-up lines
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- 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
- 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
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava More articles ›
