Archive of articles - June 2013, page 6
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Sme: Public tenders might be limited and less transparent
After six months of debates with experts, the ruling Smer party and its chairman, Prime Minister Robert Fico, changed the rules for public tenders in March. Now, the rules are being changed again, but more secretly, the Sme daily reported on June 21.
Eurostat: Slovakia 18th richest EU member state in terms of GDP per capita
Slovakia was the 18th richest country – or the 10th poorest – within the EU27 last year in terms of GDP per capita, the European statistics office Eurostat announced in a preliminary estimate on Thursday, June 20. Slovak GDP – expressed in terms of Purchasing Power Standards (PPS) – reached 75 percent of the EU average, the TASR newswire reported, citing the Eurostat figures. This means that Slovakia was at the same level as Portugal and Greece, whose GDP also reached 75 percent of the EU average in 2012.
Jobless rate fell slightly month-on-month in May
The unemployment rate dropped by 0.15 percentage points between April and May, to reach 14.26 percent, Marián Valentovič, the head of the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Centre (ÚPSVaR) told a press conference on Thursday, June 20.
Large NATO exercise takes place in Slovakia
Allied forces from the North-Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have been taking part in a large logistical military exercise at the Slovak military area in Lešť. The goal of the exercise was to test new technologies, the Sme daily reported on June 21. It involved almost 1,800 soldiers from 35 countries worldwide.
Foreign tourist numbers up by one fifth in first quarter
A total of 337,610 foreign tourists visited Slovakia in the first quarter of 2013, equivalent to a 19.9-percent rise on year-on-year basis, the TASR newswire reported on June 19, citing Transport Ministry spokesman Martin Kíňa.
Number of asylum seekers in Slovakia continues to decline
The number of asylum seekers in Slovakia keeps declining: from the start of 2013 until May 31, a total of 184 foreigners sought asylum, most of them from Somalia, Eritrea, Georgia, Pakistan, Ukraine, Afghanistan, China, Iran, Syria, and Vietnam. The data were released by the Interior Ministry, which administers asylum claims.
NKÚ vote postponed again
The election of top officials at the Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) will not take place during the June parliamentary session. After the opposition failed to come up with a joint candidate for the NKÚ head, Mária Ritomská of the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) said her party had also withdrawn its candidate for vice-chair of the office on Thursday, June 20.
Search continues for two children believed to have drowned in Danube tributary
Rescue units are searching for two children, both aged 12, who are believed to have drowned in the Malý Dunaj (Little Danube) river, a tributary of the Danube River, in the village of Jelka in Trnava Region on Wednesday, June 19.
Government approves sale of CO2 emission quotas to Spain
Slovakia is set to sell 27 million tonnes of its excess carbon dioxide emissions quotas to Spain, following the approval of the transfer by the government on Wednesday, June 19. The government also commissioned Environment Minister Peter Žiga to sign the agreement on behalf of Slovakia. He could not disclose either the price or the exact date on which the agreement would be signed, however.
Law on nurses’ salaries deemed unconstitutional
The Slovak Constitutional Court ruled in a non-public session on Wednesday, June 19 that the law passed in 2012 concerning the minimum wage requirements of nurses and midwives does not comply with the Slovak Constitution.
Slovak eco-terrorist gets 25 years
The first Slovak environmental terrorist, Ladisalv K., was sentenced to 25 years in prison by the Košice District Court, for terrorism and other crimes. He will serve the sentence in a maximum-security prison.
UPDATED: Smer deputies elect Čižnár to top prosecutor job
AFTER a political and judicial tug-of-war over one of the most powerful posts in the country, one which has lasted more than two years, Jaromír Čižnár, a former law-school classmate of Prime Minister Robert Fico, was elected by ruling Smer party MPs to become Slovakia’s general prosecutor on June 18. The opposition parties did not take part in the secret parliamentary vote, arguing that the country already has a general prosecutor-elect – Jozef Čentéš – whom parliament elected back in June 2011, but whom President Ivan Gašparovič has since refused to appoint. A complaint lodged by Čentéš against the president’s refusal to appoint him is pending at the Constitutional Court, with Čižnár saying that he will step down to make way for Čentéš only if the court rules that Čižnár had violated Čentéš’ civil rights by seeking election.
Sme: General prosecutor wields broad powers; position is almost unremovable
The Sme daily explains on its website why the general prosecutor, a hard-fought position which recently involved much political wrangling to fill the post, is so crucial to the Slovak political system.
Prominent Roma activist sent to prison for child sex abuse
Miroslav Lacko, a former Roma activist and head of the Slovak branch of the European Network against Racism (ENAR), was sentenced to seven years and six months in a minimum-security prison for sexual abuse of adolescent boys. The district court in Prešov issued the verdict after Lacko, 45, pleaded guilty, the SITA newswire reported.
Slovakia will continue to offer temporary safe haven to refugees
Slovakia will continue to provide temporary safe haven to refuges and asylum seekers due to an agreement between the government, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) on humanitarian transfer of refugees, which was approved by the Slovak Government on Wednesday, June 19.
Opposition to ask president to postpone Čižnár’s appointment
Slovak opposition parties plan to ask President Ivan Gašparovič to postpone his appointing of Jaromír Čižnár to the post of general prosecutor, and to wait for the decision of the Slovak Constitutional Court concerning the complaint of Jozef Čentéš, who was elected to the post in June 2011. Čentéš is appealing the president’s decision not to appoint him. The TASR newsiwre wrote that the opposition’s request for Gašparovič has been written and signatures for its support are being collected.
Record heat in Slovakia reaches higher elevations
The current heat wave, which began the same time as last year’s June heat wave, has brought extreme temperatures even to higher elevations. Temperatures at Štrbksé Pleso in the High Tatras reached 27.3°C on Tuesday, June 19, and 18.2°C at Chopok (in the Low Tatras), while at the meteorological station at Lomincký Štít (in the High Tatras - the highest meteorological station in the country), the temperature rose to 16.8°C.
Fico, Tichý welcome election of ‘new’ general prosecutor
Senior Smer members and the acting general prosecutor have welcomed the decision by MPs from the ruling Smer party to elect Jaromír Čižnár to be the country’s general prosecutor. The opposition parties refused to participate in the vote on June 18, arguing that the country already has a general prosecutor, Jozef Čentéš, who was elected by parliament in June 2011, but whom President Ivan Gašparovič has since refused to appoint, the TASR newswire reported.
Slovakia sells yen-denominated bonds for the first time
For the first time in its history, Slovakia has sold state bonds denominated in Japanese yen, valued at JPY30 billion (about €235.2 million), the TASR newswire reported on June 18.
Slovak courts will deal with Csatáry in absentia
Ladislav Csatáry, a Nazi supporter accused of several war crimes, including the deportation of Jews, is due to face court in Košice. Since he did not choose a defender, the court picked one for him and set the date of the proceeding for July 19, Košice courts spokesperson Marcela Gálová. She added that the court would decide whether he should be sent to the prison to finish his earlier life sentence, the SITA newswire reported on June 18. However, Csatáry is currently in Hungary and there is no indication that the authorities prosecuting him there plan to send him to Slovakia.
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