Archive of articles - April 2014, page 12
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Slovakia brings emissions levels down, decreasing trend set to continue
SLOVAKIA is fulfilling and even exceeding its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on the Kyoto protocol, the Environment Ministry stated in a report that the cabinet discussed at its April 9 session.
Central bank to get new supervisory powers
The Slovak Central Bank (NBS) is due to receive more extensive supervisory powers over financial institutes in Slovakia, as the amendment to the Bank Act will implement a number of EU directives to ensure greater supervision over banks. The bill sponsored by the Finance Ministry along with NBS is scheduled to be discussed by the government on April 9. The new regulation framework will concern all banks in EU, the TASR newswire reported. “By introducing sterner requirements on banks and stock traders the risk of their failure can be minimised; which will contribute to greater stability of the financial system within the Slovak Republic as well as the EU,” reads the motion. After the new legislation comes into effect, NBS will have new responsibilities. If, for instance, a Slovak bank were to experience troubles that could pose a risk for the entire banking sector, NBS would be obliged to immediately inform the European supervisory body about the situation. It would also be entitled to step up inspections, request the submission of special reports or scrutinise the bank’s plans. Under the new law, co-operation with NBS when addressing a crisis situation will be mandatory for banks. Banks and branches of foreign banks will be required to maintain their liquidity and solvency permanently. “Banks and branches of foreign banks are required to inform NBS without delay about a failure or expected failure to meet their duties and, subsequently, submit to NBS a plan for a timely recovery of liquidity index compliance,” TASR the text.
Shareholders approve additional funding for Mochovce plant
Shareholders of the Slovak power utility Slovenské Elektrárne (SE), the state and the Italian energy company Enel, have finally agreed to provide additional funding necessary for completion of the third and fourth units of the Nuclear Power Plant Mochovce (EMO).
Restrictions on journalists in parliament begin April 15
The new rules concerning the work of journalists in parliament will enter into force April 15. The rules should have originally been in place as of mid-February, but the process has been delayed due to preparations of a new press room, Soňa Pötheová from the Office of Speaker of Parliament Pavol Paška told the TASR newswire on April 8. According to the new rules, journalists will be allowed to move around only in specified places in parliament, and they won’t be allowed to take pictures of personal items of MPs in the parliament. Violation of the rules may result in their accreditation being taken away and a ban from entering parliament. Also, they won’t be allowed to enter sessions of parliamentary committees without the company of authorised parliamentary staff. The number of journalists with accreditation in parliament will also be restricted. Prime Minister Robert Fico has defended Paška’s initiative by stating that there are 280 journalists accredited for parliament, while nothing like that number are actually active. “Not everybody who has a little TV consul and a small camera at home should pretend to be a big journalist and hang around parliament,” Fico said. Meanwhile, the opposition has described the initiative as a communist-like attempt to muzzle journalists in order to prevent the public from having proper access to information from parliament. Parliamentary Chancellor Daniel Guspan stated that the new rules won’t limit journalists, as they still will be allowed to move freely around the building and take pictures without facing sanctions. They won’t be allowed to access the rooms of individual committees freely anymore, however, and will have to be guided by an authorised person instead. At the same time, journalists no longer will be able to access the parliamentary snack bar and they will have to buy coffee or snacks in machines.
Russian gas supplies to Slovakia flowing normally
Russian gas supplies to Slovakia through Ukraine are currently being delivered in a standard regime, and at the agreed volumes. “Eustream didn’t record any extraordinary fluctuations in the gas delivery,” gas transporter Eustream spokesman Vahram Chuguryan told the TASR newswire on April 8, in response to speculation that Russia’s Gazprom may restrict or suspend gas supplies to Ukraine due to unpaid invoices. “Eustream monitors the tense situation between Russia and Ukraine and periodically evaluates it,” said Chuguryan. “In case of a cut-off from the east, Eustream will adopt adequate technical measures to ensure the reverse supply from western states and then from the west of Slovakia to the east of the country.”
Slovak Helsinki Committee defends Malinová
THE REASONS for accusing Hedviga Malinová of perjury appear to have been fabricated, according to the Slovak Helsinki Committee.
Workers at two companies announce strikes
EMPLOYEES of two engineering companies have either gone on strike or are considering striking over problems with their salaries. While people working in the Detva-based PPS Group are seeking higher salaries, employees of ZTS-OTS in Dubnica nad Váhom took part in a one-day strike to demand unpaid salaries that have been delayed for two months, the Sme daily reported in its April 8 issue.
Moody’s improves rating of Slovak banking sector
THE INTERNATIONAL rating agency Moody’s has changed its outlook on Slovakia’s banking system from negative to stable. It reflects current improvements in the macroeconomic environment that will limit the downside risks to asset quality and profitability in the coming 12-18 months, the agency wrote on its website on April 4.
Bratislava’s Car Show begins
THE TRADITIONAL Car Show in Bratislava started on April 8 with a day for journalists. During the show, the visitors will see the 350 various car brands, including several new models that were introduced earlier this year in Geneva.
SaS proposes election code changes
OPPOSITION Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) MPs Lucia Nicholsonová and Martin Poliačik want to amend the new election code to allow Slovaks living abroad to vote in parliamentary, presidential and European Parliament elections. They also suggest introducing the requirement to inform electoral commissions in advance when an illiterate person wants to cast a ballot with an assistant, the TASR newswire reported on April 7.
Foreign Minister Lajčák warns of potential crisis in eastern Ukraine
SLOVAKIA is watching the situation in Ukraine very closely, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák said in Tbilisi, Georgia, on April 7 in response to the latest developments in the eastern part of Ukraine, the TASR newswire reported.
Slovak and Czech firms lag in digital technology
COMPANIES doing business in Slovakia and the Czech Republic are far behind the global average when it comes to their understanding, assessment, and innovation vis-a-vis digital technologies, the TASR newswire reported, citing the Digital IQ survey released by PwC on April 7.
Hrušovský resigns as KDH caucus chairman after election failure
THE UNSUCCESSFUL presidential candidate of the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), Pavol Hrušovský, who was also supported by the ethnic Hungarian Most-Híd party and half-heartedly by the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), has resigned from his post as KDH parliamentary caucus chairman, KDH chair Ján Figeľ announced after the session of his party’s presidium in Častá-Papiernička on April 7, the TASR newswire reported.
Žitňanská joins Most-Híd
MP LUCIA Žitňanská, who formerly served as the head of the parliamentary caucus of the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), has joined the Most-Híd party, the TASR newswire reported.
International Roma Day marked today
INTERNATIONAL Roma Day is a good opportunity for Europe to remember that the Roma have been an integral part of European countries for centuries now, the office of the government’s proxy for Roma minorities wrote on the occasion.
LED lighting cuts costs to the minimum
The replacement of old corporate lighting with modern, cost-effective LED can pay for itself through savings Lighting in many manufacturing and logistics plants in Slovakia breaches the requirements for lighting laid down by technical standards. Outdated lights, whose maintenance is overcomplicated or neglected, cause a lot of light to be wasted and lead to excessive energy costs. At the same time, inadequate lighting leads to bad working conditions, increasing the risk of accidents and fines. All these problems can be solved by a new intelligent lighting system based on LED technology.
Borec’s appeal in Olejník case dismissed
THE SUPREME Court has turned down the special appeal submitted by Justice Minister Tomáš Borec in the case of František Olejník, a former Smer deputy and Košice city councillor sentenced to five years in prison for corruption, on April 7.
Former ambassador Bútora joins NATO expert team
MARTIN Bútora, a member of the Slovak Atlantic Commission's International Council and Central European Strategic Council, former Slovak ambassador to the US and an Honorary President of the Institute for Public Affairs non-governmental think tank, has become a member of a specialist team established by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
AZR collects signatures for referendum against same-sex marriage
THE ALLIANCE for Family (AZR) launched its effort to collect signatures for a petition to announce a referendum on the protection of traditional family, which it plans to collect with the municipal elections held this autumn, on April 5.
Opposition outraged over Malinová charges
THE DECISION of the General Prosecutor’s Office to indict Hedviga Malinová for perjury serves as evidence of the catastrophic state of the Slovak judiciary, according to the opposition, with Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) lawmakers considering this decision "outrageous", the TASR newswire reported.
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- 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
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- 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
- 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
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- 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 ›
