Archive of articles - July 2014, page 14
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Malatinský: Non-partisan minister leaves cabinet
TOMÁŠ Malatinský was one of the cabinet’s few ministers with no political party affiliation. Smer selected him to head the economy department after the 2012 elections, when a sweeping victory enabled the creation of a one-party cabinet.
Comenius University marks 95th anniversary
COMENIUS University in Bratislava is celebrating its 95th anniversary this year, with the institution marking the occasion on June 26 at a ceremonial event in its main lecture hall.
Smer gets partial makeover
SPECULATION on a shakeup in Smer on the heels of Robert Fico’s unsuccessful presidential run and amid falling approval ratings had been flying in the air for months. Smer officials however kept denying that any major reshuffles were in the pipeline, and that any changes would be related to Smer’s poorer than expected performance in the regional elections and the vote to the European Parliament – not Fico. Nevertheless, two ministers of Smer’s one-party government, Education Minister Dušan Čaplovič and Economy Minister Tomáš Malatinský, stepped down on July 2, just days after Smer held an extraordinary party congress.
Ministry wants new framework for doctors’ fees
WHILE in the past health care in Slovakia was free of charge, at least officially, along with compulsory health insurance Slovaks pay some fees when visiting physicians or specialists in their offices. The Health Ministry sees some of these fees as unreasonable and has prepared new legislation setting a framework for fees general practitioners and specialists can charge patients. Meanwhile, physicians argue that they require payments for services not covered by health insurance companies and to compensate for stagnating payments from the public health insurance scheme.
Counterfeit medicine sold online
THE INTERNET is often a source for goods with prices lower than brick-and-mortar shops. But while buying books or clothes online can save money, when it comes to medication, consumers should shop only on legal websites, as otherwise they may be putting their health at risk, experts say.
UPDATED: Jazz Unites Us across continents
THE CLICHÉ that music transcends borders is reflected in the very title of a project combining US, Slovak and Czech musicians. Jazz Unites Us brings five jazz professionals to the region via a tour of the same name, covering several venues in Slovakia, with stops in Budapest and Prague.
Fico’s name emerges in Czech bribery case
THE NAME of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has appeared in connection with a corruption case that a Prague court is currently dealing with, the Sme daily reported in its July 2 issue.
UPDATED: Organ festival offers Czech, Slovak performers
THOSE who might have missed the many inspiring organ concerts during the year’s main music season need not fear: two summer festivals in the Slovak capital will celebrate this rich musical instrument. One of those, the Bratislava Organ Festival (BOF), will take place in the music hall of Bratislava Castle and the Slovak Radio’s big concert studio.
Fragmentation of centre-right continues
NEITHER the defeat of the ruling Smer’s candidate Robert Fico in the presidential election nor the waning popularity of his Smer party in opinion polls are preventing the centre-right forces on the Slovak political scene from drifting further apart.
Web site posts state orders
THE STATE has created a web site through which offices, municipalities and state firms will start purchasing common goods and services. The web marketplace, launched on July 1, is expected to run its first trade in autumn.
Slovak tourist sites receive Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor
THREE Slovak sites outside Bratislava received the Travellers’ Choice Award 2014 granted by TripAdvisor: Bojnice Castle, Spiš Castle and St Elizabeth’s Cathedral in Košice. Travelers visit the website for information and user reviews on roughly 4 million accommodation and dining facilities and tourist sites.
Judges should be elected in public vote, says Kiska
PRESIDENT Andrej Kiska wants the Judicial Council to vote on personnel matters publicly, rather than in secret. He has thus returned to parliament the amendment to the law on judges and judicial assistants, which lawmakers approved on June 24.
Smaller proportion of Slovaks’ earnings spent on food
WHILE European households spend on average 15 percent of their income on food, Slovak households spend approximately 20 percent. However, this amount has decreased for Slovaks by 5 percentage points since the late 1990s.
Kiska appoints new ministers
PRESIDENT Andrej Kiska accepted on July 3 the resignations of now former economy minister Tomáš Malatinský and education minister Dušan Čaplovič, who tendered their resignations the day before. At the same time, the president appointed Pavol Pavlis as the new economy minister and Peter Pellegrini as the new education minister.
State plans to create 140 integrated health-care centres
THE HEALTH Ministry will initiate a plan to construct integrated health-care facilities, where doctors and social workers will provide a broad range of services under one roof, as of 2015. The construction of new facilities, and the reconstruction of older centres, is expected to cost hundreds of millions of euros and should be covered by EU funds.
Kiska received state honours, has no reservations in Čentéš case
President Andrej Kiska received state awards only on July 3, although he should have received them already during his inauguration on June 15.
New MEPs already know on which committees they will serve
The 13 Slovak MEPs already know which committees they will work for in the next five years. On July 2 and July 3 morning, MEPs have been deciding on the personnel issues of 20 committees and two sub-committees of the European Parliament, with the vote taking place on Thursday morning, the SITA newswire wrote.
Smer wants to preserve higher VAT through an amending proposal
Slovaks cannot expect VAT rate to be decreased, as can be expected from the law on budgetary responsibility.
Kiska picks just one from six candidates to be Constitutional Court judges
Supreme Court judge Jana Baricová is the only one of six candidates for Constitutional Court judges approved by parliament to be appointed by President Andrej Kiska. Baricová, who will be appointed for a term of 12 years, is set to take one of the positions currently held by three Constitutional Court judges - Ján Luby, Juraj Horváth and Ján Auxt - whose terms of office are expiring on July 4.
Bill on drinking water leads to clashes
Slovak MPs on July 2 debated almost solely the bill stipulating, among other things, conditions for selling drinking water abroad.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Liberal MP’s boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- Zdeno Chára inducted into world hockey hall of fame Video
- Hockey legend with Slovak roots started playing without knowing any English Video
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Young British boxing star who quit Slovakia over racism is now aiming for the top
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- 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
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- 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
- 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
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Zdeno Chára inducted into world hockey 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 ›
