Archive of articles - December 2014, page 4
If you desire to read an old article, use the search bar or select the publication date.
January: The year in business
Poprad airport has a new departures hall. The Poprad-Tatry Airport ceremonially opened the new departures hall, thanks to which the airport now meets the criteria for a Schengen international airport. This €2.6 million investment increased the capacity of the airport by 300 passengers to 450.
Competition rare in hospital tenders
MOST contracts in Slovak hospitals involve just a single bidder causing taxpayers to pay the added costs, according to a study by Transparency International Slovensko (TIS) and INEKO economic think-tank.
Tatra ice cathedral was opened at Hrebienok
AFTER last year’s success, this year also the High Tatras will have a special attraction apart from natural beauties: a man-made ice cathedral of artificial ice.
Centre-right continues crumbling
The year began with the need for the centre-right to consolidate itself, but 2014 saw a continuation of the fragmenting trend instead.
Waste management rules to change
A REVOLUTION in waste management – this is what Environment Minister Peter Žiga said after the government passed the new waste law at its December 17 session. The legislation should, among other things, help encourage Slovaks to separate and recycle the waste which today ends mostly at the waste dumps.
Slovak app Droppie wants to compete with Instagram and others
A FIVE-member Slovak team is currently launching a new mobile application called Droppie – a social network that will connect people via pictures taken by others who have already been at a certain place. The inventors believe that the app may become as popular as Instagram, Foursquare and Snapchat. "
IT owners to invest in Projekt N of Sme defectors
SIX co-owners of Bratislava-based IT security company ESET are set to invest in the newly emerging Projekt N media, which has been set up by defectors from the Sme daily, TASR learnt on December 18.
State to introduce minimum pensions of nearly €270
ALL pensioners who have paid social insurance contributions for at least 30 years will qualify for a minimum guaranteed pension as of July 1, 2015 that will amount to €269.50 per month and will be progressively higher with each additional year of one’s payments into the social insurance system, the TASR newswire reported on December 18.
SAV congress looks to force out academy’s head
JAROMÍR Pastorek likely will not be chairman of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAV) for much longer, as members of the SAV extraordinary congress passed the proposal for his dismissal, on December 18. Pastorek was criticised over the academy’s 2015 budget as well as the failure to represent interests of scientists and poor communication, the TASR newswire reported.
Trnka keeps prosecutor’s mandate for now, case to be re-examined
FORMER general prosecutor (GP) Dobroslav Trnka will not be relieved of his mandate as prosecutor and his case is to be re-examined by the Disciplinary Committee of the General Prosecutor Office, the Bratislava Regional Court decided December 18, the TASR newswire reported.
Government approves recodification of Civil Code
In the presence of two highest judiciary officials, Judicial Council chair Jana Bajánková and Supreme Court chair Daniela Švecová, the government passed the recodification of the Civil Code on December 17. The ministers approved three civil law codexes that are designed to replace the Civil Code dating back to 1963.
Slovakia to join European Space Agency
Slovakia is set to become a new member of the European Space Agency (ESA) following a decision by the government at its regular session on December 17. According to the Education, Science, Research and Sport Ministry which submitted the proposal, Slovakia will gain access to strategic information and valuable know-how in space activities and the development of satellite services. The country could in turn use this information to develop new and innovative products and services. The membership fee is estimated to stand at €1.4 million per year.
Government approves draft bill on waste disposal
The waste management in Slovakia has needed some changes in rules for some time, and the draft bill passed by the government on December 17 will bring things in line with European Union standards, official say.
Matovič hands over Procházka tape to police
Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) leader Igor Matovič turned over recordings of a conversation with Radoslav Procházka (non-parliamentary opposition Sieť party) about paying for political ads off the books on December 17. “Since it is my obligation as a witness and at the same time I know that the recording is authentic and it has not been manipulated, I have handed over the whole recording,” Matovič told the TASR newswire. “The only thing left for me to do is to hope is that Radoslav Procházka’s statement from the presidential campaign that “before court we all should be equal” will apply also in this case and it will not be swept under the carpet, as has been the practice in Slovakia over the past 25 years.” The OĽaNO leader is sorry that Procházka did not take the chance to admit and to regret publicly these dealings during his presidential campaign. “If he did so, nobody would ever know about the recording,” Matovič added. In his opinion, the most critical fact on the recording was Procházka’s statement that he would spend half a million euros on the campaign, while he reported just half that amount. Criminal prosecution over the recording was originally launched by the police in September but later terminated due to technical reasons. In November, however, the General Prosecutor’s Office found the previous decision unlawful and has resumed the prosecution. The recording surfaced in the media after Procházka refused to take a polygraph test – as requested by Matovič – in order to disprove Matovič’s allegations of illegal funding of his presidential election campaign. During the conversation, the two men discussed the option of paying for part of presidential campaign ads in Matovič’s newspapers without a receipt. Procházka admitted that the voice in the recording belonged to him, yet maintains that the material was heavily edited.
Harmonised inflation at zero in November
THE AVERAGE annual inflation rate, expressed by increase in the average annual harmonised index of consumer prices for the last 12 months in comparison with the average for the preceding 12 months, reached -0.1 percent in November 2014. The annual inflation rate measured by harmonised index of consumer prices reached 0 percent, the Slovak Statistics Office (ŠÚ) informed on December 17.
Prosecutor scraps charges against Košecký
A PROSECUTOR’S office has scrapped charges against Ladislav Košecký, the former director of state-run company MH Development, who was dismissed in November for hiring a car from his own company with public money and paying his personal fines from MH Development’s coffers, the Aktualne.sk news website reported on December 17.
Kiska is country’s most trusted politician
PRESIDENT Andrej Kiska is the most trustworthy politician in Slovakia among the top state officials in the country and leaders of major political parties, the results of a recent poll carried out by the Focus agency suggests.
Water Management Construction files complaint against Slovenské Elektrárne
THE STATE-run Water Management Construction company filed a criminal complaint against an unknown offender acting as the statutory body of electricity utility Slovenské Elektrárne (SE) for an alleged fraud in running the Gabčíkovo hydroelectric power plant, company’s spokeswoman Diana Migaľová Baschierová said on December 17.
Survey: Still few competitive tenders for hospitals
THE NUMBER of competitions in Slovak hospitals is still low, the analysis published by the Transparency International Slovensko (TIS) and the Institute for Economic and Social Reforms (INEKO) showed. They monitored the public procurements held between April 2012 and February 2014 and found out that the hospitals procured 63 percent of orders worth €525.6 million in competitions where there was only one bid.
State increases pressure on SE
THE TENSIONS between the state and the dominant power producer Slovenské Elektrárne (SE) are escalating with a police search on December 16 at SE headquarters in Bratislava and a new criminal complaint for an alleged fraud in running Gabčíkovo hydroelectric power plant.
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Convicted of multiple murders, Slovakia’s mafia boss seeks release from prison
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Last Week: Slovakia’s central bank governor still faces bribery case verdict
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access
- 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
- 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
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Digital Jarvis is real now. He is coming for your to-do list
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 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
- 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
- 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 More articles ›
