List of author's articles, page 10
Fico still critical of sanctions
PRIME Minister Robert Fico remains firm in his criticism of the tit-for-tat sanctions that the European Union and Russia have imposed on one another. Fico called the sanctions “senseless” and a threat to Slovakia’s economy on August 9, drawing criticism from members of the opposition and local media. The adoption of sanctions that damage the whole region is shortsighted, he said one week later, adding that he is not going to change his position.
Former PM aide gets suspended sentenced for corruption
IN A HIGH-profile corruption trial, the Specialised Criminal Court in Pezinok upheld a one-year suspended prison sentence for a probationary period of two years for former prime ministerial aide Martin Novotný and Slovakia’s ex-ambassador to Kenya for what the court called indirect corruption on August 12. The court has also imposed on the two men a fine of €10,000. The verdict is still not valid, as both of the convicted have appealed.
PM Fico calls sanctions senseless
TIT-FOR-TAT sanctions that the European Union and Russia have imposed on one another are senseless and they threaten Slovakia, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said of recent developments on August 9, inviting criticism from members of the opposition and local media.
Second candidate named for top court job
SUPREME Court Justice and former state secretary of the Justice Ministry Daniel Hudák has joined Daniela Švecová on the list of candidates for the second round of elections of the Supreme Court (SC) president, a post which has been vacant since the tenure of Štefan Harabin expired on June 22.
Seeing the shared traits
SLOVAKIA remains attractive to foreign investors thanks to its strategic geographic location, political and economic stability, and high labour productivity. However, in the context of the competition presented by the neighbouring countries, there is room for improvement, “especially in such areas as reducing the tax burden, infrastructure development and efficiency of law enforcement,” said Sang-hoon Park, the ambassador of the Republic of Korea, in an interview with The Slovak Spectator.
Voice to the voiceless
ONE of the regulations issued by the wartime Slovak state defined the Roma as people “who avoid work”, while stripping them of a number of elementary human rights based on racist principles. The Roma were required to remove their dwellings from the proximity of public roads and were condemned to live in remote places out of sight. They were banned from public transportation and had access to some municipalities only during specific hours of the day. They could not even own a dog, as Arne Mann, an ethnographer from the Institute of Ethnology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, who focuses on the Roma Holocaust, suggested in an interview with The Slovak Spectator.
Recording takes toll on Sieť
A RECORDING published anonymously on the internet and pertaining to earlier claims by Igor Matovič, the leader of the opposition Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO), that Radoslav Procházka attempted to purchase advertising for his presidential campaign from Matovič’s family-owned company off the books, has taken its toll on the popularity of Procházka’s newly established Sieť party, according to a new poll.
Turning challenges into benefits
WHEN preparing for his diplomatic mission to Slovakia while still in Tokyo, Akio Egawa came across the name of Major Theodor Edler von Lerch, the Austro-Hungarian soldier who brought skiing to Japan. “I think in Slovakia not many people know this name, but in Japan, Edler von Lerch, born in Bratislava, is considered to be the father of skiing, as he introduced skiing to Japan more than 100 years ago,” said Japanese Ambassador Egawa in an interview with The Slovak Spectator, which covered a number of aspects of Slovak and Japanese links.
Slovakia to feel sanctions
RUSSIA responded to recent sanctions, the toughest imposed on the country by European Union and the United States since the Cold War, with a one-year embargo on food imports from the EU, the US, Australia, Canada and Norway on August 7.
Court frees corruption suspects
THE SPECIALISED Criminal Court has closed a high-profile corruption case from 2010 by freeing all the suspects, citing lack of evidence on July 30. Five people had been charged in the alleged corruption case, including prosecutor Michal Barila, attorney Ladislav Ščury, who was the district chairman of the Most-Híd party in Čadca, and Jozef Krajča from Smer, the Sme daily reported.
Watchdog pans proposed construction law
SLOVAKIA is changing its construction act after 38 years with the Ministry of Transport, Construction and Regional Development promoting the new legislation as a set of rules making procedures at construction offices more effective and addressing the country’s problems with illegal constructions. However, the legal ethics watchdog Via Iuris does not share the enthusiasm of the ministry claiming that the new laws contain several loopholes that might limit the rights of citizens to decide about their own land.
Diplomat: Pragmatism steers UK opinion on EU
“WE believe in sticking to rules and we are also quite passionate in our defence of our sovereignty,” says Gill Fraser, Chargé d’Affaires of the British Embassy in Bratislava, when explaining some of the roots of EU-scepticism in the United Kingdom. Fraser, who came to Slovakia after serving in Tripoli, also adds that there is something about the British psyche that makes the country “pragmatic about what are the benefits that the EU brings to our citizens”.
Judicial body gets short term chief
THE BODY overseeing the operation of the judiciary in Slovakia has a new boss, for the time being. Several weeks after the tenure of Štefan Harabin expired, Ján Vanko, a judge from Nitra, was unanimously elected as deputy chairman on July 21 and will temporarily lead the Judiciary Council until a new full-time head is chosen.
Keeping it in the kitchen
THOSE who thought Radoslav Procházka, the right-leaning political star with an inflated ego and lofty ambitions, would bring a new, distinctive political culture to Slovakia, were wrong. His brief performance as caretaker of the non-parliamentary party Sieť suggests that he too believes that whatever is cooking with financing political campaigns is best kept locked away in the kitchen. Voters don’t need to know how the sausage is made so long as they like the taste, the thinking goes.If there were ever a requirement for somebody espousing a new way of doing politics it would be to change this practice. The tradition of an open and transparent political sponsorship is almost non-existent and in Slovakia, the quagmire of campaign finance has dragged down even politicians who actually make contributions to the country’s progress through reforms. But they are always remembered for failing to keep the books of their parties clean and transparent.
Police search Slovenské Elektrárne
SLOVAKIA’S largest electricity company, Slovenské Elektrárne, had some uninvited guests on July 23 when the Slovak police came to the company’s headquarters as well as other facilities seeking documents pertaining to the privatisation of the company back in 2006. Amid continued talk of a sell off by its Italian majority owner Enel the timing of the raid is powering a wave of questions and speculation.
Project to back whistleblowers launched
CORRUPTION robs Slovak taxpayers of approximately €1 billion annually, a sum that could finance 20 new hospitals equipped with top technology, 10,000 new playgrounds or a flat hike in the salaries for teachers and nurses by €200, according to businessmen Miroslav Trnka and Michal Bláha, founders of the Let’s Stop Corruption foundation.
Smer moves to insert water protection into constitution
THE RULING Smer party is serious about its plan to add a ban on exporting water into the country’s constitution, a move which came in response to a populist outcry over new rules regulating the sale of Slovak water abroad which are being discussed by lawmakers. The Environment Ministry has already sent the draft to an interdepartmental review, opening it up to comments.
The shared Slovak-Italian passion
ITALY is no greenhorn when it comes to holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union, as the homeland of Roberto Martini has done it 11 times. However, the Italian Ambassador to Slovakia, Martini, admits that this is a challenging time since, among other things, the EU’s global role is being reassessed. Another immense challenge is immigration, as Italy has received around 40,000 immigrants in the first five months of the year, with Martini suggesting that the issue needs wider international attention and coordination at the EU level.The Slovak Spectator spoke to Ambassador Martini about the priorities of the Italian presidency, immigration, the EXPO that Milan will host after 106 years, energy security, investment opportunities as well as Slovaks’ passion for Italian culture.
Ministers of education and economy changed
HALFWAY through his term, Prime Minister Robert Fico is changing two of his ministers and a number of state secretaries. He is offering no specific explanation for why Dušan Čaplovič was asked to quit as education minister and why Tomáš Malatinský would no longer serve as economy minister. One-time Finance Ministry state secretary Peter Pellegrini, a rising star in Smer, took Čaplovič’s job, while Pavol Pavlis, the state secretary at the Economy Ministry, replaces Malatinský.
Scratching the surface
GIVEN the state of the education sector in Slovakia and the challenges it faces, many would agree that Dušan Čaplovič deserved to be sacked as education minister. While Prime Minister Robert Fico offered no forthright explanation as to why Čaplovič was asked to quit and why Tomáš Malatinský will no longer serve as economy minister, it seems apparent that they were thrown overboard for the wrong reasons.
- Cypriot recipes: Mahalepi (video included)
- Slovak folklore making a comeback: Unique diversity survived
- Is Slovakia a mafia state?
- Estonian recipes: Estonian potato salad (video included)
- Talking tourism, trade and tapas
- Slovakia is not a mafia state yet, but it is in danger
- Norwegian recipes: Reindeer filet/sirloin (video included)
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- Bratislava’s embassy-backed events you don’t want to miss
- Slovakia mourns Pope Francis, a shepherd of hope and humility Photo
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- Slovakia’s public finances remain in deep trouble
- Prices surge in Slovakia as inflation hits 15-month high
- Danish shoemaker to shut Slovak factory, axing 650 jobs in fresh blow to struggling region
- News digest: Finns air unseen video of Fico shooting, PM’s bloody jacket driven away by minister
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- Bratislava’s embassy-backed events you don’t want to miss
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- Slovakia mourns Pope Francis, a shepherd of hope and humility Photo
- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- Slovakia’s public finances remain in deep trouble
- Slovak Matters: A flirtatious Easter of water and whipping
- The British Film Institute shines a light on Slovak cinema’s boldest chapter Video
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- Bratislava’s embassy-backed events you don’t want to miss
- The British Film Institute shines a light on Slovak cinema’s boldest chapter Video
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovakia's latest basketball star is destined for great things in the USA
- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- Weekend: What to make of Easter in Slovakia
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- German shoemaker Lowa joins wave of factory closures in Slovakia
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- US giant pulls plug on Slovak factory, axing 137 jobs
- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- Danish shoemaker to shut Slovak factory, axing 650 jobs in fresh blow to struggling region
- Hundreds of people ousted from Bratislava’s Volkswagen
- Slovakia mourns Pope Francis, a shepherd of hope and humility Photo
- Confetti, chants and history: Hejková’s dream goodbye after nearly 40 years at the top
- Slovakia’s public finances remain in deep trouble
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- Why this gorge deserves a spot on your bucket list Photo
- The British Film Institute shines a light on Slovak cinema’s boldest chapter Video
- Bratislava’s embassy-backed events you don’t want to miss
- Water supply to be cut in parts of Bratislava’s Old Town in late April More articles ›
