List of author's articles, page 33
Players return to their ‘original roots’
Everyone has had to adopt new strategies to respond to changes in the market brought on by the financial crisis.
Trnka broke rules, but is not censured
“I WILL think about that,” was the response of deputy general prosecutor Dobroslav Trnka to media inquiries about his possible resignation after he became embroiled in a controversial real estate transfer. His equivocation came despite the verdict of his boss, Ladislav Tichý, who currently heads the Office of the General Prosecutor in the absence of an officially appointed top prosecutor, that Trnka had acted unlawfully by issuing a legal opinion that materially affected the disputed ownership of Glance House, a luxury residential development in Bernolákovo, a municipality near Bratislava. However, it seems unlikely that Trnka, who was the general prosecutor until February last year, will lose his current job as a deputy to Tichý.
Teachers' strike reflects a deep-seated problem
STRIKES, rallies and protest actions often fail not because of a lack of public support or insufficient number of people taking part, but because of petty conflicts between the organisers, bad timing and unrealistic demands.
Kažimír sounds budget alarm
THE GOVERNMENT of Robert Fico suffered a serious headache in August when it learned that Slovakia’s state coffers were even more depleted than expected, primarily due to a shortfall in tax revenue, and that there was an extra €233 million gap to fill if it wanted to push the public finance deficit under 3 percent of GDP next year, as required by Slovakia’s EU obligations. Yet, the latest news, which was urgent enough to make Finance Minister Peter Kažimír deliver it to Fico during his trip to Romania, suggests that the condition of the budget is even more serious, with yet another €250 million gap to fill in 2013 if deficit targets are to be met. The Finance Ministry estimates that the state will collect €276 million less than originally expected through levies and taxes this year. These developments put the goal of public finance deficit at 4.69 percent of GDP for 2012 on very thin ice, according to the Finance Minister.
New government brings new approach to taxes, pensions, labour law
The landslide victory of Robert Fico in the March 10 general election which left his Smer party with 83 seats, and hence an overall majority of 16 in the 150-seat parliament, has brought in its wake a number of changes with the potential to affect the labour market, business environment, health-care and education sectors, as well as the country’s pension scheme. Speaking as the prime minister of Slovakia’s first single-party government since the end of communism in 1989, Fico said shortly after taking office on April 4 that he would not promise any “castles in the air” but rather a government programme that would be the result of intensive dialogue and work between government officials and a wide circle of social partners.
Crisis might also be an opportunity
Some time ago Tomáš Malatinský said that the financial crisis offers a chance for economies to improve the quality of their goals. Slovakia’s economy minister still believes that these chances exist and that Slovakia should use the crisis to diversify its exports and, along with the orientation of other countries of the European Union, it should try to penetrate the markets of India, China and Arab countries. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Malatinský, who joined the cabinet of Robert Fico straight from the Federation of Employers’ Associations (AZZZ) where he represented the interests of the employers, about the quality of the business environment, innovation, energy policies and combating red tape.
Firms should help to train labour force
Predictable and enforceable laws, an efficient highway connection between the eastern and western part of the country, flexible labour legislation and busting corruption are high on the wish lists of key businesses in Slovakia. Business leaders also say that higher participation of the business sector in training its specialists could help the Slovak labour market to maintain its competitiveness at the global level. Eek-Hee Lee, the CEO of Kia; Paolo Ruzzini, CEO of Slovenské Elektrárne; Pavol Varga, general manager at Dell Austria & Slovakia and Marek Senkovič, main economist of oil refinery Slovnaft, shared with The Slovak Spectator their views on the challenges the Slovak business environment faces.
Failing to convince
OVER the course of a prolonged several-month labour, Slovakia’s right-wing has given birth to multiple children: Alfa, NOVA and the People’s Platform. The parents then dressed their kids in fancy new outfits, such as the Memorandum for Responsible Politics; Strong society, simple state; and New politics: we trust people, with the hope of making them appear more adorable to voters. The problem is that the voters are sceptical and have difficulty believing that these new kids on the block will somehow rock the right wing back to its former strength. Besides, some of these kids are actually just their parents in disguise.
Right wing continues to splinter
THE CENTRE-right opposition parties the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), Most-Híd and the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), have not yet succeeded in their efforts to have Justice Minister Tomáš Borec’s political future discussed in parliament. A special session was called twice on November 19 and 20 but the house failed to reach the required quorum. The ruling Smer sent just enough legislators to have reached the quorum had all opposition MPs but one been present, the SITA newswire reported.
Harabin wins European Court case
THE EUROPEAN Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled that the right of Štefan Harabin, Slovakia’s Supreme Court president, to a fair hearing by an impartial tribunal was violated in the course of a disciplinary proceeding in June 2011. The Slovak Constitutional Court, sitting as a disciplinary tribunal, had found that Harabin violated his duties associated with management of the courts, financial control and internal audit by repeatedly failing to make it possible for the Finance Ministry to audit the Supreme Court’s accounts in 2010. He was fined 70 percent of his annual salary.
Future generations need German
AXEL Hartmann sees a demand for German language education in Slovakia. However, the German ambassador to Slovakia is concerned about the impact the legislative change that made English language mandatory for elementary school children here might have on the ability of the next generation to speak German over the long-term. He notes that small and medium-sized companies operating in Slovakia will always need people who speak at least some German. Ambassador Hartmann, however, sees a positive new trend of German companies in Slovakia investing in research and development facilities here, which he says will increase the competitiveness of the Slovak economy.
Brazilian recipes: Cheese tartlets
Ingredients for the dough: two cups of flour; 100g of butter (or margarine); one egg yolk; one teaspoon of salt; one teaspoon of baking powder.
Brazilian recipes: Passion fruit mousse
Ingredients: one can of condensed milk; one can of cream milk; the same amount of concentrated passion fruit juice; pulp of 1 passion fruit for decoration.
Brazilian cuisine: A culinary paradise (video included)
WHEN Susan Kleebank carves out the top of a pumpkin on a November afternoon and removes the seeds and pulp inside, she is not doing it for Halloween. The ambassador of Brazil is actually preparing in her Bratislava kitchen a dish that comes from the coastal area of her homeland: a pumpkin stuffed with shrimp. When Kleebank explains that in the culinary paradise of Brazil each of the five regions has its own unique, traditional dishes, from grilled fish to feijoada (a pork and bean stew) to mandioca, one instantly understands that choosing one dish was not an easy task.
Brazilian recipes: Pumpkin stuffed with shrimp
Ingredients: one pumpkin, more or less 30 cm in diameter (small enough to fit inside a microwave); three tablespoons of olive oil; two medium onions, chopped; four cloves of garlic, minced; one teacup of tomato puree; 1kg of cleaned shrimp; 1/3 of a can of coconut milk; half tablespoon of salt; half tablespoon of ground black pepper; one cup of cream cheese; Tabasco sauce to taste; one tablespoon of chopped parsley.
Watchdog: State of judiciary is critical
THE ANNIVERSARY of the Velvet Revolution on November 17 has further highlighted concerns about the state of the judiciary in Slovakia, with political ethics watchdogs, media commentators and activists suggesting that it has failed to live up to the ideals of the revolution. That mistrust in judicial institutions continues to prevail in Slovakia is demonstrated by a survey published in July 2012 by the Institute for Public Affairs think tank that revealed that 37 percent of those polled trusted the Supreme Court, led by Štefan Harabin, while 54 percent said they do not.
President lashes out at journalist
“ARE YOU a complete illiterate?” was how Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič responded when a reporter from the Sme daily asked him to explain why he has so far failed to appoint as general prosecutor Jozef Čentéš, who was elected to the position by parliament on June 7, 2011. Gašparovič then recommended that the journalist read a recent decision by the Constitutional Court: “Read – if you are able to read – the decision of the Constitutional Court: it is there in black and white”. As he left the room, the president, referring to the reporter, muttered: “She is not normal.”
Analphabeticism
IN A FUNCTIONING democracy people give power to public officials by electing them to office and public officials give people information so that they can effectively control them and make informed decisions in elections, explained Pulitzer winning journalist Tim Weiner during his meetings with students of Slovak universities in which he stressed that information is power. If the students were listening carefully, they cannot help but see the recent response of Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič to a journalist inquiring about an issue of public interest in this context.
U.S. Steel might leave
ONE of the flagship United States investments in Slovakia has considered offers for its acquisition that are interesting enough to explore. Though the steelmaker U.S. Steel Košice (USSK), located in eastern Slovakia, has confirmed that there have been talks over its potential sale, it remains tight-lipped about the identity of any potential buyers. The information on the potential departure of U.S. Steel Corporation from Slovakia, which acquired Slovakia’s main steelworks back in 2000, prompted speculation in the local media over who might purchase it, with one of the named players in the industry already denying interest.
Slovakia responds to US election results
PRESIDENTIAL elections in the United States are one of those rare occasions when the media in Slovakia invites a wide range of Slovak politicians and pundits to comment on the choice the American people are making about their future leader and how this choice might affect Slovak-American relations. While Slovaks differed in their preferences for the best candidate to take the White House, they agreed that no major change was expected in relations between the United States and Slovakia in the event of victory by either candidate.
- 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)
- Caught by the gravitational pull of Europe, this American is rediscovering his Slovak roots
- News digest: Pellegrini backs NATO’s defence target, praises extended deadline Photo
- Slovakia’s place in Europe’s economy is shifting
- Slovak roots: feeling the gravitational pull of Europe
- Scientists in Slovakia helping create ‘breathing’ glass Photo
- Kanye West is heading to Bratislava. The controversy is not far behind
- Former NATO General Breedlove: Europe can only defend itself briefly, needs the US
- News digest: Hungary hijacks Slovakia’s foreign policy – for several awkward hours
- News digest: Hungary hijacks Slovakia’s foreign policy – for several awkward hours
- Caught by the gravitational pull of Europe, this American is rediscovering his Slovak roots
- Slovakia’s place in Europe’s economy is shifting
- Bratislava’s Nová Tržnica reinvents itself with Yellow Thursdays Photo
- Kanye West is heading to Bratislava. The controversy is not far behind
- Former NATO General Breedlove: Europe can only defend itself briefly, needs the US
- Scientists in Slovakia helping create ‘breathing’ glass Photo
- Rare brain-eating amoeba kills child in Slovakia
- Bratislava’s Nová Tržnica reinvents itself with Yellow Thursdays Photo
- From Seattle to Bratislava: an American’s reverse migration story
- Rare brain-eating amoeba kills child in Slovakia
- Slovakia has given up on attracting quality people. It is disgusting, says expert
- Europe rearms - but can Slovakia be trusted?
- Last Week: Revenge-hungry Smer voters feast on donated ammunition case
- Tax, audit and accounting firms face tech push and talent shortages
- Too little, too late? Bratislava Main Station’s revamp is still a distant prospect
- From Seattle to Bratislava: an American’s reverse migration story
- A year later, Bratislava’s laser spectacle goes global
- From not knowing an English word to being a noted radio announcer in the US Video
- Rare brain-eating amoeba kills child in Slovakia
- Two Slovaks deported from US and Vietnam in separate incidents
- Wish you were here: the lost spas of yesterday
- Biting the hand that feeds us
- Slovakia has given up on attracting quality people. It is disgusting, says expert
- News digest: Pellegrini backs NATO’s defence target, praises extended deadline Photo
- Don't you want to?
- Slovak roots: feeling the gravitational pull of Europe
- Kanye West is heading to Bratislava. The controversy is not far behind
- From doubts to glory: Chára to be inducted into NHL Hockey Hall of Fame Video
- Villages choke on smoke as landfill fire burns for second month Photo
- Here's your guide to summer festivals in Slovakia
- Scientists in Slovakia helping create ‘breathing’ glass Photo More articles ›
