List of author's articles, page 11
Truth and consequences
EVEN after putting racism aside, Marian Kotleba is a bad governor.
Crunch time for Greece as Eurogroup meets
Temporary extension of bailout pondered, amid mixed Slovak messages.
Mikloš to advise Ukraine
Architect of Slovak market reforms working with Kiev.
UPDATED: Referendum leader talks vote
THE GRASSROOTS Alliance for Family (AZR) collected more than 400,000 signatures to put ballot questions that could ultimately amend the constitution to tighten the definition of family and ban same sex couples from adopting children. President Andrej Kiska has set February 7 as the date voters will face three referendum questions: Do you agree that only a bond between one man and one woman can be called marriage? Do you agree that same-sex couples or groups shouldn’t be allowed to adopt and raise children? Do you agree that schools cannot require children to participate in education pertaining to sexual behaviour or euthanasia if their parents don’t agree?
Directive allows some to regain citizenship
A PORTION of the nearly 1,000 Slovaks who were stripped of their citizenship in the wake of a 2010 law that largely banned dual citizenship can regain it starting next month, but how many of them are eligible to do so is an open question with a larger legislative change still on hold.
V4 leaders visit Ukraine
AMID rapid developments in Ukraine and Russia, Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák led a delegation of Visegrad Four leaders to Kiev, pledging to help Slovakia’s eastern neighbour with reforms in various strategic sectors and continued cooperation in 2015.
Fico balks at Ukraine’s NATO membership
AS NATO foreign ministers gathered in Brussels and agreed to creating a new rapid reaction force based in Eastern Europe on December 2, in Bratislava Prime Minister Robert Fico was asserting that Ukraine should not be invited to join the military alliance.
Moldava mayor talks Roma, cancelled concert
KOŠICE – Moldava nad Bodvou grabbed international headlines last year as the scene of alleged police violence targeting the Roma minority. In June 2013, an operation code named “Repressive-Search Action 100” saw 63 police officers raid the Budulovská Roma settlement on the outskirts of town. They were purportedly seeking seven men for whom they had arrest warrants. They found none of those men, but violence ensued and 15 other Roma were taken to the police station, and several were injured. No Roma were ever charged with a crime, and the incident drew criticism from the likes of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Russia pledges to fulfil gas contracts
AS SLOVAK Economy Minister Pavol Pavlis journeyed to Moscow for gas talks on October 22, power brokers in Brussels were paving the way for a deal between Russia and Ukraine over renewing supply and paying off outstanding debts – a development that would go a long way in calming fears across Europe as the weather chills.
Mixed message on sanctions
THE JULY 17 downing of Malaysia Airline flight 17 (MH17) continues to reverberate as European Union foreign ministers were still engaged in discussions about boosting sanctions on Russia when The Slovak Spectator went to press. In Bratislava, leaders were sending mixed messages.
Energy union divides opinion
THE PUSH to create a common European Union market for energy is on, as Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk touts a so-called energy union as part of efforts to weaken Russia’s ability to use natural gas supply as a political tool.
GLOBSEC focuses on Ukraine
AS ITS name indicates, the annual GLOBSEC conference in Bratislava tries to take on security challenges and debates that encompass the entire world, but Russian policy in neighbouring Ukraine – and the question of how to respond – cast a long shadow over the ninth edition of the event on May 14-16.
Eyeing reverse flow from Brussels
CILLIAN O’Donoghue is a Brussels-based energy analyst with the public affairs firm Fleischman-Hillard. He is an expert in central European energy security and previously worked for the European Commission Directorate-General for Energy with a focus on the Southern Gas Corridor and Trans-Caspian Pipeline negotiations. He spoke with The Slovak Spectator about the April 28 agreement that paved the way for the reverse flow of natural gas from Slovakia east into Ukraine.
Slovakia marks 10 years in NATO
THE 10th anniversary of Slovakia’s NATO membership has come as the military alliance considers future strategy in the wake of Russia’s invasion of the Crimean peninsula. Now a stable member of this 28-member club, for Slovakia this was not always a given.
V4, Fico wary of carbon cuts
TWO CLEAR blocs have emerged among European Union member states over negotiations into plans for cutting carbon emissions, with Slovakia falling clearly into a group sceptical of plans to set new greenhouse gas reduction targets for 2030.
Lajčák talks future plans
FOREIGN Minister Miroslav Lajčák has served in diplomatic posts in Moscow, Tokyo and Belgrade. From 2007 to 2009 he was High Representative/EU Special Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, the position created by the Dayton Accords that ended the Bosnia War, which is meant to aid the country in its transition to a functioning democratic state. This is his second stint as foreign minister. He recently sat down to talk about developments in Slovak foreign policy and his plans for the future.
Babiš in court over ŠtB allegations
JUST a day after he was sworn in, newly minted Czech Finance Minister Andrej Babiš appeared in a Bratislava courtroom on January 30 as part of a lawsuit he brought against the Nation’s Memory Institute (ÚPN).
Kaliňák speaks out on Moldava raid
INTERIOR Minister Robert Kaliňák is responding to critics who allege human rights violations occurred as part of a June 2013 police raid on a Roma settlement near Moldava nad Bodvou in eastern Slovakia. In doing so he urged people to “let the police work” and alleged that inquiries into the case risk turning law enforcement officers “into bystanders” who are afraid to take action when it is needed.
Lajčák reacts to Ukraine violence
A SERIES of hastily passed laws seeking to limit the right to protest added fuel to the fire of anti-government protests in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, and after a violent clash with police saw up to five demonstrators killed, the international community, including Ukraine’s western neighbour Slovakia, called for calm.
Velvet anniversary commemorated
A VARIETY of events celebrated the 24th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution on November 17 as leaders in both Slovakia and the neighbouring Czech Republic sought to emphasise the need for passing the affiliated history on to future generations.
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- Slovak Matters: A flirtatious Easter of water and whipping
- Bratislava’s embassy-backed events you don’t want to miss
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- German shoemaker Lowa joins wave of factory closures in Slovakia
- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- The British Film Institute shines a light on Slovak cinema’s boldest chapter Video
- Why this gorge deserves a spot on your bucket list Photo
- 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
- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- The British Film Institute shines a light on Slovak cinema’s boldest chapter Video
- US giant pulls plug on Slovak factory, axing 137 jobs
- Why this gorge deserves a spot on your bucket list Photo
- Slovak Matters: A flirtatious Easter of water and whipping
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- 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
- Slovakia's latest basketball star is destined for great things in the USA
- Weekend: What to make of Easter in Slovakia
- News digest: Finns air unseen video of Fico shooting, PM’s bloody jacket driven away by minister
- “Return not,” the ocean cried. But I returned for her
- 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
- Ambulance hit by Russian drone goes on display in centre of Bratislava
- When to shop over Easter: Opening hours for supermarkets in Slovakia
- Hundreds of people ousted from Bratislava’s Volkswagen
- Danish shoemaker to shut Slovak factory, axing 650 jobs in fresh blow to struggling region
- 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 ›
