Fixed and mobile operators merged – Slovak Telekom, the country’s major fixed-line operator, merged with T-Mobile Slovensko on July 1. Slovak Telekom became the legal successor of the two companies, both of which were majority-owned by Deutsche Telekom.
Slovakia joined the EFSF – Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš signed the framework agreement for the European Financial Stabilisation Facility (EFSF) on July 15 and Slovakia became the last country to join the plan. Since Slovakia was just changing government after the June parliamentary election the incoming and the outgoing governments played a tug of war for several weeks over the issue. Outgoing prime minister Fico had quickly tossed the ball to incoming Prime Minister Iveta Radičová, saying that approval of the European programme was the new government’s responsibility. She had insisted that Slovakia’s formal yes or no, which was supposed to come before July 1, was fully within the power of Fico’s government, which had earlier inked the deal. Radičová was officially appointed prime minister on July 8.
