New environment minister appointed – The Ministry of Environment restarted its operation as a standalone ministry on November 1 and President Gašparovič on November 2 appointed József Nagy as the new head of the country’s resurrected Environment Ministry.
Stake in Dexia Banka Slovensko is sold – The Franco-Belgian Dexia bank announced on November 11 that it had reached agreement with Penta, a Slovak-based investment group, to sell an 88.71-percent stake in its subsidiary Dexia Banka Slovensko. The deal meets the requirement of the European Commission which had ordered the bank, in exchange for a €6.4-billion emergency aid package that it received from Belgium, France and Luxembourg, to sell its Slovak subsidiary by October 31, 2012.
Broad-gauge railway rejected – Prime Minister Radičová told media in late November that a broad-gauge railway would probably not be built across Slovakia. The idea was a favourite of the previous prime minister, whose aim was to extend the broad-gauge railway from Russia through Slovakia into Austria. The current broad-gauge railway reaches Košice where U.S. Steel Košice uses it for transportation of raw materials from Russia. The government said it would make a final decision on the nearly-€5-billion project after reviewing the results of a feasibility study. Released on December 14, this study found in favour of the plan.
