Hello. Here is the Friday, October 25 edition of Today in Slovakia - the main news of the day in less than five minutes.
Employers say Foreigners' Police booking system is broken
An employee operates the Land Rover Defender assembly line at the Jaguar Land Rover manufacturing plant in Nitra on October 25, 2023. (source: TASR)
The state is struggling to manage demand for appointments at the Foreigners' Police, the unit that issues work permits to foreign citizens. Applicants must book in-person appointments via an online system, but that system appears to buckling under the strain. Slovakia faces a massive shortages of workers across manufacturing lines, at checkout counters, and among food couriers, reports TV Markíza.
"We transport steel, meat and medicines," says Sara Dagmar Gallo Veselá, the head of a transport company that employs 27 foreign workers. She says the Foreigners' Police appointment system is currently offering no available slots.
"You can’t book them at the immigration police. It’s impossible. I submitted my phone number to receive a confirmation code. And this is a list of available appointments in Bratislava, Dunajská Streda, Košice, but there’s not a single free appointment. We try at midnight, at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, at weekends, on working days, but it’s not possible," Dagmar Gallo Veselá complains.
Currently, over 110,000 foreigners work in Slovakia. A dysfunctional system that leaves many of them without the right to work could lead to a shortage of drivers, bus operators, taxi drivers and sales assistants.
Radovan Maxin, the head of a recruitment agency, warns that if the state does not urgently resolve this issue, the available foreign workers will go to other countries. "If the system is not functional, workers from other countries won’t wait for it to become operational in Slovakia; they will immediately respond to any offers from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland or Austria," Maxin fears.
Reports suggest that a bottleneck in the system may have been caused by so-called appointment brokers, who book slots and resell them, even though the practice is not technically allowed.
TV Markíza reports that it was offered appointments for €250 by such brokers. The issue of delays was raised last week, yet despite the high demand, the Foreigners' Police office in Bratislava remains closed to the public on some working days.
The Interior Ministry, which oversees the Foreigners' Police, claims that the system is operational, but extremely overloaded. It says that an investigation into the activities of appointment brokers is underway, but has yet to yield results.
"We have information and indications regarding these matters. Several IT measures have been deployed, and we are taking action," Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) stated. When asked when the system will be fully operational, he replied, "I wish it would be working by tomorrow."
MORE STORIES FROM THE SLOVAK SPECTATOR WEBSITE
Transportation: Theshift from daylight saving to Central European Time on Saturday night will mean that three long-distance night trains, including an international train to Prague, will halt for an hour to align with the new time.
Humanitarian aid: Slovakia has sent aid in the form of powdered milk to Cuba, but many Cubans doubt it will help much.
Travel: A new shelter is set to enhance the Marčulina observation tower, perched atop Marčulina hilltop in the Levočské Vrchy hills of northern Slovakia.
Weekend: With Halloween approaching, castles in Smolenice, Orava and Trenčín are hosting ghostly events, while towns across the country celebrate with pumpkin carving and haunted attractions. Explore more exciting weekend events here.
Good news: A 10-year-old from Nitra is creating cooking videos in English, an innovative project by a student from the Slovak University of Technology (STU) won an international competition, and Pink October in Slovakia highlights Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Our weekly selection of feel-good stories is here to brighten your day.
If you like what we are doing and want to support good journalism, please consider buying our online subscription with no ads and a print copy of The Slovak Spectator sent to your home in Slovakia. Thank you!
FEATURE STORY
How two Košice brothers made it to the top
Telegrafia, a family-owned company from Košice, Slovakia, is a global leader in developing voice sirens for alert systems. These systems are crucial for warning people about critical situations in both municipalities and industrial settings. Founded by brothers Peter and Štefan Marčák, the company focuses primarily on international markets, with its sirens deployed in 96 countries, including the USA, India and various European states.
EVENT FOR THE WEEKEND
Notre Dame organist will play at St. Martin’s Cathedral
Music is one of the key to unity. (source: Pexels)
Vincent Dubois, an organist from Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, will perform at St Martin’s Cathedral in Bratislava on Sunday. Discover additional tips on upcoming events, including a marathon of silent German films, here.
IN OTHER NEWS
Robert Fico’s fourth government has been in power for a year. While the opposition criticises the administration for chaos in government, the release of criminals, disrespect towards women, and tax increases, Prime Minister Fico regards his government’s first year as a success, though he maintains that it is not yet time for a full assessment of his tenure. “It hasn’t been a full year for me. Take off three months due to what that opposition activist did to me,” Fico stated, referencing a shooting incident during a visit to Handlová on May 15. (TASR)
The Regional Court in Bratislava has criticised Judge Juraj Kapinaj for ordering the detention of senior police investigator Ján Čurilla and his colleagues in 2021 without first hearing their testimonies. The investigators, who were working on high-profile corruption cases reaching into government ranks, were released after two weeks, with the Regional Court deeming their prosecution unfounded. The investigators were suspended by Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok (Hlas) soon after Robert Fico’s government took power last year – a decision Šutaj Eštok has been touting as an achievement of his year in office, despite the Office for Whistleblower Protection on October 25 fining the ministry €90,000 for the suspensions. Šutaj Eštok had not sought permission from the office; Čurilla and his colleagues held protected whistleblower status at the time. (Denník N)
The Culture Ministry is drafting amendments to the State Language Act that would penalise businesses who use Slovak incorrectly or fail to use it instead of other languages. The proposed revisions aim to limit the use of foreign terms in public settings where Slovak equivalents are available. The ministry has clarified that the penalties would apply to businesses rather than individuals. Officials have expressed concern over instances where Slovak geographical names appear in smaller print than their minority-language counterparts. Menus lacking Slovak translations in restaurants are also problematic, according to the ministry, which has drawn inspiration from similar legislation in Poland and France.
On Thursday, Bratislava’s Aupark shopping centre unveiled a new extension, largely occupied by fashion retailers Zara and Reserved. Zara’s space now holds the title of Slovakia’s largest store, while a striking feature of the new section is a green wall composed of 35,000 plants. Originally built in 2001, Aupark joins several shopping centres in Bratislava that have expanded in recent years. On October 25, the Anti-Monopoly Office announced it had approved the takeover of Aupark by the investment group Wood & Company.
Finance Minister Ladislav Kamenický (Smer) held talks in the United States with ratings agencies Moody’s and Fitch, both of which are set to review Slovakia’s credit rating later this year. Ratings agency S&P will evaluate Slovakia’s rating in the coming days. Earlier this month parliament approved a €2.7-billion fiscal consolidation package aimed at reducing the budget deficit to 4.9 percent of GDP.
The Transport Ministry plans to designate highways leading to Poland (R4) and Ukraine (D1) as strategic investments, a move aimed at accelerating the construction process. Despite this initiative, work on the highway section to Ukraine is not expected to begin until 2028.
Hikers have just a few days to venture into the High Tatras before the winter season begins. From November 1, the seasonal closure of trails and peaks in the Tatra National Park will take effect, lasting until May 2025. However, mountain huts, with the exception of the Chata pod Rysmi, will remain open year-round.
Hikers relax atop Stoh Peak (1,604 metres) in the Malá Fatra range on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. (source: TASR - Erika Ďurčová)
WEATHER FOR THE WEEKEND: The skies will be partly cloudy to overcast, with occasional periods of cloudiness. On Sunday there may be rain in some parts. Saturday will be cooler, with a maximum temperature of 19°C, while Sunday will be a few degrees warmer, with a maximum of 22°C. (SHMÚ)
CELEBRATING NAME DAYS IN SLOVAKIA: Saturday, October 26 -Demeter; Sunday, October 27 - Sabína; Monday, October 28 - Dobromila.
Thank you for subscribing and reading. It means a lot to us.
P.S. If you have suggestions on how our news overview can be improved, you can reach us at editorial@spectator.sk.
Follow The Slovak Spectator on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram (@slovakspectator).
