PM Matovič announced new rules for weddings on September 16. (source: TASR)
This is the overview of news that happened in Slovakia on Wednesday, September 16, 2020. It takes less than 5 minutes to read. Don’t forget to scroll down to see our recommended reads.
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Draft plan for Next Generation EU leaked
Instead of large debates, analysts from the ministerial think tank Financial Policy Institute, the Value for Money unit and other experts discussed the possible reforms behind closed doors. They came up with a 97-page national reform plan called Slovakia 2.0.
The Index business magazine has the draft plan at its disposal. More than anything else it is a comprehensive analysis of what the European Commission reproached Slovakia for in the past and what Slovakia considers the areas that need to be fundamentally improved.
The whole document, officially submitted by Finance Ministry led by Eduard Heger, is divided into eight sections. It is spiked with data, easy-to-implement proposals and visions.
Mobility week kicked off
Held under the “Zero-emission mobility for all” motto, European Mobility Week kicked off in Slovakia on September 16 and will last until September 22.
Passengers should prepare for various discounts and campaigns to promote alternative transport.
People using public transport in Bratislava that stops in Hodžovo Námestie square will be surprised to hear President Zuzana Čaputová’s voice announcing the stop.
Fines for weddings should differ
Unlike the originally proposed idea to limit the number of guests at weddings to 30 from October 1, PM Igor Matovič (OĽaNO) presented a new plan to journalists on September 16.
The cap for guests will be set to 100, but the fines will be stricter.
If hygienists, accompanied by the police, reveal any breach of the rules in red regions, the fines for the owners of the wedding venue should be twice as high as in green regions.
More about coronavirus in Slovakia:
Slovakia now officially reports 39 deaths caused by COVID-19, after a 66-year-old man died in the Prešov hospital. Find more detailed coronavirus-related statistics here.
A Slovak test to distinguish between ordinary flu and the coronavirus is awaiting approval.
The coronavirus infection has been identified at about 100 schools across Slovakia so far. As many as 417 classrooms had to be closed by September 14, putting 7,490 pupils and 905 teachers in isolation.
The multi-genre international festival Biela Noc (White Night) will not take place this year. The organisers said that despite their best attempts, they could not adhere to the capacity restrictions.
Slovakia in the EU
Slovakia is ready to discuss the creation of the European Health Union, said Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Ivan Korčok after President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen presented her State of the Union address.
MEPs held a minute of silence on September 14 to pay tribute to Slovak Jozef Chovanec, who died in February 2018 after being detained by the Belgian police at the Charleroi airport. (TASR)
In other news
Peter Pellegrini will step down from his post as deputy speaker of parliament by September 30. The function is claimed by the opposition Smer party, which wants to propose Juraj Blanár as a replacement.
The Presidential Office wants to become the first carbon-neutral institution in Slovakia. To achieve this goal, the president wants to replace flights on special planes with commercial flights for longer foreign trips and use e-cars or cars with hybrid engines. The Presidential Palace should meet strict energy and ecology standards.
The National Criminal Agency (NAKA) haslaunched an operation titled Contract at several places in Bratislava in connection with corruption.
Róbert Kleštinec will become the new head of Military Intelligence, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď (OĽaNO) announced.
Lawmakers in Slovakia must reject a draconian law that would impose new barriers to abortion and endanger the health and well-being of women and girls, said Amnesty International, ahead of the start of a parliamentary plenary session that will debate a new abortion bill. It joined previous calls of international organisations and Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović.
The unemployment rate in August 2020 started decreasing, for the first time since March. The jobless rate calculated from the number of the unemployed ready to take a job immediately represented 7.6 percent, down from July’s 7.65 percent. The total unemployment rate accounted for 8.37 percent (down from 8.44 percent in July).
As much as three-quarters of Slovaks do not create a sufficient financial reserve, while one in five Slovaks does not have a reserve at all. This stems from a recent poll of the Focus agency carried out for the Partners Foundation on 1,009 respondents.
The Vetropack company situated in Nemšová (Trenčín Region) plans to extend and modernise its plant to process waste glass. It has announced the investment worth €4 million to respective authorities.
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