Foreigners in Slovakia, page 32
News and features on living in Slovakia
Philosophy, music are cultural ex
THE CULTURE of the country that is often considered “the gateway to the Nordic region” can be found in abundance in Slovakia.
Plans to expand pig production
WHILE Danish farmers are already present in Slovakia, the plans of Polnovakia Agrar will make them even more visible.
Danish institution in Slovakia
Embassy of Denmarkwww.slovakiet.um.dkAmbassador: Christian Konigsfeldt
New captial not to be taken for granted
THOUGH Denmark and Slovakia are similar in size and population, Denmark is a highly innovative country with a sophisticated system of promotion and branding, which Slovakia can learn from. Slovakia benefits from Danish investments, which bring expertise and new jobs, and are diversified and spread out among the regions. But with other countries eyeing Danish investments, there is room for Slovakia to improve as an investment destination.
Terichem wins the world with the thinnest film
THE SLOVAK-Finnish company Terichem, based in the northern Slovak town of Svit, has managed to produce the thinnest film in the world. The company invested €25 million in a new production line, which was put into operation earlier this year, and created 45 new jobs. Now the company is able to produce capacitor film only 2 microns thick, the Hospodárske Noviny economic daily wrote.
Finnish tango goes symphonic – and Slovak
NEVER heard of Finnish tango? You’re not alone, as you are probably among the majority of people who would never associate the passionate and energetic Argentinean dance with the music of Finland.
Designing a diverse society
GENDER equality is a win-win situation, with much of the male population feeling better with more time with the family, suggests Nils Daag, who represents Sweden, one of the most gender equal societies in the world. He stresses that “this is the future from every perspective”. The Slovak Spectator discussed with the Swedish ambassador to Slovakia the issue of military cooperation between the two countries, economic links, Swedish design, the challenge presented by far right-wing parties across Europe and the role of the European Union in this context.
Room for growth
WHILEIKEA is probably the first Swedish company to spring to the minds of most Slovaks when iscussing this Nordic country and its presence in Slovakia, the popular furniture producer and retailer is actually a Dutch investment, as its official seat is in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, IKEA, which has made Sweden’s iconic designs and tasty meatballs popular in Slovakia, is just one of nearly 80 companies with links to Sweden operating in Slovakia.
Swedish institutions and organisations
Embassy of Sweden www.swedenabroad.comAmbassador: Nils Daag-The Swedish Embassy in Vienna represents the Swedish government in Austria, Slovakia and Slovenia and is at the same time the permanent representation of Sweden at the United Nations’ offices in Vienna.
Slovak E-Group invests in Finland
SLOVAK company E-Group has acquired the Finnish Posion Eregia Oy company, allowing it to enter the Finnish energy market. The Slovak company plans to construct a wind power station with an installed capacity 10 MW, which comes with a €15-million price tag, the TASR newswire wrote on May 14.
Finland: General facts
Form of government: Parliamentary democracyCapital: HelsinkiTotal area: 338,424 square kilometresPopulation: 5.4 millionOfficial languages: Finnish (spoken by 91 percent of population), Swedish (5.4 percent). Sámi is the mother tongue of about 1,700 people who are descendants of the indigenous Sámi people of northern LaplandCurrency: euro
Finding the niche
ALMOST seven times bigger than Slovakia in terms geographical area, but almost equal in size in population, Finland remains rather undiscovered by Slovakia, even though there already are shining examples of successful cooperation between the two countries. But innovative Finland offers even more.
Sweden: General facts
Political system: constitutional monarchyCapital: StockholmTotal area: 528,447 square kilometresPopulation: 9.1 millionOfficial language: SwedishCurrency: Swedish krona (SEK)
New honorary consulate
SLOVAKIA has extended the network of its consulates in Sweden. Petrer Burian, the state secretary of the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry, opened an honorary consulate in the Swedish town of Lulea last November, the SITA newswire reported.
More than heavy metal and crime novels
SWEDEN holds a special appeal for Slovaks, some of whom still have ties to the country, as many Slovaks emigrated to Sweden in the past, especially during communism.
Finnish institutions in Slovakia
Embassy of Finlandwww.finlandembassy.skChargé d'Affaires: Henna Knuuttila
Nordic films strike a chord with Slovaks
SLOVAK audiences seem to be receptive to Nordic films, as evidenced by the popularity of the NordFest film festival, which in spring 2014 enjoyed its seventh year in Slovakia.
Folklore, glass and a soft spot for tango
WHEN comparing two countries as different as Finland and Slovakia, people would have to look for parallels between culture, art, and more generally, the lifestyle. However, on closer inspection, these two countries do have more in common, in sometimes unexpected ways.
Valuing the teacher
TEACHERS are highly valued in Finland, with only 10 percent of the applicants accepted into teacher education programmes, explains Henna Knuuttila, who leads Finland’s diplomatic micro-mission in Bratislava, when asked about the top performance of her homeland in international education rankings. She also suggests that Finland’s challenging geographical location has made Finns natural problem solvers. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Knuuttila about education reform, innovation, Finland’s economic challenges as well as the potential of the tourism industry.
Chemko sold its part to Perstorp Group
SLOVAK chemical producer Chemko, in Strážske, sold its pentaerythritol (Penta) and calcium formate businesses to the Swedish Perstorp Group for an undisclosed sum, the TASR newswire wrote on June 5. Chemko will use the money from the sale to finance new projects which it will announce later.
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