Foreigners in Slovakia, page 50
News and features on living in Slovakia
Germany still attracts students
ALTHOUGH there are about 400 German companies providing as many as 90,000 jobs in Slovakia, English is still the clear leader among foreign languages taught in local schools. However, Slovak students are still interested in studying German – the language is, after all, spoken in several nearby countries.
Germany: General facts
Political system: federal parliamentary republic
German institutions in Slovakia
Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
German, Slovak archaeologists dig
FIDVÁR, a Bronze Age settlement near Nitra, is again bringing German and Slovak archaeologists together and in September they will begin further archaeological research of this unique fortified town. The SITA newswire wrote in late August that the German side will finance almost the entire international project, which is expected to last for several years and bring valuable scientific discoveries.
VW in Bratislava celebrates 20 years
THE GERMAN carmaker Volkswagen is marking 20 years since its arrival in Bratislava. In 1991, the Slovak government, carmaker BAZ and Volkswagen signed agreements preceding the start of what is now called Volkswagen Slovakia (VW SK) and since then the company has manufactured more than 2.5 million cars, 5 million gear boxes and 200 million components, becoming Slovakia’s biggest exporter.
Ireland: General facts
Political system: parliamentary democracy
Some Irish companies in Slovakia
Ballymore, www.ballymore.co.uk
Some companies with British capital in Slovakia
AquaCity Poprad, www.aquacity.sk
British box-maker invests in Kojšov
BOXPERFECT, a company from Essex in the UK, has picked the village of Kojšov in Gelnica District for a new plant to manufacture gift and presentation boxes for the retail trade. Production began in June. During the first phase 30 jobs were created; more employees should be hired next year. Boxperfect plans to export 85 percent of its production.
New centre for Slovaks opens in Dublin
IRELAND has been an attractive destination for Slovak migrants in recent years and there are currently more than 20,000 Slovaks living there. Despite the severe effect that the global financial crisis has had on the Irish economy, Slovaks continue to arrive – and bring with them some of their customs and traditions.
Council prefers long-term links to “short affairs”
THE BRITISH Council is certainly one institution that can give a helping hand to Slovakia’s education system as it faces a very ambitious target: to extend compulsory English tuition throughout the system and, in the process, address the challenge of a lack of English-language teachers. However, the outgoing head of the British Council in Slovakia, Andrew Spells, and his successor Alena Rebrová say that this is only one aspect of the council’s activities here. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Spells and Rebrová about the mission and activities of the council.
United Kingdom: General facts
Political system: constitutional monarchy
Restoring order in the UK
IT HAS been difficult to turn on the television or pick up a newspaper without hearing about this month’s horrific rioting in Britain. Watching from afar, whilst representing British interests in Slovakia, my heart goes out to the families and small business owners who have been harmed by these events. First and foremost, the behaviour of the persons involved in the rioting has been utterly appalling. Regardless of context, this is criminality, pure and simple, and the looting, vandalism, and gang behaviour cannot and will not be tolerated. The violence and depraved actions of these individuals are wholly unacceptable.
UK institutions in Slovakia
British Embassy
Slovak-Irish business links endure
EVEN though the global financial and economic crisis did affect business relations between Ireland and Slovakia, bilateral trade so far this year has been showing significant growth at both ends. And Irish entrepreneurs are aware of the advantages Slovakia, as a eurozone member in the centre of Europe, enjoys – and the potential this means for doing business. All these factors mean Slovakia remains an interesting target for Irish investors.
AquaCity expects increase in visitors
THE POPRAD-based AquaCity resort is forecasting a 15-percent increase in visitors this year. It recorded nearly 800,000 visitors in 2010, but says numbers so far this year are on course to be even higher.
Irish institutions in Slovakia
Embassy of Ireland
Ryanair dominates Bratislava Airport
IRISH low-cost airline Ryanair remains the most important airline flying from M.R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava, with 498,430 passengers during the first half of 2011. Flights to and from London have been the most in demand since the beginning of the year, with 156,930 clients, the SITA newswire wrote in late July.
Eurovea attracts tenants
DEVELOPERS as well as real estate agents are reporting signs of recovery in the market for office space, saying companies in Slovakia are more confident and showing more interest in new office space.
When the Irish celebrate in Slovakia
THE CHANCES of spotting a man in green clothes, a big green hat and a red beard drinking Guinness in a Bratislava pub are higher than one might think. Though Slovaks do not celebrate the national holiday of Ireland, named after the patron saint of the Emerald Isle, St Patrick, many Irish people living in Slovakia come to Bratislava every year on March 17 to meet their compatriots and take part in celebrations.
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- Fico to meet Putin in Moscow, defying EU’s united front on Ukraine
- Escape from the Slovak depression: Is housing in Austria worthwhile?
- Slovakia set to clash with Sweden on Ice Hockey World Championship first day
- What do you see in a Nazi bunker? Juraj Somolányi saw possibility Photo
- Pay to play?
- News digest: PM Fico seeks alternative route to Moscow after Baltic states deny airspace access
- Slovak property prices rise at fastest pace since 2022 as cities lead recovery
- Escape from the Slovak depression: Is housing in Austria worthwhile?
- Fico to meet Putin in Moscow, defying EU’s united front on Ukraine
- Slovakia set to clash with Sweden on Ice Hockey World Championship first day
- Forget the 1997 Titanic movie. This is a real love story and a woman from Slovakia plays the main part
- News digest: Anti-fascist celebration in Piešťany comes with free train rides — if you know the words
- Pay to play?
- News digest: PM Fico seeks alternative route to Moscow after Baltic states deny airspace access
- Fico to meet Putin in Moscow, defying EU’s united front on Ukraine
- Slovak property prices rise at fastest pace since 2022 as cities lead recovery
- News digest: President Pellegrini to face tough decision on holding contentious referendum
- News digest: Anti-fascist celebration in Piešťany comes with free train rides — if you know the words
- Slovakia misses out on key VW electric car investment
- What do you see in a Nazi bunker? Juraj Somolányi saw possibility Photo
- Pay to play?
- He thought his family died in the Holocaust. Then a phone call changed everything.
- Dialects: You say potatoes, I say grule...or švábky?
- Coming home to a place you’ve never been
- News digest: PM Fico seeks alternative route to Moscow after Baltic states deny airspace access
- Nothing happened here for centuries. Until they started digging
- Slovakia misses out on key VW electric car investment
- What do you see in a Nazi bunker? Juraj Somolányi saw possibility Photo
- Fico to meet Putin in Moscow, defying EU’s united front on Ukraine
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Bratislava looks to rental plans amid affordable housing squeeze
- News digest: PM Fico seeks alternative route to Moscow after Baltic states deny airspace access
- From hijacked planes to ponds, Turies in north Slovakia has lots to offer
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Slovakia set to clash with Sweden on Ice Hockey World Championship first day
- Politician’s incitement case thrown out as prosecutors condemn police handling
- Escape from the Slovak depression: Is housing in Austria worthwhile? More articles ›
