OtherOther Economy

Thousands Dropping Off Unemployment Benefit Rolls and onto Welfare

Bratislava, March 22 (TASR) - Thousands of people have seen their unemployment benefits lapse recently, but not because they have found new jobs, according to analysts. While the crisis emerged in September 2008, most layoffs took place in early 2009, with the unemployment benefits (amounting to 50 percent of the last salary) set to be paid during a period of six months… read more

Slovak Food Producers Have Chance to Break into Ex-Soviet Markets

Nitra, March 22 (TASR) - Some Slovak food producers have an opportunity to break into the as yet competition-free markets in republics of the former Soviet Union, Agriculture Minister Vladimir Chovan (HZDS nominee) said at an Information Day for Food Producers in Nitra on Monday. According to Chovan, the Ministry has made the first successful contacts with Belarus, while… read more

Chinese Construction Firm Interested in Slovak PPP Highway Projects

Bratislava, March 22 (TASR) - Slovak Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek on Monday met representatives of China-based Shanghai Construction Group (SCG) led by SCG vice-president Tong Ji Sheng, the ministry's press department announced on its website on the same day. "SCG management enquired about possibilities of constructing highways via projects of public-private partnerships… read more

Volkswagen Slovakia Made Profit of €57 million in 2009

Bratislava, March 22 (TASR) - Volkswagen Slovakia ended 2009 with a net profit of €57 million, chairman of the company board Andreas Tostmann told TASR on Monday. The total revenues of the car plant reached €2.94 billion in 2009. According to Tostmann, the Bratislava-based car plant produced over 105,000 vehicles, of which 80 percent were SUVs. Tostmann noted… read more

Slovakia to Send Humanitarian Aid to Chile

Bratislava, March 22 (TASR) - The Slovak Interior Ministry will send humanitarian aid to earthquake-stricken regions in Chile, Lucia Garajova from the Interior Ministry's press department told TASR on Monday. According to Garajova, the material aid should be worth over €100,000 and made up of electric generators, tents and sets of clothing. The transport of the… read more

Most-Hid: Slovak Language Teaching Methodology Must Be Revised

Bratislava, March 22 (TASR) - Non-parliamentary Hungarian-Slovak party Most-Hid is convinced that pupils at minority schools for ethnic-Hungarian children must learn the Slovak language properly so that they will stay on the Slovak labour market when they leave school, said head of the Host-Hid education committee Alzbeta Ozvaldova at a press conference on Monday. Therefore,… read more

Volkswagen to Put Up Salaries by 3 percent

Bratislava, March 22 (TASR) - German car-maker Volkswagen's Slovak unit and the KOVO metal-working union at the factory in Bratislava have completed collective bargaining for 2010 by reaching an agreement to increase employees' salaries by 3 percent with effect as of May 1, 2010, the company's spokesperson said on Monday. In addition, each employee will be paid a €215… read more

Radicova: SDKU Will Present Election Reform Platform This Week

Bratislava, March 21 (TASR) - One of the points in SDKU's election programme to be presented this coming week will be reform of the Election Act, TASR has been told by SDKU-DS election leader Iveta Radicova. According to Radicova, SDKU doesn't plan to introduce any revolutionary changes to the election system – rather the proposed changes will bring harmony to current… read more

Meciar: Smer-SD Doesn\'t Have Safe Place in Next Government Either

(STV, March 21, O pat minut dvanast) LS-HZDS head Vladimir Meciar thinks that since the crisis is not over yet – despite claims from some optimists – a coalition featuring his party and Smer-SD would be the best combination for Slovakia, he said on the Slovak Television's (STV) politics programme 'O pat minut dvanast' (5 Minutes to Twelve) on Sunday. According… read more

Oravec: Deduction Reform a Diffucult Task but Desirable

Bratislava, March 20 (TASR) - One of the options for making Slovakia's entrepreneurial sector more attractive is a principled reform of contributions, which has been called for by entrepreneurs for years, president of the Association of Slovak Entrepreneurs (ZPS) Jan Oravec has told TASR. "After the tax reform with the flat tax introduction was carried out, we can imagine… read more

Analysts: KOZ\'s Non-partisanship a Nonsense After Agreement With Smer-SD

Bratislava, March 20 (TASR) - Non-partisanship of the Confederation of Trade Unions (KOZ) is a mockery of the electorate, political analyst Miroslav Kusy told TASR on Saturday. Kusy said this in reaction to the statements of KOZ president Miroslav Gazdik, who said that KOZ remains a non-partisan organisation despite signing an agreement with Smer-SD on Friday. "They're… read more

EU: Slovakia Produces Little Waste But Lags Behind in Recycling

Brussels, March 19 (TASR) - Slovakia generated the third lowest amount of municipal waste per person of all EU-member countries in 2008, but the country is lagging behind when it comes to the quality of waste processing, according to a report on the Union's waste management that was released by Eurostat on Friday. Slovakia generated 328 kilograms of waste per person,… read more

New Slovak Ambassador to China Presents Credentials to Hu Jintao

Beijing/Bratislava, March 19 (TASR) - New Slovak ambassador to China Frantisek Dlhopolcek on Friday presented credentials to China's President Hu Jintao, Slovakia's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Peter Stano told TASR on the same day. During a friendly talk, Dlhopolcek emphasised that Slovakia considers the bilateral relations between Slovakia and China as trouble-free… read more

Bauer: Slovakia in Need of Comprehensive Employment Strategy

Bratislava, March 19 (TASR) - In terms of the EU's new 'Europe 2020' strategy, Slovakia should mainly concentrate on the sphere of employment, especially employment of the young, education and investments in science and research, Slovak MEP Edit Bauer (ethnic-Hungarian SMK) told TASR on Friday. Bauer was speaking during a seminary for journalists organised by the Information… read more

Beblavy: No Money to Be Reimbursed for Social Enterprises by EC

Bratislava, March 19 (TASR) - The European Commission auditors suggest that no money spent on Slovakia's social enterprises are to be reimbursed, says the so-called draft of the December's audit of social enterprises. The reason behind their stance is the unpermitted amount of state aid, as 95 percent of the start-up capital for the social enterprises was provided by… read more