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ZAP: Slovaks Took Advantage of Scrapyard Contribution Scheme

Bratislava, January 17 (TASR) - A number of used passenger cars and cars not heavier than 3.5 tonnes imported in 2009 to Slovakia fell by 21.64 percent on an annual basis to stand at 78.834, the Automotive Industry Association (ZAP) said. "The global financial and economic crisis notwithstanding, 2009 saw fewer registered used as opposed to new cars. This is largely… read more

Montenegro\'s Prime Minister to Visit Slovakia on Monday

Bratislava, January 17 (TASR) - Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Dukanovic is slated to pay his first official visit to Slovakia on Monday since Montenegro's declaration of independence (from Serbia) in 2006. Dukanovic and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico are set to assess the level of bilateral relations and scope for fostering political dialogue and strengthening economic… read more

Kalinak: Int\'l Tender Challenged by Garage-based Company with 2 Staff

Bratislava, January 17 (TASR) - It's a 'garage-based company' with two employees that is challenging the fair and transparent international tender competition by the Interior Ministry half a year after the tender was completed, Interior Minister Robert Kalinak told a press conference on Sunday regarding VYKO – a Bratislava-based company that he claims is linked to Opposition… read more

Csaky: Madaric and Lajcak Act Like Comrades in Language Act Issue

Bratislava, January 16 (TASR) - Culture Minister Marek Madaric and Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak are behaving like "comrades from the 1980s" when it comes to the issue of the State Language Act amendment, ethnic-Hungarian SMK party chairman Pal Csaky said following a session of SMK's Slovakia-wide council on Saturday. Moreover, according to Csaky, the two officials… read more

SMK to Assess Requests for Membership Renewal on Individual Basis

Bratislava, January 16 (TASR) - The ethnic-Hungarian SMK party is ready to take an individual approach in assessing applications on renewing memberships of former party members who have left SMK recently, party leader Pal Csaky said following a sessions of SMK's Slovakia-wide council on Saturday. Csaky said that he has information that some of the party's former members… read more

SARIO: Euro Helpful in Bringing Numerous Investments to Slovakia

Bratislava, January 16 (TASR) - The introduction of the euro in Slovakia brought financial stability, which amid the economic crisis is viewed in the positive light particularly by foreign investors, Director General of the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) Juraj Kiesel has told TASR. "The euro is oftentimes the key factor for investors when it comes… read more

Fico Confident of Maintaining Projected 2010 Public Finance Deficit

(Slovak Radio, January 16, 'Sobotne dialogy') This year's projected public-finance deficit won't go up despite the Government-approved significant cut in excise tax on diesel, as Slovakia has committed itself to consolidating public finances, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on the Slovak Radio politics discussion programme Sobotne Dialogy ('Saturday Dialogues'). "The… read more

Bardos: Reducing Number of Ministries Is Populist Move

Bratislava, January 15 (TASR) - The proclaimed intent of Slovak Premier Robert Fico and Smer-SD party to downsize the number of Slovak ministries is nothing but a marketing and populistic gesture, Gyula Bardos from SMK told TASR on Friday. "If they were serious about this, they could have done it anytime throughout the last four years. They've had the political power,"… read more

SMK to Decide Whether or Not to Join Coalition on Saturday

Bratislava, January 15 (TASR) - The Ethnic-Hungarian SMK party's Slovakia-wide Council will decide at its session in Bratislava on Saturday whether SMK will run in this year's parliamentary elections on its own or as part of a coalition, TASR learned from SMK Council Chairman Ivan Farkas on Friday. "I believe that the Council will discuss and bring this issue to a conclusion.… read more

Analysts: Euro Gives Slovakia Competitive Edge Over Neighbours

Bratislava, January 15 (TASR) - The euro is Slovakia's biggest competitive advantage over neighbouring countries, analysts asked by TASR have concurred. The reason for this is a level of exchange-rate stability not found with other currencies. Significant exchange-rate fluctuations don't benefit the business environment. "It's these very currency fluctuations… read more

Kia Produces Its 500,000th Vehicle in Slovakia - a Kia cee\'d sw

Teplicka nad Vahom, January 15 (TASR) - Kia Motors Slovakia (KMS) on Friday presented the 500,000th vehicle manufactured at its factory in Teplicka nad Vahom (Zilina region). The jubilee Kia cee'd station wagon model has been given as a gift to the Transplant Centre at Martin's faculty hospital. The white Kia cee'd is powered by a 1.6-litre diesel engine. "We've… read more

Fico: Some Degree of Bureaucracy Is Unavoidable for State to Function

Bratislava, January 15 (TASR) - The state cannot function without a degree of bureaucracy and "let's not create the illusion that it can," said Prime Minister Robert Fico on Friday following an extraordinary session of the Government. Fico had been asked how many staff will be laid off if Parliament okays a Government-approved initiative to terminate the Construction… read more

Pociatek: Cut in Excise Tax Could Have Positive Impact on Collection

Bratislava, January 15 (TASR) - The cut in excise-tax on diesel by 11.3 cents per litre could bring more funds to the state than is currently the case, Finance Minister Jan Pociatek said on Friday. "Apart from our conservative estimate, there are some other analyses that even indicate a positive impact on the collection of this tax," said Pociatek following an extraordinary… read more

Venice Commission to Visit Slovakia and Examine Language Law

Bratislava, January 15 (TASR) - The Council of Europe's (CE) advisory Venice Commission is due to come to Slovakia next week to give its legal views on the State Language Act, a recently adopted amendment to which led to protests from the country's Hungarian minority and neighbouring Hungary over perceived new limitations on ethnic-language rights, the CE Information Office… read more

Government to Cut Number of Ministries

Bratislava, January 15 (TASR) - Slovakia's Government on Friday approved a plan submitted by Premier Robert Fico to terminate the Construction and Regional Development Ministry and the Environment Ministry, and transfer their portfolios to a newly-created Economy and Construction Ministry and a new Agriculture, Environment and Regional Development Ministry. The supervision… read more