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Prime Minister Fico to Meet Spanish PM Zapatero in Bratislava

Bratislava, January 13 (TASR) - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Thursday will welcome to Bratislava his Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who is coming to Slovakia for a one-day working visit. The visit will take place at the Government Office and marks Spain's take-over of the EU presidency in the first half of 2010. Zapatero has decided to begin… read more

Gov\'t: Slovak Economic Slump Due to Slowdown in Trading Partners

Bratislava, January 13 (TASR) - According to the Economy Ministry, the most significant reason for the economic slump in Slovakia is the slowdown of economic growth in the country's trading partners. "This results in lower demand for Slovak exports and in secondary effects - a drop in employment and domestic demand," states the Proposal for a Domestic Demand Strategy… read more

Slovakia to Provide Humanitarian Assistance to Albania After Floods

Bratislava, January 13 (TASR) - Slovakia will send humanitarian material assistance worth €100,000 to Albania on Thursday, Ludmila Stanova from the Foreign Affairs Minister Office's press department told TASR on Wednesday. Heavy rains lasting several weeks have caused extensive floods in the northern part of Albania. Around 5,000 people have been evacuated and 2,500… read more

SGI: EC Won\'t Finance Social Enterprises, It\'ll Be Slovak Taxpayers

Bratislava, January 13 (TASR) - The European Commission (EC) has found significant shortcomings in the overall management of the pilot project for so-called social enterprises launched last year by the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Ministry, said Slovak Governance Institute (SGI) head Miroslav Beblavy on Wednesday. SGI claims that it has at its disposal the unofficial… read more

Fico Proposes Giving Restituents Money Instead of Land

Bratislava, January 13 (TASR) - Compensation for land that should be returned to its original owners could under certain conditions be provided in the form of money, according to an amendment to the law on adjusting property rights to land and other agricultural property that was submitted to the Government by Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday. According to the… read more

Opposition to Initiate No-Confidence Vote in Kalinak Over Explosives

Bratislava, January 13 (TASR) - Opposition representatives on Monday announced that they plan to start collecting the signatures necessary to summon an extraordinary parliamentary session with a no-confidence vote in Interior Minister Robert Kalinak on the agenda. According to Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) chairman Jan Figel, who spoke to journalists after the opposition… read more

Caplovic: Danube Stretegy Could Provide Succesful Danube Strategy

Bratislava, January 13 (TASR) - Deputy Premier for a Knowledge-based Society, European Affairs, Human Rights and Minorities Dusan Caplovic on Wednesday met Government Proxy for the Construction and Operation of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros Waterworks Gabriel Jencik, Construction and Regional Development Ministry State Secretary Daniel Acs and a representatives of a team working on… read more

Average Inflation in 2009 at Record Low Level of 1.6 percent

Bratislava, January 13 (TASR) - Inflation measured according to national methodology reached its lowest-ever value in 2009 at an average of 1.6 percent, Slovakia's Statistics Office announced on Wednesday. Average core and net inflation were also at minimum levels - 0.5 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively. In December 2009, year-on-year inflation stood at 0.5… read more

Slovakia Will Have Another General in NATO-led Operation

Bratislava, January 12 (TASR) - Brigade General Miroslav Kocian will soon be appointed to the post of joint logistics support group commander for KFOR operation in Kosovo, TASR learned from Slovak Armed Forces spokesman Milan Vanga on Tuesday. With the approval by Chief of General Staff of Slovak Armed Forces Lubomir Bulik, Kocian has been deployed to Kosovo on Tuesday,… read more

Slovakia Has Received 145,000 Anti-pandemic Vaccines to Date

Bratislava, January 12 (TASR) - To date, 145,000 vaccines against pandemic flu have arrived in Slovakia, TASR was told by director of the State Material Reserves Administeration Lubomir Urban on Tuesday. "Another 200,000 should be delivered by a pharmaceutical company from France within a few days, most likely next week. Another 655,000 vaccines should then arrive within… read more

PSA Peugeot-Citroen to Prolong Afternoon Work Shifts

Trnava, January 12 (TASR) - Employees of PSA Peugeot-Citroen Slovakia based in Trnava will need to work one hour longer on afternoon shifts until April 9, rather than until February 15 as previously decided, TASR has been told by Peugeot spokesman Peter Svec. The reason behind this measure is continuing increased demand for the Citroen C3 Picasso and Peugeot 207 cars.… read more

Makuch: NBS Always Needs to Be Unhappy With State Budgeting

Bratislava, January 12 (TASR) - Every national bank should be discontent with the way the government manages the state budget in order for improvements to be made, said new Slovak central bank (NBS) governor Jozef Makuch on Tuesday. "Of course, governments do manage the budget to the best of their abilities, but there's always room for a slight improvement," said Makuch.… read more

Medved: Interblue Group Doesn\'t Exist, Rights Now With Interblue Europe

Bratislava, January 12 (TASR) - The Interblue Group, a U.S.-based company that bought 15 million tonnes of unused emission quotas from Slovakia in 2008, has signed over its business rights to a Switzerland-based firm called Interblue Europe. Environment Minister Jozef Medved provided this information at a news conference on Tuesday in response to information in the media… read more

Fico: Breaking Law Is Road to Hell

Bratislava, January 12 (TASR) - Inciting people to break the law is a road to hell that the Government rejects, said Premier Robert Fico after a meeting with President Ivan Gasparovic and Parliamentary Chairman Pavol Paska on Tuesday. Fico's statement came in reaction to protests held by road hauliers against the introduction of the electronic road-toll system with the… read more

Freso: State Has Completely Lost Control Over Deal With Interblue Group

Bratislava, January 12 (TASR) - SDKU-DS MP Pavol Freso at a press conference on Tuesday said that he is convinced Slovakia has completely lost control over the emissions-quota deal with U.S.-based firm the Interblue Group, which bought unused quotas in 2008 in a transaction that later burst into a scandal due to the agreed price. Freso was responding to information in… read more