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Ministry: Contract With AU Optronics Was Released to Maximum Extent

Bratislava, January 5 (TASR) - The contract with Taiwan-based AU Optronics has been released to the fullest possible extent, Economy Ministry press department head Vahram Chuguryan told TASR on Tuesday. According to the ministry, the only data that were blanked out were part of the investor's know-how, along with information that could endanger business activities of… read more

Skocek: Slovakia and Hungary Striving for Pragmatic Dialogue in 2010

Bratislava, January 5 (TASR) - Both Slovakia and Hungary are interested in a pragmatic development of neighbourly relations in 2010, a year that will be marked by parliamentary elections in both countries, Slovakia's Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak and Chairman of the Hungarian parliamentary committee for foreign affairs and the committee for Hungarians living abroad… read more

Figel: KDH Ready to Propose Bill on Delaying Road Toll System

Kosice, January 5 (TASR) - If the Government doesn't submit an amendment to the Road Toll Act at a parliamentary session in February, the opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) will submit their own proposal to delay toll collection by three months, KDH chair Jan Figel announced at a press conference on Tuesday. According to Figel, it is evident that the system was overpriced,… read more

SkyToll: Toll-Collection System Not Running Ideally

Bratislava/Rajka, January 5 (TASR) - SkyToll, the company that runs the toll-collection system in Slovakia, claims that the system is fully operating at the moment. However, they admit some difficulties may occur, TASR learnt on Tuesday. "I've never claimed that the system is running ideally. I say it's in full operation and certainly there are difficulties that need… read more

Hauliers Call on Ministry to Launch Ticket Toll System Immediately

Bratislava, January 5 (TASR) - Slovak road transporters association CESMAD Slovakia, along with its Czech, Polish and Hungarian partners, has called on Slovakia's Transport Ministry to immediately launch toll collection on national motorways via the so-called 'ticket system', claiming that this needs to be introduced on main entry routes into the country. The road transporters'… read more

Halecky: Proposals on Proving Origin of Property Doomed to Fail in Court

Bratislava, January 5 (TASR) - The coalition Smer-SD party and the Opposition will present the idea of introducing an act on proving the origin of property before every election to come, only for this to be passed in Parliament but later rejected by the Constitutional Court, LS-HZDS MP Jozef Halecky said on Tuesday in reaction to related proposals presented by Premier Robert… read more

Caplovic Praises Vollebaek\'s Positive Stance to Running Measures

Bratislava, January 5 (TASR) - Deputy Premier for a Knowledge-based Society, European Affairs, Human Rights and Minorities Dusan Caplovic on Tuesday praised the positive stance of OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities Knut Vollebaek towards the recent adoption of the Government's running measures to the country's State Language Act. "The OSCE High Commissioner… read more

Almost 10% of Healthcare Personnel Now Vaccinated Against A(H1N1)

Bratislava January 5 (TASR) - The number of Slovak healthcare workers interested in being vaccinated against the pandemic A(H1N1) virus is comparable to that in the Czech Republic, TASR learnt on Tuesday. "According to the data that we've received so far, between 8 and 10 percent of those eligible have been vaccinated," said Martina Merkova from the Public Health Office… read more

Analyst: Proving Origin of Property Is Test Between Smer and KDH

Bratislava, January 5 (TASR) - The issue of proving the origin of property, one proposal about which was presented by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on Monday, with another by Daniel Lipsic (Opposition Christian Democrats/KDH) coming the following day, will be a test of political communication between the two parties vis-a-vis the parliamentary elections set for the summer,… read more

Sramko: Government Must React More Quickly to Economic Developments

Bratislava, January 5 (TASR) - The Government has to react more quickly to economic developments than it did in 2009, outgoing Slovak central bank (NBS) governor Ivan Sramko told TASR on Tuesday, adding that public-finance prognoses should be made more frequently - on a quarterly basis. According to Sramko, the public-finance deficit for 2009, which is estimated by the… read more

Lajcak: Friendships Shouldn\'t Be Criteria for Becoming Ambassador

Bratislava, January 5 (TASR) - It's unacceptable for a person to become a Slovak ambassador simply because they are friends with somebody, Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak told TASR on Tuesday. Slovakia has overcome a period in which ambassador posts were viewed as positions available for unsuccessful politicians or friends, he added. "So-called political… read more

Traffic Jam at Czech-Slovak Crossing Eased Considerably Overnight

Prague, January 5 (TASR-correspondent) - The number of lorries stuck on the Czech-Slovak border near the village of Mosty u Jablunkova due to the introduction of Slovakia's new road-toll system dwindled substantially on Monday night, TASR learnt on Tuesday. Some 150 vehicles were caught up in a traffic jam during the night, while an eight-kilometre-long line of lorries… read more

Police Catch Nigerian Smuggler With 300g of Cocaine in His Body

Bratislava, January 5 (TASR) - Slovakia's Anti-drug Office has arrested a 46-year-old Nigerian suspected of importing cocaine into Slovakia, Police Presidium spokesperson Martin Korch told TASR on Thursday. The smuggler was caught at Bratislava Airport on December 31 after arriving on a flight from Girona. Police officers discovered that the man was hiding cocaine capsules… read more

Fico: There\'s No Scope For Lowering Excise Tax on Motor Fuels

Bratislava, January 4 (TASR) - There's no room for lowering the excise tax on motor fuels that the Slovak small and medium-sized transport companies ask for, said Premier Robert Fico at a press conference on Monday. "They need to realise we're in the middle of global crisis. Their request is anything but relevant in light of the current financial situation," claimed Fico.… read more

Price for CO2 Emission Quotas Could Break €11 per tonne in March

Bratislava January 4 (TASR) - The market price of one tonne of CO2 emissions bound to so-called 'green projects' could reach €11.15 in Slovakia in March of this year, according to the expectations of the Price Exchange Committee, an advisory body to the Commodity Exchange in Bratislava, which had its latest meeting in December. The price for a tonne of CO2 emissions… read more