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Lajcak: Slovakia Not Thrilled Over American ESTA Registration System

Bratislava, January 3 (TASR) - The Foreign Affairs Ministry representatives don't want to over-dramatise the situation regarding the introduction of online travel system ESTA for registering people visiting the U.S., Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak told TASR in an interview. "However, we're not thrilled over ESTA registration and most certainly don't welcome… read more

Jahnatek: I Believe We\'ll Manage to Stabilise Employment in 2010

Bratislava, January 3 (TASR) - Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek (Smer-SD) has told TASR in an interview that he believes that Slovakia will manage to stabilise the (un)employment situation. "Macroeconomic experience says that if the national economy doesn't begin to rise by 4 percent of GDP, the decline in jobs will continue," said the minister. "We expect that… read more

SkyToll: Road Toll System Running Well

Bratislava, January 2 (TASR) - Slovakia's road-toll system provider SkyToll at a press conference on Saturday rejected the claims by certain Slovak transport companies earlier in the day that the system, which was introduced on New Year's Day, isn't running well. According to SkyToll, the problem may have arisen in services provided by personnel at petrol stations. "At… read more

New Road-Toll System Not Ready Yet, Claim Transport Companies

Bratislava, January 2 (TASR) - As much as the electronic road-toll system operator SkyToll claims that the system has been launched and works perfectly, transport companies disagree, said Rudolf Pales from the Union of Slovakia's Carriers (UNAS) at a press conference on Saturday. "We claim that the system isn't ready on the basis of our actual experience and information,"… read more

Caplovic: Documents with Proof of Wrongdoing Have Been Destroyed

Bratislava, January 2 (TASR) - The missing documents regarding the sale of the Slovakia's emission quotas to the company Interblue Group have been either taken away by the people involved in the shady transaction or destroyed during the personal changes in the Environment Ministry, Deputy Premier Dusan Caplovic (a Smer-SD nominee) has told TASR in an interview. Caplovic,… read more

Transport Companies Ask for Reduction in Road Tax Due to Toll System

Bratislava, January 2 (TASR) - Small and medium-sized transport companies in Slovakia request an immediate reduction in road tax and excise tax on motor fuels, said spokesman of the newly-formed Union of Slovakia's Carriers (UNAS) Jaroslav Polacek at a press conference on Saturday. "We want the road tax to be significantly decreased as compensation for the introduction… read more

Fico: Crisis Plan Can\'t Take Only Slovakia Into Account

Bratislava, January 2 (TASR) - Slovakia will begin to consolidate its public finances already this year, due to favourable economic prognoses, Slovak Premier Robert Fico has told TASR in an interview. If the economic problems recur again, the entire Europe will need to address this issue together, said Fico. Because of the global crisis and the subsequent drop… read more

Frequently Abused Ketamine Ranked Among Grade Two Narcotics

Bratislava, January 1 (TASR) - Ketamine, a drug used in veterinary and human medicine as an analgesic and anaesthetic but also currently fashionable as a mind-altering substance, was ranked as of January 1 among Grade Two narcotics (Schedule II to the 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances). The relevant Narcotics Act amendment was passed by Parliament… read more

Analyst: Slovakia Over Worst of Crisis, But Not for Unemployment

Bratislava, January 1 (TASR) - Although Slovakia is over the worst of the economic and financial crisis, 2010 will involve a great deal of suspense and will be affected by three key events, chief analyst of Austrian Volksbank's Slovak unit Vladimir Vano told TASR in an interview. "The first will be developments overseas and in the eurozone once the effects of stimuli… read more

Government Raises Minimum Wage by 4.1 percent as of January 1

Bratislava, January 1 (TASR) - The minimum wage rose by 4.1 percent to €307.70 per month as of January 1, in line with a Government decision from October. The Labour Ministry originally planned to increase the-then minimum wage of €295.5 per month by 8.1 percent as proposed by the unions. The Tripartite partners have met to negotiate the issue several times since… read more

More Than 15 million Mobile Phone Calls Made on New Year\'s Eve

Bratislava, January 1 (TASR) - More than 15 million mobile-phone calls were made on New Year's Eve, TASR learnt from Slovakia's three mobile-phone operators on New Year's Day. Fewer SMS messages were sent on New Year's Eve than on Christmas Eve - around 9.5 million (compared to more than 30 million on Christmas Eve), while the number of MMS messages was 143,000. The… read more

Analysts: Slovaks Lack of Confidence in Own Strengths and Abilities

Bratislava, January 1 (TASR) - Slovaks are to a certain extent proud of having an independent country although there is still a sense of a lack of confidence in their own strengths and abilities, said sociologist Paul Haulik in reference to the 17th anniversary of the setting-up of the Slovak Republic. "The pride shows up when certain accomplishments, either economic… read more

President, MPs and Government Won\'t Have Salaries Valorised in 2010

Bratislava, January 1 (TASR) - Slovak MPs, the president and members of the Government won't have their salaries valorised in 2010 according to an amendment to the Income Tax Act that was signed by President Ivan Gasparovic last year. The measure was passed in Parliament via an amending proposal submitted by Smer-SD MP Jana Lassakova and supported by her opposition and… read more

President\'s Speech Provokes Contradictory Opinions

Bratislava, January 1 (TASR) - Politicians differ in their views of President Ivan Gasparovic's New Year's speech; some praising his "humaneness," but others bemoaning the head of state's lack of ideas and vision for the New Year, TASR has learnt in a survey. "This year's speech by the president was largely focused on the hierarchy of values and morale of today's civilisation.… read more

Eddins: U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Could Be Announced This Winter

Bratislava, January 1 (TASR) - The name of the new U.S. ambassador to Slovakia will be known within the next few months, and maybe as early as this winter, TASR has been told by U.S. embassy charge d'affaires Keith Eddins. Eddins noted that Slovakia isn't the only European country for which the selection process for a new ambassador is still in progress. He pointed out… read more