OtherOther Economy

Slovaks Prefer Sending Text Messages Over Making Calls at Christmas

Bratislava, December 25 (TASR) - Customers of telecommunication operator Orange prefer sending short text messages and multimedia messages over making phone calls at Christmas, TASR learnt on Friday. The total number of calls made on Christmas Eve was slightly lower than the daily average this year, Orange spokesman Richard Fides told TASR. Customers of Orange… read more

The Christmas Tree in Slovakia

Bratislava, December 24 (TASR) - The Christmas tree is a symbol of Christmas and a symbol of life as an evergreen. The Christmas tree came to Slovakia from German and Austrian towns at the end of the 18th century, initially via the upper classes. By the end of the 19th century, the habit spread among ordinary people, and it was firmly established by the 1930s, during… read more

Radicova and Freso Visit Working Slovaks on Christmas Eve

Bratislava, December 24 (TASR) - Prime Minister Iveta Radicova on Friday visited Bratislava Municipal Police headquarters as well as employees and patients of the Gaudeamus rehabilitation centre for the disabled. "Even before I have become a Prime Minister, I used to visit different centres regularly on December 24...to visit people who don't have the luxury of celebrating… read more

Slovaks Give Presents According to German Custom

Bratislava, December 24 (TASR) - Christmas Eve (also known as Badnak or Kracun in some Slovak dialects) has always been the most important holiday in Slovakia. According to folk customs, it usually began when the first star was seen in the night sky. This was announced by the shooting of guns or the ringing of bells. Only then were candles lit on festive tables. Apart… read more

US Law Firm Claims Environment Ministry Ignoring Generous Offer

Bratislava, December 23 (TASR) - The American law firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP has upped the ante for the remaining millions of tones of unused emission quotas by offering a sum that is at least €168-million higher than what the Environment Ministry is currently anticipating to sell the quotas for, the company announced on Thursday. Several price offers… read more

NBS: GDP Growth in Slovakia to Decelerate to 3.3 percent in 4Q10

Bratislava, December 23 (TASR) - Bank analysts expect that growth in Slovakia's economy will further decelerate in the final quarter of 2010, according to the latest macro-economic predictions released by the country's central bank (NBS) on Thursday. While GDP in Slovakia grew by 3.8 percent year-on-year in 3Q10, it should only expand by 3.3 percent y-o-y in the final… read more

Slovak Observers Were Present at Controversial Belarus Election

Bratislava, December 23 (TASR) - The Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry sent six short-term observers to last week's presidential election in Belarus as part of the election-observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the ministry's press department told TASR on Thursday. The Slovak observers, who were sent to several regions of Belarus,… read more

Radicova: Car Manufacturers Significant Pillars of Slovakia\'s Economy

Teplička nad Váhom, December 22 (TASR) - Slovak automobile manufacturers represent a major pillar of the economy – bringing new technologies onstream as well as enhancing the education and skills training environment, Prime Minister Iveta Radicova said during her visit to Kia Motors in Teplicka nad Vahom (Zilina region) on Wednesday. Radicova praised the investments… read more

Survey: Armed Forces the Most Trusted Slovak Institution

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - Slovakia's Armed Forces demonstrated their professionalism in 2010 in various military missions abroad but also during the emergency works to clear the damage caused by unprecedented floods that plagued Slovakia, according to a poll carried out by Focus in late November-early December. According to the agency's survey, 94.2 percent of… read more

Slovakia to Provide Shelter for 100 Refugees

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic, along with Lim Wei Meng of the Geneva-based UN High Commissioner's Office for Refugees and Zuzana Vatralova of the International Organisation for Migration signed an agreement in Bratislava on Wednesday to provide temporary shelter for 100 refugees in Slovakia. "It's as if Slovakia was partly repaying a… read more

New Year\'s Eve Party in Bratislava to Feature Music and Sports

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - This year's New Year's Eve party in the Slovak capital, the 12th of its kind, is well prepared to meet public expectations concerning its traditional cultural quality, mayor of Bratislava Milan Ftacnik said at a press conference on Wednesday. Ftacnik promised that he will return from a short holiday to attend the New Year's Eve party.… read more

Sipos: E-auctions for Public Orders Not Cure-All, Quality May Be Affected

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - The mandatory use of e-auctions for all kinds of public tenders in Slovakia isn't a cure-all, warned chairman of the Public Procurements Office (UVO) Roman Sipos after a meeting with Transport Minister Jan Figel on Wednesday. According to Sipos, the use of e-auctions in building infrastructure may affect the quality of construction, for… read more

Employers Appreciative of Cabinet\'s Attitude to Social Dialogue

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - Although employers were concerned about the way in which the social dialogue would function following the general election in June, the Cabinet has taken up a responsible stance vis-a-vis tripartite issues, president of the Association of Employers' Unions (AZZZ) Tomas Malatinsky said on Wednesday. "I have to admit that we did have some… read more

Simon: 2010 Most Complicated Year in Agriculture Since EU Accession

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - The year 2010 has been the "most complicated year in [Slovak] agriculture since the country joined the EU," Agriculture Minister Zsolt Simon said on Wednesday. "The agricultural sector will be in the red partly due to several natural disasters that have hit Slovakia. These were floods and things left behind by the former government and… read more

New Mayor of Bratislava New Town Wants More Public Involvement

Bratislava, December 22 (TASR) - People living in Bratislava's Nove Mesto (New Town) borough need to become more involved in local authority decision-making, and mutual communication must be enhanced, the borough's new mayor Rudolf Kusy said after being sworn in on Wednesday. Kusy, who ran as an independent candidate in the local elections in November, replaced Richard… read more