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Ten Slovak Hooligans and One Czech to Appear Before Hungarian Court

Bratislava/Budapest, May 12 (TASR) - The Hungarian police are reported to be putting 11 arrested football fans before the Municipal Court in Encs, a town in north-eastern Hungary, on Thursday, following disturbances linked to the Slovak Cup final on Tuesday. The case, involving 111 fans, of which ten Slovaks and one Czech ended up facing criminal charges, is therefore… read more

Simon: No Rule Of Law in Slovakia Under This Government

Bratislava, May 12 (TASR) - Slovakia lacks the rule of law under the leadership of the current Government, said non-parliamentary Most-Hid party vice-chairman Zsolt Simon at a protest in front of the Government Office in Bratislava on Wednesday. "If the rule of law existed, scandals such as the construction of a landfill site in Pezinok (Bratislava region), the High Tatras… read more

Government Okays Slovak Embassy in Montenegro

Bratislava, May 12 (TASR) - According to a decision made by the Government at its session on Wednesday, Slovakia will have an embassy in Podgorica in Montenegro as of June. Montenegro also plans to open its own embassy in Bratislava in 2010. The Slovak office premises in Montenegro should be rented with start-up expenditures of €86,500 and an annual operating… read more

Slovakia\'s Foreign Trade Posted €176.3-million Surplus in March

Bratislava, May 12 (TASR) - Slovakia's foreign trade showed a surplus of €176.3 million in March, compared with a surplus of €23.3 million in the same month of 2009, and of €53.6 million a month earlier, according to preliminary results released by the Slovak Statistics Office on Wednesday. Exports were up by an annual 19 percent to €3.98 billion in March, while… read more

Stats Office Preliminary Estimate - GDP Grew by 4.6 percent in 1Q10

Bratislava, May 12 (TASR) - According to a quick estimate published by the Statistics Office on Wednesday, the Slovak economy grew by 4.6 percent y-o-y in the first quarter of this year. This is the first registered growth in Slovak GDP since 4Q08. The Slovak economy registered a significant drop in production in 2009, caused by the lack of foreign demand due to… read more

Environmentalists Take Issue with Dispersal of State Fund Funds

Bratislava, May 11 (TASR) - The state-run Environment Fund granted hundreds of thousands of euros in subsidies for another obscure organisation for environment-related activities after the Environment Minister Jozef Medved met with the Fund's president Roman Kovac earlier on Tuesday. The Aktualne.sk internet portal said on its website that the civic association calling… read more

Makuch: Slovakia Should Increase Exports and Diversify Production

Bratislava, May 11 (TASR) - Slovak companies are increasing their exports to EU countries but the contribution to the GDP from these exports is still lower than it should be, Slovak National Bank (NBS) Governor Jozef Makuch said Tuesday at an HN Club discussion forum focused on evaluating Slovakia's businesses. "Slovakia should focus on increasing its exports and also… read more

Radicova: No Reason Why Right Shouldn\'t Reach Coalition Agreement

Bratislava, May 11 (TASR) - SDKU-DS election leader Iveta Radicova told TASR on Tuesday in an interview that she sees no reason why the right-wing parties shouldn't be able to reach an agreement after the June 12 parliamentary elections and form a Government. According to Radicova, SDKU-DS has similiar experiences from the past. "The so-called first Mikulas Dzurinda's… read more

Slovakia to Open Embassy in Montenegro, Lacks Funds to Do More

Bratislava, May 11 (TASR) - Except for the embassy proposed to be opened in Montenegro sometime next month, Slovakia this year cannot afford to launch diplomatic offices elsewhere because of the lower 2010 budget allocations in the wake of the global economic crisis, said Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak on Tuesday. Slovakia, however, does need to increase its diplomatic… read more

Jahnatek: We Want to Tidy Up System of Levies After General Election

Bratislava, May 11 (TASR) - Foreign investors are most interested in state support for investments and reducing corruption in the state and judiciary, said Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek (Smer-SD) on Tuesday after holding a session with representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia (AmCham). Changes in the tax system aren't the most important issue… read more

Pociatek: Joining Guarantee Package Best Solution Available

Bratislava, May 11 (TASR) - The Slovak Government joined the Europe-wide guarantee mechanism because all the relevant institutions agreed that it is the best way out given the palette of choices, said Slovak Finance Minister Jan Pociatek (Smer-SD) in reaction to opposition SDKU-DS criticism concerning the Government joining the EU's guarantee package of more than €700 billion.… read more

OECD: Slovak Fiscal Consolidation Plans Reliable, But Reforms Needed

Bratislava, May 11 (TASR) - Slovakia's public finance consolidation plan is trustworthy, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) main economist Pier Carlo Padoan, who met Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava on Tuesday. However, Padoan stated that the process of fiscal consolidation should be accompanied by reforms designed to boost… read more

SDL Demands Ban on Smer\'s Billboards Promising Cheaper Medicine

Bratislava, May 11 (TASR) - The Party of the Democratic Left (SDL) has filed a complaint to the Central Election Committee (UVK), demanding the removal of Smer-SD's election billboards with the slogan: 'Cheaper medicine', describing it as misleading advertising, said SDL chairman Marek Blaha on Tuesday. "The Smer-SD party promotes cheaper drugs on them (the billboards),… read more

HZDS to Miss Extraordinary Session of Parliament on Greek Package

Bratislava, May 11 (TASR) - Coalition LS-HZDS MPs will not take part in the extraordinary parliamentary session on the Greek rescue package summoned for Wednesday, according to the party's vice-chairman for the economy Jozef Habanik. Speaking to journalists in Bratislava on Tuesday, Habanik said that once Slovakia has decided to adopt the euro, it has to back the idea… read more

SDKU: Fico Backs EU Fund Because Slovakia Could Well Need It

Bratislava, May 11 (TASR) - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has steered Slovakia onto the same path followed by EU countries that are currently facing economic problems, said opposition SDKU-DS election leader Iveta Radicova at a press conference in Bratislava on Tuesday. "(Fico) supports loans for loans, because we're threatened by the same situation," she stated.… read more