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Russia Opens Honorary Consulate in Kosice

Kosice, February 21 (TASR) – Russia opened its honorary consulate in Slovakia's eastern metropolis Kosice on Friday, the fourth such facility in the city in total, it was reported on Sunday. The opening ceremony took place with Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Alexander Udalcov in attendance, whose office is located in the country's capital, Bratislava. Russia's… read more

AOK: Foreign Investors Say Slovakia Still Competitive Enough

Bratislava, February 21 (TASR) – Foreign investors consider Slovakia's business environment to continue to be attractive, according to a survey carried out by the American Chamber of Commerce (AOK) in Slovakia among more than a hundred foreign investors from 22 countries operating in Slovakia. According to the survey, conducted between March and June 2009, 99 percent… read more

Kiesel Says Foreign Investors Judge Business Enviroment Positively

Bratislava, February 19 (TASR) - The Government's foreign investment agency SARIO, referring to criticism from various entrepreneurs' organisations such as Slovak Business Alliance (PAS) that Slovakia's business climate is deteriorating, has disagreed by saying that the country remains attractive for foreign investors. "It is not so which I can safely confirm that foreign… read more

Buzek: KDH was First Christian Democratic Party after Fall of Iron Curtain

Zilina, February 20 (TASR) - The opposition parliamentary party Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) held a special convention on Saturday to mark its 20th anniversary with European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek in attendance. Two decades ago KDH was the first Christian Democratic party to come into being in the former socialist bloc, according to Buzek. "The founding… read more

HZD Withdraws from Running in General Election in Favour of Smer-SD

Bratislava, February 20 (TASR) - The nonparliamentary Movement for a Democracy (HZD), at the national congress on Saturday, announced its withdrawal from the June 12 general election in order to help Smer-SD party win another four-year term and recommended its voters to vote in favour of the strongest governing party. HZD Chairman Jozef Grapa clarified that his party… read more

Belousovova: New Act on Property Disclosure Might End Up in Court

If new legislation on disclosing the origin of property is passed in Parliament in the shape it was drafted by Prime Minister Robert Fico, it's quite likely that it will end up in the hands of the Constitutional Court. This is according to Slovak National Party (SNS) vice-chair Anna Belousovova. She says the court might in turn either abolish or suspend it from going effective.… read more

Droutsas Meets Lajcak, Discusses Greek Financial Problems

Bratislava, February 19 (TASR) - Alternate Foreign Minister of Greece Dimitris Droutsas met on Friday with his Slovak counterpart Miroslav Lajcak for talks which were largely focused on the most recently deteriorating financial problems of the visitor's country. Slovakia is confident that measures taken by Greece's government will help that country overcome its current… read more

UNAS: NDS Leaked Data Belonging to Clients

Bratislava, February 19 (TASR) - The Union of Slovak Hauliers (UNAS), an avowed critic of the toll charges instituted this year on selected highways for lorries weighing more than 3.5 tonnes, has complained to the Transport Ministry that one of the latter's charges - the National Highway Company (NDS) - has leaked data belonging to unnamed toll-payers. "We possess evidence… read more

Gasparovic\'s Creation HZD Could Merge With Fico\'s Smer

Bratislava, February 19 (TASR) - The national congress of the extra-parliamentary Movement for Democracy (HZD), which will take place on Saturday, will probably vote in favour of a merger with the strongest party on the Slovak political scene at the moment, Premier Robert Fico's Smer-SD, TASR learnt on Friday. HZD was set up in July 2002 after Ivan Gasparovic, who is… read more

Fico: I Get Up Early Every Day to Watch Ice-hockey in Vancouver

Bratislava, February 19 (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday that he gets up early every morning to watch the ice-hockey action at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver as he is particularly fond of this sport. Fico was speaking after the Slovak players overcame the strongly-fancied Russians 2:1. "Of course, I follow ice-hockey every morning ... what else can… read more

Mayor of Vysoke Tatry: New Zoning Scheme Won\'t Harm Local Nature

Vysoke Tatry, February 19 (TASR) – The new zoning scheme in the High Tatra National Park (TANAP) won't turn the town of Vysoke Tatry into a concrete jungle as several members of the Slovak media have reported, according to the town's mayor Jan Mokos. Mokos thinks that the new zoning scheme is mainly focused on creating a cosy environment that would provide comfortable… read more

HZDS: Public Finance Debt Must Not Go Above 60 percent of GDP

Bratislava, February 19(TASR) - The co-governing LS-HZDS party is in favour of a constitutional amendment stipulating that Slovakia's public-finance debt must not exceed 60 percent of GDP, party vice-chairman Jozef Habanik told a press conference on Friday while presenting the party's manifesto ahead of the general election due in June. In its manifesto, entitled 'Stable… read more

Fedor: Defence Ministry Improvising, No Conceptual Planning

Bratislava, February 19 (TASR) - The most significant feature of the Defence Ministry's activities recently has been improvisation and a lack of conceptual planning, former defence minister Martin Fedor (SDKU-DS) told TASR in reaction to Prime Minister Robert Fico's inspection at the Defence Ministry on Friday. Fedor pointed out that the Government has allocated the lowest-ever… read more

Sulik: Social Contributions Reform to Be Core of SaS\'s Programme

Bratislava, February 19 (TASR) - The reform of social contributions has the highest priority in the election manifesto of the extra-parliamentary Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party, party leader Richard Sulik told a press conference on Friday. "The state should guarantee a minimum subsistence level and basic healthcare to every citizen. Those who want more will have to… read more

AZEN and Roma Initiative to Have Joint Slate in Parliamentary Elections

Bratislava, February 19 (TASR) - The Alliance for a Europe of Nations (AZEN) will put together a joint slate with the Roma Initiative of Slovakia (RIS) for the parliamentary elections in June, AZEN chair Milan Urbani announced at a press conference on Friday. Urbani said that one RIS nominee will feature among the first ten names on the list, while another three will… read more