OtherOther Economy

Unemployment Rose to Nearly 13 percent in January

Bratislava, February 18 (TASR) - The unemployment rate in Slovakia went up by 0.23 percentage points month-on-month to reach 12.89 percent in January, the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Centre (UPSVaR) announced on Thursday. According to UPSVar, the rise was substantially lower than the one recorded between December 2008 and January 2009, when the rate went up… read more

Lajcak to Discuss EU Enlargement With Greek Counterpart

Bratislava, February 18 (TASR) - The practical implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and European Union enlargement towards the Western Balkans will be addressed at a meeting between Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak and his de facto Greek counterpart Dimitris Droutsas in Bratislava on Friday, spokesman for the Slovak ministry Peter Stano told TASR on Thursday.… read more

Gasparovic and Westerwelle Praise Slovak-German Relations

Bratislava, February 17 (TASR) - Slovak-German relations are very good indeed, be it at the top level and among entrepreneurs as well as in the sphere of culture, Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic said following his meeting with Germany's Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor Guido Westerwelle on Wednesday. Gasparovic went on to praise the quality of bilateral economic… read more

Kalinak: Ministry Staff Overly Roughed Up by Public Procurement Office

Bratislava, February 17 (TASR) - Interior Minister Robert Kalinak respects the Public Procurement Authority's powers to scrap its tender procedure to buy 1,800 breathalysers over discriminatory terms but does not think that the ministry has been as culpable as claimed by the authority, he has said. Pravda daily reported on Wednesday that the ministry had chosen the most… read more

SDKU\'s Branch in Trencin Backs Miklos for Party Election Leader

Trencin, February 17 (TASR) - SDKU-DS's regional presidency in Trencin decided unanimously on Wednesday and chose party MP Martin Fedor as the number one candidate of SDKU's regional structure in Trencin for the party's primary election, Fedor's personal aide Ondrej Hrivnak told TASR later in the day. "I'm glad about the presidency's trust, and I'm looking forward to… read more

SNS and Smer Clash over Proposed Education Act Amendment

Bratislava, February 17 (TASR) - Education Minister Jan Mikolaj (SNS) told Government at its session in Holic on Wednesday that Smer-SD MP Mojmir Mamojka is proposing a legislative amendment that if enacted would scupper the entire drive to divide higher-education institutions according to quality. There are concerns that Mamojka's proposal will expand the study options… read more

Vazny: Postal Services Market to Be Fully Liberalised as of 2013

Holic, February 17 (TASR) - Private companies will be allowed to offer postal services on deliveries weighing up to 50 grams as of 2013, but the state-run Slovak Post remains the only provider of this service until that time, Transport, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Lubomir Vazny said following a Government session in Holic (Trnava region) on Wednesday. The Government… read more

Interior Ministry to Examine Granting of Citizenship to Alleged Mobster

Holic, February 17 (TASR) - The Interior Ministry will look into the 2005 application for Slovak citizenship that was filed by cocaine-smuggling suspect Darko Saric from Serbia, Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said following a Government session in Holic (Trnava region) on Wednesday. Saric, who was granted Slovak citizenship in 2006, is suspected of having smuggled 2.7… read more

UNAS: Fico Should Have Sacked People and Penalised SkyToll

Bratislava, February 17 (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico, who made an inspection visit at the Transport Ministry on Tuesday, should have sacked certain people that are responsible for the botched road-toll system and also should have dealt with sanctions against the toll provider SkyToll, Union of Slovak Road Hauliers (UNAS) said on Wednesday. The most serious problem… read more

Foreign Committees Negotiate in Madrid

Madrid, February 17 (TASR) - Parliamentary Foreign Committee lawmakers visiting Spain this week meet their counterparts at the Congress of Deputies, Parliament's lower house on Wednesday to familiarise themselves with the priorities of Spain as the European Union presidency, including the Western Balkans and the global recession. Slovak Ambassador to Spain Jan Skoda… read more

Stefanov: Inspection of Tender Continues, Results Will Be Good

Holic, February 17 (TASR) - The Supreme Audit Office is still looking into the so-called notice-board tender at the Construction and Regional Development Ministry, but minister Igor Stefanov said after the Cabinet session in Holic (Trnava region) on Wednesday that he believes that the results will be good. "We have delivered certain additional information. It's technical… read more

Man Who Was Planted Explosives by Police to Be Compensated Soon

Bratislava, February 17 (TASR) - Interior Minister Robert Kalinak said after the Government session in Holic (Trnava region) on Wednesday that he expects his ministry to soon reach an agreement on financial compensation with the Slovak that in January boarded a plane with explosives planted to his luggage by the police as part of a botched security test. Kalinak declined… read more

Still No Word from Interblue, Ministry Vows to Act

Holic, February 17 (TASR) - U.S.-based company Interblue Group, which bought 15 million tonnes of carbon-dioxide emission quotas from Slovakia in 2008, still hasn't submitted relevant documents concerning transfer of the company's business rights to Swiss company Interblue Group Europe, TASR learnt on Wednesday. Speaking after a Government session in Holic (Trnava region)… read more

Greens: New Zoning Plan for High Tatras National Park Is New Disaster

Bratislava, February 17 (TASR) - The new zoning plan for the High Tatras National Park (TANAP) is yet another catastrophe for the High Tatra mountains, said Green Party head Peter Pilinsky on Wednesday. According to Pilinsky, this latest blow follows other outrages such as the polo match organised by the J&T financial group right on the frozen surface of Strbske pleso… read more

Heizer: Countries in Region Need to Co-Operate on Energy Issues

Bratislava, February 17 (TASR) - The energy supply of states in Central, Eastern and South-eastern Europe is dependent on only a single provider (Russia) for historical reasons and these countries are currently facing identical challenges, Hungarian Ambassador to Slovakia Antal Heizer said at a press conference in Bratislava on Wednesday. "We saw in January 2009 that… read more