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Foreign Ministry: We Have Some Concerns about Hungary\'s Moves

Bratislava, December 15 (TASR) - The claims by Hungarian Foreign Affairs Ministry State Secretary Vilmos Szabo on Tuesday that Slovakia unilaterally interrupted talks about the State Language Act are unserious, Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Peter Stano told TASR on Tuesday. "In communication with partners, the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry puts a premium… read more

Academic Senates at Three Schools of TnUAD Oppose Rector\'s Removal

Trencin, December 15 (TASR) - The academic senates from three faculties at the Alexander Dubcek Trencin University on Tuesday voiced their opposition to the University's academic senate attempts to remove Rector Miroslav Mecar from office over a recent scandal of three academic degrees having been awarded unusually quickly. The academic senates from the faculty of socio-economic… read more

Baska: No More Lay-offs Planned in Defence Sector Despite Budget Cuts

Bratislava, December 15 (TASR) - The defence sector isn't planning to lay-off any more employees, said Defence Minister Jaroslav Baska at a briefing in Bratislava on Tuesday. Over 2,000 people including professional soldiers have left the sector over the past 15 months. We want to stabilise the remaining personnel, said Baska. Baska told President Ivan Gasparovic… read more

Gasparovic: Double Number of Troops to Be Deployed in ISAF Mission

Bratislava, December 15 (TASR) - Slovakia plans to deploy twice as many soldiers as is currently the case to take part in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan in the future, President Ivan Gasparovic said at a press conference in Bratislava on Tuesday. "We've known it for a long time now. I think we informed NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen when he was visiting… read more

Court Receives Proposal to Cancel SkyEurope Bankruptcy Proceedings

Bratislava, December 15 (TASR) - The SkyEurope Airlines bankruptcy administrator on Monday submitted to Bratislava I District Court a proposal to cancel bankruptcy proceedings against the company, TASR was told by the court's spokesman Pavol Adamciak on the same day. The administrator, Lubomir Bugan, said that the reason for this is that SkyEurope doesn't have enough… read more

NBS Expects 4.8-percent Fall in GDP in Slovakia in 2009

Bratislava, December 15 (TASR) - According to the Slovak central bank's (NBS) current prognosis, the Slovak economy will contract by 4.8 percent this year. NBS is therefore slightly more optimistic than in September when it predicted a fall of 5.6 percent. It also expects better developments in the next two years, predicting that the Slovak economy should grow by 3.1… read more

Slovnaft Won\'t Have to Pay Fine for Alleged Abuse of Market Monopoly

Bratislava, December 15 (TASR) - Slovakia's largest oil refiner Slovnaft won't have to pay a fine of €9.958 million for abusing its monopoly of the market that was imposed by the Anti-monopoly Office (PMU) in 2007, Bratislava Regional Court decided on Tuesday, overruling PMU's decision and returning the case to it for further processing. According to the court, PMU… read more

Survey: Most Slovaks Consider Present Economy Condition Bad

Bratislava, December 14 (TASR) - The biggest problem facing the EU countries at present is unemployment, according to the recent Eurobarometer survey. The survey was carried out by TNS Opinion and Social in the autumn of this year. Up to 51 percent of Europeans and 64 percent Slovaks see unemployment as the biggest problem. Compared to the survey from the spring of this… read more

Fico: I\'m Missing Elementary Duel Between Left and Right

Bratislava, December 14 (TASR) - While the left part of the political spectrum in Slovakia is consolidated and proposes a clear programme, the Right doesn't offer any alternative, Premier and Smer-SD head Robert Fico said at the HN Club discussion on Monday. "It's only empty talk, nothing else," said Fico commenting on the situation of the Opposition. He added that he… read more

Fico: We\'ll Consolidate Budget Next Year, Going Against Mainstream in EU

Bratislava, December 14 (TASR) - Slovakia, with its plans for launching a significant budget consolidation next year, will go against the mainstream of the EU, Prime Minister Robert Fico said at the HN Club discussion on Monday. According to Fico, a conviction has prevailed in Europe that fiscal stimuli for support of economies can continue in the next few years until… read more

Beblavy: Society and Government Don\'t Give a Damn About Science

Bratislava, December 14 (TASR) - Deputy Premier for a Knowledge-based Society, European Affairs, Human Rights and Minorities Dusan Caplovic said at a conference on Monday that he regards information, education and research to be effective weapons in the fight against any economic or social crisis. The conference 'Slovak Science' was held in Bratislava and focused on finding… read more

Number of Slovaks Troops in KFOR to Significantly Decrease by End of 2010

Sajkovac, December 14 (TASR) - Slovakia plans to decrease the number of its troops in the KFOR mission in Kosovo from 140 to about 20 by the end of 2010, said Chief of Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces Lubomir Bulik on Monday during his visit in Sajkovac (Kosovo). He said that considering the security situation there, it is not necessary to have such a big contingent in… read more

Analysts: Future of Slovaks With Euro Unknown

Bratislava, December 14 (TASR) - Economic analysts can't say for sure whether the introduction of the euro in Slovakia was more positive than negative. Only time will tell, analysts agreed on Monday. UniCredit Bank analyst Jan Toth said at a conference organised by the European Commission Representation in Slovakia and Slovak Central Bank (NBS) in Bratislava focusing… read more

Sefcovic: I Hope EU Affairs Will Get Closer to National Parliaments

Bratislava, December 14 (TASR) - New Slovak Eurocommissioner Maros Sefcovic informed about the priorities of his future activities in the European Commission during a discussion in Bratislava's European Information Centre on Monday. The discussion was entitled 'New European Commission: (The Treaty of) Lisbon Is In Effect. Sefcovic talked about how the institutional… read more

Foreign Affairs Ministry Familiarises Hungarian Ambassador With Note

Bratislava, December 14 (TASR) - Slovakia's Foreign Affairs Ministry on Monday invited Hungary's Ambassador Antal Heizer to visit the ministry and familiarise himself with a verbal note that corresponds to Hungary's proposal to organise a meeting of experts to discuss Slovakia's State Language Act this Tuesday in Budapest, Slovak foreign ministry press department director Igor… read more