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Anti-Monopoly Office Approves Merger of State-owned Health-insurers

Bratislava, December 7 (TASR) - The Anti-monopoly Office (PMU) has approved the merger of state health-insurers Vseobecna Zdravotna Poistovna (VsZP) and Spolocna Zdravotna Poistovna (SZP), it was announced on Monday. PMU noted that the activities of the health-insurance companies take place within a system that involves a great level of solidarity and in which care is… read more

Car Manufacturers to Halt Production During Christmas Holidays

Bratislava, December 6 (TASR) - Car manufacturers in Slovakia plan to halt their operations over the Christmas holidays, it was reported on Sunday. Volkswagen Slovakia (VW SK) in Bratislava will close its production halls on Christmas Eve, December 24. "The all-facility winter holiday will last for two weeks as usual," VW spokesman Vladimir Machalik told TASR. "KMS… read more

Premier: Dismissing SPF\'s Officials Wasn\'t Premature

Bratislava, December 6 (TASR) - Smer-SD Chairman and Slovak Premier Robert Fico said at a Smer-SD ceremonial convention on Sunday that he doesn't regard his decision to dismiss representatives of the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) as premature. Fico was reacting to a statement made by LS-HZDS chairman Vladimir Meciar on TV JOJ's politics show 'De Facto' on Friday. "I… read more

Lajcak Heading for GAC and FAC Sessions in Brussels

Bratislava, December 6 (TASR) - Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak will represent Slovakia at sessions of the EU's General Affairs Council (GAC) and Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday, ministry spokesman Peter Stano told TASR on Sunday. The two councils were created under the Lisbon Treaty following the division of the General… read more

Fico: Kalinak Would Be Good Smer Chairman

Bratislava, December 6 (TASR) - Smer-SD vice-chair and Interior Minister Robert Kalinak would be a good party chairman, said Smer leader Robert Fico at a ceremonial convention in Bratislava on Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary of the party's formation. Fico had been asked whether his vice-chairs can imagine replacing him as party chairman. "When you happen to… read more

Smer: We\'re Strong Rival to Fragmented Conservatives and Liberals

Bratislava, December 6 (TASR) - The governing-coalition Smer-SD party has become a standard social-democratic political party that is fully respected in international terms, according to a party statement adopted by delegates at the Smer convention in Bratislava on Sunday. The document also states that the party has managed to incorporate the centre-left part of the Slovak… read more

Fico Warns of Attacks on Smer; Praises Party\'s Handling of Crisis

Bratislava, December 6 (TASR) - Representatives of the leading coalition Smer-SD party will act in an uncompromising manner until the end of this Government's term, and none of its members is worthy of damaging Smer-SD's reputation, Smer-SD chief and Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Sunday at a ceremonial convention held to mark the party's 10th anniversary. In his… read more

Paroubek at Smer Convention: Media All Bark and No Bite

Bratislava, December 6 (TASR) - The Slovak and Czech media are equally poor in informing the public of current issues, said Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) Chairman Jiri Paroubek at a ceremonial convention in Bratislava to mark the 10th anniversary of the formation of Slovakia's main governing party Smer-SD. "During (former Slovak premier Mikulas) Dzurinda's era,… read more

Madaric: Entire Political Spectrum Has Failed In Slovak Land Fund Scandal

(TV Markiza, December 6, 'Na Telo') If anyone has failed vis-a-vis the recent scandal regarding the Slovak Land Fund (SPF), it has been the entire political spectrum, as the Opposition and Coalition alike had people on the SPF Council, governing Smer-SD party vice-chairman and Culture Minister Marek Madaric said on TV Markiza's politics show 'Na Telo' on Sunday. Madaric… read more

Smer-SD: Session of Executives Focused on Sunday\'s Ceremonial Convention

Bratislava, December 5 (TASR) - The local structures of Smer-SD party will evaluate the Higher Territorial Unit (VUC) election results and submit them for discussion at January's Smer summit. They were assigned this task by the party leadership at a session of executives of Smer-SD on Saturday. Smer-SD spokesperson Katarina Klizanova-Rysova said that the party leaders… read more

Ousted Urbani to Sum Up His Tenure with HZDS Next Week

Bratislava, December 5 (TASR) - Only a naive person would be prone to believe that the discussion that was held within LS-HZDS party on Saturday would be held in a different tone than was eventually the case, MP Milan Urbani told TASR on Saturday. He was speaking in the wake of a decision made by HZDS's Republic Board earlier the day. The Board decided to expel Urbani… read more

D1 Highway Section of Mengusovce-Janovce In Operation

Poprad, December 5 (TASR) - A new section of the D1 motorway connecting Mengusovce and Janovce (Presov region) via the Borik tunnel was opened on Saturday, spokesman for the National Highway Company (NDS) Marcel Janosik said on the same day. The speed limit on 26 new kilometers of the highway, featuring a kilometre-long tunnel Borik, 31 bridges and 5 intersections will… read more

Fico: Property Disclosure Bill Worthy Of Serious Coalition Dispute

(Slovak Radio, December 5, 'Sobotne dialogy') If there was an efficient Property Disclosure bill by the end of this term, a bill in accordance with the Slovak Constitution, Smer-SD party would vote in its favour even against the will of other governing parties, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on public-service Slovak Radio's (SRo) political discussion programme Sobotne… read more

Urbani Expelled from HZDS, Party Asks Him to Renounce MP Mandate

Bratislava, December 5 (TASR) - Legislator Milan Urbani is no longer a member of governing-coalition LS-HZDS party, as members of the party's Republic Board, while holding a session in Bratislava on Saturday, decided unanimously to strip Urbani of his party membership, TASR learnt later in the day. "The Republic Board approved proposals by the political gremium of LS-HZDS,… read more

Fico: Actions by SPF Management Must be Scrutinised

(Slovak Radio, December 5, 'Sobotne dialogy') After the entire management of the Slovak Land Fund (SPF) has been dismissed, actions made by these 13 people in the issue of suspicious transfers of land in the High Tatras must be scrutinised, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on public-service Slovak Radio's (SRo) political discussion programme Sobotne Dialogy (Saturday dialogues)… read more