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Miklos: Fico Lies When Saying Rightists Would Stop Motorways Building

Bratislava, April 16 (TASR) - Prime Minister Robert Fico is scaremongering and lying when he claims that construction of motorways in Slovakia would be endangered if a rightist government took power after the vote on June 12, SDKU-DS vice-chair Ivan Miklos said on Friday in reaction to Fico's statements earlier in the day. "And he is doing so only because he doesn't have… read more

Average Annual Inflation at Record Low in March on 0.3 Percent

Bratislava, April 16 (TASR) - Inflation measured by the EU-harmonised methodology reached 0.8 percent y-o-y in March 2010, accelerating from the 0.4-percent level the previous month, the Slovak Statistics Office reported on Friday. In March, Slovaks had to pay more for healthcare and education, as well as for alcoholic beverages and tobacco products. Conversely, prices… read more

Fico: Rightist Government May Stop Construction of Motorways

Bratislava, April 16 (TASR) - Construction of large-scale infrastructure in Slovakia may be endangered after June 12, said Prime Minister Robert Fico on Friday. "The threat that the accelerated construction of motorways will be stopped is real. We don't know today what will happen after the (general) election (June 12)," Fico said after an extraordinary Government's session.… read more

Real Estate Analyst Looks for Better Times in Sector This Year

Bratislava, April 15 (TASR) - RE/MAX Slovakia real estate agency regional director Richard Chury said on Thurday he expects property sales and rentals to go up by 15 percent in the country this year. Property market levelled off in August and the transactions have been on the rise since then, especially older homes and property without dwellings. New higher-class… read more

Lajcak: Ukrainian Officials Want Better Relations with Slovakia

Kiev, April 15 (TASR) - Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajcak told Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych during their meeting in Kiev on Thursday that Slovakia regards the energy sector as key to Slovak-Ukrainian relations, TASR learnt from the Foreign Ministry's spokesman Peter Stano on the same day. Lajcak said that the smooth transit of resources via Ukraine… read more

Eight Investors Entered Slovakia in 2009, Down from 34 Year Before

Bratislava, April 15 (TASR) - Eight investors announced their plans to enter the Slovak market in 2009, compared to 34 investors who decided to place their investments in Slovakia in 2008, that is, before effects of the crisis kicked in, according to an annual report by the Slovak Trade and Investment Development Agency (SARIO) out on Thursday. "Disruptions in the functioning… read more

Volkswagen\'s Plant in Bratislava Produced Its Millionth SUV

Bratislava, April 15 (TASR) - Car-manufacturer Volkswagen Slovakia produced its millionth sport-utility vehicle (SUV) on Thursday, company spokesman Vladimir Machalik informed on the same day. SUVs have represented about 40 percent of the company's production since 1991, he added. Production of Volkswagen Touareg and Porsche Cayenne, which are both in the SUV… read more

Slovak Meteorologists Not Concerned about Volcanic Ash from Iceland

Bratislava, April 15 (TASR) - Iceland's volcano ash and dust affecting certain West European countries is unlikely to reach Slovak airspace since the wind is now blowing it over Great Britain and Scandinavia, Jozef Kozub of Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute told TASR on Thursday. Irish airline Rynair at the Bratislava airport suspended flights to and from Great Britain,… read more

Meseznikov: One-Third of Laws Passed in Fast-Tracked Procedure

Bratislava, April 15 (TASR) - Almost one-third of all legislation passed by the Slovak Parliament in the first quarter of 2010 was passed via the co-called fast-tracked procedure, analyst Grigorij Meseznikov from the Institute for Public Affairs (IVO) said at a press conference on Thursday. IVO levels criticism at the Parliament for using 'the fast-track' so often, and… read more

Survey: 40 Percent of Slovaks Plan to Buy Car Within Two Years

Bratislava, April 15 (TASR) - Four out of ten Slovaks plan to buy a car within the next two years, and they will be deciding primarily on price. Quality, low break-down rate and fuel economy of the car comes only after. This is according to the latest GfK Slovakia survey, carried out in February and featuring 509 respondents. Slovaks also largely rely on their… read more

Flights from Bratislava Suspended due to Volcano Eruption in Iceland

Bratislava, April 15 (TASR) - Flights from Bratislava's MR Stefanik Airport (BTS) to Western Europe are to be postponed for several days due to volcanic eruption in Iceland on Wednesday, Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair informed media on Thursday in a written statement. The airline has cancelled all seven flights from Bratislava to the United Kingdom and Ireland scheduled… read more

HZDS Wants Lower Deductions and Regional Minimal Wage

Bratislava, April 15 (TASR) - To get out of the economic crisis that has wrought an increase in unemployment and worsening of living standards, the state has not only to maintain existing jobs but also support the creation of new ones, LS-HZDS vice-chair and Labour Ministry State Secretary Peter Sika said at a party press conference on Thursday. "We want to achieve this… read more

Foundation Stone of Slovak House in Mlynky to Be Laid on April 21

Mlynky, April 14 (TASR) - The issue of the Slovak House in Mlynky (Pilisszentkereszt) in Hungary is resolved, with the foundation stone of the new Slovak House due to be laid on April 21, TASR has learned from Chair of the Slovak community in Mlynky Marta Demjenova. "Before the ceremony of laying the foundation stone, we'll sign the contracts. We've received financial… read more

Miklos: We Want Build Highways Faster Than Fico, But From EU Funds

Bratislava, April 14 (TASR) - The strongest opposition party SDKU-DS is not opposed to building highways, but is expressing criticism over how the roads are being built at the moment. This is according to SDKU vice-chairman Ivan Miklos, who on Wednesday also said that his party is willing to boost motorway construction. Miklos was responding to Prime Minister Robert Fico's… read more

Transport Ministry: Railway Sector to Post Loss of €290 mn in 2010

Bratislava, April 14 (TASR) - The Transport, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry, which has proposed merging the three state-run railway companies (ZSSK, ZSSK Cargo and ZSR), said on Wednesday that the losses of the railway sector in Slovakia are expected to reach €290 million this year. "The growth in the performance (of the sector) after recovering from the crisis… read more