OtherOther Economy

Analysts: February Unemploment Better Than Expected

Bratislava, March 18 (TASR) - Developments in Slovakia's unemployment rate in February were better than expected. Setting aside seasonal influences, the reported rate actually fell - by 0.09 percentage points on the month, TASR was told by bank analysts on Thursday. "Although these positive results may predict that a certain stabilisation in the unemployment rate will… read more

SDKU: Unemployment in Slovakia Growing 3 Times Faster Than in EU

Bratislava, March 18 (TASR) - Unemployment in Slovakia is worsening when compared to the EU average, increasing almost three times faster, said leader of the SDKU-DS anti-crisis team Eugen Jurzyca at a briefing on Thursday. "It seems as if the Slovak Government can't manage the crisis and the fight against it. At the same time, it's putting the Slovak economy into debt… read more

Road Ticketing System to Remain in Place Longer

Bratislava, March 18 (TASR) - The ticketing system for charging lorries driving through Slovakia is about to be extended, TASR learnt from Transport Ministry spokesman Stanislav Jurikovic on Thursday. The system, as an alternative payment method to the electronic toll system for lorries on sections of highways, expressways and first-class roads, was originally supposed… read more

Kia to Begin Building New Engine-Producing Facility in April

Bratislava, March 18 (TASR) - Kia Motors Slovakia is slated to build a new plant for producing car engines near the company's existing engine plant in Teplicka nad Vahom (Zilina region), company spokesman Dusan Dvorak told TASR on Thursday. The investment costs are expected to amount to over €100 million, with 270 new jobs created. The construction work on the new hall… read more

Unemployment Still Slightly Below 13 percent

Bratislava, March 18 (TASR) - Slovakia's unemployment rate rose slightly again in February 2010, going up by 0.08 percentage points month-on-month to reach 12.97 percent, the Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Centre (UPSVaR) announced on Thursday. According to Peter Zeman from the UPSVaR Director's Office, the situation on the Slovak labour market is beginning to… read more

SNS: Gasparovic and Fico Will Be to Blame If Patriot Act Fails

Bratislava, March 18 (TASR) - The co-ruling Slovak National Party (SNS) on Thursday urged President Ivan Gasparovic not to return its Patriot Act to Parliament as requested by Premier Robert Fico in order to delay the bills entry into force from April to September. Gasparovic and Fico will be held responsible should the law fail to pass a second time after being sent… read more

Baska and Gates Find Common Language in Security Policy Issues

Washington, March 18 (TASR) - Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Baska, ending his ten-day visit to the United States on Thursday, met his U.S. counterpart Robert Gates to discuss such issues as military co-operation in Afghanistan and the transformation of NATO in response to current security challenges. Baska noted that his country views the International Security Assistance… read more

Focus Poll: Smer Still Safely Ahead, SaS and Most-Hid in Frame Again

Bratislava, March 18 (TASR) - Had parliamentary elections been held in early March, they would have been won clearly by the governing-coalition Smer-SD party on 38.4 percent of the vote, according to a poll carried out by the Focus agency on 1,077 respondents between March 2-9. Second place would have gone to the opposition SDKU-DS party on 14.3 percent, followed by the… read more

Radicova: Social Enterprises Fail to Foster Job Creation

Bratislava, March 17 (TASR) - Pilot social enterprises have failed to support job creation, as state funds that have hitherto been employed to that purpose have been spent in an ineffective manner, Opposition SDKU-DS party's election leader Iveta Radicova told a press conference on Wednesday. The enterprises have also come under criticism from the European Commission,… read more

Bratislava-Schwechat Pipeline Possibly to Change Petrzalka\'s Land Use Plan

Bratislava, March 17 (TASR) - The planned construction of the oil pipeline set to be built between Bratislava and Schwechat, Austria might change the Land Use Plan of Bratislava-Petrzalka district, Petrzalka mayor Milan Ftacnik informed journalists at a press conference on Wednesday. The original draft has planned for some part of the oil pipeline construction to take… read more

Gov\'t Approves \"Urgent Scheme\" to Improve Slovak in Minority Schools

Bratislava, March 17 (TASR) - The Government on Wednesday unanimously approved a scheme proposed by Education Minister Jan Mikolaj to enhance what is seen as an alarmingly low level of Slovak at schools teaching in minority languages. The proposal was submitted after the State School Inspectorate put the aforementioned level in its report at slightly over 50 percent.… read more

SDKU-DS: Slovakia Going Down the Tubes

Bratislava, March 17 (TASR) - Slovakia, its people – and especially the middle class – are going down the tubes, Opposition SDKU-DS Vice-Chairman Ivan Miklos said at a press conference on Wednesday in Bratislava. According to SDKU-DS, the Government has failed in improving people's living conditions, especially the quality of life of the middle class and families… read more

Extraparliamentary Parties Hope to Make It Into Parliament

Bratislava, March 17 (TASR) - Six extra-parliamentary parties are hoping to exceed the 5-percent threshold required to enter Parliament in the June 12 general election, as is evident from the statements of their leaders. A survey carried out by the MVK agency between February 22-March 1 has offered the best prospects of achieving this goal to Freedom and Solidarity (SaS),… read more

Fico to Hold Official Meeting With Czech Premier Fischer on March 30

Bratislava, March 17 (TASR) - An evaluation of bilateral co-operation and its further development, along with topical European agendas will feature as the most important issues discussed by Slovak Premier Robert Fico and his Czech counterpart Jan Fischer in Sezimovo Usti (the Czech Republic) on March 30, the Slovak Government decided on Wednesday. The visit will be a… read more

Electricity Production in Slovakia in 2009 Exceeded Consumption

Bratislava, March 17 (TASR) - A total of 29 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity were produced in Slovakia in 2009, which exceeded consumption by 3 TWh due to the economic crisis, according to the latest issue of a weekly issued by the Slovak-German Trade and Industry Chamber. Slovakia's three large electricity suppliers - Zapadoslovenska energetika (Western-Slovak Energy/ZSE),… read more