OtherOther Economy

Interblue Group Europe: Emission Quota Contract Still Valid

Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) - Interblue Group Europe - the alleged successor to the U.S.-based Interblue Group, which bought Slovakia's surplus CO2 emission quotas from the Environment Ministry in 2007, still considers the contract to be valid, said project manager of the company Frantisek Jakoubek at a press conference on Tuesday. Jakoubek is convinced that further discussions… read more

Industrial Production in January Grew Most Y-o-Y Since November 2007

Bratislava, March 9 (TASR) - Industrial production in Slovakia in January rose by 19.3 percent year-on-year, the biggest y-o-y increase since November 2007, the Statistics Office announced on Tuesday. Developments in January were influenced by an increase in industrial production - 23.7 percent y-o-y, in mining and quarrying - 7.1 percent, and in electricity and gas supplies… read more

Slovakia Lacks Legislation to Challenge EU Consulting Mechanism

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - Slovakia lacks relevant legislation allowing it to challenge within eight weeks those European Union bills proposed by the European Commission and European Parliament under the Lisbon Treaty deemed in violation of the principle of subsidiarity, independent lawmaker Milan Urbani and lawmaker for SDKU-DS Alexander Slafkovsky agree. Urbani said… read more

Freso Resigns from SDKU Slate over Voting Fraud in Bratislava

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - Opposition SDKU-DS MP and Bratislava governor Pavol Freso on Monday resigned from the party's slate for the parliamentary elections (on June 12) over a voting fraud in Bratislava. Freso, who featured as No. 7 on the list, draw political responsibility for the manipulation with votes in the recent party's primaries in Bratislava's borough of… read more

NKU Casts Doubt on Use of Almost €4 mn within Notice-board Tender

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - The Supreme Audit Office (NKU) on Monday released a report on the inspection into the use of money within the so-called notice-board tender at the Construction and Regional Development Ministry, expressing doubts on the use of almost €4 million. Construction and Regional Development Minister Igor Stefanov earlier in the day said that NKU… read more

Foreign Affairs Ministry: Slovakia Will Promote Democracy Abroad in 2010

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - Slovakia will further promote the strengthening of democracy and a state based on the law, human rights and liberties, including the rights of ethnic minorities in 2010, reads a document submitted by the Foreign Affairs Ministry for discussion in Parliament this week. In addition, Slovakia rejects expressions of extremism, racism, intolerance,… read more

Most-Hid Unveils Proposed Changes to Second Pension Pillar

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - Extraparliamentary party Most-Hid unveiled its proposals on Monday to make changes to the private second pillar of the pension system under which people can put part of their salaries into personal pension-retirement savings accounts. The party's vice-chairman Ivan Svejna said that young, new entrants to the labour market should be required… read more

Caplovic: 20-percent Threshold for Ethnic Minorities Is Enough

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - The current regulation stating that an ethnic minority living in a given village or town must make up at least 20 percent of the population in order to be allowed to use its mother language in official contacts is enough when it comes to ensuring the rights of ethnic minorities living in Slovakia, Deputy Premier Dusan Caplovic said on Monday.… read more

Smer Will Approve Its Slate on Thursday, Fico Wants to Head It

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - The strongest Coalition party Smer-SD will definitely decide on the composition of its slate on Thursday at a session of the party leadership, said Prime Minister and Smer chairman Robert Fico on Monday, adding that he would like to be the party's election leader again. "As the chairman of this party, I'm interested in leading it into the… read more

Meciar: Gov\'t Is Successful Because Our Programme Was Carried Out

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - The current Government is a good one because it has carried out the programme drawn up by LS-HZDS, said HZDS chairman Vladimir Meciar on Sunday at a national assembly of the Democratic Youth Forum (DFM), a political organisation affiliated with HZDS. "The actual situation before the Government was formed was that (Slovak National Party/SNS… read more

Fico: Cabinet Can\'t Force Employers to Pay Women Same as Men

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - I wish you all the best on International Women's Day and I'm looking forward to meetings in Hlohovec (Trnava region), Ruzomberok, Martin (both Zilina region) and Bratislava, Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Monday following criticism earlier in the day of his Smer-SD party for the way that it has celebrated IWD. Several dozen people gathered… read more

Slovak Parliament Due to Deal With Statements of Hungarian MEP

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - The Slovak Parliament on Tuesday is due to deal with controversial statements made by Hungarian MEP Csanad Szegedi, who recently proposed in the European Parliament that Slovakia should be temporarily excluded from the European Union. The debate was initiated by Slovak National Party (SNS) vice-chair Anna Belousovova and is supposed to result… read more

Dozens of People Protest Against Smer\'s Celebration of Women\'s Day

Bratislava, March 8 (TASR) - Several dozen people gathered outside the Government Office on Monday to protest against the manner in which the leading coalition Smer-SD party headed by Prime Minister Robert Fico celebrated International Women's Day (IWD - March 8), TASR learnt later in the day. The demonstrators dislike the fact that Smer organised a series of meetings… read more

SOPK: Machines, Appliances and Electronics Lead List of Exports

Bratislava, March 7 (TASR) - The most important exports from Slovakia in 2009 were machines, appliances and electrotechnic equipment, together representing about 35 percent of the total; but in money terms this represented a 12-percent drop year-on-year, according to an economic survey published by the Slovak Trade and Industrial Chamber (SOPK). A 35-percent y-o-y drop… read more

Sefcovic: EU Commission and States to Have Closer Links on Legislation

Bratislava, March 7 (TASR) - When it comes to Europe-wide legislation concerning measures aimed at the implementation of the bloc's 'EU 2020 strategy', which is set to replace the Lisbon strategy, the European Commission aims to engage in closer dialogue with the EU's member countries, EU Commissioner for Inter-institutional Relations and Administration and Commission's vice-president… read more