80 posts
Case C-364/10, Hungary v. Slovak Republic
NEW
Slovakia not breaching EU law by refusing President of Hungary entry into its territory. Court furthermore holds that action under Art. 259 TFEU concerning future possible infringements or limited to seeking an interpretation of EU law is inadmi...
Commission's Art. 7 Comments to Slovakian NRA's methodology on fixed call origination and termination price control
NEW
The European Commission, made the following comments, in its decision, to TUSR's methodology on fixed call origination and termination price control:"Need to ensure timely price control remedies for wholesale call termination servicesThe Commission n...
Slovakia: Protesting SOZA's Newest Copyright Fees
NEW
SOZA's general manager Vladimír Repčík addressed Slovak high school seniors via his blog on Oct. 22, urging them to register with his agency and pay €15 for their traditional graduation parties. Tibor Blazko reports on the controversy.
Slovakia: “For Decent and Safe Life” Rally Stirs Controversy
NEW
Tibor Blazko reports on the controversial Oct. 13 rally for "a decent and safe life," translating netizens' views on the rights of Slovakia's Roma and non-Roma citizens, as well as on the failure of the state to address the alarming social situation...
Slovakia’s Online Opportunity
NEW
The Internet is a motor for economic growth, particularly in times of financial crisis. In Slovakia, a new Boston Consulting Group report entitled "Slovakia’s Online Opportunity" reveals that the Internet is already making a big contribution to the...
Slovak Telekom Scraps iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Ahead of Friday Launch
NEW
Slovak Telekom AS, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG and owner of one of Slovakia's two leading cellular operators, Thursday said it has scrapped plans to allow its clients to pre-order the iPhone 5 before the high-profile smartphone by Apple Inc. goes o...
Aug. '12 updt: Commission's Art. 7 Comments to Slovakian NRA on the latter's review of retail fixed market
NEW
The European Commission made the following comments, in its decision, addressed to TUSR, on the latter's review of the market of access to the public telephone network at a fixed location for residential and nonresidential customers:"Need to monitor...
Tunnel vision
NEW
SLOVAK officials discovered a 700-metre tunnel complete with its own train used to smuggle goods and maybe people from neighbouring Ukraine into the European Union (EU). They seized some 13,100 boxes of cigarettes and arres...
Slovakia: Teachers Call for Help in Open Letter to Education Minister
NEW
Two elementary school teachers wrote an open letter to the Slovak Minister of Education, highlighting the problems they face with their students who are “significantly maladjusted socially, [and] are almost exclusively students of the Romani origin...
Record Low Turnout Seen in Slovak Elections
NEW
Slovaks stayed away from the voting booths in Saturday's snap general election, which was on course to see record low turnout.
The multi-million euro gorilla
NEW
Leaked wiretaps implicate Slovakia's political elite in a bribery scandal...
A roller-coaster ride towards a new EU
NEW
The impact of the economic crisis on EU economies has resembled something of a roller-coaster ride over the last few months. No sooner had we got to grips with the mortgage and banking crisis that came to us from across the Atlantic than we were face...
Tatra tiger on the ropes
NEW
Slovakia’s “no” to the expansion of the European Financial Stability Facility brings down the country's government, but is unlikely to be its last word...
Will Slovakia take a bullet for the euro?
NEW
Slovakia's government may have to sacrifice itself for the single currency...
Slovakia’s Euro Rescue Opponent Grabs Headlines
NEW
The speaker of Slovakia’s parliament has made a name as a vocal critic of the tax-funded bailouts of euro-zone members.
We know what is good for you
NEW
I n the end everybody will vote for the Bailout. Even little Slovakia which has been holding out against it for quite a while.Last year the PM even went as far as describing the whole bail out process as participating in a "pyramid scheme."So it is n...
Morning Briefing: Slovak Politics on Euro Bailout in Focus
NEW
European issues, centered on the Slovakia's position on the euro rescue fund and Europe-wide credit market sentiment, will dominate the region.
Slovak Resistance to Expanding the E.U. Bailout
NEW
Richard Sulik, Parliament Speaker of the Slovakian legislature, has argued that the only real solution to the debt crisis in the E.U. is rigorous enforcement of the E.U. regulations on budget deficits and public debt. He has been particularly angered...
'We've only held up a mirror'
NEW
The Slovakian Parliament has overturned the decision by the country's previous government to help fund the €110bn eurozone bailout of Greece. Slovak MPs voted by 69 to two to refuse to take part. Slovak Finance Minister Ivan Miklos trashed the log...
Czech and Poland Decoupling From Region, or Vice Versa
NEW
Assets in the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary have long been lumped into one basket by investors. But with Hungary on its own adventure and Slovakia firmly entrenched in the euro zone, Polish and Czech markets are decoupling.
Slovakia: swing to social democrats but a centre-right coalition
NEW
The Slovak elections were the third to be held in the last week. The share of the vote for Prime Minister Robert Fico’s Smer (Social Democrats) went up from 29 to 35 percent; however that of his nationalist coalition partners went down, with on...
EU summit faces Spain’s woes and a Slovak threat over Greece
NEW
Rumours are flying thick and fast that the troubles of Spain’s banking sector will require emergency attention at Thursday’s summit of European Union leaders in Brussels. But it appears highly improbable that Spain will ask for help fr...
Changes in the Slovakia, Belgium, and Finland
NEW
Yesterday, Slovakians voted against the ruling social democrats and elected a centre-right majority into the Parliament. Today, Belgium also tries to vote a new government, and, luckily for the politicians, voting is obligatory over here - because w...
EU: Stability programme Slovakia
NEW
Stability programmes for eurozone countries on the one hand, convergence programmes for member states still without the euro. You can start by reading the background remarks on economic policy coordination in the European Union, in the blog post EU:...
Wordle-izing Slovakia's centre-left
NEW
And, as I know you've all been lying awake, wondering about the politics of Central European social democracy, here's a quick Wordle-ization of the prgramme that Robert Fico's Smer is serving up to the Slovak electorate for their also forthcoming ele...
When airport security is part of the problem
NEW
A bizarre story from Dublin. Short version: A Slovak agency was running a covert security check at an airport, which is presumably Bratislava. The test involves planting explosive materials in the bags of unsuspecting passengers. 8 packages in...
An Explosive Security Test
NEW
Airport security has had one of its regular revivals as a news topic since the attempted bombing in the US, and there's always questions of liberty versus security. But a airport security has reared its head in Europe is far stranger circumstances to...
Czechoslovakia and historical vinegar
NEW
CzechoslovakiaA chequered history Nov 19th 2009From The Economist print editionCzechoslovakia was born out of trickery and died in failure. Only up to a pointCzechoslovakia: The State That Failed. By Mary Heimann. Yale University Press; 406 pages; $4...
A tale of two Slovakias
NEW
SSEES marks the 20th anniversary of November 1989 with two contrasting Slovak speakers - a nice touch, as the fall of communism in the Czechoslovakia is so often reduced to events in Prague. The Magic Lantern, Václav Havel, speech from the balcony o...
Pandora’s box?
NEW
President Klaus seems to be looking for an exit strategy. Apparently he has explained in a radio interview that his famous “footnote” can also be added to the next Treaty that will have to be ratified by all member states, for instance in...
EU remains the best cure for Slovak-Hungarian frictions
NEW
After the fall of communism in central and eastern Europe, one compelling argument for bringing the region into the European Union was that the experience of prosperity, democracy and everyday multinational co-operation would ease national and et...
Dispute between Hungary and Slovakia a disgrace
NEW
Watching the dispute(s) between Hungary and Slovakia these days, I feel ashamed being a citizen of the EU.Both countries - and I have the feeling that Slovakia is pushing much harder for the conflict, e.g. through its recently introduced and disrespe...
Giving up the ghost (of Trianon)
NEW
If you ever wanted to know anything about the history of Slovak-Hungarian relations, just look at what they’re like now; the latest incarnation of the Slovak state language law is fairly indicative. Having spent the better part of the last thou...
Giving up the ghost (of Trianon)
NEW
If you ever wanted to know anything about the history of Slovak-Hungarian relations, just look at what they’re like now; the latest incarnation of the Slovak state language law is fairly indicative. The litmus test of relations between the two...
The EP elections in the Czech Republic and Slovakia
NEW
Click here to read Donath-Burson-Marsteller’s analysis of the impact of the European elections on politics in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Is this THE WAY? or A little insight into Slovak politics [Radovana JÁGRIKOVÁ]
NEW
How it all started I was sitting on a train, my eyes wandering around, when a sight of an aisle poster (usually an ad for tabloid press or spa) with a circle of yellow stars on a blue background caught my eye. Well, I had never seen anything linked...
'[The EU parliament] is a victim of its own popularity among Slovaks'
NEW
Robert Hajsel, head of the European Parliament's office in Slovakia offered this as an explanation for the extremely low voter turnout at Slovakian polls for the 2004 European Parliament elections. In the lead up to the June EP elections, low voter t...
Slovakia Takes The Biscuit - GDP Drops 11.2% In Three Months
NEW
I’ve been trying to draw attention to what is happening to Slovakian GDP for some months now, since I felt the consensus has been missing something (see this post, and this one). The Economist, for example, has been arguing some sort of version...
Slovakia- We know who, we don’t know why [Matej HRUSKA]
NEW
It’s kind of tradition in electoral campaigns (not only) in Slovakia to rely upon names instead of ideas. We have approx. two months till elections and all that political parties have already done is that they have chosen their candidates. No a...
Leader of Slovakian party Sloboda a Solidarita, Richard Šulík, who believes Gypsies should be sterilised is made offer by Declan Ganley and Libertas
NEW
In late January a meeting was held in an upstairs room at the Czech Inn, a pub in Dublin's Temple bar. The meeting was for Slovakians living in Ireland and the purpose of the meeting was to promote a new political party Sloboda a Solidarita. Though L...
Slovaks Re-elect President Ivan Gasparovic
NEW
Ivan Gasparovic, the incumbent president has won the run-off in the Slovakian presidential elections. Mr Gasparovic is supported by the current government of the leftish-populist Smer and two small nationalist parties where the president had belonged...
Slovakia: Presdiential Election
NEW
As expected, the least colorful incumbent president in the Visegrad Group, Ivan Gašparovi? has won the first round of Slovakia’s presidential elections. Iveta Radi?ová, the leading oppositon candiadate has collected enough votes to force him...
Slovakia’s 2009 presidential election
NEW
Well actually this post isn’t from me, but from my Global Economy Matters co blogger, and Election Resources On The Internet elections wonk, Manuel Alvarez-Rivera. Anyway, here we go: Voters in Slovakia went to the polls today for a presidentia...
Slovakia in the heat of elections [Radovana JÁGRIKOVÁ]
NEW
We talk about it on the streets, in the cafés, at schools, in internet discussions. We analyse, criticise, praise, ask, explain, compare, argue. We realise the importance of the election and of every single vote. And we can’t wait to see the resul...
Slovenia’s Economy Falls Off The Roof, While Slovakia Slides Into Recession
NEW
“Most other countries in the region are faring much better, though….Like Slovenia, which joined two years ago, Slovakia can enjoy the full protection of rich Europe’s currency union, rather than just the indirect benefit of being due to...
European Parliament elections 2009 (62): Young Slovak MEP candidate dies in car accident
NEW
Radovana Jágriková reports on Th!ink about it! that the first time that she heard about the EP elections in Slovakia was in connection with the tragic death of a 22-years old MEP candidate.The full story and the summary of discussions in Slovakia y...
A study on the effects of adopting euro on the common Slovak citizen [Radovana JÁGRIKOVÁ]
NEW
The positives of euro observed and experienced during the first two months with euro as an official currency in Slovakia: Socialising and making friends with foreigners. The first inhabitant of Brussels whom I talked to (a nice good-looking young man...
Ganley in Slovakia: “Don’t feel guilty for low voter turnout. People just don’t understand what it is all about.” [Matej HRUSKA]
NEW
One thing made Slovakia famous in 2004- the lowest voter turnout in the whole EU. Only 16,96% found their way in the polling places (second lowest turnout was in Poland). There were quickly something to blame: poor media coverage (said politicians),...
Information Society in Slovakia: Deeds, not words
NEW
NOTICE: This article was prepared for and published in Connection Magazine (11/2008) of The American Chamber of Commerce in The Slovak Republic. Information and the context published in article is relevant for time period to November 2008. Since that...
The Slovakian-Hungarian Football War
NEW
A month ago, a Slovakian domestic top league football match was interrupted by police action...
Right-wing extremism: bad blood between Slovakia and Hungary
NEW
pSkinheads in bomber jackets and Doc Martens, cars congesting the road to Slovakia, Hungarian flags, banners carrying anti-Slovakian slogans, hordes of press photographers and a large police presence: the atmosphere at the otherwise unrestricted Slov...
Setting market conditions in Slovakia
NEW
Discontent with healthcare privatisation was the prime campaign theme of the 2006 elections in Slovakia,...
Slovakia has a new currency
NEW
Notwithstanding the Lisbon holdup, the European Union today confirmed the capacity of selected aspects of the project to move forward unhindered as the Commission and Council agreed on a January 2009 entry date of Slovakia to the eurozone. The crow...
Slovakia: a scandal
NEW
Slovakia and the euroAlways the same winnersJun 26th 2008 | BRATISLAVAFrom The Economist print editionFew care about crony capitalism when business booms and the euro is comingONLY two things in Slovakia matter to outsiders, cynics argue. One is that...
Slovak Aid Report 2008
NEW
Slovak Aid just released its National Programme of Official Development Assistance for 2008. The report takes stock of accomplishments in 2007 and looks ahead to plans for this year.According to the authors, 2007 was a milestone for the institutiona...
