33 posts
When airport security is part of the problem
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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
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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
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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
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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?
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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
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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
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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)
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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)
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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
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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]
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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'
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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
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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]
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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]
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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
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“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
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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]
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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]
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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
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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
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A month ago, a Slovakian domestic top league football match was interrupted by police action...
Right-wing extremism: bad blood between Slovakia and Hungary
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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
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Discontent with healthcare privatisation was the prime campaign theme of the 2006 elections in Slovakia,...
Slovakia has a new currency
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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
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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
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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...
