About: Slovakia
Slovak government will not yet invest in satellite internet
While EU countries like Germany are investing in satellite internet connections to provide connectivity in hard-to-reach places, Slovakia has decided not to do so, at least for the moment.
European Parliament delegation visits Taiwan
A European Parliament delegation arrived in Taiwan Wednesday (3 November), part of an effort to build closer ties with the island despite warnings from China.
Taiwan delegation irks China with eastern Europe tour
A Taiwanese government delegation is visiting three eastern EU members to the dismay of China, which is irritated by any signs of Taiwan acting as an independent country.
Taiwan foreign minister adds Slovakia to rare Europe trip
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu will visit Slovakia next week on a rare trip to Europe that will also include a trip to the neighbouring Czech Republic and a virtual address to a forum in Rome, his ministry said.
ECB policymaker Kazimir charged with bribery, denies wrongdoing
Slovak central bank Governor and European Central Bank governing council member Peter Kažimír has been charged with bribery but denies wrongdoing and will defend himself against the charges, Kazimir and his lawyer said on Tuesday (12 October).
Lithuania expects delayed Polish gas link to integrate markets
A pipeline designed to connect the gas grids of Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia and Finland to continental Europe will begin operating in the second half of 2022 after a delay of almost a year, the Lithuanian energy minister told Reuters.
Macron, Orban urge EU to ‘actively support’ nuclear power
A group of seven European leaders fronted by French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the European Commission to stop hindering nuclear power and consider ways of bringing atomic energy into the EU’s green finance rule book ahead of an EU summit on Thursday (25 March).
How carbon pricing is driving the renovation of Czech homes
Like other European countries, the Czech Republic’s buildings are in need of renovation. Unlike others, it partly funds renovation programmes with revenues generated from the emission trading scheme (ETS), an experiment that could be replicated across the EU.
EU regulator urges caution on Sputnik COVID-19 vaccine
A senior European Medicines Agency (EMA) official urged European Union members on Sunday (7 March) to refrain from granting national approvals for Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V while the agency reviews its safety and effectiveness.
Leapfrogging gas: how geothermal could help eastern EU countries ditch fossil fuels
Geothermal energy could help central and eastern Europe break away from coal and gas, but it needs a quicker uptake and government backing to help meet renewable energy targets, advocates say.
Czech coal mining regions confronted with ‘hidden’ energy poverty
While Czech coal mining regions supply heat and electricity to the whole country, local people are often unable to afford heating their own homes, researchers say. More broadly, Czechia is struggling to meet its EU reporting obligations on energy poverty, an issue common to other countries in Central and Eastern Europe.
Agrifood Brief: Rumblings of discontent
All eyes are currently on India, where farmers are taking the streets to protest legislative changes in national agri-food policy. But there are also rumblings of discontent closer to home.
Slovak party derails plan to buy Russian vaccine without EU registration
Slovakia has dumped a plan to negotiate with Russia to buy the Sputnik V vaccine, after a junior coalition partner vetoed buying a product which has not been registered by the European Medicines Agency, Prime Minister Igor Matovič said.
‘Low hanging fruit’: Eastern EU states eye existing gas network for hydrogen
Existing gas networks should be repurposed to transport hydrogen and help boost demand, said Michał Kurtyka, Polish Minister of Climate and Environment at an online event about hydrogen in Central and Eastern Europe on Friday (12 February).
EU summit aftermath: Slovak PM diagnosed with COVID
Slovak Prime Minister Igor Matovič has tested positive for COVID-19, the government office said on Friday (18 December). The announcement comes after the French presidency said that Emmanuel Macron had been diagnosed with coronavirus, which he might have contracted at an EU summit both leaders attended the previous week.
Eight detained after Vienna attack had previous convictions
Eight of those detained following Monday night's terrorist attack in Vienna had previous convictions, including for terror offences, the Austrian interior minister said Thursday (5 November), as the investigation extended to Switzerland and a second, unnamed country.
Shock as Slovak court acquits businessman of journalist murder
The case of a murdered investigative journalist delivered a new shock in Slovakia Thursday, as a high-profile businessman was acquitted of ordering the killing that ultimately exposed high-level political corruption and toppled the governing party.
Fatal Charleroi airport arrest weighs on Belgian authorities
The controversial arrest of a Slovak man at the Charleroi airport in February 2018, which resulted in his death, has come back to haunt the Belgian authorities after fresh video footage recently emerged, prompting Slovakia to voice concern and demand an investigation.
Slovakia expels three Russian diplomats, link to Berlin murder reported
Slovakia said on Monday (10 August) it has expelled three staff at the Russian embassy in Bratislava whilst citing an abuse of Slovak visas, which local media said was linked with a murder of a Georgian man in Berlin last year.
Visegrad leaders call for ‘fair’ EU recovery fund
Four central European prime ministers called for a "fair" distribution of the EU's massive recovery fund on Thursday (11 June), at what has been dubbed the bloc's first major face-to-face political meeting since the coronavirus lockdown.
Visegrad leaders hold first face-to-face talks of virus crisis
Masks and gloves will be the order of the day when the prime ministers of four ex-communist countries on Thursday (11 June) hold the first major face-to-face meeting of European leaders since the coronavirus crisis.
EU code of practice on disinformation ‘insufficient and unsuitable,’ member states say
A coalition of EU member states have hit out at the bloc's efforts to stem the spread of disinformation, calling the self-regulatory framework currently in place "insufficient and unsuitable."
Hungary banks on Balkan Stream to triple capacity of gas supply to Slovakia
Hungary will triple the capacity of a natural gas pipeline border interconnector towards Slovakia by 2024, enabling the pipeline to carry more than 5 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year, the foreign minister said on Tuesday (2 June).