The Slovak Spectator 15_40

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Vol. 15, No. 40

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Monday, October 19, 2009 - Sunday, October 25, 2009

NEWS

Cabinet pokes pillar again

US politician slams law Slovakia's State Language Act came in for another pasting when former governor of New York George Pataki called it 'intolerable' during a visit. pg 2

BY BEATA BALOGOVÁ Spectator staff

Inflation still dormant Consumer prices in Slovakia had one of their calmest months ever in September with core inflation at only 0.6 percent year-on-year. pg 4

IF THERE were such a competition, Slovakia’s second pension pillar would probably win the world title and certainly the central European crown for most frequently modified pension scheme. After offering a series of opt-out opportunities to the 1.5 million people who currently save for their retirements in the privately managed second pillar of Slovakia’s pension system, the government has cut the fees that the pension fund management companies can charge clients to administer the funds.

Casino complex planned Developer TriGranit has announced plans for a €1.5billion, 1.2-million-squaremetre complex in Bratislava. pg 4

See PILLAR pg 2

OPINION Past apparitions NO-CONFIDENCE motions in Slovakia’s parliament have metamorphosed into a toothless act, a sort of political theatre. pg 5

BUSINESS FOCUS New mobile regulations Slovakia's smallest mobile operator welcomes the regulator's decision; the big two say it's not necessary. pg 6 Slovakia a tech leader T-Mobile chief executive Vašina tells The Slovak Spectator that new technologies often come to Slovakia first. pg 7

CULTURE Jazz daily Another Bratislava Jazz Days is nearly upon us. This year's headline act, Dutch saxophonist Candy Dulfer, will also be playing Košice. pg 14 Away they went Howard Swains reviews the new Sam Mendes film, and wonders if the main characters are honest - or just smug. pg 15

Slovakia's footballers celebrated in the snow at Chorzow after their 1-0 victory over Poland on October 14 assured the team of Photo: Sme Vladimír Šimíček its first-ever qualification for the World Cup finals, to be held in South Africa next year.

Slovakia qualifies for its first-ever World Cup NO ONE ever said it was going to be easy, but after putting their exasperated supporters through 180 minutes of agony in the past week, Slovakia's footballers left it until late on a snowy Wednesday night in Poland to finally book their place at next summer’s World Cup finals in South Africa. Fighting blizzard conditions and the fevered expectations of a nation – not to mention 11 spirited Polish opponents – Slovakia eventually emerged 1-0 winners in Chorzow in the final match of a long qualifying campaign. It was enough to clinch top spot in World Cup Qualifying Group Three and earn their place on football’s grandest stage.

CANADA CAD 1.54 CZECH REP. CZK 25.87 RUSSIA (1000:1) RUB 43.75 GREAT BRITAIN GBP 0.91

HUNGARY JAPAN POLAND USA

HUF 268.00 JPY 134.07 PLN 4.22 USD 1.49

Special to the Spectator

“I love these players,” said Slovakia’s Coach Vladimír Weiss after Wednesday’s victory, earned after a third minute own-goal by the Poland defender Seweryn Gancarczyk. “In these qualifiers we have played well and had a little bit of luck. Everybody made a contribution and we made the whole of Slovakia happy. This is a fantastic feeling.”

August production fall was lower than previous months

Spectator staff THE FIGURES posted by the Slovak economy for August this year might have been expected to catch the attention of market watchers more – had it not been for the fact that the apparent improvement in Slovakia’s industrial performance was largely down to the already

weak numbers posted in August 2008. In August 2009, industrial production fell once more – but only by 5.7 percent year-on-year. This appeared to be a marked improvement on July’s 21.6 percent decline. However, analysts warned that the August figure masked a still-weary economy. “This result seems pretty decent at first glance, since from the beginning of the year the slumps have been between 16.0 percent and 25.3 percent year-on-year,” Poštová Banka analyst Eva Sadovská told The Slovak Spectator. “On the other hand, back in 2008, August was already different when compared to the previous months of that year. By then, industrial

BY TOM NICHOLSON Special to the Spectator

It was no more than Weiss deserved after masterminding qualification from within a group that also included the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland and Northern Ireland, all of whom have previously featured at the World Cup finals. Slovakia has not been there before – at least not as an independent nation – but their record of seven wins from 10 matches in this campaign, including a victory in Prague against the group favourite, was proof that a corner has been turned in Slovak football.

IN SLOVAKIA, caveat emptor is more than just a phrase. Lawyers urge potential investors to take extra care when buying real estate, because what is written on a property deed may not be valid. Past clerical or legal errors during the sale of a piece of property can result in your losing title to it, even if you bought it in good faith. This is precisely what happened to the producer of Mitická mineral water near Trenčín in western Slovakia. On October 14, the Trenčín Regional Court upheld a lower court decision and awarded the production halls and the water borehole of the Mitická operation to Libor Jakšík, a man whose name appeared on a list of suspected organised crime figures leaked from the Bratislava police in 2005.

See GOAL! pg 3

See WATER pg 13

Industry's decline slows

BY BEATA BALOGOVÁ SELECT FOREX RATES € benchmark as of October 15

BY HOWARD SWAINS

Ruling casts doubt on plant's future

production was growing by only 0.3 percent.” As a result, the milder slump in August 2009 was to a large extent a reflection of the weaker base from August 2008, she added. According to Vladimír Vaňo, chief analyst with Volksbank, exchange rate stability as well as the extremely accommodating monetary policy of the European Central Bank contributed to a further stabilisation of Slovak industry and narrowing of its annualised decline to 5.7 percent in August – the best annual comparison since October 2008. See MILD pg 4

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NEWS / BUSINESS

October 19 – 25, 2009

NEWS in short Hungary reports Slovakia to EC HUNGARY has initiated an infringement procedure against Slovakia with the European Commission (EC) for denying entry to Hungarian President László Sólyom on August 21, the Sme daily reported. The deputy president of the EC, Jacques Barrot, who is responsible for the interior and justice portfolios at the commission, had earlier given a written statement to the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Hungarian government subsequently decided to turn to the EC to inquire about Slovakia’s legal norms and their application, and a potential violation of community law by Slovakia, Sme wrote. Barrot said afterwards that he considered the issue of Slovakia’s denial of entry to Sólyom a closed case. “It’s a bilateral issue between Hungary and Slovakia, as I already explained to the delegations of both countries when they visited me,” he said as quoted by Sme. According to Slovak Foreign Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák, Slovakia was informed about the infringement procedure motion in advance. “We are ready for the following procedure,” Sme quoted Lajčák as saying. He

added that all Slovakia’s arguments are relevant. Lajčák also said the Hungarian side had the right to initiate the infringement procedure, but the Slovak government had the right to do what they have done, although “we have never been happy about it”. “We do not think that two neighbouring, allied countries should communicate in this way, but I also understand that pressure is being put on the Hungarian foreign service and this is more of a step done for [Hungary’s] inner-political order than a step in relation to Slovakia,” Lajčák said, as quoted by Sme. The EC will now request a statement on the issue from Slovakia and then, based on the positions of both countries concerned, it will take a final stance. According to Lajčák, the Hungarian side is attempting to push the EC into requesting a statement from the European Court of Justice, a move which must be preceded by an infringement procedure. Lajčák also said that Slovakia will not face any fine or sanctions as a result of the infringement procedure, which is only aimed at harmonising national legislation with European law.

Opposition floats judiciary proposals FORMER Justice Minister and current opposition deputy Lucia Žitňanská has submitted a draft proposal to parliament’s constitutional and legislative committee suggesting ways to prevent the abuse of disciplinary procedures against judges, the SITA newswire reported. According to Žitňanská the current state of affairs in the Slovak judiciary is bad, and is likely to remain so. “Today's situation, in which we have taken a kind of a test, a stress-test under the leadership of Minister [Štefan] Harabin, has actually revealed the weakest points of the system,” she said as quoted by SITA. The draft to prevent the abuse of disciplinary proceed-

ings against judges is derived from an initiative by dissatisfied judges. Žitňanská suggests that only disciplinary courts should be able to suspend a judge, and not the justice minister or the Judicial Council. The Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ), of which Žitňanská is a member, also suggests other changes to the judiciary, such as a change in the procedures used to select people working in the system, separation of the posts of head of the Judicial Council from the Supreme Court president and a change in the rules to select council members. “The establishment of a council for ethics in the judiciary would [also] be a good step,” Žitňanská said.

Over 15,000 foreigners work in Slovakia THERE are around 15,300 foreigners working legally in Slovakia, according to Centre of Labour, Social Affairs and Family data from August 2009, the SITA newswire reported. The biggest group is from Romania, with 2,600 Romanians working in the country. The Czech Republic has the second biggest presence in the Slovak job market, with 2,200 nationals. Hungary and Poland both have approximately 1,400 citizens working in Slovakia. Ukraine has the fifth largest representation, with 1,000 Ukrainians working in Slovakia.

One-third of all foreigners working in Slovakia work in Bratislava: according to the data, more than 5,200 foreigners are employed in the city. Trnava registered 1,200 foreigners in its job market, followed by Galanta and Komárno, with 729 and 685 foreigners, respectively. On the other hand, the fewest foreign workers were registered in the districts of Revúca, Dolný Kubín, Veľký Krtíš and Brezno. By the end of August, these districts registered 21 foreigners in total.

Compiled by Spectator staff from press reports

US politician weighs in on Slovak language law BY MICHAELA STANKOVÁ Spectator staff

LAST WEEK witnessed another protest against Slovakia’s State Language Law – but this time it was not in the form of a mass demonstration, such as the one which occurred on September 1 in Dunajská Streda. Instead it came in the form of a single man: respected US politician George Pataki. The former governor of New York, whose family hails from eastern Hungary, visited Slovakia in mid-October and made comments which have caused some upset to the Slovak government. Now an influential figure in the US Republican Party, Pataki paid a private visit to the leaders of the Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) in Bratislava on October 12 and took the occasion to express critical views of the amended State Language Act, which has attracted consistent criticism from the Hungarianspeaking minority in Slovakia ever since it was passed by parliament in June. “The amended Slovak language law creates danger for the Hungarian minority in Slovakia,” Pataki said, as quoted

George Pataki

by the SITA newswire. He called the law “intolerable”, saying that it touches not only Slovakia or the Hungarian minority living in the country, but goes to the essence of human rights as such. Pataki explained he came to Slovakia unofficially, as a private person who is concerned about human rights. “The United States will be very concerned if this language law doesn’t change,” SITA quoted Pataki as saying. He also said that the issue now should not be particular paragraphs of the act but rather the overall atmosphere the law has created. The Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not comment on Pataki’s statements. “The question of the language

Photo: SITA

law and its trouble-free implementation is being solved in the standard European framework – with the experts of the High Commissioner of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) [Knut Vollebaek], who is internationally recognised as the highest authority for minority affairs,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Peter Stano told The Slovak Spectator. Pataki also referred to OSCE High Commissioner Knut Vollebaek, noting that he had also called on the Slovak government to make certain changes, SITA reported. In regard to the State Language Act, Vollebaek wrote in his report and also stated later, during a visit in Bratislava in

September, that the law was in accordance with international standards, but that the process of implementation would be crucial in order for it to remain so. The Slovak government is therefore preparing implementation guidelines and will not impose the sanctions introduced by the act for not using the state language in the required contexts until the guidelines are ready. This is expected to occur by the end of 2009. Representatives of the Slovak government have rejected Pataki’s criticism, some of them suggesting that he has been misinformed about the law by SMK politicians. Prime Minister Robert Fico, for instance, said he considers it unprofessional and politically incorrect for a US politician to comment on Slovakia’s legislation during a private visit, and that Pataki’s criticism is only based on the critical attitude to the law of the SMK’s leaders, the TASR newswire reported. Political analyst Grigorij Mesežnikov believes that the fact that a US politician commented on the law only illustrates that the amendment was unnecessary and that is harming Slovakia’s image abroad. See LAW pg 13

PILLAR: 'Sophisticated fraud' says PM Continued from pg 1

However, Prime Minister Robert Fico is still not happy with the way the pension fund management companies, which entered the system as part of the previous, centre-right government’s pension reforms, operate and he now plans to produce a new rule for the second pillar. This rule will state that that the growth in yields of privately managed funds must at least match government-set rises in the state-run pay-as-you-go pillar. “Today is the day when the Slovak government has definitely lost all patience with the pension funds management companies,” said Fico on October 7, as he announced the new plan, as quoted by the TASR newswire. “They were lying when they lured people into their traps.” The prime minister described the second pillar as a “sophisticated fraud” and suggested that the move would defend the interests of savers. Finance Minister Ján Počiatek has now been given several weeks to draft an amendment to the law on old-age pension saving. However, economists say that while the pay-as-you-go system can be politically influenced, the private pension pillar in fact depends on the moves of the economy. The opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) suggested that what the Fico team now aspires to do is to regulate global stock markets with a law passed by the Slovak Parliament. According to Eugen Jurzyca of the SDKÚ, this will be just another set of laws that achieves nothing except attracting media attention. His colleague Ivan Štefanec said that now the government is coming to the point where it will not have the money to pay pensions from the first pillar and wants to bring the second pillar closer to the payas-you-go system.

“It is only camouflage, designed to cover mistakes and the waste of public funds,” said Štefanec, as quoted by the SITA newswire. Observers also suggested that if the government manages to force the pension fund companies to guarantee savers’ gains at the level of pension valorisation, the way businesses are run in this segment might change for good. On March 11, the Slovak parliament adopted a revision to the law on old-age pension saving. Beginning on July 1, 2009, the fixed fee for administration of second pillar pension funds was cut from 0.065 percent to 0.025 percent of the net monthly value of the participant’s assets in the fund. It also introduced a new, variable fee, dependent on the actual yields of the pension funds. “The government has significantly changed the motivation of pension fund management companies,” Radovan Ďurana, of the Institute of Economic and Social Studies (INESS) economic think tank, told The Slovak Spectator. “The calculation of their revenues from fees is tuned in such a way that their administrators are motivated to achieve low revenues with minimal risks.” According to Ďurana, eventual losses would significantly affect their business results so they are motivated to invest only in relatively safe securities and even term deposits. “The system of fees motivates them to sell securities, which in the case of longterm investments could bring appropriate gains for the savers,” Ďurana said. Ďurana said that the paradox of the state’s proclaimed desire for privately managed funds to match public fund growth is that that the government is having to take on more debt and borrow funds from investors in order to boost first pillar pensions, while it is precisely the second pillar pension fund management companies which are buying a considerable share of state securities to fund that debt.

“For example last year the pensions were valorised [i.e. raised to reflect inflation and other costs] by 6.95 percent, which is considerably more than the annual appreciation of growth funds in the pre-crisis period,” Ďurana said. Pension fund management companies said that the government’s interventions have been endangering their operations as well as reducing, over the long term, the value of the pensions of those participating in the second pillar. Ivan Barri, the executive director of the Association of Pension Fund Management Companies (ADSS), told The Slovak Spectator in March 2009 that Slovakia was turning into the “cheapest pension savings system in the world”. However, Labour Minister Viera Tomanová has asserted that the March amendment has not prevented pension fund management companies from investing in equities. She said that the legislation has not had any impact on the investment strategy of pension fund management companies. “The fact that pension fund management companies have adopted a more cautious approach at present, as their money is at stake, is in a certain way a disadvantage for savers, but it is fully the decision of pension fund management companies,” she said as quoted by SITA. Ďurana said that the minister’s statements about the funds’ freedom to invest is factually correct, but does not paint the whole picture. “The pension fund management companies can decide where to invest but they do so within a frame that the law defines for them,” Ďurana said. “Since the motivation of their activities is, understandably, appropriate and sustainable profit, and under the current rules this can be achieved only with investments with low-yield risk, it is thus logical that their freedom to invest is significantly limited.”

NEWS

Minding the gap Health inequities need to be dealt with even during the economic crisis BY MICHAELA STANKOVÁ Spectator staff

HEALTH inequalities and the economic, social and cultural factors that cause and influence them have been one of the primary concerns of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for several years. In an attempt to marshal more evidence on what can be done to promote greater health equity, the WHO set up a Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) in 2005. Last year, the Commission published its report in which the authors set out a rather ambitious plan to close the gaps in the quality of health over the course of one generation. The CSDH was led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot who has been at the forefront of research into health inequalities over the past 30 years. His work has been recognised internationally as well as in Great Britain where in 2000 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his work in epidemiology and research into health inequity. He is currently conducting a review of health inequities in the United Kingdom at the request of the UK government. Marmot came to Slovakia to speak to policy-makers and public health experts from 11 countries of central and eastern Europe at a conference focused on analysing the social determinants of health and health inequities. The conference was hosted by the Košice Institute of Health and Society, a centre of excellence at the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Marmot about his views on health inequities and how the global economic downturn might affect needed investments to improve health. TSS: In its report, the CSDH hopes to close the gap in health outcomes in the lifespan of one generation. That sounds rather ambitious, especially in the light of the global economic downturn. Michael Marmot (MM): The CSDH has issued a statement that if there were the political will and social commitment, we could make a huge impact on health inequities in one generation. Then the question is: will governments and multinational organisations make that commitment? If you ask me whether people are making it happen on the scale that it needs to be done, the answer is clearly not yet. But are there signs that governments and others are picking up this agenda? The answer is yes; governments are sending encouraging signs that people have started taking it seriously. Then the question is what about this recession? Let me give you one example of how to put things into perspective. We said

Professor Sir Michael Marmot

in the CSDH report that there are one billion people in the world living in slums and that it would cost $100 billion to upgrade the slums. Was that really a stupid thing to say? Well, at last count we’ve spent about $9 trillion in saving banks, the banking system. So for one

For one ninetieth of the money we’ve spent saving the banking system every urban dweller could have clean running water.

ninetieth of the money we’ve spent saving the banking system every urban dweller could have clean running water. So then you ask, well, with the economic downturn, could we really do these things? And I would say we cannot afford to not do them. It’s a matter of how we want to use our money. And I think that the fact that there has been an economic downturn ought to push us to think how to do things differently. TSS: Why do you think so? MM: Because when we look at what the economic downturn will do, it will so much more affect the people who are already relatively poor and disadvantaged. It won’t be the people in professional jobs who lose em-

Photo: Courtesy of CSDH

ployment; it will be unskilled people, those with low pay who are already vulnerable who will lose their jobs. So it’s even more important to be investing in education, in skills development. Because it’s not only today that we need to invest or determine how we’re going to mitigate the downturn. We should make it more urgent to realise that we’ve got to invest for the future as well. So the next time – because there will be a next time – that there is an economic downturn, the young people who are emerging from these courses will have skills, will have proper education, will be able to find work; because it’s the relatively unskilled and those with low education who are most affected now by the downturn. TSS: The general assumption people tend to make is that poverty equals poor health. But the CSDH doesn’t see it as that simple. So what other determinants affect health and cause health inequities? MM: The first thing that we have to realise is that if we think globally the World Bank defines poverty as living on less than $1.25 a day. People in Europe aren’t poor by that definition. And yet in parts of Europe, sometimes in whole countries like Russia, or in parts of other countries, more people have poorer health and shorter life expectancy than people in many lowincome countries. So we need to think about poverty in a different way because in terms of in-

Health inequities do not stem only from poverty.

Photo: TASR

come even the poorest people in our northern societies are rich compared with India or SubSaharan Africa, or even the poorer parts of Latin America. So we have to think about poverty in a different way. Secondly, all the data that I presented show that it’s not just the those living in poverty that have poor health and that everybody else is okay; rather it is a social gradient, it’s degrees of poverty or deprivation. People in the middle have worse health than those at the top, but better health than those below them. It goes all the way from top to bottom. So if we focus only on poverty, on lack of food, lack of shelter, lack of clean water, then we miss the whole story here in Europe. Because it’s not that sort of problem; it’s actually failing to be able to take your place in society because of a lack of education, for example, or having little control over your life, having to eat low-cost, maybe less-healthy food, having few opportunities to exercise and little access to green space. All of those things matter and influence where you are in the social hierarchy. TSS: You’ve been researching health inequities for over 30 years now. Has awareness by the public and policy-makers changed over this time? Have you seen any progress? MM: Yes, I think we have. I don’t know how much success we’ve had in public awareness and that’s something that really needs attention, it requires people who know how to communicate well with the public. But certainly the understanding of policy-makers in many countries really has changed. For example, I’m doing a review in Britain on health inequalities commissioned by the government. I’ve said from the very beginning that there is the social gradient; it’s not just the poor health of the worst-off. And that’s been commissioned by British policy-makers. And everybody in Britain who has any familiarity with the policy issues around health knows about these factors. So I think things have improved, and that’s important, because knowledge, I would argue, is key; knowledge is crucial. We’re not arguing from some sort of political prejudice. This is not a matter of party politics. It is knowledge and understanding of what the evidence is, and it’s crucial. TSS: Is there a big difference in this regard between the UK and other western countries and countries of central and eastern Europe? MM: I think we all need to work on raising awareness, whether it’s east, west, north or south. But I’m quite encouraged about what I’ve been hearing about several countries in this region of Europe which are trying to take action. Just in the last two months I’ve been in Estonia, Lithuania, Croatia, and now here. The fact that I’ve been to these countries – that somebody wanted me to come – is already a statement that the issue is on somebody’s agenda. But I think we all need to work harder.

October 19 – 25, 2009

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GOAL! Coach tells of his pride in team Continued from pg 1

“Several people maybe didn’t believe in us,” said Weiss. “But we succeeded. I am proud of these guys and this triumph.” Slovakia went to Poland knowing that only victory would guarantee the place in South Africa that, one week ago, had seemed close to a formality. Needing only a draw to Slovenia at home in Bratislava on October 10, Slovakia instead lost 2-0 and gave the Slovenian visitors the chance to pip them at the post. There had been an atmosphere of anxious expectation at the crumbling Tehelné Pole Stadium, hosting its last match before its redevelopment. The 25,000 tickets for the match had sold out in only four minutes, prompting authorities to erect a big screen in the city centre for the overspill. And although most fans were decked out in merchandise presumptuously celebrating a South African expedition for Slovakia and preparing for a party across the country, they went home disappointed and fearing the worst. Slovenia scored twice in the second half to keep its own dreams of qualification alive. On Wednesday, with the Slovenia team all but certain to beat San Marino in their final qualifying match, Slovak fans were forced to crowd around television screens showing the action from Poland. The team was without four first-team regulars, including the Slovak Player of the Year, the Liverpool defender Martin Škrtel, who picked up his second yellow card of the campaign

against Slovenia and was suspended for the match. The ball also seemed to be missing for the television audience – it was frequently lost in the snow – but the celebrations from the Slovakia players were clear enough when Marek Hamšík’s left-wing cross was directed past Poland's goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek by the hapless Gancarczyk. That barely settled the anxieties, however, and Poland laid siege to Slovakia’s goal for the following 87 minutes. Goalkeeper Ján Mucha made three excellent saves and the Slovaks were also indebted to defender Zdeno Štrba for two crucial interceptions. Somehow Slovakia held on, and attention now turns to Cape Town on December 4, when FIFA, world football’s governing body, makes the draw for the 2010 finals to be played next June and July. Slovakia will feature alongside Brazil, Germany, Italy, England and Argentina, among other forces of the international game, in what will be the most watched event in Slovak sporting history. The stars of Weiss’s young team can now return to their domestic clubs dotted across Europe and work on gaining valuable experience for far greater tests ahead. Much will be expected of the likes of Hamšík, who plays for Napoli in Italy’s Serie A, as well as Škrtel and Vladimír Weiss Jr, playing in the English Premier League. “This team has a lot of quality and a bright future,” said Weiss. “Football is phenomenon and I, like they, enjoyed it today.”

Slovakia's Marek Hamšík (left) and Poland's Roger Guerreiro Photo: ČTK challenge for the ball.

4

BUSINESS

October 19 – 25, 2009

BUSINESS in short Casino complex planned for Bratislava A MULTIFUNCTIONAL entertainment and recreation project worth €1.5 billion will be built on the outskirts of Bratislava in Jarovce – near both the Hungarian and Austrian borders – by the international development company TriGranit, the TASR newswire reported. The ‘Metropolis’ complex will be co-financed by Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. and will consist of a commercial area, an aqua park, conference facilities, hotels and sports arenas as well as casi-

nos spread out over 1.2 million square metres. “Even in the first phase of the project (2010-2015) we reckon on creating 30,000 jobs, both long-term as well as temporary, and strengthening the service sector in the Slovak economy,” said TriGranit board chairman Gábor Zászlós, as quoted by TASR. He added that Metropolis will not be supported by the Slovak government in any way and will not have any direct impact on Slovakia's state budget.

Slovak jobless rate 3rd highest in OECD THE AUGUST unemployment rate in Slovakia reached 11.6 percent and was the third highest within states belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The average unemployment rate in the OECD countries was 8.5 percent in August, up 0.1 points from July. Compared with August 2008, it had increased by 0.3 percentage points, the SITA newswire reported.

Only Spain (18.9 percent) and Ireland (12.5 percent) had higher unemployment rates than Slovakia. Unemployment in Slovakia jumped by 0.2 percentage points in August and was 1.7 percentage points higher than August 2008. The OECD report showed overall unemployment in the eurozone at 9.6 percent; up 0.1 percent on a monthly basis and 2 percent year-on-year.

Road toll devices to be EU-compatible ON-BOARD units (OBU) which road transport companies will use in the Slovak electronic toll collection system will also be compatible with the system of the planned European Electronic Toll Service. However, full inter-operability of the e-toll systems will require agreements to be concluded among individual EU states. SkyToll, which will operate the e-toll system in Slovakia as of January 1, 2010 estimates that this process will take several years, the SITA newswire wrote. SkyToll said that because of Slovakia’s new satellite-based e-toll system, the country has a unique opportunity to participate in developing a unified electronic toll system across the European Union. A satellite system for toll collection will be introduced in all EU member states in the future. “We welcome the decision of the EU and perceive it as a positive step in favour of transport operators,” said SkyToll in response to the de-

cision of the European Commission on preparation of an inter-operability process for the toll road system in the EU. “The fact that the satellite etoll system in Slovakia will be among the world’s most technologically advanced opens space for us to introduce the etoll in other states of the EU.” The decision, adopted by the EC on October 6, establishes the basic technical specifications and requirements necessary for implementation of the European Electronic Toll Service. This service is expected to cover all vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes and as well as vehicles designed to transport more than nine passengers (including the driver) within three years. For all other vehicles the toll system should apply within five years. Slovakia’s e-toll system will be launched on January 1, 2010, and will cover about 2,000 kilometres of highways and parallel first class roads.

Euro had little inflationary effect THE CHANGEOVER to the euro had only minimal impact on inflation in Slovakia. According to calculations of the Finance Ministry’s Financial Policy Institute (IFP), the changeover added to inflation only by 0.18 percentage points, which conforms to previous analyses by Slovakia’s central bank. The National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) calculated the impact of the euro changeover on inflation as being between 0.12 and 0.19 percent, the SITA newswire reported. The IFP said there were several attenuating factors during the period of Slovakia’s entry to the eurozone which eased the impact of the changeover to a great extent.

“These impacts cannot be unambiguously defined, but their existence is proven mainly by the fact that the changes of prices have been monitored in a completely non-standard time full of uncertainty in the economic environment,” SITA quoted the IFP study as saying. “It is not possible to clearly say which part of price changes clearly represented the effect of rounding up or which part of price changes was caused by the economic crisis.” Compiled by Spectator staff from press reports

Inflation remains dormant - for now BY BEATA BALOGOVÁ Spectator staff

CONSUMER prices in Slovakia had one of their calmest months ever in September when core inflation was reported to be only only 0.6 percent year-on-year. The autumn months should keep price increases tamed but market watchers say November might bring an end in the slowdown in the growth of consumer prices. The rate of inflation already hit one record in August when its growth was measured as only 1.3 percent year-on-year. Though many market watchers had expected a slow growth in prices, the September data took some by surprise as they had expected the inflation rate to stand at 0.9 percent year-on-year for the month, according to Ľubomír Koršňák, an analyst with the UniCredit Bank. “As far as the outlook for October is concerned, we expect a slowdown of the consumer price index (CPI) to 0.4 percent yearon-year, mainly due to the fading impact of the comparison basis effect,” Martin Lenko, senior analyst with VÚB Bank, told The Slovak Spectator. “In month-onmonth terms the CPI index should grow by only 0.2 percent. At the same time, October and November should be the months when we expect the end of the recent slowdown in the growth of consumer prices.”

Prices of alcoholic drinks increased the most in September. Photo: SITA

Lenko is predicting that the inflation rate should climb back to about 1 percent year-onyear during the first quarter of next year. Koršňák thinks along similar lines, suggesting that the year-on-year inflation rate should bottom out in October or November at 0.5 percent. “In December, under the influence of the lower comparison basis we expect a mild acceleration of inflation to 0.8 percent,” Koršňák wrote. As to the factors that would most significantly impact the development of inflation, Lenko said that it will be the fading impact of the comparison basis effect. “In September 2008, the increase in the CPI reached 4.5 percent year-on-year, which was a four-year maximum, creating a high basis for comparisons this year,” he added. “In early 2010, changes in the regulated energy prices might also mix up the cards.”

According to Lenko, it is the moderation in prices of food products and energy which is behind the overall slowdown of inflation in Slovakia, a trend similar for inflation across the European Union. Prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products increased the most in September, up 8.2 percent year-on-year while prices in the health sector jumped by 7.1 percent and prices in the education sector climbed by 5.4 percent. Also, prices of housing, electricity, supplies of natural gas and water advanced by 5.2 percent year-on-year and prices in hotels and restaurants moved up by 2.8 percent, according to Slovakia’s Statistics Office. Lenko said the price increases for educational services reflect seasonal factors attributed to the beginning of the school year when fees for certain language courses and art classes are collected. “In health care, the high year-on-year growth is caused by

the gradual growth of prices of medications and, in the recent past, dental services also recorded fast growth,” Lenko said. Transportation prices decreased the most in September, recording a 6.9 percent year-onyear drop while prices of food and soft beverages dropped by 5.1 percent. “In the area of transportation and food, it is partly the basis effect but inflation was also influenced by a decline in car prices and a seasonal drop in the prices of vegetables and fruit,” Lenko added. Consumer prices remained unchanged between August and September. In addition, as measured by the harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP) there has not been a year-on-year change in prices in Slovakia and, essentially, the current rate of inflation is zero, the Statistics Office said on October 15. The Finance Ministry also reported in mid-October that the switch to the euro on January 1, 2009 had very little impact on inflation. The changeover increased the inflation rate only by 0.18 percentage points, according to the Finance Ministry’s Institute of Financial Policies. The Finance Ministry’s institute stressed that Slovakia’s entry to the eurozone was accompanied by a rapid drop in domestic and foreign demand and these factors probably considerably weakened the effect of the overall changeover on inflation, the SITA newswire wrote.

MILD: Revival of European demand is key Continued from pg 1

“Although the base effect of last year's weaker August did play a role in mediating the annual decline of the overall figure, the encouraging signs of annual growth in an increasing number of Slovak industries corroborates the view not only of the beneficial influence of eurozone membership for Slovak business, but also its contribution to a strengthening of the Slovak competitive position within the process of geographic optimisation of production capacities of multinational corporations,” Vaňo told The Slovak Spectator. August was certainly kinder to industry Europe-wide: industrial production grew 0.9 percent month-on-month across the eurozone, and by 0.6 percent across the whole 27-nation European Union (EU). In July, industry grew by 0.2 percent within the eurozone, and by 0.3 percent across the whole EU, Eurostat reported. Compared to last year, production of computer, electronic and optical devices grew in August by 67 percent; chemicals by 39.6 percent and pharmaceuticals by 13 percent. Apart from refined oil products and computers, with electronic and optical equipment, another two industries joined the trend of benefiting from the more competitive conditions of eurozone membership: chemicals and pharmaceuticals, Vaňo said. The refining of oil grew by 2.9 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2009 while the production of computer, electronic and optical equipment swelled by 36.9 percent in the January-August period. The chemical industry posted 39.6-percent growth in August year-on-year while the pharmaceutical industry recorded 13-percent year-on-year growth, according to Vaňo. The year-on-year comparison of production of vehicles in August 2009, showing a 10.7-percent decline, was also the best result this year compared with the year-to-date cumulative decline of 39.2 percent, said Vaňo.

Other industrial branches also recorded year-on-year falls but in most cases these were milder than during the previous months of the year, according to Sadovská. For example the automotive industry as a whole dipped by only 10.2 percent in August, she added. “Slovak car manufacturers are benefiting from their product portfolio, which is well positioned for the ongoing shift of consumer preferences towards more efficient models,” Vaňo said. The story of cars

About a year ago, news about the limiting of production at one of Slovakia’s carmakers spread; since then there has been much talk about halted production lines or forced company holidays along with layoffs, not only in the car industry but also in other industrial branches, Sadovská said, recalling how the crisis unfolded last year. Weakening foreign demand was a major factor behind all these developments. As for the country’s car industry, Slovakia had become used to growing production in this area, with the automotive and the machine industries dubbed drivers of economic growth. But these export-oriented sectors almost instantly became the economy’s Achilles’ heel, Sadovská explained. The first year-on-year slump in production and sale of vehicles hit Slovakia in October last year, although the September 2008 numbers had already foretold negative developments, said Sadovská. “Production of cars in September 2008 grew by only 2.4 percent year-on-year while the revenues in the segment did not grow by more than 2 percent year-on-year,” said Sadovská. Undoubtedly, the car-scrapping bonus was one of the most significant developments during the global economic downturn. “In Slovakia the car-scrapping bonus took root faster than expected and the frenzy

that it generated can hardly be overlooked,” Sadovská said. “For example in March, month-on-month, car sellers saw their revenues improve by almost by 50 percent, however year-on-year their revenues still did not reach the levels of previous years.” According to Sadovská, the bonus has not significantly affected production of automobiles at car plants in Slovakia. “When buying a car, people usually do not distinguish that much in which country the car was produced,” said Sadovská. If the car-scrapping bonus helped anyone it was the carmakers which produce smaller and cheaper models. Above all, car production in Slovakia depends on demand from the wider eurozone, she added. “Besides, it cannot be excluded that revenues were diverted from one segment to another,” Sadovská said. Industry plays a significant role in the creation of Slovakia’s GDP; during the past five years its share has always exceeded one third. The outlooks

“We assume that the weaker basis will continue to soften the fall in industrial production during the upcoming months of the year,” Sadovská told The Slovak Spectator. “We will also see what will happen once the effect of the car-scrapping bonus, or other anti-crisis measures taken by larger European economies, dissipates.” Sadovská suggested that results of the indicator of economic sentiments also indicate uncertainty regarding the future. A moderate decline in the confidence of industry players is mostly being caused by concern about future developments. “For the future development of industrial production in Slovakia, the key is the revival of demand in European economies – Slovakia’s largest customers,” Sadovská said. Ján Pallo contributed to the report

OPINION QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“You show up [here], as cowards who are attacking a woman.”

Vladimír Mečiar, the HZDS leader, criticises as unchivalrous opposition politicians seeking to have his nominee, Justice Minister Viera Petríková, dismissed.

Slovenskooooo BY LUKÁŠ FILA Special to the Spectator WANT TO root for the Slovaks at next year’s football World Cup? Lucky for you, the main chants of fans are not too difficult to learn, even for a tongue-twisted foreigner. There is “Slovenskooooo! Slovenskooooo!” and the somewhat more creative “Slovenskooooo, Slovenskooooo, hea-yaa, hea-yaa, hea-yaa Slovensko”, and finally, to the delight of the national team’s main sponsor from the automotive industry, “Kia – kia – Slo – va – kia!” Despite the fact that football is the country’s most popular sport, the country has never made it to the world or European Championships. The last time Slovaks played at the World Cup was in 1990 as part of the Czechoslovak team. And so it’s always been up to the hockey team to represent the country. After the split of Czechoslovakia the Czechs remained in the top hockey pool, whereas Slovakia had to work its way up from the lowest one. Slovaks joined the elite in 1996 and six years later won the world hockey championships, an enormous boost for a country which usually triumphs only in individual sports such as tennis (Hantuchová, Hrbatý), canoeing (Martikán), shooting (Gőnci), or swimming (Moravcová). However, even hockey is not really a global phenomenon. The championships are always a contest between the “big six” – Sweden, Canada, the Czech Republic, Russia, Finland, and the United States – plus Slovakia and the former Soviet republics. In addition, the prestige of the event is lessened by the fact that it takes place annually, not once in four years like the football World Cup or the Olympics, and the best NHL players never at-

SLOVAK WORD

OF THE WEEK

tend, as the play-offs are still just taking-off in late April, when the championship starts. Football is a different matter altogether. With the exception of the US, it is the number one sport in most of the Western world and in South America and it attracts enormous attention. But international attention (which we will have to share with Slovenia whether they, too, make it to South Africa or not given our similar names and almost identical flags) is not the only benefit the country will

gain. It will help business – advertisers are already storming newspapers with requests for ads on sports pages, travel agencies are booking first flights to Johannesburg, and Slovak football jerseys are certain to be a Christmas hit. But perhaps most of all, it will boost morale. Even people with no strong national feeling will surely love to find a Hamšík, Škrtel, or Mucha shirt under the Christmas tree. In a country, where the patriotic feeling and agenda has been hijacked by crazy extremists, it is a good thing. In order to function properly, any society needs glue which helps it to stick together. Without a healthy sense of unity and common purpose it becomes difficult to combat corruption, cronyism, disregard for the law and ethics, as well as other expressions of selfishness in public life. Yes, the football success will be exploited by the current government and the dysfunctional football association. And yes, it is only sport. But the consequences of Slovakia’s football success can be far reaching. It opens a chance for a better Slovenskooooo.

Slovakia beat Poland and advanced to the World Cup finals. Photo: ČTK

October 19 – 25, 2009

5

Apparitions from the past NO-CONFIDENCE motions in Slovakia’s parliament have metamorphosed into a toothless act, a sort of political theatre where the final scene has been written long before the actual performance begins and where any deviation from the script would greatly shock both the audience and the actors. On October 15, parliament performed the “no-confidence motion” play again and while the final scene might not be over by the time the last word of this piece is written or the last page of this newspaper is sent to print, the outcome is quite predictable. Justice Minister Viera Petríková will survive; but not because she warrants being kept in post to make her shining contribution to justice in Slovakia. On the contrary, she will survive because she is a safe bet for making no contribution at all. She got her script from the play’s director, Vladimír Mečiar, and she seems to have memorised her lines well. Petríková won’t improvise. If she did, she would likely need to depart the stage just as some other Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) ministers had to – as improvisers who failed to follow Mečiar’s stage direction well enough. The way Petríková handled the case of prominent judge Jana Dubovcová, who in 2002 was awarded a Transparency International Integrity Award for fighting corruption, suggests that she is exercising someone else’s sense of justice or interests, rather than her own or those bestowed on her by her ministerial position. When the chairman of the District Court in Banská Bystrica, Ľubomír Bušík proposed a disciplinary action against Dubovcová for expressing her strongly-held personal opinion that there is decay in the state of judiciary, Petríková instantly approved Bušík’s action. Then when Bušík withdrew his proposal under immense public pressure, Petríková nodded again like a puppet on a string. Daniel Lipšic, former justice minister and deputy chairman of the Christian Democratic

Movement (KDH), one of the initiators of the no-confidence motion, said that in about a month Slovakia will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution but at the same time society is relapsing to the times when there was “freedom of expression but not freedom after the act of expression”.

EDITORIAL

BY BEATA BALOGOVÁ Spectator staff

The political opposition, ethics watchdog groups and at least 105 judges who signed the petition called “Five Sentences” put much of the blame for these developments on Supreme Court President Štefan Harabin. Judges have been speaking out clearly about what they call the abuse of disciplinary proceedings used to silence Harabin’s critics. But for Prime Minister Robert Fico the testimonies of these 105 judges are not enough to start dealing with the conditions within the Slovak judiciary seriously. He did seem rather resolute when it was no longer possible to sweep the mess at the Environment Ministry under the carpet and he took away the front-door key to the Environment Ministry from the Slovak National Party. His man, Dušan Čaplovič, has been busy tidying up the environmental house since then and it appears he will have lots more cleaning to do for sev-

eral more weeks. Shady deals on which the state lost quite a bit of money are serious enough, but sweeping the problems surrounding the judiciary under the carpet might have more far-reaching consequences – not only for the judges but also for society and people’s sense of justice. Fico and his allies keep downplaying the seriousness of the situation and suggest that now the parliament is dealing with Petríková only in response to a few news articles. Mečiar – who was the one who brought Harabin back to the top of the judiciary – made his own little contribution to the public debate on Petríková’s recall. “What is it all about, it’s only politics. You show up [here], as cowards who are attacking a woman,” said the HZDS boss in response to opposition criticism of Petríková. And following the well-rehearsed script, the parliamentary debate shortly before 19:00 on October 15 quickly began turning into a political farce. At least Petríková did not shout out the notorious threat made by her predecessor: “You will go to jail, you bastard!” It was that statement which elevated the failed no-confidence motion against former Justice Minister Harabin to the ranks of the most controversial debates ever held in Slovakia. At that time, Lipšic (KDH) and Lucia Žitňanská (SDKÚ), sought to have Harabin recalled for what they said was being on friendly terms with Baki Sadiki, the alleged boss of a drug gang that operates in Slovakia. Harabin not only survived that motion, but today sits atop Slovakia’s Supreme Court. Nevertheless the sentence “You will go to jail, you bastard”, which Harabin said to Lipšic, as broadcast by the TA3 news channel, will now remain a symbol of this peculiar era of Slovakia’s judiciary – a throwback to bullying tactics that Slovaks thought they had permanently rid themselves of in 1989. But apparitions from the past still lurk in dark corners, ready to emerge should society lose its vigilance.

Stop the presses - Slovakia gets lucky BY TOM NICHOLSON Special to the Spectator PART of being a young and small country is that your major sports achievements get dissected for what they say about the national psyche. Slovakia's qualifying for the football World Cup with an improbable away-from-home victory against Poland on October 14 was one of those moments. The last time this country celebrated a sports triumph of equal calibre was in 2002, following Peter Bondra's late goal against Russia to win the World Hockey Championships. That victory was reported (by this paper at least) to represent the real birth of the modern Slovak nation as a confident, forwardlooking country. OK, maybe we overdid the post-game fizz.

This one is different, although no less significant. Qualifying for the World Cup on the strength of so many fortunate breaks undermines the common belief that Slovak sports teams, and perhaps the country as a whole, have been cursed with unrelenting bad luck: that where others succeed with skill and good fortune, equally talented Slovakia always gets tripped up by prejudiced referees, an unfair schedule, rotten weather or bad bounces. One victory, even one as undeserved as the 1-0 squeaker over Poland, will not change these attitudes, for they are deeply held. But it does remove the grounds for them, and that’s a good start. Poland deserved to win the match. They controlled the play all game, they had at least half a dozen solid scoring chances, including an open net and a shot off the crossbar, and they were

playing at home against a stressed Slovak side whose best players were sidelined because of yellow card suspensions (those referees again!). But instead of winning and sending Slovakia into the playoffs for a qualifying berth, where they likely would have lost, Poland handed their opponents an owngoal in the third minute, and then muffed every chance the Slovaks coughed up in return. To put this in context, Slovakia's sports history since 1993 is replete with tough breaks. During this year’s football qualifiers a tying goal away against Slovenia was disallowed, while a late goal by the Czechs in Bratislava spoiled a victory. Both cost the team points that would have made Wednesday’s game irrelevant. There was also the humiliating Slovak collapse at home to Slovenia on October 10 when even a

tie would have wrapped things up. Bad luck all round, lads. Or hark back to the 2005 World Cup qualifiers, when Slovakia advanced to the playoff round against Spain, and was whipped 5-1 in Madrid. Again, a biased referee allowed an offside goal to put Spain up 2-0, and then he ejected Coach Dušan Galus when he complained. Typical. Nor is the conspiracy confined to football. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, Slovakia was required to play a preliminary set before the main round, during which the NHL refused to release the country’s professional hockey players to the national team. Slovakia lost to Germany and Austria and then tied lowly Latvia, finishing at the bottom of its group and out of the tournament before the Olympics even began. See CUP pg 13

JÁN PALLO - Publisher

EDITORIAL

BEATA BALOGOVÁ - Editor - In - Chief JAMES THOMSON - Assistant Editor DONALD SPATZ - Assistant Editor JANA LIPTÁKOVÁ - Staff Writer MICHAELA STANKOVÁ - Staff Writer DOMINIKA UHRÍKOVÁ - Staff Writer ZUZANA VILIKOVSKÁ - News Researcher

LAYOUT, WEB & IT

TATIANA ·TRAUCHOVÁ - Graphic Designer ROMAN KRÁª - IT TOMÁ· PALLO - Online Publishing

SALES - FINANCES

BEATA FOJTÍKOVÁ - Sales Executive MARTINA ·MATLÁKOVÁ - PR and Marketing Manager MARTA FUKASOVÁ - Advertising Assistant DÁ·A REHÁKOVÁ - Circulation Manager The Slovak Spectator is an independent newspaper published every Monday by The Rock, s.r.o. Subscriptions: Inquiries should be made to The Slovak Spectator’s business office at (+421-2) 59 233 300. Printing: Petit Press a.s. Distribution: Interpress Slovakia s.r.o., Mediaprint-kapa s.r.o., Slovenská po‰ta a.s. Mail Distribution: ABOPRESS. Reg. No.: 1200/95. © 2008 The Rock, s.r.o. All rights reserved. Any reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited by law. The authors of articles published in this issue, represented by the publisher, reserve the right to give their approval for reproducing and public transmission of articles marked ©The Slovak Spectator, as well as for the public circulation of reproductions of these articles, in compliance with the 33rd article and 1st paragraph of the Copyright Law. Media monitoring is provided by Newton, IT, SMA and Slovakia Online with the approval of the publisher. Advertising material contained herein is the responsibility of the advertiser and is not a written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of such commercial enterprises or ventures by The Slovak Spectator or The Rock s.r.o. ISSN 1335-9843. Address: The Rock, s.r.o., Lazaretská 12, 811 08 Bratislava

6

October 19 – 25, 2009 CEO of a leading mobile operator talks to the Spectator Slovakia enters EU optical network top ten

BUSINESS FOCUS

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

New mobile regulations come into effect “We are convinced that any regulation deforms the market in a significant way and endangers a healthy competitive environment,” Richard Fides of Orange Slovensko said in response to regulatory measures recently adopted by the European Commission and Slovakia’s Telecommunications Office (TÚ). “Without any regulation we reduced prices of data roaming by over 80 percent and in 2008 alone the price for a call decreased by almost 12 percent under the influence of competition.”

Slovakia’s three operators disagree on their impact BY JANA LIPTÁKOVÁ Spectator staff

COMPETITION in the Slovak mobile telephone market remains vigorous. Two mobile operators, Orange Slovensko and TMobile Slovensko, continue to dominate the market and the smallest and newest operator, Telefónica O2 Slovakia is endeavouring to slice as big as possible piece from the overall cake by advocating more regulation in certain areas. “Regulation of the market is not needed when there are no barriers to healthy competition,” René Parák, spokesperson for Telefónica O2 Slovakia told The Slovak Spec-

Good price? New regulations could cut the cost of a call.

tator. “But it is necessary if such barriers exist and the free market is not effective. In regards to the themes we have recently initiated, for example call termination rates, it is a fact that Slovakia is significantly lagging behind other countries of the European Union. We are asking for nothing more than the European standard of regulation

Photo: SITA

in Slovakia; clear rules of the game and fair conditions for all market players,” said Parák. The biggest mobile operator in Slovakia, Orange Slovensko, perceives further regulation as an unhealthy measure and thinks that any effort towards additional regulation is unprecedented interference in the market.

Termination rates

The TÚ, the country’s telecommunications market regulator, has required all three Slovak mobile operators to apply cost-based call termination rates, the rates paid by mobile companies to each other when their customers call from one network to another one.

CAREERS & HUMAN RESOURCES

Institutions and organisations in the telecommunications sector in Slovakia The Ministry of Transport, Postal Services and Telecommunications Minister: Ľubomír Vážny www.telecom.gov.sk Telecommunications Office (TÚ SR) TÚ SR is Slovakia’s regulatory and pricing authority for the electronic communications sector. Chair: Ladislav Mikuš www.teleoff.gov.sk Association of Internet Providers (API) www.api.six.sk Association of Telecommunications Operators (ATO) www.ato.sk

Telecom companies in Slovakia Dial Telecom – www.dial.sk Digi Slovakia – www.digislovakia.sk Energotel – www.energotel.sk GTS Slovakia – www.gts.sk Orange Slovensko – www.orange.sk Satro - www.satro.sk Slovak Telekom - www.slovaktelekom.sk Slovanet – www.slovanet.sk Swan – www.swan.sk Telefónica O2 Slovakia – www.sk.o2.com T-Mobile Slovensko – www.t-mobile.sk UPC Broadband Slovakia – www.upc.sk Vizada Networks – www.vizada.com Železničné telekomunikácie – www.zt.sk Source: www.etrend.sk and Book of Lists 2009

See RATES pg 10

Compiled by Spectator staff

ADVERTISEMENT

Slovak Telekom protects business of companies in its Data Centres Every company using an information system running on one or more servers needs to appropriately house this equipment. Companies have different views in how to solve the placement of servers and other technologies (disc arrays, tape libraries, IP phone systems, telecoms operator technologies …) and operating ICT technology, ranging from using a free office or storage room as the so-called “server room” to construction of a financially demanding private data centre. When building its own “data centre”, some companies struggle with lack of investment funds which is then reflected in savings for required equipment and technologies such as cooling, back-up power supply and the like). Sometimes, when planning these spaces, future needs are not fully taken into consideration: room size, output, energy demands… There is a reliable way to solve these problems in housing your ICT technology – using data centres (DCs) hosted by Slovak Telekom – where you get professional housing services under the T-Com brand. Slovak Telekom considers its DCs to be one of the fundamental building blocks to solve the question of securing continuity in business processes. Thus, our DCs were built with parameters that can meet – in addition to T-Com’s internal requirements – the most demanding needs of external clients. T-Com’s DCs are designed with an emphasis on all the supporting systems which meet the strictest criteria for securing the operation. The crucial elements in these DCs are backup power supplies and systems of cooling and connectivity designed in a way that a possible power failure will not influence the operability of the technology housed in the DC. Currently, T-Com has Data Centres in Bratislava, Banská Bystrica (the community of Tajov), Košice and Prešov (the community of Bzenov). The DCs in Tajov and Bzenov are the best-equipped and most physically-secure ones. They are in separate constructions (bunkers) built in the urban areas of the municipalities and are resistant to natural elements as well as nuclear, chemical, or biological attacks. These DCs can operate independently for 6 days without any contact with the external environment. In addition to non-stop armed guard, these DCs also have an electronic fire alarm system (EPS), an electronic security system (EZS) and a camera system (KS). Fire extinguishing in these buildings is arranged so that a fire can be put out while the technology continues to run. These utilities are connected to a power supply in three independent ways and data connectivity for these DCs is solved in a similar way. All supporting technologies (cooling, back-up power supply and generators) are at least doubled – that secures continuous operation of the ICT

technology housed there. We can say that the protective parameters of these DCs are unique within Slovakia. In addition to these existing DCs, T-Com has begun intense preparations for the construction of a modern DC in Bratislava. This DC will be built to fulfil all strict criteria required for modern DCs as well as incorporating recommendations of international institutions and organisations dealing with DCs. In its existing DCs, T-Com offers various services. The basic service is housing of technologies. Space can be rented in a rack or a whole array of racks or space can be rented in square metres with the opportunity to enclose the whole rented space or to physically detach the space through construction and secure entry to this space with keys. It is also possible, in addition to the leasing of space in a rack or whole racks, to lease an area of 1m2 and fence off the leased area or physically separate it by a building adjustment and ensure a keyed mode of entry into this area .Within our housing services, of course, our client gets the supporting technologies (e.g. multiple power supply, cooling, etc.) to the extent necessary for providing non-stop operation of the client’s facilities. Specific parameters are based on the individual requirements of each client.

be scaled from simple housing of a web server to a comprehensive plan for business continuity or a disaster recovery plan. We do not ignore the influence of these services on the environment and this is reflected in our certificate for managing environmental systems according to EN ISO 14001:2004. The best argument why T-Com is the right partner for outsourcing your ICT services to one of our Data Centres is the fact that T-Com operates its own vast systems in these DCs. By letting customers outsource their ICT services, T-Com helps them solve significant problems in the housing and operations of their ICT infrastructure. At T-Com we can adapt to the requirements and needs of a client while being mindful of its current technological status.

T-Com also offers its clients the services that are contained in its own facilities: primarily rental of capacities on disc arrays and magnetic tapes. We can simply rent capacity on our disc arrays or in our tape library but we can also solve more complex problems by making backups, archives, and restoring data, or resolving the problems in a disaster recovery centre. Apart from our own know-how, we also cooperate intensively with renowned suppliers of both hardware and software who are among the best in their fields. Each client’s needs undergo a detailed analysis of requirements, resulting in a comprehensive ICT solution that integrates their requirements and the existing environment with services and technological equipment of the DC, telecoms services and potential other suppliers who are part of the solution. Thus, T-Com is a leading provider of comprehensive ICT solutions, proven by clients’ projects implemented in the secure rooms of T-Com’s DCs. The basic advantages for our client from the services provided in T-Com DCs are eliminating high investment costs and sharing the operating costs of the DCs. Included in the services are certified rooms (physical safety) along with professional technological operation of the DCs. Solutions provided to end-users by T-Com can 30529

slovak telecom.indd 1

14.10.2009 13:37

BUSINESS FOCUS

October 19 – 25, 2009

7

Slovakia among the leaders in mobile BY BEATA BALOGOVÁ Spectator staff

MILAN Vašina is a strong believer in mobile. He has always worked in the mobile business and thanks to new technologies he envisions a future when everyone will have their own little personal notebook which they will no longer need to share with the whole family. The Slovak Spectator spoke to Vašina, the CEO of T-Mobile Slovensko, about challenges facing the telecommunications sector, government regulations, customer preferences, unique aspects of the central European market and also about only partially-explored areas where mobile technologies might soon take the lead. The Slovak Spectator (TSS): What are the greatest challenges that the global economic downturn brought to the telecom sector? Which are the challenges that could have been here anyway even without the impacts of the crisis? Milan Vašina (MV): The crisis has certainly already appeared thanks to the changed behaviour of customers. I cannot say that we are a sector which has not been affected. However, for the mobile telecom sector there have been couple of significant changes this year and it is important to separate these. The market will slow down and it will not grow as a whole because in the past it had always been growing. One of the two basic factors behind this is the crisis: customers tend to control their spending more and thus both residential and business customers are becoming more careful. They are travelling less and thus spending less money on roaming, often as a consequence of the crisis. But the second aspect affecting the market which has strengthened in 2009 is regulation: both internationally within the EU – the socalled roaming regulation – and also domestic measures such as regulation of termination rates. So if we talk about a certain stagnation or fall of demand in the market, we estimate that two- thirds is due to regulation and only the rest is the impact of the crisis or scepticism among our customers. TSS: Why is the telecom sector “blessed” with so many regulations? MV: Some economic sectors have an impact on every single customer and if we talk about a very high penetration, then practically every person has some kind of contact with this product and this sector, which also means that we cannot avoid this type of regulatory influence. I personally think that regulation should solve negative tendencies within the market; when customers’ rights are being violated. I do not think this applies to the telecom market where there is very tough competition, which in itself creates quite strong regulation. The Slovak market is very competitive due to the fact that there are three operators. It actually was the case even when there were

Milan Vašina, CEO of T-Mobile Slovensko

only two main players. Whether one looks at the signal coverage, the quality of services or the networks or customer care and nonstop free info lines – these elements were brought to the customer thanks to the competition and not because of regulation. If regulation is not thoughtful it might have a contrary effect and limit the investment abilities of the firms in any particular branch; and mobile communication is a very demanding investment environment. This investment is especially important for customers because they can just say they want more pre-paid minutes for less money and in response to such a demand, the operator must develop its capacities. Some would also say: you have covered 98 or 99 percent of the population and then you no longer really need to invest. But the contrary is true. Customers are increasing their volume of calls and if they call only 10-15 minutes more than in past, you have to significantly increase the available capacities so that the operations work normally. TSS: Telecom sector watchers suggest that customers will have a tendency to move from the trendiest technologies towards ones with a more acceptable price. What could such a trend bring for mobile operators? Could that bring some slowdown in developing new technologies? MV: I think it won’t. In the past when the penetration of mobile phones was lower there was already a group of people driven by the passion for new technologies, the so-called early adopters. This group is actually not shrinking, and even with close to 100 percent penetration you still have 30 percent of the customers who are fans of advanced technologies and the remainder wants to use their phones for basic services. I am confident that there will always be the group of technical geeks. Besides, you also have a whole generation of users who have been growing up with their mobile phones and have already adapted to the changing technologies. Then you still have a group which will never really

Photo: Courtesy of T-Mobile Slovensko

have a mobile phone. You have people who were 30 when they went mobile and today they are about 45; they have been growing up with the mobile phone and they will use the new services and not only those initiated by a mobile operator. Thanks to this environment, there will be open platforms for a huge number of applications. And these won’t be viewed as separate revolutionary technologies, but rather creating wider use of online services, data, and community services. We have created text messages, prepaid cards, GPRS, EDGE; these were all technological influences which have moved the sector’s development ahead. My theory is that technologies have their justification – but at the right time. If you look at 3G, the technology was invented long ago but had to wait before it was implemented. The same goes for the iPhone: the operators waited for the moment when they felt that it would be well-received by the market. TSS: There are some very specific groups of customers on the market such as seniors, children and physically-disabled people. Are you trying to focus on these groups as well? MV: Certainly, we have in mind seniors and children but it does not happen in the form of special technologies, but rather special devices for these groups. We have provided phones for older people, with larger buttons and displays. With children it is more complicated because they want the same phone as their older siblings. As far as disabled people are concerned, we have special services; beginning eight years ago we started special tariffs for the hearing impaired because we knew that since the customer could not use voice services they could still send text messages or today, emails. We also have trained our staff and today we have about 80 sales people who can handle sign language. In fact, we also have launched a project called “Looking for another sense” for hearing-impaired businessmen so that we can help them integrate into society: it is still about communication.

TSS: Which are the unexplored areas where mobile technology might be used in the future? MV: The possibilities of mobile technologies are almost limitless because at the same time it is a very personal item: you can communicate, store your photos and your contacts there. In the future it can be your bank card, your purse or even a sort of ID card. Today, at many places you can check-in with your phone. Since everyone has one, the possibilities are immense. Besides, you have an overarching network which helps you wherever you are. Of course, the services will be shifted in the future from today’s use of voice and text messages towards data applications and I think this will happen not only in terms of content and entertainment but also in simplifying life. There is still another aspect, the change in value: so far, as operators, we have been bringing our services and now we will be offering an environment where new applications are coming, and there you need strong cooperation with other firms which are providing these services and you have to find interlinking and balance. TSS: T-Mobile is now part of the service through which public transportation customers can buy bus and tram tickets using their phones. MV: These are popular services and people have learned how to use them. There are similar services in the Czech Republic. I often travel to Prague and I am using it because it is simple. Yet, it shows how the possibilities of using a mobile phone are widening. Almost everyone has a mobile phone and therefore this service is accessible to almost every passenger using public transportation. There are certain types of micro-payments, lotteries and similar entertainment services. I do think that soon more and more options will be added, thanks also to changed legislation in this area. TSS: What are the specifics of the Slovak telecom market when compared with other European countries?

MV: In the past we didn’t have such deep penetration by fixed lines as western countries did, so when mobile phones became available people who did not have fixed lines reached en masse for mobile services. I am confident that the Visegrad Four countries have a much better performance within the mobile market than many western countries. Today most voice communication goes through mobile networks, which is of key importance. This has created strong competition and in terms of price levels, coverage or services we are, in fact, ahead of many western markets. Customers are often not aware of the good signal coverage we have in Slovakia despite it being so hilly. In other countries, France or the UK, there are gaps in signal coverage because the percentage of voice calls transmitted via mobile services is lower than via fixed lines. It also is interesting that Slovakia has been home to many pilot projects and this creates a huge advantage for the market. We have the highest percentage of customers who are using data services such as GPRS or 3G. It is visible that people are using a far larger portfolio of services. New, advanced technologies do not come later to Slovakia: on the contrary. In technologies like 3G or EDGE, we were among the first in Europe within our group. TSS: The Slovak market has three mobile operators. Is it now saturated? MV: The market must always determine what potential it renders to how many players because the development of a mobile network and everything around it is demanding. In my opinion, the Slovak market is saturated and three operators are the maximum which we can have here. If you look at developments in Austria, the Netherlands, England where many small operators first emerged and then consolidation came – this is because of the need for continuous investments. Many might not be aware of the need for continuous investments because they see the large number of customers; but a huge share of the revenue flows back as investments. Slovakia has three large players and this makes sense given the size and the potential of the market. TSS: There is a tendency towards mergers between large mobile operators. What fuels this and what impact does it have on the market? MV: Yes, in Austria T-Mobile merged with Telering and in Great Britain Orange and T-Mobile also merged. The same thing happened in the Netherlands where T-Mobile bought Orange: it is exactly a consolidation in the market as such. But when we talk about integration from the shareholders’ point of view and whether they are interested in consolidating their companies, then there is a different issue. They must consider what step makes sense towards the customer, the market and the company’s competitiveness. Then there is the economic aspect in which operators must consider whether they can have a

more effective solution together than what they had as two firms. We have been cooperating with Slovak Telekom for a long time and we share many services with the fixed network and we strongly cooperate also in the area of our call centres in order to provide better services. If this merger trend continues, it is because of these reasons. TSS: There is always much talk about the lack of bridges between academia and the business community and that schools often fail to produce graduates who are immediately ready to take up jobs and perform well. How do you view this in the telecom sector? MV: We are actually trying to come up with solutions. We cooperate with schools and students and we are providing our new employees with an independent training programme so that they are ready for the position they were selected for. Based on my experience, I have been stressing that cooperation with schools and attracting young, talented people is crucial. We had young technicians who came to the firm at around the age of 18 and they have grown into top experts who work for the whole Deutsche Telekom group. True, at the schools they cannot access the latest technologies so easily. But if we go deeper in this discussion, in terms of investments into research and development in the central and eastern European region, then it is greatly underestimated. It is a key factor for the development of the market: investments in science and keeping the best brains at home. TSS: What are the challenges that telecom firms might face in the future? MV: It is perhaps shifting the customers from classical services towards data services and managing all that. The second key factor will be the effectiveness of the firms in the future because of the pressure on prices and regulation. Then there will also be new technologies. I am a strong believer in mobile. I have always worked in the mobile business and I think that new technologies will further impact the lives of mobile users. Perhaps soon everyone will have their own little personal notebook which they will no longer share with the whole family. TSS: Do you remember your first mobile phone? MV: Of course. I worked for a firm as an intern and I received a briefcase that contained my first mobile phone. It was heavy when you carried it around. You did not make calls; you only waited for someone to call you. Though it was great excitement at that time, today it projects a very funny image – people running around with their briefcases. And this really shows how revolutionary the developments have been in our segment in just 15 years. The firms which have been providing these services have been through immense internal change. They grew very fast and had to make a lot of technological adjustments because they had to adapt very quickly to new situations.

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October 19 – 25, 2009 Companies with optical networks in Slovakia

Slovak Telekom – Over the last two years the company has made its optical network available to more than 240,000 households and plans to increase this significantly. For now, the optical network is available in 12 Slovak towns: Banská Bystrica, Bratislava, Zvolen, Nitra, Trenčín, Žilina, Košice, Michalovce, Prešov, Poprad and – most recently connected – Stupava and Senica. Before the crisis the company allocated €66.4 million to the construction of its optical network and the crisis has left this budget unaffected. Orange Slovensko – It started building its network in 2001. It is now available to over 285,000 households in 14 towns across Slovakia. Orange says the number of customers using services on its optical network now exceeds 30,000. The company is continuing to extend its network, with Stupava and Senica to be connected in the near future. UPC Broadband Slovakia – This cable operator entered the Slovak market in 1996. To begin with it used hybrid fibre coaxial cables and later started to also build an optical network. It currently operates optical cables in 20 cities. Energotel – This company was set up with an aim to secure telecommunications and data services especially for its parent companies: electricity producer Slovenské Elektrárne; regional energy distributors ZSE, SSE and VSE; gas utility SPP; and Transpetrol. Energotel provides services across a network with a total length of over 3,500 km which actually spans the whole territory of Slovakia. Železničné Telekomunikácie Bratislava – The railway company ŽSR started building optical lines as early as the middle of the 1990s along some stretches of railway. Later, Železničné Telekomunikácie Bratislava was launched by the railway company with the intention of using the existing telecommunication and IT infrastructure of ŽSR. Its optical network of 1,200 kilometres covers a significant portion of Slovakia. The southern backbone links Bratislava with Čierna nad Tisou and a northern backbone connecting Bratislava with Kosice via Žilina is currently under construction. Slovanet – Last year the company invested extensively in its network with continued construction as well as the acquisition of local operators. 15,500 clients currently use its services via the optical network and another 6,000 via hybrid services. Swan – Swan launched construction of its optical infrastructure in 2001. It is now about 300 kilometres long, of which over 100 km covers Bratislava. This year it plans to complete investment of €5 million in extending the existing optical backbone network. GTS Slovakia – This company started to use its own optical network after it acquired Quadia DCT in late 2006. Since then it has doubled its length to 140 kilometres of optical fibres within Bratislava. It focuses mainly on corporate clients. Source: Infoware magazine and companies

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Optical networks bring Slovakia into EU top ten Significant growth expected as users seek greater bandwidth BY JANA LIPTÁKOVÁ Spectator staff DURING the past few years Slovakia has witnessed a fast acceleration in the development of optical networks, enabling some Slovaks to use the best technologies and services. The operators of optical networks confirm a palpable demand for their services and it is propelling them to extend their networks and enhance their services. Slovakia has now been listed among the top 10 countries in the European Union in the penetration of optical networks. The FTTH Council Europe, an industry organisation with a mission to accelerate the availability of fibre-based, ultra highspeed access networks to consumers and businesses published a ranking in early September showing which European Union countries are leading the way in the availabil-

George Smith, a pioneer in fibre otics, and two other scientists won Photo: Reuters the Nobel Prize for Physics this year.

ity of fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) connections. Slovakia, a first time entrant in the top ten, landed in ninth place, replacing Italy which fell from the list. Larger countries like France, Germany and the UK have not yet broken into the list. The penetration rate in Slovakia was at 2.5 percent in June, the same as in the Netherlands. Sweden tops the ranking at 10.9 percent. The ranking, which is part of FTTH’s Market Panorama study, shows the percentage of homes and businesses that receive

broadband communication services over direct optic connections to their homes via fibre-tothe-home (FTTH) or to commercial buildings via fibre-to-thebuilding (FTTB). According to these criteria, Slovakia had 54,000 subscriptions to FTTH or FTTB connections in June 2009. Slovakia’s optical networks’ operators see these figures in a very positive light and expect further growth in use of the optical networks in the near future. “We are pleased that Slovakia is in the top countries in the pen-

etration of optical networks,” Richard Fides, Orange Slovensko spokesperson told The Slovak Spectator, noting that he does not see the share of customers using optical networks as low at all. “This is new technology and we expect its more significant arrival only along with more growth in the demand from users for more bandwidth,” he said. “Thanks to current building of the optical network, we will be prepared for this situation.” Slovak Telekom sees several factors influencing the relatively low use of optical networks right now. “One of them is that optical networks in Slovakia have been built only recently over a short period of time and many customers have not yet had enough time to respond to the new technologies and services yet,” Janka Burdová, spokesperson of Slovak Telekom told The Slovak Spectator. “T-Com has covered over 240,000 households with the optical network during less than two years.” Slovanet also perceives the figures as sound and the sale of services on the optical infrastructure to be reflective of the current situation in Slovakia. See FIBRE pg 10

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Orange Doma will set the pace

Fibre Optics Makes a Modern Household from Your Home

The Orange optical network, bringing the optical connection directly to a customer’s home (FTTH technology), is the most modern technology in Slovakia. Currently, it covers 15 Slovak towns, making Orange Doma services available to more than 286,000 households. Interest in services based on the Orange fibre optic technology is skyrocketing and the number of customers using FiberNet, FiberTV, FiberTel or a combination of 2 or 3 of these services has increased to more than 28,000 households since the beginning of 2009. Thanks to high-speed transmission of nearly unlimited amounts of digital data, purchasing a new LCD or plasma TV will really make sense with digital FiberTV. It is not only due to the

quality of the image, but to a more intense TVwatching experience than previously known. The programme mosaics offers an excellent selection of current TV programmes with more than 100 TV stations available and our virtual Video on Demand has a wide spectrum of movies. With the Stop and Rewind function, you can stop at any time and run the programme again later. And with FiberTV you can also watch a programme broadcast several days earlier. Moreover, FiberTV offers all Slovak TV programmes in HD resolution. Every modern household today, in addition to a TV, includes a desktop or notebook computer with access to internet. Connecting over an optical network will allow you to surf the internet at unbelievable speeds up to 70 Mbit/s. Downloading films, music, videos or online games becomes almost instantaneous. FiberNet by Orange is not only a synonym for speed but also for connection stability and unlimited data transmission. But there is also the third of the latest tripleplay services brought to you by Orange –FiberTel, a fixed telephone line. With FiberTel, fixed lines will experience a renaissance due to great prices. Only with FiberTel can you enjoy as many as one thousand minutes for calls to fixed networks in both Slovakia and Europe and as well enjoy unbelievably inexpensive calls to the Orange mobile network. For more information, see www.orangedoma.sk.

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FIBRE: Network backbone is here now Continued from pg 8

“Moreover, many optical networks are overlapping in Slovakia and thus customers can select from more than one operator in some localities and they naturally use services from only one,” Slavomír Benko, PR manager of Slovanet, told The Slovak Spectator. In some localities new optical networks have been operational for only the last few months and it takes a certain time before customers switch either because they are currently using a different technology for their internet services or they are bound by contracts with a certain service provider for a fixed period of time, Benko said. Demands are changing

Now, Benko said, people want to watch videos in HD quality, upload films or music, or watch TV on the internet and these require high-capacity connections. But construction of optical networks is financially demanding and it presently pays off only in localities with a sufficient number of potential customers, according to Benko of Slovanet.

Nowadays, the usage of the internet differs significantly from the way it was used in the recent past. A few years ago it served households mostly for communication via e-mails or chats and for an occasional search for

Operators expect that use of optical networks will increase sharply in Slovakia. They say the demand for more sophisticated services can be felt as customers in Slovakia have become very demanding and want to have modern technologies and services. “Nowadays, the usage of the internet differs significantly from the way it was used in the recent past,” Benko said. “A few years ago it served households mostly for communication via e-mails or chats and for an occasional search for information.”

information.

Slavomír Benko

watch TV via them, things that the people who approved this investment did not even dream about.” The operators believe that further development of services provided via the internet and more and more content will stimulate bigger demand for connections to optical networks. “We see as an important motivation for citizens the possibility to communicate via the internet with state offices, the socalled e-Government,” said Burdová. “Electronic communications will simplify, speed up and make more inexpensive dealing with official issues. For existing internet users the possibility to surf sites with multimedia content with more comfort is a motivation to switch to an optical network. Users of ‘optics’ can also enjoy all the advantages of Magio digital TV, for example by watching TV programmes in HD quality on more television sets.” Future investments

Slovak Telekom sees investment in optical networks as an investment for the future when services can be offered which are not even known yet. “It happened exactly this way with metallic cables,” said Burdová, adding that the lines were laid decades ago to serve telephone calls. “Today people can surf on the internet and

Július Šiška, manager of the Information Security Services department at KPMG in Slovakia sees two aspects of the investment into optical networks. “One is the backbone networks of large-capacity providers of broadband internet and the second is the so-called ‘last mile’ leading to households built in the form of optical

RATES: Regulation criticised Continued from pg 6

The rulings were issued in September but have not yet taken effect and the operators can still appeal them. The regulator also ruled that all three mobile operators were significant operators in the market. On July 31 the regulator had issued a preliminary decision capping the termination rates. Beginning August 1, Orange Slovensko and T-Mobile Slovensko could charge Telefónica O2 Slovakia only up to €0.0792 per minute while Telefónica O2 Slovakia could charge its competitors up to €0.0925 per minute. The maximum termination rate charged by Orange and T-Mobile to each other was set at €0.083 per minute. “The reason for the asymmetry of €0.0133 per minute to the benefit of Telefónica O2 Slovakia is because of its later arrival in the Slovak market and hence its smaller market share,” Roman Vavro, the spokesperson for the Telecommunications Office told The Slovak Spectator. He cited an EC recommendation on the Regulatory Treatment of Fixed and Mobile Termination Rates dated May 7, 2009, as authorising asymmetry as an acceptable manner of favouring a new market entrant for a limited time period. The regulator hopes its regulatory action, along with effective competition in the mobile telephone market, will further decrease inter-company termination rates. Telefónica O2 Slovakia is the newest mobile operator, having

entered the Slovak market in 2006. At the end of June 2009 it had 417,000 customers, and according to the SITA newswire, Telefónica O2 welcomed the capping of termination rates by the regulatory office. According to Parák, asymmetrical pricing is a standard tool of regulation which has been used in most EU member states. This was the first case in which the TÚ expressed its opinion as to what asymmetry is adequate based on the conditions of the Slovak market, he said. O2 assumes that this will be only a preliminary solution and that the TÚ will soon issue a more permanent method for calculation of rates, a cost-based model, which will permit calculation of maximum termination rates for individual operators over a forthcoming time period. “In a market with dominant players the asymmetric model will help to develop a more competitive environment, from which customers profit the most,” said Parák. “Our priority is cost-oriented termination rates, also in this case of asymmetry.” Orange Slovensko, the largest mobile operator in Slovakia with about 2.9 million customers, had expected such a decision but points out that this has occurred two and half of years after O2 started providing services in Slovakia. “We appreciate the fact that the Telecommunications Office evaluated conditions in the Slovak electronic communications market as being equal,” said Fides. “On this basis all mo-

bile operators should be regulated equally. We firmly believe that the office will consistently convey this into an early removal of any enduring anomalies in termination rates between mobile networks.” T-Mobile Slovensko, number two on the Slovak market with about 2.3 million clients, does not think the capping of rates was necessary at all. “After reviewing the ruling we still hold the opinion that such a provision is not necessary because the declared goals could be reached not only through cost-demanding regulation but also through voluntary and optimal reduction of termination rates,” said Gargulár. “T-Mobile has continually supported such voluntary and optimal reduction. A decision about our next steps has not been made.” Number portability

New rules for telephone number portability took effect on September 1. The Telecommunication Office reduced the time period for telecom operators to transfer a customer’s telephone number to another operator to a maximum of five working days, as it is the average in the EU. This measure is of the greatest importance to Telefónica O2 Slovakia. As the most recent and smallest operator in Slovakia, the company has limited space from which to recruit totally new customers. To read a longer version of this article, visit www.spectator.sk

Waiting to connect: 'optics' will boost internet speeds.

connections,” Šiška told The Slovak Spectator. An extensive backbone network exists in Slovakia, owned by various companies including T-Com, Orange, ŽSR, and Energotel, according to Šiška. Development of optical networks is expensive but they are likely to grow alongside the arrival of new mobile technologies. These may include LTE (Long Term Evolution), which is the last step toward the 4th generation (4G) of radio technologies designed to increase the capacity and speed of mobile telephone networks. This technology will enable a fast connection for customers of mobile operators, where a highly per-

Photo: AP

meable optical network is a necessary precondition for data flows between base stations for mobile coverage and provision of e-Government services to the population at central points. Šiška said funds from the European Union might be available for such a purpose. “In the case of construction of the ‘last mile’ it is necessary to condition building of the network on sufficient demand and the economic effectiveness of such an investment,” said Šiška. The overall penetration of broadband internet in Slovakia is 9.6 percent, compared with the EU average of 21.7 percent, according to a survey by the European Commission’s COCOM

undertaken in July 2008. These include not only optical networks but also other network technologies with speeds exceeding 144 Kbit/s. Optical networks are valuable for services such as digital television (in HD or standard quality), high-speed data transfers, and video services (for example video-doctor or video-dialogues) and similar new offerings for consumers. But providers must develop these types of services in advance and make them attractive so that people decide it is worth paying for high speed optical connections. “It is possible to expect a commercial demand in densely populated areas, especially in towns where an investment for a short stretch leads to connection of several households in one block of apartments,” said Šiška. Most rural areas fall into the category of so-called ‘white places’ without any access to broadband internet. In these localities a return on investment for last-mile connections is expected only after the number of customers exceeds 600, but this may depend on the price of the service, according to Šiška, adding that even then a return on investment ranges between 15 and 20 years and that is possible only for large operators. Or he said there is a need for assistance in the form of financial contributions from EU funds.

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Outbound telephony – an effective tool for telemarketing Contact centres in Slovakia have recently gone through a period of innovation and changes. However, technology is a crucial part of contact centres, and its potential is not yet fully appreciated in Slovakia. The equipment of most contact centres is based on service platforms, which represented the biggest investment at the time they were launched. With the development of telemarketing and changes in the business environment, new and innovative technologies have given new orientation to the market resulting in more opportunities to effectively use contact centres. In times of economic crisis, factors like effectiveness, return on investment or profitability are in focus, and new technologies, implemented via professional outbound campaigns, are a way to achieve them. Outbound campaigns have rarely been used in the Slovak market so far, in spite of their indisputable advantages and successes confirmed in all markets. Outbound is oriented towards measurable, real revenues and profit; it improves communication with clients, leading to retention and client satisfaction; it creates and use the existing client database, which represents a long-term asset of the company; and it results in use of agents more effectively. The success of outbound campaigns depends on the effective use of existing human resources. Modern modules, like e.g. the ELSBETH Telemarketing Center, allow an increase up to 100 percent of outbound calls compared to their predecessors at a professional level. The preparation of campaigns is quick and simple, without any need to deploy specialised IT staff, and thus offers the chance to react flexibly to the market situation. Perfect real-time overview of

the activities of all agents enables non-stop control and monitoring based on detailed statistics. Modern modules use also various “coaching” tools, by which it is possible to continually improve the skills and performance of agents. Another, very important, aspect of new technologies is their readiness for legislative changes affecting telemarketing in most European countries, e.g. bans of unwanted or refused calls, or the obligation to display the caller’s number. The processes of contact centres using modern communication modules have not been affected by these legislative changes - on the contrary, they resulted in competitive advantages. The question remains why, with the above-mentioned advantages and benefits, outbound campaigns are not used in Slovakia to a greater degree. A frequent, but faulty prejudice is the supposed high investment and complexity of implementation. However, if outbound campaigns are correctly and professionally implemented in the total sales strategy, the RoI is as short as 6 to 10 months, same time the effectiveness of a contact centre will be increased same time by dozens of percentage points. Moreover Implementation of these new communication modules is very simple and applicable to all existing systems.

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Making a connection

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Telemarketing's time has come, say operators in Slovakia

Slovak Telekom and T-Mobile to merge

BY JANA LIPTÁKOVÁ Spectator staff TELEMARKETING is not a very widely used marketing technique in Slovakia. People still often connect it with badly conducted campaigns from the late 1990s and early 2000s. But the situation is improving and more people now accept their being offered goods or services via telephone. The economic crisis is forcing companies to cut costs and search for more effective ways of marketing, but is also providing them with new chances to improve their operations and communication with customers. “Public opinion about telemarketing has been influenced in Slovakia by the first campaigns conducted at the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s,” Viera Sandtnerová, CEO of HighTech-Marketing SK, a company providing hardware and software solutions to telemarketing companies, told The Slovak Spectator. “Poorly prepared and badly conducted campaigns by some companies created the impression that telemarketing consists of irritating calls to unsystematically

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Cheaper than door-to-door sales: a call centre.

selected persons without their permission, to force on them products or services. Such campaigns are always doomed to failure.” Due to such experiences, telemarketing activities in Slovakia were limited only to passive telemarketing in the form of inbound communication, i.e. contact and call centres, according to Sandtnerová. Peter Ďumbala, sales and account manager at Linea Directa Communication, believes that telemarketing is now becoming a more frequently used communication channel in Slovakia.

“During the current period more and more companies have start using telemarketing as their direct marketing instrument and thus people more often encounter it in normal life,” Ďumbala told The Slovak Spectator. “In most cases, Slovaks perceive telemarketing in a positive way. There is a small difference in target groups, and we know from our experiences that communication with the b2c [business to consumer] target group is easier and the rate of calls made is higher when compared to the b2b [business to business] group.”

Photo: TASR

Beyond the border of Slovakia telemarketing is much more developed. Several countries in the European Union have adopted legislation related to telemarketing in order to prevent companies from making unwanted telemarketing calls and to protect end users from harassment, according to Sandtnerová. Companies abroad and their clients regard modern telemarketing as an important and effective way of communication and customer care. See CALL pg 12

TWO major telecom companies operating in Slovakia, fixedline operator Slovak Telekom and mobile operator T-Mobile Slovensko plan to merge next year. T-Mobile Slovensko is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of Slovak Telekom, which is controlled by Deutsche Telekom. The merger plans were announced on October 15. “We are convinced that through integration of the two companies we will form a modern telecommunications operator that will be able to react to all requirements of the market in a more comprehensive and effective way,” President and Chairman of Slovak Telekom's Board of Directors Miroslav Majoroš said, as quoted by the SITA newswire. The merger of the two operators is in line with the strategy of the parent company Deutsche Telekom, which announced plans to integrate its fixed and mobile services divisions last year. “The project of integration is of a long-term nature, it consists of many other partial projects, e.g. harmonisation of processes, interconnection of all information systems enabling a comprehensive view of the customer,” the press release stated.

Both companies obtained approval from their shareholders to launch preparatory works for integration. An initial analysis already carried out identified no obstacles that would prevent the legal merger of both companies. Based on the experience of other companies that have undergone a similar process, Slovak Telekom and T-Mobile expect their full integration to be finished within two years from its start date. Slovak Telekom is a member of the multinational Deutsche Telekom group. The Slovak Telekom Group comprises the parent firm, Slovak Telekom, and its affiliates T-Mobile Slovensko, Telekom Sec, Zoznam, and Zoznam Mobile. Deutsche Telekom, based in Germany, is a majority shareholder of Slovak Telekom, controlling 51 percent of the company. The Slovak Economy Ministry holds 34 percent and Slovakia’s National Property Fund the remaining 15 percent. T-Mobile Slovensko is a subsidiary of Slovak Telekom, which owns a 100-percent share in the business. Compiled by Spectator staff from press reports

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12

BUSINESS FOCUS

October 19 – 25, 2009 Companies involved in telemarketing in Slovakia

Linea Directa Communication, www.linea-directa.eu -the company focuses on telemarketing with the stress on sales. It also offers market research and client satisfaction as well as mystery calling, services in direct e-mailing, SMS marketing and services focused on databases. High-Tech-Marketing SK, www.callink.at -the company has been operating in Slovakia for over 15 years. It provides IT and telecommunications solutions for processing and archiving of data. It also provides voice and data communication. Since 2007 it has been a member of itCampus. First Media, www.firstmedia.sk Hermes DM, www.hermesdm.sk iLeo/DMMS, www.ileo.sk Lion Teleservices SK, www.teleperformance.sk Luna Corporation, www.lunacorp.sk Made In..., www.madein.sk One Call, www.onecall.sk Compiled by Spectator staff

FOCUS short Regulator determines compensation THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS Office of the Slovak Republic has decided about the amount of compensation for losses in providing universal service for the years 2005 to 2006 for Slovakia’s dominant fixed-line operator, Slovak Telekom (ST). But the regulator did not approve the full sum requested by ST. The Telecommunications Office adjusted a part of the costs and did not include some services among those whose net costs should be

compensated, the SITA newswire wrote. ST spokesperson Jana Burdová stated that the company is analysing the decision. ST demanded compensation of €37.51 million for 2005 for losses related to provision of universal service but the regulator acknowledged only €15.67 million. For 2006 ST requested €41.29 million and the Telecommunication Office approved €10.61 million. Compiled by Spectator staff

CALL: Telemarketing boost expected Continued from pg 11

“In Slovakia, contact centres for large companies started to recover several years ago,” recalled Sandtnerová. “The increasing number of contacts with customers, competition and knowhow from parent or sister companies called for telemarketing activities, but the intensity and quality of outbound campaigns, except for some bright exceptions, is still incomparable to foreign companies’.” The experience of Linea Directa Communication appears to confirm that people in the West are more open to telemarketing. “Based on our experiences in projects not only in Slovakia or central and eastern Europe, but also for partners from western Europe and overseas, we know that telemarketing is a common part of everyday life and people in western countries are more open to it,” said Ďumbala. “Customers [there] would rather buy products and services via phone without the need to go somewhere, compared to the habit common in Slovakia, where customers prefer personal contact and the fact that they can try the product or service in question.” But this trend is starting to change in Slovakia too and many financial, telecommunications or IT companies sell their products by telemarketing. Linea Directa Communication’s experience is that for example, young people buy more telecommunications and IT products while

people older than roughly 35 years instead buy various insurance products via telemarketing. Why telemarketing?

Telemarketing brings a range of benefits compared to other marketing strategies. Sandtnerová sees it as a personal, but on the other hand measurable, way of communicating with customers. Moreover, it is cost-effective when for the same cost as one visit by a salesperson – €220 on average – as many as 30 or more customers can be contacted by phone via a call centre, according to Sandtnerová. Contrary to other marketing tools, for example TV and radio spots or print advertising, the results are immediately visible. “Telemarketing is not a oneway communication like, for example, a letter because a phone call generates a real dialogue,” said Sandtnerová. “The customer can ask a question and he or she will get an answer immediately.” Referring to outbound telemarketing, which involves direct sales and promotion of a company's products or services, Sandtnerová highlighted its ability to transfer information quickly and directly to the person at which it is aimed. Ďumbala highlighted the exact measurability of telemarketing. “During a specific campaign we are able to find out precisely the interest in products and services in percentage terms, the rate

at which the target group can be reached by phone, or the return on investment,” said Ďumbala. “During sale campaigns operators are able to get additional information about the target group, and with the help of these results to prepare further actions by the company and its marketing activities.” More telemarketing expected in Slovakia

Since telemarketing is underdeveloped in Slovakia, companies involved in the business predict significant development. “Slovakia is just waiting for the main boom, even though it is necessary to say that compared with previous years the increase in telemarketing is considerable,” said Ďumbala. “Abroad, especially in western countries, telemarketing is a driving force for many companies and investments in some cases even exceeds the budgets allocated for classical marketing like TV, radio or print.” Ďumbala sees strong potential in the sphere of active telemarketing, because companies are aware that they need to communicate more intensively with their clients on a daily basis. He adds that many companies do not fully use their existing databases. Crisis as a stimulus

Telemarketing, like all other business sectors, has been affected by the crisis. But in its

case this has meant positive influences. “During the current period of economic downturn, demand for new opportunities to sell has been increasing,” said Ďumbala. He had expected a steeper increase in activities linked to external call centres since outsourcing is an attractive solution for companies when costs are being cut. But in some companies the development has gone in the opposite direction, as they move outsourced activities back to their employees to avoid staff reductions during the crisis. Other companies, which have used telemarketing only to a small extent to date, have decided to reinforce this area. “In general we can speak about an increase, but to a smaller extent than was expected before the crisis.” Sandtnerová confirmed that companies have found they need to intensify their contacts with existing customers and that High-Tech-Marketing SK has experienced increased interest in its products from companies with contact centres. Ďumbala also sees growing usage in a combination of direct mail, e-mail, or text messages in connection with follow-up. “A frequent phenomenon is the joining of various forms of telemarketing, for example a market survey linked with the additional sale of a product or vice versa,” said Ďumbala.

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WATER: 'Clerical error' even if the money invested far exceeds the expenditure on the original structure," read the Supreme Court ruling. Trenčín judge Alena Radičová agreed with this argument, although given the importance of the case for ownership rights case law in Slovakia, she allowed Slovintegra to appeal her ruling to the Slovak Supreme Court. "This matter is of fundamental legal significance, as it involves matters that Slovak judicature has to date not confronted," she said.

Continued from pg 1

Jakšík, a former policeman who left the force in 1993, owns a 93-percent stake in the MinerálInvod firm. His company was struck from the Commercial Register in 1996 by a judge who ruled it had not been registered properly. At the time Minerál-Invod owned the land under the current Mitická plant as well as the framework of a building it was erecting there. Even though the property changed hands several times after Jakšík's company was annulled, the Trenčín court ruled its title to these assets never lapsed. So when Jakšík achieved the unlikely feat of reviving his company in 2004, he was in line to recover the Mitická land and buildings, even though the new owner had paid millions of euros for them. "If someone steals your bicycle, it makes no difference if he puts an expensive seat on it," said Marián Košut, a Bratislava lawyer representing Minerál-Invod.

What will the new owners of the Mitická plant do with it?

Photo: Sme

between the Trenčianske Mitice municipality and a shadowy figure named Viliam Khandl, who reportedly now lives abroad. The two contributed the land and Khandl took a Sk24 million loan from the Slovenská Sporiteľňa bank. Work began tentatively on a borehole and production hall, but ceased after Khandl failed to make payments on the loan. The town finally secured the company's retirement in 1996 after a judge ruled that a signature was missing from its original application to be entered in the Commercial Register. Two years later, the town of Trenčianske Mitice asked the land registry office in Trenčín to give it title to the land and buildings "given that we are the original owner". Even though the law requires company assets to go through liquidation or bankruptcy before title can be reassigned, the land registry office did what the town asked. In 2007 a court ruled that this had been a mistake, as "Minerál-Invod was their sole owner". The town sold the land and assets for Sk4 million in 2000 to the Slovenský Hodváb firm, which began work on the borehole and bottling plant in earnest. At the same time, Jakšík suddenly showed an interest in his moribund company. Through a lawyer he argued that the court which had cancelled its registry had not delivered its decision by registered mail to the correct address, meaning that he had not been informed. The court agreed to send the notice again, giving Jakšík a new 15-day period in which to appeal.

In the appeal, Jakšík argued that the mistake in Minerál-Invod's original registry application was due to a clerical error by a public notary, and that he should be given another chance to register properly. The court accepted his argument, and on June 1, 2004 – three months after Slovintegra had paid hundreds of millions of crowns for Mitická – Minerál-Invod was again entered in the business register. The company immediately filed a suit to determine ownership of the Mitická operation. "We did a regular due diligence process, but when we bought the company we were unaware that any other company had a claim on the property," said Kurtanský.

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Lost investment

Jakšík's title had been contested by Mitická's current owners, Trenčianske Minerálne Vody (TCM), controlled by businessman Slavomír Hatina through his Slovintegra holding firm. TCM paid over Sk400 million (€13.28 million at 2009 exchange rates) for the Mitická operation in 2003, and has since invested further millions in upgrades and maintenance. Last year a court ruled that the land under the Mitická buildings belonged to Jakšík; now it has lost the factory as well. "This decision means the loss of a €13-million investment and uncertainty for the 50 people who work at the bottling plant," said Tomáš Kurtanský, a Slovintegra representative. "It also sends a very bad message to investors." Corporate Lazarus

It appears that the message in the Mitická case is not that unscrupulous speculators can hijack viable operations, but that the Slovak legal system cannot guarantee ownership rights. Minerál-Invod was founded in 1992 as a joint operation

Legal precedent

Jakšík's lawyer argued before the court that because MinerálInvod had begun building its halls before the firm was abolished, the current buildings still belong to Jakšík, regardless of how much money the current owner had invested. Košut cited a decision by the Czech Supreme Court, which had ruled in 2002 that a building is considered to exist for legal purposes "at the moment the layout of the first above-ground storey is clearly visible". The lawyer submitted pictures showing that Minerál-Invod had erected pillars and cross-beams on the factory building before 1996. "From this moment, at which ownership ties to the structure are consolidated, all later construction work becomes irrelevant to the issue of title,

Uncertain future

It was not immediately clear what the new owners intended to do with the property. Libor Jakšík was out of the country and unavailable for comment, while Minerál-Invod board member Jaroslav Doktor said they intended to develop the site and increase production. Minerál-Invod does not have a licence to produce mineral water. "Of course we're worried about employment," said Dušan Rozemberg, the mayor of Trenčianske Mitice, the vilage of 750 where the Mitická plant is located. "This is a company that was founded in 2004, under what pretence I don't know, and I have no idea what they intend to do" Company reports in the Collection of Records at the Commercial Register show that TCM recorded annual turnover of about €6 million in 2006 and 2007, while Minerál-Invod showed no activity. The Mitická operation also recorded losses of €4 to €8 million every year since 2004, which Slovintegra ascribed to a very competitive market. Hatina said he was able to compensate for the losses with profits from other companies in his group. It is not known whether the new owners will have the same patience or deep pockets to continue producing Mitická. Minerál-Invod lawyer Košut said they would be negotiating with the Hatina family. "It's true that we only built the basic structures, and that they made the major investments, and will have to be compensated. Negotiation will be tough, but I'm sure we'll reach an agreement."

October 19 – 25, 2009

13

LAW: Comments during visit provoke objections Continued from pg 2

“The representatives of the current government don’t realise that these very unfortunate steps can bring negative effects for the country,” Mesežnikov told The Slovak Spectator. “Not all of Pataki’s statements have been formulated with a knowledge of the situation around the language law, but we cannot doubt the legitimacy of his statements and his right to express his opinion on what is happening in Slovakia,” Mesežnikov said. “Pataki is an important American politician and the USA is our ally, we are together in NATO, and it’s a democratic country which honours the same values as Slovakia, so any attempts to doubt Pataki’s right to give statements on these issues are inappropriate.” Pataki did not say whether the US Congress would also address the Slovak language act. According to Mesežnikov, the US Congress deals with significant events or problems of other countries, but despite the fact that the Slovak Language Act represents a sore spot in relations it is not so bad that it will provoke negative official statements from the USA. “I don’t believe we are in a situation that would make the US Congress react in this way, but the fact is that the amendment is very unfortunate and from the very beginning it carried the risk that the govern-

ment would not be able to defend the law,” Mesežnikov said. Fico said in his reaction that the government “has always managed to defend the law in international forums and there is no need to change any of its provisions,” the TASR newswire reported. The visit by Pataki was not the only initiative by the SMK that provoked anger from ruling coalition circles. SMK leaders have invited the leader of Hungary’s Fidesz opposition party, Viktor Orbán, to the party’s congress on October 17, SITA reported. “He will participate in the congress as the deputy chairman of the European People's Party (EPP) which groups deputies from the SMK and Fidesz in the European Parliament,” an SMK spokesperson told SITA. Orbán is known for his controversial statements. He most recently outraged the Slovak government and parts of the opposition in the run-up to this year’s European Parliament elections when he stated that the election would decide how many deputies in Brussels would represent Hungarians living in the Carpathian Basin. Mesežnikov commented on the invitation to Orbán by saying that there is a certain degree of provocation in it, but the fact is that Fidesz and SMK are political partners, and both members of the EPP, and there is no reason why Orbán should not attend their congress.

CUP: No complaints Continued from pg 5

The country was clearly the target of an international conspiracy to eliminate competition for more powerful countries like the US. If this sense of victimisation were confined to sport, it would remain an amusing national quirk, this dark muttering after yet another debacle. But it affects the way many Slovaks see the world as well. Such as that Hungary has designs on a chunk of Slovak territory and is being abetted by a strong Hungarian lobby in Washington and Brussels. Or

that US President Barack Obama’s decision to cancel the central European missile shield plan amounts to an abandonment of Slovakia. “I love these players,” said a weeping Slovak coach Vladimír Weiss after the country’s historic qualification for a World Cup. How unusual, that a major test of Slovak mettle should be accompanied by the best of luck and tears of joy. How odd that Slovakia’s luck should prove good while neighbours Poland, Hungary and (best of all) the Czechs look enviously on. It’s enough – or it should be – to make one think.

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14

CULTURE

October 19 – 25, 2009

Western SLOVAKIA

The reaper of the heights HISTORY TALKS IT IS a pity that warnings such as the one on this postcard no longer appear. The Grim Reaper exchanged his traditional scythe for a piton, probably to be better equipped for a hike in the High Tatras. The sportsmanlike Grim Reaper is not only urging the rock climber to be careful but also tries to show him how little time might be left in this world. The postcard was issued in 1933 for quite prosaic reasons: its authors wanted to warn that Slovak mountains were claiming more and more victims. Before 1871, only eight ill-fated hikers had found death in the Tatras while as many as 57 died in the period between 1871 and 1918. This was, of course, the result of a rapid increase in tourism as Slovakia’s mountains began to attract visitors from all around the region in the closing decades of the 19th century. And many of those visitors preferred to depart from the safe tourist track. Lack of experience and bad hiking equipment were among the most common causes of tragedies. In addition, careless hikers often overestimated their skills or forgot that weather conditions can very quickly become dangerous in the mountains. Over the last century not so much has changed: the causes of hiking tragedies remain about the same. A symbolic cemetery was built at the tarn of Popradské pleso in 1940 to commemorate all those who had not returned from a hike in the Tatras.

EVENTS COUNTRYWIDE

Bratislava l FESTIVAL: New Minorities Week – Film screenings, exhibitions, concerts, workshops and much more are included in the programme of the 4th edition of this multicultural festival organised by the Milan Šimečka Foundation. Runs: October 19-25. Admission: €2 - €5. A4 Zero Space, SNP Square 12. Tel: 0915/794-942, www.a4.sk.

WORKS by one of the most noted 20th century Slovak painters, Koloman Sokol, who spent most of his life in exile in Mexico and the United States, are on show in Bratislava until October 25. Even though small in size and less wellknown, the 25 paintings, found by chance in the artist’s closet by his son, are considered to be some of his best pieces of modern graphic art. Originally, the collection was not supposed to be seen by Sokol’s admirers: it was hidden in a carton box labeled simply cuadros (Spanish for paintings). Now, six years after his death, they are available at the Pálffy Palace at Panská 19 daily except Mondays. Admission is €3.32. For further details, call 02/5443- 1556 or go to www.gmb.sk.

Bratislava l DANCE: In the Rhythm of Flamenco – Choreographer Viera Masaryková and her Andalucia dance ensemble change the chilling autumn evening into a hot summer-night fiesta. Starts: October 23, 19:00. Admission: €8. Bratislava Puppet Theatre, Dunajská 36. Tel: 0908/ 625-281, www.babkovedivadlo.sk.

In this charming but sad place, among dozens of wooden crosses and giant rocks, no gravestones are to be found. Only a simple inscription welcomes the visitors: “A memorial for the dead, a warning for the living.” By Branislav Chovan

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Bratislava l HORSE RACE: Autumn Grand Prix & October Grand Prix – Horse race enthusiasts have the last chance this year to spend an afternoon cheering their noble four-legged favourites, as two prestigious competitions close the current season. Starts: October 25, 12:00. Admission: €1.40. Petržalka Racecourse, Starohájska 29. Tel: 02/624 11 504, www.zavodisko.sk.

Photo: Courtesy to GMB

(Old Bakery Shop), Rázusova 2. Tel: 0905/702-971, www.katarinaknechtova.com.

Bratislava l LIVE MUSIC: The Backwards – The Beatles are back – or at least their best-known hits are – thanks to one of the most popular cover bands in the country. Starts: October 25, 19:00. Admission: €12 - €14. Nová Scéna Theatre, Živnostenská 1. Tel: 02/2048-8500, www.nova-scena.sk.

Pezinok l EXHIBITION: Three From One Region – A presentation of paintings by Ondrej Šteberl, Jozef Lackovič and Dana Poláková, local naive artists from three different generations. Open: Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00, until January 10, 2010. Admission: €1.70. Naive Art Gallery, Cajlanská 255. Tel: 033/6404-035, www.sng.sk.

Nitra l LIVE MUSIC: Zodiac Tour – Katarína Knechtová, former lead singer of Peha, a popular Slovak band, sets out on tour around Slovakia to promote her first solo album. Starts: October 22, 20:00. Admission: €7. Stará pekáreň

Enhancing Performance

Central SLOVAKIA Banská Bystrica l LIVE MUSIC: Gypsy Fire – Sisa Sklovská, Slovak pop diva famous especially for her powerful

multi-octave voice, performs some of the best-known gypsy songs, accompanied with Ruska Roma and Alexander Dašek’s Gypsy Music ensembles. Starts: October 19, 20:00. Admission: €12. Europa Culture Centre, Námestie slobody 3. Tel : 048/4112-297, www.gypsymusic.sk. Žilina l SHOW: MyART: Who’s Frank? – This “decadently empty, avantgarde, egocentric cabaret”, as its author, young Slovak artist Milan Loviška, characterised his new dance show, questions the values of the modern consumer society. Starts: October 24, 20:00. Admission: €3.50. The Stanica Žilina-Záriečie Culture Centre, Závodská Cesta 3. Tel.: 041/5623-564, www.stanica.sk.

Eastern SLOVAKIA

Culture

Košice l CLASSICAL MUSIC: CzechSlovak Chamber Duo – Pianist Zuzana Berešová and violinist Pavel Burdych give a chamber concert featuring various classical music compositions within the Czech Culture Days festival. Starts: October 21, 18:00. Admission: voluntary contribution. Vojtech Löffler Museum, Alžbetina 20. Tel: 055/6231-801, www.czechcentres.cz.

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A BIG dose of oldies has been prepared for the pop music audience in Bratislava. After their successful tour of Slovakia, ABBA Stars, a wellknown cover band from Prague, arrives in the capital on October 24 with a three-hour show featuring the greatest hits of the popular Swedish foursome who stopped performing in 1982. This time, however, the Czech singers will not be alone: they have invited the “original” Boney M, another chart-hitting group from Germany, to share the stage with them. Baby Do You Wanna Bum?, Daddy Cool or Sunny are a few of the singles they will offer their fans. The concert starts at 19:00 at the Sibamac Arena at Príkopova 6 and tickets cost between €14.90 and €35. For more information, call 02/4342-6758 or visit www.megakoncert.sk. Photo: Courtesy of ABBA Stars

N A M E

Weather updates and forecasts from across Slovakia can now be found at www.spectator.sk. In cooperation with the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute

D A Y

O C T O B E R

Prešov l FESTIVAL: Jazz Prešov – An international line-up of jazz musicians including Paul Zauner’s Blue Brass and Christian McBride Trio gig in Slovakia’s third largest city. Runs: October 21-22. Admission: €5 (one-day ticket). PKO Čierny Orol, Hlavná 50. Tel: 0903/603-309, www.jazzpresov.sk.

By Dominika Uhríková

2 0 0 9

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Kristián

Vendelín

Ur‰uºa

Sergej

Alojzia

Kvetoslava

Aurel

October 19

October 20

October 21

October 22

October 23

October 24

October 25

A Slovak’s name day (meniny) is as important as his or her birthday. It is traditional to present friends or co-workers with a small gift, such as chocolates or flowers, and to wish them Všetko najlepšie k meninám (Happy name day)

CULTURE

October 19 – 25, 2009

15

Jazz Days line-up is full of stars BY DOMINIKA UHRÍKOVÁ Spectator staff

Along with leads John Krasinski (left) and Maya Rudolph (right), Catherine O’Hara (right) stars in Away We Go.

WHEN Slovakia was still in the iron grip of communism, musicians from all around the globe, including the most “rotten” capitalist countries such as the USA, were already coming to take part in Bratislava Jazz Days (BJD). And while dramatic changes have taken place on the political stage, the festival seems to have hardly changed: after a third of a century, it still offers the best of the world’s jazz. The jubilee 35th edition of the oldest and the biggest music event in the country will be held at Bratislava’s Culture and Leisure Park (PKO) between October 23 and 25 and will feature a rich programme of concerts by Slovak and foreign artists. “We have prepared an extremely varied mixture of currently prevailing styles and genres so that the audiences gain a complete overview of the latest developments in the international jazz music scene in just three days,” said Peter Lipa, well-known Slovak musician and co-organiser of BJD. Every evening, a series of five concerts will be staged. On Friday, renowned American drummer Steve Gadd and his guests will crown the music marathon following the performances by, for example,

Photo: Official web site

Away We Go HOWARD SWAINS Special to the Spectator

Film review Director: Sam Mendes Starring: John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Catherine O'Hara TO PARAPHRASE Chekhov’s adage of storytelling: a gun introduced in the first act must be fired by the end of the third. A similar rule seems to apply in the land of cinematic whimsy, where a baby conceived during the narrative must be brought squawking to life by the time the credits roll. This basic premise of American indie – favoured by Knocked Up, Juno, Waitress, among others – permits some heaving, sweating close-ups of the leading lady in labour and a bucket-load of maternity-ward japery from the dad. But most importantly, a birth is also a convenient bookend: the delivery of a new life is as emphatic a signal of journey’s conclusion as the fatal shooting of that gun. The lack of a birth scene in Away We Go, directed by Sam Mendes from a script by the

husband/wife team of Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida, is only one way in which this modest ditty upends our expectations. The film’s opening scene shows Burt (John Krasinski) determining that his partner Verona (Maya Rudolph) is pregnant, and the film’s timeline runs almost completely through her cycle. But we never do get to see the infant. The narrative halts short of the dash to the hospital, and thus a cliché is swerved. This is doubly remarkable because Away We Go is also a road movie, wending gently towards such a natural, if breathless, end. But from the outset, the film is less concerned with the battle to bring the child into the world than with the parents’ belated quest to understand the type of place it is entering. They seek to test their values and preoccupations as well as overcome some hang-ups and modest anxieties. The film follows Burt and Verona’s search for reassurance that their unaffected common sense should not feel as uncommon as it does. “We’re 34 … and we don’t even have this basic stuff figured out,” says Verona, adding by way of evidence: “We have a cardboard window.” But

their free-spirited approach also has a recognisable brighter side: “We’re completely untethered, Burt. This is a dream scenario.” After learning that Burt’s parents (read: potential babysitters) intend to emigrate to Belgium and miss the first two years of their grandchild’s life, Burt and Verona leave their ramshackle base in Colorado and head out on an episodic tour of friends and relatives across North America to decide where next to call home. (Burt is some kind of insurance salesman, and can continue to work on the road.) Their associates are a disparate bunch of 30 to 50-somethings and we veer, sometimes uneasily, from the fringes of credibility to the very middle of Middle America. On one trip, we visit caricature New Age hippies railing against the evils of push-chairs, but then we are charmed by sensitive foster parents unable to deliver a child of their own. Burt and Verona might be touched and moved by all the right prompts, but they are also not averse to issuing judgment on others’ failings. Some audiences will adore their simple honesty, but others will find

them insufferably smug. “No one is as in love as us,” they tentatively agree, seeming surprised. But the assertion is at least as much in self-satisfaction as it is in self-doubt. These are rare leads around which to build a feature film, and there are characters more deserving of our attention and sympathy on every street in the world. Their “problems” include the fact that they have none, and they even fear the baby’s pulse may be too mellow because of the lack of conflict in its parents. But although we may not instantly love our heroes in Away We Go, as perhaps we are meant to, we do believe in their love for one another, which is a grand thing to observe. It is also a feat of Eggers’ and Vida’s naturalistic writing and Mendes’ unobtrusive direction. Krasinski and Rudolph achieve a kind of modernist, bohemian chemistry, founded on comfort rather than sparking with lust. We could have done without the winsome soundtrack to make such an obvious virtue of this understatement. But ditching that too might have been a diversion too far from a welltrodden norm.

Two Lovers / premiere The Final Destination 3D / premiere Coco avant Chanel / premiere Inglourious Basterds Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (in Slovak) G-Force (in Slovak) Taking Woodstock Normal Wrestler The Ugly Truth

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Happy go Lucky Knowing The Secret Moonacre District 9 The Accidental Husband Jáno‰ík Orphan

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For more information about Bratislava Jazz Days, visit www.bjd.sk.

Candy Dulfer will headline Bratislava Jazz Days.

from Wednesday October

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs /premiere (in Slovak)

American keyboardist Scott Kinsey and Slovak musician Oskar Rózsa. Saturday evening will host, among others, American singer and guitarist Terry Callier, his compatriot, bassist Christian McBride and Maria Joao, a successful Portuguese singer. The biggest highlight of this year’s BJD is the Sunday performance by Candy Dulfer, famed Dutch saxophonist, who has co-operated with stars such as Prince, Pink Floyd and the Eurythmics. The 40-year-old diva started to play the saxophone at the age of 6 and she founded her first band, Funky Stuff, which will also accompany her to Slovakia, when she was only 14. Since then, she has released 10 albums with mostly funk and smooth jazz pieces. Her appearance will follow a unique concert by the BJD Superband, a 17-member ensemble of Slovak jazz stars created specially for the festival. As has been a tradition in recent years, music festival-goers from other Slovak cities will also get the opportunity to see some musicians from the BJD’s line-up playing live. The accompanying concerts will be held in Komárno, Žilina and Košice, and the eastern Slovak metropolis will even be honoured by a visit from Candy Dulfer herself on October 24.

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Photo: TASR

14 - Wednesday October 21

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*Screenings on Saturday and Sunday only

S - Subtitles, OV - Original Version, D - Dubbing, U - Universal (Suitable for all ages) SP90061/6

from Wednesday October

Two Lovers / premiere Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs /premiere (in Slovak)

Coco avant Chanel / premiere The Final Destination 3D / premiere Taking Woodstock Knowing Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (in Slovak) The Accidental Husband The Ugly Truth Inglourious Basterds District 9

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G-Force

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Notes:

*Screenings on Saturday and Sunday only

S - Subtitles D - Dubbing

OV - Original Version U - Universal (Suitable for all ages) SP90060/6

FEATURE

16 October 19 – 25, 2009

AROUND SLOVAKIA compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports

Machanka cooking contest

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University of Humanity AN EDUCATION project for students with mental disabilities who live in Homes of Social Services (DSS) in Trnava Region opened in October in Zavar and has been dubbed the University of Humanity. Five times this year and then for the next five years, a community of undergraduates of similar intellectual levels will meet to learn healthy lifestyles and fitness, natural sciences and gastronomy. “Our project is aimed at increasing their personal pride,” the head of DSS Humánum in Zavar, Anna Pavlovičová, told the TASR newswire. The first day resembled the opening of a university year with academic robes, a stu-

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dents’ anthem, medals, and even a swearing-in ceremony. “I am happy here, as we will learn a lot,” Anna from a DSS in Jahodná said. Students started the morning learning about a healthy diet and food preparation. In the afternoon, some of the students meditated in a teahouse while others listened to lectures and made posters about health and fitness. “This is our first community but we would like to expand the project to all of Slovakia,” Pavlovičová said. DSS Humánum is a detached workplace of the Faculty of Medicine and Social Work at Trnava Unviersity. "Humanity is the highest principle of life; and everybody has a right to it,” Pavlovičová told TASR.

Students at their first day at the University of Humanity.Photo: SITA

ON OCTOBER 3, in the Svidník amphitheatre in eastern Slovakia, eight teams competed in a competition to cook the best machanka, a traditional Ruthenian meal made of mushrooms. Ruthenians are a stateless ethnic minority who live on the territories of several countries, including Slovakia. Ruthenians have their own language, culture, folklore, and also traditions, which include a specific cuisine. The competition was won by the Miga family, from Vyšný Orlík, whose family members cooked up 10 litres of mushroom soup for the jury to taste. The reason why such a volume of soup was needed was that the jury consisted of all the event's participants. The event, entitled Ruthenians on the Roof of Europe Make Machanka, Sing, Dance and Play, was organised by the civic association We Protect the Region Below Dukla. As its chairman Milan Cocuľa told the TASR newswire, every team brought its own recipe and ingredients, while one group of fishermen tried a very non-traditional and unorthodox fish machanka. The civic association organises events all year round to preserve Ruthenian folk traditions and also to protect the rich natural and historical sites of the region.

Ancient Greece comes to Trenčín, in the form of a replica bireme.

Photo: TASR

Replica of ancient Greek bireme ship sails into Trenčín INHABITANTS and visitors to Trenčín can now imagine they are in ancient Greece. On October 3, on the beach of a nearby river island, a replica of an ancient Greek ship arrived. The boat was made by craftsmen in the Moravian town of Přerov. A replica military rowing boat, it was commissioned by members of the Wandering Knights historical fencing group who plan to give rides to tourists in the unusual vessel on the River Váh. The ship will also act as a floating museum. "It is a battleship of ancient Greece, from the period about 500 years before Christ. It will look exactly like battleships did on distant expeditions at that time. We are also preparing educational voyages for the public,” Jaroslav Matejka of the

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Wandering Knights told the ČTK newswire. He said in the future the ship could also sail down the Danube River as far as the Black Sea. The boat is 17 metres long, 3.6 metres wide and its mast towers eight metres above the deck. Its sail is 40 metres square and the ship holds 20 rowers on each side. It cost more than €30,000. The vessel is named Hyperborea, i.e. Country of the Northern Wind. Greek bireme ships – so called due to the two rows of oars on each side – were used in wars between the Greeks and the Persians in about 480 BC. Craftsmen in Přerov put all their efforts into the project for three months during the summer holidays and were only recently able to test the vessel in the Orava reservoir. “This ship was quite laborious in terms of details. Instead

of the planned two months, it took three months to finish. You have to permanently look after a wooden vessel but if you take proper care, it can outlast even an iron or fibre-glass ship,” said Radim Zapletal, who constructed the vessel together with his helpers. His Přerov workshop has made about three dozen historical ships, some of which have appeared in Hollywood movies. Matejka told the SITA newswire that they did not have any written documents from when biremes were originally made, so they had to use artistic depictions and the help of historians and military strategists to recreate the ancient ship. He believes such vessels could have travelled on Slovak rivers, especially the Danube and its tributaries at that time along the 'Amber Road' of central Europe.

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