Ford shows interest in Slovakia + graf
Jozef Konkoly, mayor of the municipality of Kechnec pri Košiciach, is negotiating an investment with an unnamed automobile manufacturer. "This is a renowned world brand which is planning to construct higher-class personal cars in the east", Konkoly confirmed to HN, but declined to name the potential investor.
According to HN information however, it is the American Ford Motor Company, which last year confirmed that it was considering a plant in our region. "Markets in Eastern Europe are growing, we will have to think about a stronger presence in the region", Todd Nissen from the communications department of Ford's European representation stated at the time.
Ford is already operating out of Kechnec. Together with its partner company Getrag, it assembles transmissions in the town. Their joint enterprise is today the largest investor in the industrial park not far from Košíce. June 20
Orco buying property
The development company Orco Property Group has purchased lucrative real estate in the centre of Bratislava, but the Luxembourg-based company has not revealed how much it paid for the Dunaj1 and Dunaj2 shopping centres or for the City Gate building, the former headquarters of VÚB bank. It is planning to invest 76 million Euros (2,6 billion crowns) to their modernization
Orco is already negotiating with potential lessees who have been until now unknown names in Bratislava. "We want Dunaj1 and Dunaj2 to become the home of top brands and international companies", said the Director of Orco Property Group's Slovak branch, Lucia Švecová.
Starting at the end of 2008, the future occupants will operate a modern shopping centre and a luxury restaurant in the new City Gate premises. "The locality and facilities of the building determine it for use as residential, office and business spaces", Švecová added.
Orco has been an investor and developer in Central European markets since 1991, at the moment administering properties with a value of over 1,3 billion Euros, or about 44 billion crowns. June 20
Fico wants "stability pact" + foto FICO hodi na dvojak danka
A few months before Slovakia readies itself to meet the inflation criterion for entry into the Euro zone, the Government is not releasing its safety-belts, and Premier Robert Fico is pushing for inflation to be as harnessed-in as is possible.
Fico is accordingly asking for a so-called stability pact, in other words an agreement through which employers and unions would pledge not to demand unreasonable price and wage increases. In this way the National Bank of Slovakia would be strengthened in its fight with the very complex inflation requirement. "A document is being worked on at the level of the Head of Government's advisors", Government spokesperson Silvia Glendová confirmed for HN.
According to the head of the Association of Slovak Entrepreneurs Ján Oravec, formal negotiations on this theme have not been held, although he did not deny background discussions. Oravec however does not agree with the idea itself, and rather maintains that "in the interest of having the Euro accepted, the Government should also undertake that with such favourable growth it would seek, for example, a balanced budget".
At this time, the need for such measures is at best debatable. "It is possible that an agreement with employers and unions could under certain circumstances be an instrument for dampening inflation, but it would be only short-term and artificial", is the view of analyst Eva Sárazová. Even without an agreement, everything at this time points to fulfillment of the inflation criterion occurring problem-free. June 19
English translation by Kevin Slavi