Slovakia - Factors To Watch on March 8

    BRATISLAVA, March 8 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press 
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial 
markets on Thursday. 
     
    EU SUMMIT 
    Prime Minister Robert Fico and Foreign Minister Jan Kubis 
will attend the European Union summit in Brussels. 
     
    SAMSUNG PICKS SLOVAKIA FOR NEW PLANT 
    Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. , the world's 
biggest maker of large liquid crystal displays, said on Thursday 
it picked Slovakia as the site for a new LCD panel assembly 
plant. 
    The company said it would initially invest 147.4 billion won 
($155.4 million) to start construction of a production line 
assembling LCD panels during the first half of 2007. 
    [ID:nL08433646] [RTRS-ELC-EUROPE-SK] 
     
    GOVT SAYS OKAYS PROPOSAL FOR SAMSUNG DEAL 
    The Slovak government on Wednesday approved an investment 
proposal contract for South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. 
 to locate a new LCD panel plant in the EU member 
country. 
    [ID:nL07284145] [RTRS-ELC-INV-SK] 
     
    INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT HITS RECORD ON CAR PRODUCTION 
    Slovakia's industrial output showed the fastest rise ever in 
January thanks to a record jump in car production, data showed 
on Wednesday, underpinning expectations of accelerating economic 
growth. 
    [ID:nL0712545] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK] 
     
    CROWN AT 11-WK HIGHS AFTER SAMSUNG NEWS 
    The Slovak crown  marched to 11-week highs against 
the euro late on Wednesday, buoyed by news that Samsung 
Electronics has chosen Slovakia tfor a new LCD-panel plant, 
traders said. 
    [ID:nL07221324] [RTRS-MMT-FRX-SK] 
     
    JAN IND OUTPUT BEATS MKT FCAST 
    Slovak industrial output rose by a real 17.5 percent 
year-on-year in January, accelerating from a revised 9.0 percent 
increase in December, Slovak Statistics Office said on 
Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL07220382] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK] 
     
    JAN RETAIL SALES +0.9 PCT Y/Y 
    Slovak retail sales rose by a real 0.9 percent year-on-year 
in January, slowing from a revised 7.4 percent increase in 
December, data from the Slovak Statistics Office released on 
Wednesday showed. 
    [ID:nPRG000258] [RTRS-MCE-RET-ECI-SK] 
     
    JAN REAL AVERAGE IND WAGE +8.6 PCT Y/ 
    The real average industrial wage in Slovakia rose by 8.6 
percent year-on-year in January, compared with a 4.2 percent 
rise in December, the Statistics Office said on Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL07758350] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK]  
     
    JAN CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT +24.1 PCT Y/Y 
    Slovak construction output rose by a real 24.1 percent 
year-on-year in Janaury after 17.6 percent growth in December, 
the Statistics Office said on Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL07221261] [RTRS-MCE-ECI-SK] 
     
    SLOVAK TELEKOM TO DECIDE ON RADIOKOM SALE SOON 
    Slovakia's dominant phone operator, Slovak Telekom (ST), 
should decide soon on whether to sell its TV and radio signal 
unit Radiokomunikacie, ST chairman Miroslav Majoros said on 
Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL07140302] [RTRS-TEL-RES-MRG-SK] 
     
    SOCCER-TOP SLOVAK OFFICIAL CHARGED WITH TAKING BRIBE 
    Police said on Wednesday they had charged the Slovak 
Football Association's acting secretary-general Vladimir Wanke 
with taking a bribe, an allegation the soccer chief strongly 
denied. 
    [ID:nL07166178] [RTRS-COSS-CRIM-SK] 
     
    SLOVAKIA TO BECOME IEA MEMBER 
    The International Energy Agency  has invited Slovak Republic 
to become the agency's 27th member after the country applied for 
membership in early February, the West's energy watchdog said on 
Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL07371736] [RTRS-ENR-CRU-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    PRESIDENT SIGNS ENERGY REGUATION LAW 
    President Ivan Gasparovic has signed the new law on energy 
market regulation which tightens the state control over the 
price setting process.  
    Sme, page 6 
     
    GOVT LAYOFF PLAN STUMBLES 
    The Slovak government will consider scaling down the volume 
of planned layoffs in state administration, Prime Minister 
Robert Fico said. 
    Pravda, page 1 
     
    For news on upcoming events in the United States and other 
Group of Seven countries, see . For a diary of 
forthcoming Slovak events, double click [SK/DIARY], and a 
calendar of east European economic indicators, see [CONV/DIARY]. 
     
    News editor of the day: Peter Laca, on +421 2 5341 8402; 
fax: +421 2 5341 8403 
    E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk 
    Reuters Messaging: peter.laca.reuters.com@reuters.net 
     
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets: 
 Warsaw WIG20   Budapest BUX   Prague PX50  
 Other related news: 
 Slovak equities      [SK-E]  E.Europe equities           [.CEE] 
 Slovak money         [SK-M]  Czech debt                  [CZ-D] 
 Slovak Indicators  [SK-ECI]  Emerging forex          [EMRG/FRX] 
 Eastern European     [EEU]   All emerging markets        [EMRG] 
 Hot stocks           [HOT]   Stock markets                [STX] 
 Market debt news     [DBT]   Forex news                   [FRX] 
 TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets                         [TOP/EMRG] 
 TOP NEWS -- Convergence watch                        [TOP/EAST] 
 
 ((Compiled by Martin Santa; Bratislava Newsroom; Email: 
editorial@reuters.sk; +421-2-5341-8402)) 
 ($1=26.18 Slovak Crown)