Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Sept 20

...     
    QUESTION HOUR 
    Prime Minister Robert Fico and his ministers will respond to 
questions from MPs during a regular question hour in parliament, 
1200 GMT. 
     
    GABCIKOVO NEWS CONFERENCE 
    Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek and Transport Minister 
Lubomir Vazny will hold a news conference on the country's 
largest hydro power plant Gabcikovo, 1000 GMT. 
     
    INSURERS NEWS CONFERENCE 
    Private health insurance companies will hold a news 
conference on government plans to ban them from making profits. 
(1230 GMT) 
     
    EU BUDGET DEMAND WON'T HURT SLOVAK EURO PLAN-CBANKER 
    Slovakia should be able to meet conditions for adopting the 
euro in 2009 even if it has to comply with a Eurostat demand to 
recalculate its fiscal deficit, a central banker said on 
Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL19409409] [RTRS-EU-MCE-ECI-SK] 
     
    CBANK SEEN LEAVING RATES ON HOLD IN SEPT 
    The National Bank of Slovakia (NBS) will probably leave its 
key interest rate on hold for a fifth successive month next 
week, waiting for its borrowing costs to converge with the euro 
zone, a Reuters poll showed on Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL19846987] [RTRS-INT-FRX-SK] 
     
    SLOVAKS TO ALTER TAX TO GET MORE MONEY FROM BANKS 
    The Slovak government approved on Wednesday changes to the 
tax law which will boost state budget revenues by effectively 
raising taxes for banks and insurance companies. 
    [ID:nL19919468] [RTRS-POL-EEU-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    PENSION SYSTEM DEBATE 
    Prime Minister Robert Fico's coalition partners, the 
centrist HZDS party and the far-right Slovak National Party 
(SNS), want the Social Affairs Ministry to withdraw a draft law 
designed to change the pension system. Parliament is scheduled 
to debate the draft later in September. 
    Sme, page 1 
     
    ELECTRICITY IMPORTS 
    The government has agreed to import electricity from Ukraine 
from 2009. The deal covers 10 years and is for an annual volume 
of 2-4 Terawatts. Slovakia lacks generating capacities due to 
closure of the oldest nuclear power plant at Jaslovske Bohunice. 
    Sme, page 6 
     
    HIGHWAY PROJECTS 
    The finance ministry needs more time to asses the impact of 
private public partnership projects for highway construction on 
state debt and fiscal deficit. The projects are expected to be 
worth 105 billion crowns ($4.35 billion) and they are designed 
to speed up highway construction by inviting private investors 
into the process. 
    Sme, page 6 
     
    RISING CAR PRODUCTION 
    Car assembly plants of Germany's Volkswagen , 
France's PSA Peugeot Citroen  and South Korean Kia 
Motors  are expected to boost combined production to 
550,000 units this year, up from 295,390 in 2006. 
    Pravda, page 8 
     
    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: 
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 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] 
  
  
 ($1=24.14 Slovak Crown)