Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Oct 11

...  The Statistics Office will publish September headline 
inflation data, 0700 GMT. Analysts forecast consumer prices to 
rise by 0.1 percent on the month and by 2.7 percent. 
     
    CORE INFLATION 
    The Statistics Office will publish September core inflation 
data, 0700 GMT. Core inflation was forecast at 0.1 percent 
month-on-month and 2.8 percent year-on-year. 
     
    UKRAINE PRESIDENT VISIT 
    Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko will start a two-day 
visit to Slovakia. News conference with Slovak president 
scheduled for 3.10 p.m (1310 GMT). 
     
    GOVERNMENT MEETING 
    Government will hold its regular weekly meeting, 0800 GMT. 
Ministers are expected to vote on the 2008 state budget draft. 
     
    FICO AT CONFERENCE 
    Prime Minister Robert Fico will address a conference on EU 
structural funds, 0715 GMT. 
     
    SNS NEWS CONFERENCE 
    The Slovak National Party, the far-right ruling coalition 
member, will hold a news conference on on state budget 
preparations and current political issues, 0800 GMT. 
     
    ECONMIN REJECTS PROTESTS OVER POWER TRADE 
    Slovakia rebuffed criticism by European energy traders of 
its new electricity market rules, saying on Wednesday the 
measures levelled conditions for all players and were in line 
with EU regulations. 
    [ID:nL10196802] [RTRS-ELEU-UTIL-ELG-SK] 
     
    SLOVAKIA AIMS TO HOLD NEW N-PLANT TENDER IN 2009 
    Slovakia will probably launch a tender to build a new 1,200 
megawatt nuclear plant in 2009 and has been approached by more 
than six potential investors, Economy Minister Lubomir Jahnatek 
said on Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL10478017] [RTRS-NUC-ELE-ENR-SK] 
     
    SLOVAKS SEAL FDI DEALS OF 1.1 BLN EURO IN JAN-SEPT 
    Slovakia signed foreign investment projects worth 1.1 
billion euros ($1.50 billion) in January-September of 2007, 
almost doubling the full-year volume from 2006, the state 
investment agency SARIO said on Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL10702331] [RTRS-CARM-AUTO-ELC-SK] 
     
    GOVT SEEKS TO PAY CHRISTMAS PENSION BONUSES 
    The Slovak government plans to pay out Christmas bonuses to 
pensioners in 2007, seeking to fulfil welfare agenda at the time 
of fiscal gap cuts needed for euro adoption in 2009, a document 
showed on Wednesday. 
    [ID:nL10395989] [RTRS-POL-EUR-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    C.BANKER SLAMS POLITICIANS, MEDIA 
    Central Bank (NBS) Governor Ivan Sramko has criticised 
politicians and media for misinterpretation of central bank 
comments. 
    Hospodarske Noviny, page 1 
     
    SLOVAK-HUNGARIAN RELATIONS 
    Prime Minister Robert Fico invited his Hungarian counterpart 
Ferenc Gyurcsany to visit Slovakia. Relations between Bratislava 
and Budapest have cooled in the past few months and both 
countries have traded accusations of abuse of ethnic minority 
issues. 
    Sme, page 2 
     
    2008 STATE BUGET 
    The government is expected to vote on the 2088 state budget 
draft on Thursday. The draft is designed to keep Slovakia on 
track to adopt the euro in 2009 as planned, but analysts 
criticised the planned spending allocations. 
    Sme, page 3 
     
    HIGHWAYS CONSTRUCTION 
    The finance ministry is expected to present an analysis on 
the impact on the state budget from the planned public private 
partnerships projects for highways construction. 
    Pravda, page 6 
     
    HIGHER BEER PRICES 
    Rising prices of food are pushing prices of beer up as well. 
Breweries in Slovakia are expected to lift prices by at least 1 
crown by the end of the year. 
    Pravda, page 22 
     
    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 
 
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[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]