The anti-trust authority PMÚ approved the acquisition of postal operator Cromwell (Petr Sucharda) by PMK Invest (Peter Kotuliak, Jozef Mokrý and Štefan Petergáč) and Media In (Ján Kasper). Initially, PMK Invest tried to acquire Cromwell together with Ján Sabol and Oszkár Világi, who own postal operators Selecta CEE and Tatra Billing. PMÚ turned this down, though, on anti-trust grounds. Cromwell and its subsidiaries Kolos, Direct Marketing, and Pekná modrá had €43.5m sales las

The state-run gas utility SPP, the dominant supplier of households, will not increase gas prices ahead of the general election, ruled the government. Regulator ÚRSO approved a price hike of 4.9% as of January 1, but the government, as the sole shareholder, ordered the BoD to keep prices unchanged. SPP will lose €11m as a result. Since 2004, when the state took over SPP, the company has lost €408m on household gas supplies. Its bet on gas prices turned sour and it increased ga

Protimonopolný úrad (PMÚ) schválil kúpu poštového operátora Cromwell (Petr Sucharda) spoločnosťami PMK Invest (Peter Kotuliak, Jozef Mokrý a Štefan Petergáč) a Media In (Ján Kasper). PMK Invest sa pôvodne snažil o kúpu spoločnosti Cromwell s Jánom Sabolom a Oszkárom Világim, ktorí vlastnia poštových operátorov Selecta CEE a Tatra Billing. PMÚ ale kúpu zamietol, keďže by príliš oslabila konkurenciu na trhu. Cromwell a jeho dcérske spoločnosti Kolos, Direct Marketing a Pekná mo

Dominantný dodávateľ plynu pre domácnosti, štátny SPP, krátko pred voľbami nebude zvyšovať cenu plynu, rozhodla včera vláda. Regulátor ÚRSO síce schválil firme zvýšenie cien o 4,9%, ale vláda ako jediný akcionár nariadila predstavenstvu, aby nevyužil maximálnu cenu schválenú ÚRSO. Firme to spôsobí stratu 11 mil. €. SPP už od roku 2014, keď ho prevzal štát, prerobil na dodávkach domácnostiam 408 mil. €. Zle odhadol cenu plynu na burze a zvyšoval cenu plynu pre domácnosti menej

The state will provide start-ups with €68m in the coming four years, with the money coming from EU funds. Although the start-up scene is concentrated in Bratislava, at least 90% of the investments must go to companies outside the Bratislava region. Bratislava start-ups are eligible for lower investments and under tougher conditions. This year, though, seven of ten start-ups shortlisted for FTRNW Awards (Startup Awards previously) were from Bratislava. The investment program

Greenpeace is praising the government for the stance it took this year towards climate protection. The best measure is termination of coal mining and use in the upper Nitra region as of 2023. Another breakthrough is Slovakia’s carbon neutrality pledge as of 2050. Greenpeace also praises President Zuzana Čaputová for prioritizing this topic in her agenda. On the other hand, Slovakia was among the eight EU members that increased its greenhouse gas emissions by over 2% last year

Greenpeace chváli vládu za opatrenia prijaté tento rok v oblasti ochrany klímy. Pozitívne hodnotí najmä plán ukončenia ťažby a spaľovania uhlia na hornej Nitre v roku 2023. Rovnako prelomový je aj záväzok Slovenska k uhlíkovej neutralite do roku 2050. Za zlepšením vidí priorizovanie tejto témy prezidentkou Zuzanou Čaputovou. Na druhej strane je Slovensko jednou z ôsmich krajín v EÚ, v ktorých vlani narástli emisie skleníkových plynov o viac ako 2%. (sme.sk)

Štát ide v nasledujúcich štyroch rokoch do startupov investovať z eurofondov 68 mil. €. Hoci start-up scéna sa koncentruje do Bratislavy, minimálne 90% musí ísť do firiem mimo Bratislavského kraja. Firmy v Bratislave navyše môžu dostať nižšie investície a za tvrdších podmienok. Tento rok napr. sedem z desiatich start-upov v užšom výbere FTRNW Awards (predtým Startup Awards) má sídlo v Bratislave. Startupové eurofondy zastrešuje Slovak Investment Holding, ktorý spravuje štátna

The Galanta-based plant of Samsung is laying off 600-900 of its 1,500 workers, say unofficial sources. The management says “TV set production will be re-organized from February 2020”. Samsung has reduced the workforce of its Galanta plant by 2,000 in recent years and closed the plant in Voderady last year. The Galanta plant makes high-end TV sets, large displays and LCM panels. Over the past 17 years, Samsung has received state investment assistance totaling €131m. It drew th

GDP per capita stood at 73% of the EU average in Slovakia in 2018, according to revised Eurostat data. Before the revision of purchasing power parities, it stood at 78%. Actual individual consumption (AIC), a measure of the material welfare of households, also stood at 73%. The data revision increased the gap between Slovakia and Western Europe. (Eurostat)