Europe Intelligence Wire articles from December 2008

Europe Intelligence Wire archives from December 2008

Government announces increased Duty Free allowances.
December 1, 2008... (From Government News Network) ] UK BORDER AGENCY 1 December 2008 Government announces increased Duty Free allowances - Passengers arriving from outside EU benefit from new duty free laws - From today (December 1) UK residents...

Drink Drive this Christmas and you'll be treated like any other criminal.
December 1, 2008... (From Government News Network) ] DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT 187 1 December 2008 Drink Drive this Christmas and you'll be treated like any other criminal Drivers are being warned that a festive tipple could see them end up behind bars...

China not facing major bubbles; adjustments 'benign' - report.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - There are no major bubbles in China's economy at present, with the property sector under control after about a year of adjustment, central bank adviser Fan Gang said in a report carried by the...

China says IPO reviews ongoing; no State Construction approval yet.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) said it is proceeding with the review of IPO applications, although approvals have been controlled to a level appropriate to demand. An...

Taiwan FSC's Chen steps down, SinoPac chairman appointed replacement.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - Gordon Chen, chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission, has stepped down, the Executive Yuan, or cabinet, said in a statement on Friday. Chen has resigned due to the FSC's failure to...

China 2009 growth seen at 10 pct - govt economist.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - China's economy is expected to grow by 10 pct in 2009 despite the impact of the financial crisis and the global downturn, the official Xinhua news agency reported, citing Zhang Liqun, a...

Taiwan to review new accounting rule on inventory expensing - report.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX UK (Focus)) TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - The incoming chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission said he will re-evaluate the impact of a new accounting rule on inventory expensing, which is due to come into effect on Jan 1, the...

HKMA says injected 775 mln hkd into market to rein in local currency.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) said it sold 775 mln hkd on Friday night to keep the Hong Kong dollar inside its trading band. The latest action is expected to increase the...

Hong Kong's Li & Fung to buy German supplier Miles Fashion for 51 mln usd.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - Hong Kong trading company Li & Fung said it has agreed to buy Miles Fashion Group, a German supplier, for 51 mln usd. Miles Fashion , which supplies goods to some retail chains in...

China shares outlook - Higher on Wall St, Social Security Fund investment hopes.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - China shares are expected to open higher after a firmer close on Wall Street on Friday, with sentiment also likely to be supported by hopes of further investment by the social security fund,...

Taipei shares outlook - Higher on Wall St gains, new FSC chairman.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - Share prices are expected to open higher as investors are cheered by Friday's gains on Wall Street and a market-friendly chief for the island's financial regulatory agency, dealers said. ...

Czech press survey.
December 1, 2008... (From Czech News Agency) Prague, Dec 1 (CTK) - Petr Kambersky writes in Hospodarske noviny today that not a single proposal of Mayor of Prague Pavel Bem, ODS first deputy chairman who will compete with Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek,...

China Nov manufacturing PMI 38.8 vs 44.6 in Oct - CFLP.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - The purchasing manager's index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector fell to 38.8 points in November from 44.6 in October, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said. A...

China's Baidu faces legal challenge to business practices - report.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - Dominant Chinese search company Baidu is expected to face a legal challenge to its business practices, the Financial Times reported, citing lawyers consolidating complaints by dozens of...

Taipei shares open lower amid pressure on techs, financials.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - Share prices opened lower amid pressure on technology and financial heavyweights, which outweighed the impact of Wall Street's Friday gains, dealers said. At 9:05 am, the weighted index was...

China yuan central parity rate set at 6.8505 to dollar vs 6.8349.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - The central bank has set the yuan central parity rate at 6.8505 to the dollar, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trading System. The rate, published on the official Chinamoney...

Hong Kong 'Aa2' rating outlook stable - Moody's.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - Moody's said Hong Kong's "Aa2" government bond rating and stable outlook reflect Hong Kong's economic resiliency and government financial strength, with some susceptibility to event risk....

Hong Kong shares open lower on profit-taking.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - Share prices opened lower on profit-taking amid concerns about the prospects for regional markets in a deteriorating global economy. Major blue chips were lower after the weak showing of...

China shares lower in early trade on economic worries.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - China shares were lower in cautious early trade with resource stocks under pressure amid persistent worries about the deteriorating economy, dealers said. Banks were also lower amid fears...

Taipei shares turn higher in early trade on rebound in financials.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - Share prices turned firmer in early trading after weakness in heavyweight tech stocks was offset by bargain-hunting in financials, dealers said. At 10:09 am, the weighted index was up...

China's CNPC wins 3.29 bln usd UAE crude pipeline construction contract.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - China National Petroleum Corp(CNPC), the country's top oil and gas producer, has won a 3.29 bln usd crude oil pipeline construction contract from the United Arab Emirates, the official Xinhua...

China's CNPC starts building Beijing engineering R&D center.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) said it has started building an engineering research and development center in Beijing. The center, located in Changping district, will take in total...

China Nov PMI falls to new low of 40.9 - CLSA.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - The China purchasing manufacturers' index fell to a new record low of 40.9 in November as a result of further falls in output, new business and employment as export orders weakened, CLSA said....

Hong Kong shares turn higher on bargain-hunting; China stocks outperform.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - Share prices turned higher on bargain-hunting and short-covering after an early decline but concerns over the deteriorating global economy capped gains. China-related stocks outperformed...

China A-shares end morning higher as property developers rebound.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - China A-shares ended the morning higher, reversing early losses, as property developers rallied on bargain-hunting, dealers said. Banks turned mostly higher after slumping on Friday,...

China B-shares end morning higher; home appliance makers advance.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - China B-shares finished the morning session higher with home appliance makers snapped up on hopes of increased demand arising from the expansion of the government's program to subsidize rural...

China Development Bank starts operations as joint-stock entity - source.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - China Development Bank starts operations today as a joint stock entity, China Development Bank Co Ltd, a source close to the matter told XFN-Asia. The source said the joint-stock bank will...

China A-shares end morning higher as property developers rebound - UPDATE.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - China A-shares ended the morning higher, reversing early losses, as property developers rallied on bargain-hunting, dealers said. Banks turned mostly higher after slumping on Friday,...

RPT China Nov PMI falls to new low of 40.9 - CLSA.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - The China purchasing managers' index fell to a new record low of 40.9 in November as a result of further falls in output, new business and employment as export orders weakened, CLSA said. ...

China B-shares end morning higher; home appliance makers advance - UPDATE.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - China B-shares finished the morning session higher with home appliance makers snapped up as the government expanded its program to subsidize appliance sales, dealers said. Property...

Hong Kong shares end morning up 2.1 pct led by China stocks on stimulus hopes.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - Share prices finished the morning higher, reversing early weakness, as China stocks were snapped up on hopes that Beijing will unveil more economic stimulus measures. Mainland property...

China to expand home appliance subsidy to nationwide rural population.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) BEIJING (XFN-ASIA) - The Ministry of Finance said it will expand a pilot campaign to subsidize rural purchases of home appliances to the rest of the country from Feb 1. The ministry said in a statement that...

Hong Kong shares end morning up 2.1 pct; China stocks up on stimulus hope-UPDATE.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) HONG KONG (XFN-ASIA) - Share prices finished the morning higher, reversing early weakness, as China stocks were snapped up on hopes that Beijing will unveil more economic stimulus measures. Mainland property...

TietoEnator's transformation continues - announcing the new Tieto brand.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) TietoEnator Corporation Press Release 1 December 2008 at 8.00 am EET TietoEnator, a leading IT services company in Northern Europe, launches a new corporate brand Tieto as of 1 December 2008. The new Tieto brand and logo...

Adecco Netherlands successfully acquired 99.78% of DNC.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Corporate news announcement processed and transmitted by Hugin AS. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------...

Acquisition.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Adecco Netherlands successfully acquired 99.78% of DNC Zurich, Switzerland, December 1, 2008: The Adecco Group, the worldwide leader in Human Resource services, announced today that Adecco Netherlands has successfully...

Taipei shares end higher; financials up as top regulator hints at more bailouts.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - Share prices closed higher, led by financials, after Sean Chen, the newly appointed chief of Taiwan's top financial regulator, said a better-rounded bailout package for local banks warrants...

Taipei shares end up; financials gain as regulator hints at more bailouts-UPDATE.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - Share prices closed higher, led by financials, after Sean Chen, the newly appointed chief of Taiwan's top financial regulator, said a better-rounded bailout package for local banks warrants...

Imtech firmly on course with growth strategy in northern and central-eastern Europe.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Gouda, the Netherlands - Imtech (technical services provider in Europe) announced today that the competition authorities in Norway and Austria have approved the acquisitions of NVS and ILS, respectively. These two acquisitions...

Net Asset Value(s).
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) BOUSSARD & GAVAUDAN HOLDING LIMITED Ordinary Shares The Directors of Boussard & Gavaudan Holding Limited would like to announce the following information for the Company. Close of business 28 Nov 2008. Estimated NAV Euro...

Net Asset Value(s).
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) BOUSSARD & GAVAUDAN HOLDING LIMITED Ordinary Shares The Directors of Boussard & Gavaudan Holding Limited would like to announce the following information for the Company. Close of business 28 Nov 2008. Estimated...

Net Asset Value(s).
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) BOUSSARD & GAVAUDAN HOLDING LIMITED Ordinary Shares The Directors of Boussard & Gavaudan Holding Limited would like to announce the following information for the Company. Close of business 28 Nov 2008. Estimated...

Van Lanschot reinforces its capital position.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Capital ratios brought back up to upper end of new market levels through the issue of 150 million in preference shares to institutional and private investors Van Lanschot issues 150 million in Tier I preference shares to...

BBC3 and BBC4 face budget cuts.
December 1, 2008... (From Guardian Unlimited) BBC3 and BBC4's budgets could be cut under radical plans being discussed to make cost-savings at the corporation. The BBC is looking to make efficiencies to meet a GBP140m shortfall over the next five years...

New High Grade Vein Discovery.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) 1 December 2008 MEDUSA MINING LIMITED (AIM: MML) MAJOR NEW HIGH GRADE VEIN DISCOVERY Medusa Mining Limited ("Medusa" or the "Company"), the Australian based company operating and developing gold mines in the Philippines...

Disclosure pursuant to transparency legislation in relation to notifications KBC Group NV, 1 December 2008.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Regulated information - 1 December 2008 (8 a.m. CEST) The purpose of the transparency legislation is to ensure transparency of the shareholder structure of listed companies. In order to enable investors to submit...

Trading Update.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) 1 December 2008 Essentially Group Limited ("the Company" or "the Group") Trading Update Essentially Group Limited (AIM:ESN), a leading full service sports marketing, management, media and professional services Group working in...

Pharming announces change in composition of Board Of Supervisory Directors.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Leiden, The Netherlands, December 1, 2008. Biotech company Pharming Group NV ("Pharming" or "The Company") (Euronext: PHARM) announced today that Prof. Dr. B.P.Th. Veltman has notified the Company that he will retire from the...

The Government of Canada procures IMVAMUNE smallpox vaccine for the country's biological preparedness.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Following a Request for Proposal issued in 2007 with the intent to procure an MVA-based, third generation smallpox vaccine, Public Works and Government Services Canada, on behalf of the Canadian Department of National Defence,...

Yara with permanent NPK closure in Kedainiai and temporary NPK stop in Ravenna.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Oslo (2008-12-01): Yara International ASA will permanently close its NPK plant in Kedainiai, Lithuania. NPK production at Yara's site in Ravenna, Italy will be temporarily stopped by mid December. The Kedainiai plant has...

Rautaruukki adjusts steel production and continues actions to improve efficiency. The company expects 2008 operating profit to remain at 2007 level.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Rautaruukki Corporation Stock exchange release 1 December 2008 at 9:00 Rautaruukki is to adjust steel production and other operations in line with weakened demand and stock levels. Due to the weakened market situation,...

Wartsila and Chinese CSSC-MES Diesel sign licence agreement for manufacture of low-speed engines.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Wartsila Corporation, Press release 1 December 2008 Wartsila and Chinese CSSC-MES Diesel Co Ltd (CMD) have jointly signed a licence agreement for the manufacture and sale of Wartsila low-speed marine diesel engines by CMD...

Foreign investors net buyers of 3.10 bln twd Taiwan shares today.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) TAIPEI (XFN-ASIA) - Foreign investors were net buyers of shares worth 3.10 bln twd today, the Taiwan Stock Exchange said. Local investment trusts were net buyers of shares worth 336.96 mln twd, and brokers...

Transaction in Own Shares.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Transaction in Own Shares Puma Brandenburg Limited (the "Company") 1 December 2008 Puma Brandenburg Limited announces that it purchased 87,500 of its ordinary shares of nil par value ("Ordinary Shares") at an average price of...

GOGL - Interim Results for the Quarter ended September 30, 2008.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) Golden Ocean Group Limited (the "Company" or "Golden Ocean") reports net income of $118.7 million and earnings per share of $0.43 for the third quarter of 2008. This compares with net income and earnings per share of $52.9...

New orders for BWG Homes November 2008.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) BWG Homes ASA secured a total net order intake of NOK 50.1 million during November, compared with NOK 321.2 million for November 2007, a decrease of 84.4 per cent. The net order intake in November for segment Norway was NOK...

China A-shares close higher led by nonferrous metals.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - China A-shares closed higher after a late surge in nonferrous metal stocks after Yunnan province announced a plan to buy 1 mln tons of base metals to support smelters in the region. ...

China B-shares close sharply higher; home appliance makers advance.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - China B-shares closed sharply higher with home appliance makers snapped up as the government expanded its program to subsidize rural appliance sales, dealers said. Property developers...

Fireswirl Technologies acquires interest in Beijing Tysen Xieli Technology.
December 1, 2008... (From Telecom World Wire) Fireswirl Technologies Inc (TSX VENTURE:FSW), a developer of gaming and entertainment software, has announced its wholly owned subsidiary Fireswirl Technologies (Shenzhen) Co Ltd (FTSCL) has acquired 21% of...

Rogers Wireless expands wireless network between Prince George and Prince Rupert.
December 1, 2008... (From Telecom World Wire) Rogers Wireless, a wireless voice and data communications services provider based in Canada and a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc (TSX:RCI) (NYSE:RCI), has announced that it has completed the expansion of...

Ericsson awarded managed services contract by Mobile Broadband Network Limited.
December 1, 2008... (From Telecom World Wire) Mobile Broadband Network Limited (MBNL), the 50:50 joint venture formed by mobile operators 3 UK and T-Mobile UK to manage the integration of both operators' 3G radio access networks (RAN), has awarded Swedish...

New president and senior management appointed by DAVE Wireless.
December 1, 2008... (From Telecom World Wire) Data & Audio Visual Enterprises Wireless Inc (DAVE Wireless), a newly formed entity which has won 10 licences for wireless spectrum in Canada, has announced the appointment of David Dobbin as president, effective...

Interactive Intelligence signs Elite Partner agreement with Pinacl Solutions.
December 1, 2008... (From Telecom World Wire) Interactive Intelligence Inc (Nasdaq:ININ), a provider of unified IP business communications solutions, has signed an Elite Partner agreement with Pinacl Solutions, a managed services company providing solutions...

Dialogue Communications introduces mobile billing services in Norway and Sweden.
December 1, 2008... (From Telecom World Wire) Mobile payments specialist Dialogue Communications has launched its mobile billing services in Norway and Sweden to allow consumers to buy products and services over the mobile Internet. Dialogue said it is...

Osborne Clarke deploys IP VPN provided by Global Crossing.
December 1, 2008... (From Telecom World Wire) European law firm Osborne Clarke has implemented a five site Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) across the UK and Germany provided by Global Crossing (Nasdaq:GLBC), a global IP solutions provider....

Aldec(R) Delivers New Dual-FPGA Prototyping Solution for Actel(R) RTAX4000S Space-Flight FPGA Designs.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) HENDERSON, NV--(Marketwire - December 01, 2008) - Aldec, Inc., a pioneer in mixed-language simulation and advanced design tools for ASIC and FPGA devices, announced today the availability of a reprogrammable, flash-based...

New structure for Group Management Team.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) In order to further strengthen the Group Management Team (GMT) of Marine Harvest, there will be changes in the structure of the team as of the 1st December. The new Group Management Team will consist of CEO; CFO; Director...

Freight revenues November.
December 1, 2008... (From Hugin) In November 2008 Deep Sea Supply`s AHTS fleet (all 10 AHTS Vessels larger than 12,000 BHP) had an average gross income of approximately USD 46,200 per ship per day compared to USD 49,300 in October. The vessel "Sea Lion"...

China A-shares close higher led by nonferrous metals - UPDATE.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - China A-shares closed higher after a late surge in nonferrous metal stocks after Yunnan province announced a plan to buy 1 mln tons of base metals to support smelters in the region. ...

China B-shares close sharply higher; home appliance makers advance -UPDATE.
December 1, 2008... (From AFX Europe (Focus)) SHANGHAI (XFN-ASIA) - China B-shares closed sharply higher with home appliance makers snapped up as the government expanded its program to subsidize rural appliance sales, dealers said. Property developers...

Winning ticket slips from state's hand.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) THE WINNING ticket from the eight-year dispute between Tipos, Slovakia's national lottery company, and another lottery company, Sportka, is now in the hands of a Czech businessman to whom Slovakia will have to...

Highway construction rules revised.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) HIGHWAY construction on disputed property will no longer be limited to the priority D1 and R1 highways projects. Parliament on November 26 approved a revision to the law enabling the state to build roads on land...

New Slovak ambassador to USA.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) THE NEWLY appointed Slovak Ambassador to the United States, Peter Burian, has said he wants to use every opportunity which the recent lifting of US visa obligations for Slovak citizens has opened up. Slovak...

Construction of Pezinok dump halted.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) THE SLOVAK Environment Ministry has temporarily halted construction of a waste dump in the western Slovak town of Pezinok, ministry spokesperson Peter Visvader told the CTK newswire on November 25. Pezinok...

MPs freeze some state salaries.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) THE RULING coalition on November 25 passed a proposal to freeze the salaries of some state officials. The governing parties came up with the proposal in response to an initiative by opposition deputy Daniel...

Doubts over security chief.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) FRANTISEK Blanarik, the head of Slovakia's National Security Office (NBU), probably informed on an army colleague during the communist era, documents unearthed from the former Czechoslovak Army...

TIPOS: Plan kept state lotto in operation.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) Continued from pg 1 Former Finance Minister Ivan Miklos called the case a fraud, and laid the blame squarely at the feet of Tipos and the Finance Ministry. Neither the Finance Ministry nor Tipos used all...

Former top prosecutor dies.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) FORMER General Prosecutor Milan Hanzel, who led investigations into crimes allegedly committed by Ivan Lexa, Slovakia's intelligence chief under former prime minister Vladimir Meciar, was killed in an accident...

Slovaks could be fined for using poor Slovak.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) SLOVAKS who make mistakes when using their own language could face financial penalties from next year. The Culture Ministry has proposed an amendment to the existing language law which would impose fines of E100...

PURSE: State should tighten the belt, say critics.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) Continued from pg 1 "There will be no changes in our social programmes," Smal added. Higher deficit should be last resort: analyst "Inflating the deficit should be the last resort for saving...

SPP signs new contract with Gazprom.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) GAS utility Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel (SPP) has signed a 20-year contract for natural gas supply with the Russian company Gazprom. The Russian gas major also sealed a contract with SPP's wholly-owned...

Insurers relieved at budget amendment.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) THE CABINET will not, as originally proposed, approve the budgets of private health insurance companies. On November 26, parliament approved an amending proposal from Milan Urbani of the Movement for a...

Broad-gauge rail memorandum signed.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) THE SLOVAK transport minister has said that a broad-gauge railway linking the Ukrainian border with Vienna might be completed within 10 years. Alubomir Vazny was speaking on November 25 after signing a...

Slovakia should cope best with crisis.
December 1, 2008... (From The Slovak Spectator) IN ITS current macroeconomic prognosis, the Slovak Finance Ministry's Institute for Financial Policy (IFP) predicts that in spite of a slowdown in economic growth due to the global financial crisis, Slovakia's...