Slovakia today - latest news from Slovakia

More than five months have passed since an introduction of the state assistance scheme for people who have lost their jobs due to the economic crisis and aren't able to repay their mortgages and it has not been used by a single person yet.

Sometimes treatment abroad seems so much cheaper than it is at home. Zuzana is from Slovakia and lives in Ireland. Last year she decided she wanted to get braces so she asked around about how much it would cost her. She called a few Irish clinics and the price quoted was €4500 including all fittings and adjustments. Using family connections at home, Zuzana found out the same services in Slovakia would cost €1060.

The foreign affairs ministries of Ukraine and Slovakia signed a cooperation agreement, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Kostiantyn Hryshchenko infromed during a briefing with his Slovak counterpart Miroslav Lajcak.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed interest in co-operation with the new Hungarian government emerging from the election this weekend. Hungary’s center right party Fidesz led by Viktor Orban gained a clear majority in the first round of the parliamentary elections.

Russian nuclear fuel fabricator TVEL has signed a contract with Slovakia’s Slovenské Electrárne (SE) to supply fuel for units 3 and 4 of the Mochovce nuclear power plant, currently under construction. The contract covers the period from 2012 to 2017.

Two months away from the end of a weapons amnesty during which people can hand over any illegally held arms for destruction without facing prosecution and close to 2000 guns have been already collected. This is the second weapons amnesty which follows an earlier one in 2005-06 during which 3490 guns were handed in.

Most-Hid - one of the political parties representing ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia said on Wednesday that if it succeeds in the June's parliamentary elections it will seek equal rights between indigenous ethnic minorities - including Hungarians, the Roma, Ruthenians - and the majority Slovak population.

Heads of state and prime ministers of the eurozone countries including Slovak Premier Robert Fico are likely to meet up following the official programme of a European Council session on Thursday evening to discuss further measures aimed at providing financial assistance to debt-stricken Greece.

Central Election Committee on Monday informed that eighteen political parties have submitted their slates for the June's parliamentary elections. Last time parliamentary elections took place four years ago and twenty one parties took part in the competition.

Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic on Sunday afternoon began his three-day official visit to Slovenia. On the second day his visit he attended a bilateral business forum where he called for more co-operation between economic representatives and entrepreneurs of the two countries against the global economic crisis.