Slovakia - Factors To Watch on Oct 5

...PLANT OPENING 
    Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is expected to open a new 
gas-fired power plant in Levice. 
     
    OPPOSITION ON 2008 BUDGET 
    Ivan Miklos, opposition MP and ex-finance minister, holds a 
news conference on the 2008 state budget draft. 
     
    EURO ADOPTION SEMINAR 
    The government representative for the euro, Igor Barat, 
holds a seminar on legislative changes needed for the euro zone 
entry. 
     
    FX RESERVES 
    The central bank (NBS) will publish its weekly foreign 
currency reserve data. 
     
    SLOVAK PM: WILL MEET EURO ENTRY TERMS, STILL WARY 
    Prime Minister Robert Fico expressed confidence on Thursday 
that this year's fiscal deficit would meet Maastricht 
requirements, but repeated he was worried Slovakia could still 
be refused euro zone entry in 2009. 
    [ID:nL04619577] [RTRS-POL-DBT-SK] 
     
    SLOVAK WATCHDOG SEES STABLE GAS PRICES IN 2008 
    Slovak natural gas prices for households are likely to stay 
unchanged in 2008 and electricity prices may rise only 
moderately despite a jump in baseload power costs, the head of 
the country's energy regulator said. 
    [ID:nL03241321] [RTRS-ENR-ELG-ECI-SK] 
     
    SLOVAK SE MULLS BORROWING 900 MLN EUROS FOR NUKE 
    Slovakia's key power generator Slovenske Elektrarne (SE), 
controlled by Italy's Enel , is considering borrowing 
900 million euros ($1.27 billion) to finance a nuclear project, 
a senior official said on Thursday. 
    [ID:nL04727608] [RTRS-NUC-ELG-DBT-BNK-LOA-SK] 
     
    SLOVAK INFLATION SEEN OFF RECORD LOWS, RATES FLAT 
    Slovak inflation edged up from recent record lows in 
September, but the rise in consumer prices is unlikely to prompt 
a policy move by the central bank, a Reuters poll showed on 
Thursday. 
    [ID:nL0454126] [RTRS-ECI-CEN-INT-PLCY-SK] 
     
    PRESS DIGEST 
    ------------ 
    PENSION SYSTEM CHANGES 
    Prime Minister Robert Fico said the government only wants to 
make private savings in the second pension pillar voluntary and 
raise guarantees from pension funds, adding nothing else would 
be changed in the system for now. 
    Sme, page 7 
     
    SPP BOOSTS AUSTRIA PIPE 
    Slovensky Plynarensky Priemysel (SPP), managed by a 
consortium of Gaz de France  and E.ON , plans 
to boost its gas pipeline capacity to Austria by 1 billion cubic 
meters from 2008 in a 4.5 million-euro ($6.35 million) project. 
    Pravda, page 21 
     
    KOSICE AIRPORT INVESTMENT 
    Slovakia's second largest airport near the eastern city of 
Kosice plans to invest 911 million crowns ($37.54 million) over 
the next nine years to upgrade its terminal and taxiing lanes. 
    Sme, page 7 
     
    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: 
 Slovak equities      [SK-E]  E.Europe equities           [.CEE] 
 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=24.27 Slovak Crown) 
 ($1=.7088 Euro) 
  

[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]