Slovakia - Factors To Watch on May 4

                                
 BRATISLAVA, May 4 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial
markets on Monday.
                                
 
                                
 CENTRAL STATE BUDGET
                                
 The finance ministry will publish central state budget data
for January-April.
                                
 
                                
 T-BILL AUCTION
                                
 The finance ministry's Debt and Liquidity Management Agency
(ARDAL) will auction 161-day treasury bills.
                                
 
                                
 PENSION SYSTEM CONFERENCE
                                
 Prime Minister Robert Fico and Social Affairs Minister Viera
Tomanova will address an international conference on the pension
system, 0700 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 TAIWAN'S AU PLANS $265 MLN LCD PLANT IN SLOVAKIA
                                
 Taiwan's AU Optronics Corp <2409.TW> is close to reaching an
agreement with Slovakia on building a factory for LCD panels in
the European Union country, a Slovak source close to the deal
told Reuters on Thursday.
                                
 [ID:nLU225045] [RTRS-ELCO-ELI-INDG-SK-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 EU EXEC APPROVES SLOVAK TEMPORARY AID PLAN
                                
 European Union antitrust regulators approved on Thursday a
Slovak scheme to grant up to 500,000 euros ($662,500) this year
and the next to businesses hit by the liquidity squeeze.
                                
 [ID:nLU939725] [RTRS-REGS-EU-AID-SK-LEN]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 WIDENING FISCAL DEFICIT
                                
 Economic downturn is significantly curbing state revenues,
and some analyst expect fiscal deficit to widen to 3.2 billion
euros this year, which would be the biggest gap since 2000.
                                
 Sme, page 6
                                
 
                                
 SLOVAKS IN QUARANTINE
                                
 Three Slovaks were confined to home quarantine on Sunday
after returning from Mexico through Prague.
                                
 Sme, page 1
                                
 
                                
 VW PRODUCTION HALT
                                
 The Slovak factory of Germany's car maker Volkswagen
<VOWG.DE> will halt production between May 11 and May 15.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 13
                                
 
                                
 EURO AND CRISIS CURB BANK PROFITS
                                
 Slovakia's euro adoption and economic crisis have hit bank
profits in the first quarter. For instance, the Slovak unit of
Dutch banking group ING reported a 57.7 percent fall in profit.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 1
                                
 
                                
 BONUSES PAYOUTS
                                
 Deputy Finance Minister Frantisek Palko has criticised
ministries for paying out too high bonuses. The trade unions and
employers' association have slammed the governemt for its wage
policies.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 4
                                
 
                                
 For news on upcoming events in the United States and other
Group  of Seven countries, see <G7TODAY>. 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 5341 8402 fax:
+421 5341 8403
                                
 E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk, peter.laca@thomsonreuters.com
                                
 Reuters Messaging: martin.santa.reuters.com@reuters.net
                                
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets:
                                
 Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX50
<.PX50>
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