Slovakia - Factors To Watch on May 5

                                
 BRATISLAVA, May 5 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial
markets on Monday.
                                
 
                                
 SCEPTICAL SLOVAKS FEAR PRICE JUMP AFTER EURO ENTRY
                                
 Slovakia's invitation to join the single European currency
will cap a decade of rapid economic development, but the
transition is worrying some people in the former communist
country.
                                
 [ID:nL01599968] [RTRS-POL-EUR-EU-SK]
                                
 
                                
 BUDGET SHOWS SURPLUS IN JAN-APRIL
                                
 The Slovak central state budget showed a 7.76 billion crown
($376.3 million) surplus at the end of April, a swing from a 1.5
billion crown gap a year ago, the finance ministry said on
Friday.
                                
 [ID:nL02527440] [RTRS-GVD-DBT-MMT-SK]
                                
 
                                
 CBANK FOREX RESERVES EASE TO $19.9 BLN
                                
 The Slovak central bank's (NBS) foreign currency reserves
edged down to $19.932 billion as of April 29, from $20.144
billion on April 23, the bank said on Friday.
                                
 [ID:nL02556877] [RTRS-CEN-MMT-FRX-SK]
                                
 
                                
 FRANCE'S SANEF WINS SLOVAK ROAD TOLL TENDER-PAPER
                                
 A consortium led by France's Sanef won the tender to build
and operate a toll system on 2,400 km of roads in Slovakia with
a bid of 26 billion crowns ($1.26 billion), the daily SME
reported on Friday.
                                
 [ID:nL02540177] [RTRS-ROAD-MAC-RRL-SK]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 EURO ADOPTION
                                
 Finance Minister Jan Pociatek sees a 99,5 percent chance
that Slovakia will adopt the euro in January 2009. The European
Commission will release its recommendation on the Slovak euro
bid to Euroepan Council on Wednesday.
                                
 Sme, page 1
                                
 
                                
 CROWN SEEN STRONGER
                                
 Analysts expect the crown currency to continue firming in
the coming weeks after the invitation to join the euro zone as
investors are speculating on a strong switchover exchange rate.
                                
 Pravda, page 27
                                
 
                                
 HIGHWAY TOLL TENDER
                                
 Consortia ToSy.sk and Kapsch <BLSAn.BE> plan to challenge
the decision of The Slovak National Highway Company to exclude
both groups from the 20 billion crown tender to build a highway
toll system. Local media reported that a group led by France's
Sanef had won the contract.
                                
 Pravda, page 27
                                
 
                                
 NATIONAL MEMORY INSTITUTE
                                
 The Smer party of Prime Minister Robert Fico will not
support abolition of the National Memory Institute (UPN) despite
requests from its two coalition partners. UPN manages the files
of former communist secret service.
                                
 Sme, page 2
                                
 
                                
 RETAILERS LACK WORKFORCE
                                
 Retailers in Slovakia lack workforce. Statistics show
salaries offered by retailers are among the lowest in the
fast-growing economy.
                                
 Pravda, page 1
                                
 
                                
 KOSICE HEAT PLANT
                                
 The eastern Slovak town of Kosice plans to build a 90
million euro heating plant, with a capacity of some 125
megawatts.
                                
 Hospodarske Noviny, page 15
                                
 
                                
 Reuters has not verified the media reports, nor does it
vouch for their accuracy
                                
 
                                
 News editor of the day: Peter Laca, +421 2 5341 8402; fax
+421 2 5341 8403
                                
 E-mail: editorial@reuters.sk
                                
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