Slovakia - Factors To Watch on April 8

                                
 BRATISLAVA, April 8 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press
reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial
markets on Tuesday.
                                
 
                                
 MEDIA BILL
                                
 Parliament is scheduled to start the second reading of the
draft media law, 0700 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 INDUSTRIAL OUTPUT
                                
 The Statistics Office will publish February industrial
output data, 0700 GMT. Analysts expected industrial output to
have risen by 9.8 percent on an annual basis in February.
                                
 
                                
 CONSTRUCTION OUTPUT
                                
 The Statistics Office will publish February construction
output data, 0700 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 PM AT MINE OPENING
                                
 Prime Minister Robert Fico will attend a ceremony on
reopening a coal mine in western Slovakia.
                                
 
                                
 CAR INDUSTRY RESULTS
                                
 The Slovak Car Industry Association will hold a news
conference on 2007 results, 0800 GMT.
                                
 
                                
 EURO CONDITIONS
                                
 Both real and nominal convergence is important in
identifying whether a country is ready to join the euro zone,
European Central Bank Governing Council member Athanasios
Orphanides said on Monday. Price stability and sustainability of
public finances are even more important after joining the euro
zone than before entering.
                                
 [ID:nL07518096] [RTRS-EUR-FRX-MCE-ECB]
                                
 
                                
 PRESS DIGEST
                                
 ------------
                                
 EU TREATY REFERENDUM
                                
 The Smer party of Prime Minister Robert Fico said it would
seek a referendeum on the European Union's reform treaty if the
document is rejected in parliament. Analysts say a referendum on
the EU treaty would probably fail given Slovakia's history of
unsuccessful public votes.
                                
 Sme, page 1
                                
 
                                
 RECORD DIVIDENDS
                                
 Foreign owners will expatriate a record volume of dividends
from their holdings in Slovak companies this year, Slovenska
Sporitelna bank estimates. The bank said dividends paid to
foreign investors could amount to 90 billion crowns in 2008.
                                
 Pravda, page 18
                                
 
                                
 RICE PRICE
                                
 The price of rice will probably rise in the next few months
after long-term contracts of Slovak retailers expire. World rice
prices have doubled in the past year.
                                
 Sme, page 1
                                
 
                                
 GYURCSANY VISIT
                                
 Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany is expected to
visit Slovakia and meet his counterpart Robert Fico in June.
Slovak-Hungarian relations have worsened in the past two years
since Fico invited the far-right Slovak National Party to his
coalition government.
                                
 Sme, page 2
                                
 
                                
 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
                                
 For real-time index quotes, double click in brackets:
                                
 Warsaw WIG20 <.WIG20>  Budapest BUX <.BUX>  Prague PX50
<.PX50>
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