1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Russia's war in UkraineMiddle East crisisCOP29 climate talks
national flag of Slovakia
Image: Valerio Rosati/Zoonar/picture allianceImage: Valerio Rosati/Zoonar/picture alliance

Slovakia

Slovakia is a central European country bordering the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Ukraine and Poland. The nation recently held an early parliamentary election that saw populist Robert Fico return to power.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

A gay man with a rainbow sticker covering his mouth

audiobox: gay parade Slovakia

May 24, 2010

Slovakia holds first Gay Pride Parade

About 1,000 people took part in the parade, which was opposed by Christian organizations and nationalist parties. Police arrested 29 people who tried to assault participants.
May 24, 2010
Firemen use an amphibious vehicle to transport people in Krakow

Fatal floods

Heavy rains have smashed parts of Eastern and Central Europe, claiming six lives in Poland.
May 19, 2010
Germany against Slovakia in Cologne on May 18, 2010

Into the quarters

A win over Slovakia lands Germany in the knockout stage of the World Ice Hockey Championship.
May 18, 2010
Handcuffed hands

Terror arrest

Police in Slovakia have arrested a man who's now being dubbed the country's first terror suspect.
January 22, 2010
A German shepherd checking suitcases for explosive materials at an airport

Security botch-up

Slovak police apologize for a blunder that caused a traveler to carry explosives onto a plane.
January 7, 2010
Gas pipeline

Oil transit row

Russia warns of a halt in oil supplies to several EU members over a price dispute with Kyiv.
December 28, 2009
Alexander Dubcek on balcony in front of crowd

Slovakia in 1989

Bratislava remembers 1989 as the "Gentle Revolution", leading to an independent Slovakia.
November 21, 2009
A bronze scupture of a man and pedestrians on a Bratislava street

Slovak about-face

Slovakia clears a potential hurdle to the European Union's reform Lisbon Treaty. Others remain.
October 29, 2009
Photo montage of European and Czech flags

The future of the EU

The highest Czech court won't rule on the legality of the EU's Lisbon treaty until next week.
October 27, 2009
One of the highest hands in poker a full house with a pile of casino chips

Lucrative legislation

New tax plans mean the party could soon be over for Hungary's horde of poker players.
October 26, 2009
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai, taking the oath of office in 2009

Discrimination concerns

Slovakia and Hungary have agreed to use diplomacy to improve disintegrating relations.
September 1, 2009
Nightshot of city of Warsaw

Economic gloom

As Western Europe crawls out of recession, some Central and Eastern European nations follow.
August 17, 2009
Police guard the entrance to the mine in Handlova

Mining disaster

Twenty miners are believed to have been killed in a blast in a shaft in Slovakia.
August 11, 2009
The hoist tower of the coal mine in Handlova

Slovakian mine collapse

An explosion in a coal mine in Slovakia left miners trapped and out of communication.
August 10, 2009
Chancellor Angela Merkel

Europeans vote

Amid speculation of low voter turnout, leaders across the EU have urged people to go to the polls.
June 7, 2009
Nuclear cooling tower

Going nuclear, again

The Czech and Slovak governments are among the biggest supporters of a revival in nuclear power.
May 29, 2009
Controversial modern art installation called "Entropa"

Hoax Art

The Czech EU presidency has covered up Bulgaria from a contentious modern art installation.
January 20, 2009
Gas pipelines covered with snow

Return to Nuclear Energy

Gas shortages due to the Moscow-Kiev pipeline dispute have forced Slovakia to go nuclear again.
January 12, 2009

Slovakia-Euro

On January 1st Slovakia will join the club of European countries using the euro currency. But not all Slovaks think this is a good idea.
December 29, 2008

Slovakia Ethnic Hungarians

Slovakia's president vetoed Ivan Gasparovic has vetoed a law that would have given the country's large ethnic Hungarian minority more education rights, including using their place names in school books.
December 25, 2008

Hungary and Slovakia Trade Barbs at Top-Level Talks

After two weeks of sometimes violent demonstrations, the prime ministers of Hungary and Slovakia have held talks on easing nationalistic tensions. Budapest and Bratislava each blame the other for fueling the problem.
November 16, 2008
Members of the controversial new extreme-right "Magyar Garda" or Hungarian guard march during their swearing-in ceremony in Budapest, Hungary

Slovak, Hungarian leaders Fail to Thaw Icy Relations

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico and his Hungarian counterpart Ferenc Gyurcsany failed to thaw icy relations between their countries in a meeting called to stem nationalist tensions.
November 15, 2008
Map of Europe covered in heart symbols

European Identity

Ever more countries call themselves the Heart of Europe. But who can stake the rightful claim?
August 9, 2008
Slovakian euro coins

Slovakia to Switch Over to Euro Currency in 2009

The European Union's finance ministers gave formal approval on Tuesday, July 8, for Slovakia to begin using the euro. The changeover will take place on January 1, 2009.
July 8, 2008

New media law in Slovakia

A new media law introduced in Slovakia is coming under strong criticism from advocates of a free press who see it as a move by the government to rein in the media.
June 2, 2008
Bankers and politicians clock a huge euro gong in front of the German Stock Exchange in Frankfurt

Slovakia to Adopt the Euro

The European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Commission on Wednesday, May 7, said Slovakia had met the necessary conditions needed to adopt the common European currency, the euro, from Jan. 1, 2009.
May 7, 2008
The first bus from the Polish city of Swinemuende is ready to pass under dismantled border barrier on the German-Polish border in Ahlbeck, northern Germany

Border Controls Abolished

Europe's free-movement Schengen Zone expands to embrace more of the bloc's eastern reaches.
December 20, 2007
Two shells containing radioactive material seized in Slovakia

Dirty Bomb Material

Slovak police have arrested three smugglers who tried to sell half a kilo of enriched uranium.
November 29, 2007
A pile of passports from several countries

Schengen Opens Up

Travelers will soon be able to leave their passports at home for travel in nine more EU countries.
November 8, 2007

Hungary & Slovakia quarrel over a famous wine

First, Budapest tried to forbid Bratislava from marketing the wine at all, but now the dispute concerns the Tokaj wine region and a dirty plant.
July 22, 2007

Atomic Renaissance

The drive to cut greenhouse gases may have sparked a nuclear power revival in eastern Europe.
June 20, 2007

Germany Beats Slovakia

Germany beat Slovakia 2-1 Wednesday, widening its European Championship group lead to five points.
June 7, 2007

Euro Hopefuls Gear Up

New EU members have intensified efforts to meet the tough criteria for adopting the euro.
April 8, 2007

Slovakia Ukraine

Austria and Slovakia are to eliminate border controls between their countries at the end of next year, when Slovakia becomes a member of the so-called Schengen agreement.
December 15, 2006

Germans Enjoy Goal Rush

Germany ran out 4-1 winners over Slovakia in their EURO 2008 qualifier in Bratislava.
October 12, 2006

Border Dispute

New EU states want open borders as soon as possible, but old members want more safety guarantees.
October 6, 2006

Int. Slovakia Vote

Slovakia’s left-wing opposition is poised to form a new government. Possibly spelling the end of liberal economic reforms which critics say have split the country into rich and poor.
June 18, 2006

Left Wing Triumphs in Slovak Elections

The left-wing opposition Smer party came out on top in Saturday's legislative vote with 29.14 percent, giving leader Robert Fico an chance to roll back liberal economic reforms that have split the country.
June 18, 2006

Slovakia Elections

Slovaks are going to the polls on saturday to vote for a new parliament.
June 17, 2006

Future Reform Path at Stake in Slovak Election

Saturday's parliamentary election in Slovakia is seen as a poll on the current government's reform path, which has been criticized as too radical by some. The opposition is promising to take back some of the changes.
June 17, 2006

Germany Extends Job Market Exclusions For New EU States

The German cabinet Wednesday decided that the German job market would remain closed to employees from eastern European countries until at least 2009, citing the high unemployment in the continent's largest economy.
March 22, 2006

Nazi War Crimes Suspect Acquitted

In a Munich courtroom on Monday Ladislav Niznansky, an 88-year-old Slovak accused of Nazi war crimes, was acquitted of involvement in the massacres of Slovaks and Jews in 1945.
December 19, 2005

Prosecutors Demand Life Sentence for Former Nazi Commander

German prosecutors on Tuesday demanded a life sentence for an ex-Nazi commander who allegedly oversaw massacres in former Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II. It's likely one of the last trials of its kind.
November 29, 2005

Spain Sitting Pretty as Other Cup Hopefuls Sweat

Three of Europe’s World Cup hopefuls took a step closer to the finals next year in the first of two play-off rounds on Saturday. Only Spain can feel confident of progressing while the other games remain on a knife edge.
November 14, 2005

Battles Begin for Last Five World Cup Spots

Though most teams have either qualified for next summer's World Cup or are left planning for 2010 in South Africa, the next five days will determine the last teams to call their travel agents for tickets to Germany.
November 12, 2005

German Hooligans Make Mark in Bratislava

German hooligans again made their undesired presence felt at this weekend's friendly in Bratislava. Interior Minister Otto Schily and the German Soccer Association (DFB) are trying to get a grip on the violence.
September 5, 2005

Klinsi's Boys Belittled in Bratislava

Jürgen Klinsmann's national squad put on a poor display of abilities Saturday, suffering a humiliating 2-0 defeat against Slovakia. German hooligans again created problems for security officials in Bratislava.
September 4, 2005

Germany Approves EU Constitution

German parliamentarians overwhelmingly approved the EU constitution on Thursday. While the treaty has been at the center of impassioned public debate in France, it has failed to ignite similar interest in Germany.
May 12, 2005

An Expanded Union -- One Year Later

One year ago, the EU suddenly grew by some 75 million people when 10 nations joined the fold. What has membership meant, in real terms, for the new member states and their citizens?
May 1, 2005