Commercial Law, Civil Law, Land Law

  • The government enacted an amendment of the Act on Emission Quota Trading, as a reaction to EC Directives making aeroplane traffic part of emission quota trading of greenhouse gas in European Community. The amendment prohibits using greenhouse gas quota or polluting matter quota as pledge or as in-kind contribution to the registered capital of a company. Only air operators having a substantial influence on greenhouse gas emissions in the territory of the Slovak Republic will be integrated to the trading scheme. The amendment cancelled the scheme of emission quota trading for undertakings listed in schedule B of annex No. 1 of the act (the national scheme).
  • As of April 1, 2011, an amendment of the Public Procurement Act comes into force, the aim of which is to limit abuse of unclear provisions of the act and of manipulation with the public procurement proceedings, to increase the number of entrepreneurs participating to public procurement and to make their chances to succeed equal. For example, the amendment cancelled the right to exclude a party from public procurement for formal mistakes in submitted documentation, and increased the amount of documents that must be published.
  • Act No. 64/1997 Coll. On Use of Land in Garden Areas and on Settlement of Ownership to Them will be amended as of April 1, 2011. The amendment changes the calculation of annual rent for the use of the land, calculation of monetary compensation for land in garden area and defines the nature of a substitute land for land in garden area. Further, the amendment cancels the restrictions to lease land in garden area under price and conditions applicable on the relevant market, and restrictions to transfer ownership of such under market price applicable on the date of transfer.
  • Parliament enacted the Act on Double-Use Goods effective as of April 1, 2011, as a reaction to amended EC Directive No. 428/2009, by which a regime of European Community for control of export, transport, intermediation and transit of double-use goods is implemented. The Act regulates granting of licence in the area of trading with double-use goods, and control of compliance with the act, as well as sanctions for violence of the act. 

Labour Law

  • An amendment of the Labour Code comes into force partly as of April 1, 2011, and partly as of June 6, 2011, which states that working conditions of a woman or a man returning to work after maternity leave or parental leave must be at least as favourable as the conditions at the time of commencing maternity or parental leave. Further, the amendment provides for the right to benefit from any and all improved working conditions, to which a woman or a man would be entitled, had they not commenced maternity or parental leave. The amendment decreases the extent of applicability of Section 161 of the Labour Code and only specific categories of women benefit of protection from types of work that may threaten the role of a mother. The amendment sets an obligation of a woman and a man commencing maternity or parental leave to notify their employer in writing not later than 1 month before the presumed day of commencement, suspension, and termination of maternity or parental leave. The amendment also implements new regulation of collective labour-law relations, mainly in relation to the right to supranational information and to regulation of European works council.

Miscellaneous

  • Parliament enacted the Act on Infrastructure of Critical Importance, effective as of March 1, 2011, with the aim to improve protection of infrastructure of substantial importance, mainly against the growing threat of terrorist attacks. The act provides for obligations pf legal persons, natural persons – entrepreneurs and individuals, who as operators of critical infrastructure shall be directly responsible for its protection (for example for applying a safety plan). These legal obligations should apply only in relation to such infrastructure, the destruction or damage of which may have serious adverse consequences on fulfilling the economic and social functions of the State, and thus on the quality of life of citizens and of the environment.