20May2016

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New ideas best way to promote a country

Slovakias new brand seeks to appeal to foreign, domestic audience.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/embed/9eejR7QFPn8
A brand does not only help to distinguish the country from its neighbours, but
also to help it economically, says Simona Bubnov, head of the Creative
Department ad agency which introduced the new branding of Slovakia to the public
in late April. Though the first feedback was good, it is necessary to wait
whether people will accept and go along with it. The first signs of whether the
concept titled Good idea, Slovakia is successful will appear after about three
years, she opines.
The Slovak Spectator spoke to Bubnov about the creation of new brand and its
potential to make Slovakia more visible abroad.
The Slovak Spectator (TSS): There have been several attempts to create brand of
Slovakia. What is different in your project?
Simona Bubnov (SB): The biggest difference is the assignment, which is based
on collecting the data from Slovakia. It was carried out during several years
and in several phases, while many respected marketing experts and sociologists
worked on it. They surveyed the whole population and also specific target groups
and based on the results they prepared studies, which served as a basis for the
assignment. Unlike all previous brandings, this was a controlled process. The
previous attempts were like a trial by fire as their creators had very little
information to find what represents the country. Our branding is based on the
study where four key principles were defined [variability, inventiveness,
vitality and authenticity ed. note]. The whole society talks about new ideas
which pull the country forward this is what should represent the country.
TSS: One of the bases of your project are Slovak inventions and innovations. Is
there enough information about them abroad?
SB: Not enough. But there is even less information among Slovaks. There are
great successes of companies like Eset, Sygic, Pixel Federation, AeroMobil or
Ecocapsule, but also festivals like Pohoda or Viva Musica. If people learn about
them this way, it may be a source of good feeling in the country.

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TSS: So this project gathers the information about successes in one place?
SB: The assignment was set for external promotion of Slovakia. To tell people
living abroad that Slovakia is a good idea. It can have many meanings, like
travel to Slovakia is good idea, sport in Slovakia is good idea or investing in
Slovakia is good idea. It should express goodwill of the country. And then, in
the second place, are companies which contribute to good reputation of the
country. So it is important that the slogan is perceived in various layers. As
we compete with similar countries, we wanted to create a kind of mnemonic device
for people. It will be a success if people who will hear about Slovakia will
remember that it is good idea.

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TSS: Did you get inspiration from how branding is made in other countries?
SB: We prepared market scan of various brandings across the world, some of which
are very inspirational and very interesting. Our benchmark was the United
Kingdom, which has been running the Britain is Great campaign since 2011.
Similarly to our brand, it can be used in various spheres: invest in Britain is
great, culture in Britain is great. I can imagine that this project works both
externally and internally. Because it is important for such projects that they
are positively perceived by the society and can impact the mood in the country.

TSS: How did Slovaks accept this new brand? Does it have potential to succeed?
SB: We received some negative response, but the initial response was extremely
positive. The Foreign Affairs Ministry says they have hundreds of requests from
Slovakia, and also from abroad, to use it. The brand has been shared also by the
foreign embassies and cultural institutes, which is a big asset. There will also
be a special postage stamp for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro where
the logo will be used. Viva Musica wants to open this years festival using the
design manual of the branding.

We are now talking about the way to systemise the process, so anybody can use
the brand, though we need to avoid its abuse. But it will depend on the whole
country, its people and leaders, how they will approach the brand. It is a
long-term process.

TSS: Why did you choose the font system History developed by Slovak typographer
Peter Biak for the logo?
SB: First we created the concept Good Idea, Slovakia which is very variable
and diverse. Then we started looking for the font system. We wanted it to be
developed by a Slovak. There are many of them, but Peter Biak is the most
interesting and the most famous. We chose History font system because it
reflects the variability of the ideas. It can be used in several layers and it
also creates separate pictures. It creates an impression that we are diverse,
variable and interesting country. Moreover, Biak said that when creating the
font system, he was inspired by the Roman inscription in Trenn.

TSS: The competition did not include only the creation of new brand, but also
the unification of state administrations promotion. How do you respond to some
voices, saying that these two parts should have been separated?
SB: If they were separate, we could not have branded the whole Slovakia and make
all institutions use Peter Biaks font system. I do not consider it right to
separate the two parts which fulfil the same task, to define the country towards
foreign countries and towards Slovaks. The critics also claimed that the
composition we chose is very conservative. But the assignment required using the
state symbol, the tricolour and the font. There are not many options to change
it. It was a very comprehensive task which has solid barriers, set by the law on
state symbols.

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TSS: How do you perceive the critical voices, saying the graphics are only a
lower-quality variation of a concept used in Germany?
SB: In fact, it is a similar composition. Similar concepts are used in the

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Netherlands, United Kingdom and Germany. But it is a framework. Our biggest
contribution was that we made an order and used the font system of world
renowned artist as the basic image of the country.
TSS: What will be the role of your agency in the process of branding in the
future?
SB: Our job finishes with handing in the logo and printed version of user
manuals, brand book and video which was explaining the process of creation and
was used for PR. We have been working on materials to make it possible for a
logo to be distributed to other participating subjects. This includes design
manual and also a brand book. Though some people criticise how much the
competition cost, they do not realise what it included. Our company has been
working on it since last October.
TSS: How big was the team that worked on the new brand?
SB: The most people worked on it during the brainstorming process when we were
creating the basic concept. At the time there were 10 of us. Some were making
surveys, while the others were preparing account support or bringing solutions.
In further phases, like preparing the manual, the group of three to five people
participated.

Cabinet approves stays for young Japanese in Slovakia

The Slovak Cabinet has approved the "working holidays" programme which enables
young Japanese adults of up to 30 years of age to work, study or travel in
Slovakia. This was highlighted by the Slovak Foreign Minister during his visit
to Japan.

The programme is designed for people between 18-30 years of age who are
interested in spending some time studying, working or travelling in another
country (young Slovaks are set to enjoy the same rights in Japan). The aim is to
get to know the local culture, traditions, and other aspects of life, in order
to strengthen the mutual understanding between these two nations distant from
each other.
The cabinet at its May 18 session agreed that the quota for visas issued within
the framework of this programme will be 400 in 2017. As this platform will be
valid from June 1 of this year, Slovakia will issue a maximum of 220 visas by
the end of 2016. The working holiday platform does not have the features of an
international treaty, so it does not establish any obligations under
international law.
This programme is one of several items proving the progress of Slovak-Japanese
cooperation, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajk said in talks with his
Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida during his visit to Tokyo on the same day.
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Our good relations can be confirmed by the fact that were meeting for the
third time in a year, Lajk said, as quoted by the TASR newswire. He went on
to say that since their last meeting in November, Slovak-Japanese cooperation
has been pushed forward on several levels. Weve agreed on the working holidays
programme, negotiations about a social security agreement are in progress, Japan
took part in the GLOBSEC 2016 international security forum in Bratislava for the
first time and this autumn, several members of the Japanese business association
Keidanren will visit Slovakia, Slovak minister said.

The visit of Keidanren representatives will open up new possibilities in terms

of economic cooperation between Slovakia and Japan, according to Lajk. At the
moment, there are more than 50 Japanese companies in Slovakia, and they employ
more than 10,000 people. He stressed Slovakias continued interest in Japanese
investments. Lajk also informed his Japanese hosts about his countrys
priorities during its upcoming presidency of the EU Council.

Behind bars but looking for regular work

of trainers, or wooden spoons. People are rarely aware that

on a daily basis might have been produced behind prison
do not know that prisoners have the duty to work while
the hardest prisoners have to sew shoes, wrap glass or build

Prisoners are obliged to work, but finding jobs proves to be a challenge.

A wardrobe, a pair
something they use
walls. Most people
serving time, even
furniture.

Even as they serve time prisoners must pay alimony or taxes. Through work they
can earn around 100 per month. While this may not sound like a lot, most
companies offer some bonuses.

The employment of prisoners is important so that they dont lose work habits
and despite the fact they find themselves on the margins of society they
perceive that their work has value, said Ivana Molnrov, executive director of
Profesia, a job portal.

Although prisoners say they are willing to work, there are often not enough jobs
for all of them and many companies are reluctant to employ them.
Life behind bars

Most inmates in Slovak prisons usually work between 7:00 and 15:00 if work is
available.

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The basic obligation of a convict during the execution of a custodial sentence

is to work if the prisoner is so assigned, said Michal Hrniar, head of the
Suany prison. Each prisoner has a treatment programme designed for them and a

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work assignment is usually part of it.
In this respect, equality applies, and those convicts who were hardly familiar
with menial work before they landed in prison and whose crimes and trials have
been widely reported in the media, must work just like everyone else.
Slovakias bloodiest criminal, mass murderer Ondrej Rigo, is now a prisoner for
life in Leopoldov. After committing nine murders in the early 1990s, he now sews
shoes. Juraj Ondrejk, the head of the prominent Bratislava-based Piovci gang,
does the same job in Ilava. The once feared boss of the Bansk Bystrica
underworld, Mikul ernk, now in prison for life, is currently not working,
the TASR newswire reported in 2015.
Prisoners at work
Prisons often cooperate with outside companies and prisoners work for them. Some
of them go out to work on construction sites for external companies. While at
work, they have to be under constant supervision, reported the Ruomberok-based
Grenstave company that uses prisoners as part of its labour force.
Grenstave has six or seven prisoners doing construction jobs for them but the
prisoners are not employed directly by the company. Instead they are employees
of the prison and earn salaries between 0.89 and 1.86 per hour. The final sum
depends on their years of work experience or the specific occupation.
The average salary of prisoners in Slovakia is 101.31 per month according to
the Prison and Justice Guard Corps (ZVJS). This is just a fraction of the
average monthly wage in the national economy, which stood at 883 in 2015 based
on the data from the Statistics Office.
When companies are satisfied with the job the prisoners working for them are
doing in the long run, they can decide to reward them with natural pleasures,
but it has to be after consultation with the prison director and it has to be in
accordance with applicable internal regulations, added Hrniar. These extra
bonuses usually come in the form of tobacco or food.
Companies are reluctant
At the end of 2015, there were 1,346 accused and 8,567 convicted inmates in
Slovakias prisons. Only about 70 percent of the prisoners behind bars have a
job.
Though prison officials hope to increase this number, this might be easier said
than done because businesses are rarely enthusiastic about employing convicted
criminals, Jozef Tk from the prison in Preov told the ivot magazine.
Work for prisoners however does not necessarily depend on the interest of
companies. In the southern-Slovak town of eliezovce, for instance, locals are
used to ordering furniture directly from the prison, made by the inmates, the
Hospodrske Noviny daily reported. The prison reportedly handles about 30 such
orders every month.
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Currently, Slovakias prisoners work for about 150 entrepreneurs and some 20
state institutions, Hospodrske Noviny reported in April 2016.

However, maintaining or building work habits is not the only reason why
prisoners are encouraged to work while serving time. By earning some money on a
job, they also contribute to covering the costs of their stay in prison, as well
as the alimentation costs or other fees they might be obliged to pay during
their stay in prison. For prisoners who do not work, all those costs are covered
from the state budget.
Education of prisoners

Working is only one way to personal development. Prisoners who show interest in
re-qualifying or improving their qualifications, are entitled by law to
education and training during their prison stay.

The general director of ZVJS, Milan Ivan, says that a prisoner with some skills
can apply for education and based on individual abilities and capabilities ZVJS
allows them to complete their compulsory education, high school or some training
courses to increase or extend their qualifications.

Education is provided by the prison based on a contract with relevant

educational organisations. Graduation has to be officially recognised and the
graduates are issued the relevant document by an accredited institution. The
graduation certificate cannot reveal that it was acquired while in custody.

If the prison does not have its own training centre, the Directorate General can
allow its inmates to be trained outside the prison, if the respective security
criteria are fulfilled. The Act on Prison Sentence allows transportation of a
convict to a jail where education takes place, but the other facility must have
the same degree of protection.

Statistics of the ZVJS show that last year 496 prisoner were enrolled in
education, 33 of whom were adolescents. The institutions organised 1,085
different educational activities, attended a total of 12,818 times.

Most of those prisoners, 316, last year studied at a vocational school, ZVJS
official statistics show. Another 173 persons went through a re-qualification
course: 27 men re-qualified as gardeners, 88 men and 15 women re-qualified as
cooks, and 28 men passed the welding course, while 15 inmates attended an IT
course. Of other courses, 70 men passed the course Everyday Law, according to
ZVJS.

For this sort of courses, non-governmental organisations are usually involved.

Through their courses they mainly help prisoners enhance their legal awareness,
gain some basic knowledge of effective communication and acquire skills that can
help them in finding a place on the labour market after they are released from
prison.

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Prisons usually offer illiterate inmates a basic literacy course, which was
attended by 71 prisoners last year, according to ZVJS.
If the prison has such a course they are obliged to regularly participate in

it, Ivan said.

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Prosecutors office deals with a forcibly taken boy
Also the parliamentary human rights committee will discuss whether the way the
first-grader was taken from his classroom complied with the law.

The boy was taken from a primary school in the village of Brehy (Bansk Bystrica
Region) on May 13 by a court employee, despite the protests of the boy, his
teacher and the schools headmistress.
The court employee, who also recorded the action, entered the classroom together
with a social custody representative and the mother of the boy, without
identifying themselves, the Dennk N daily reported.
The video captures the three of them taking the boy who was crying and trying to
bite them. The boy repeated several times he does not want to go with his
mother. He has been for several years in the care of his grandmother, Marta
Kolrov, Sme wrote.
The video was published by civic activist and blogger Monika Kozelov who was
addressed by the school, asking her for help.
The mother had a court permission to take the boy, though his grandmother says
she does not lead a proper life and that she has not been interested in taking
care of her child for seven years. The boy does not have any relation to her and
has repeated several times before the court that he wants to stay with his
grandmother, Kolrov claims.
Though the district court in iar nad Hronom decided that Kolrov will
temporarily take care of her grandson, the regional court in Bansk Bystrica
dismissed the ruling, saying that the mother has more rights to take care of him
than his grandmother. The mother subsequently asked the court for taking the boy
from his grandmother. This then happened directly in the classroom, Dennk N
reported.

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there were several ways how the court employee could have taken him.

Spokesperson for the General Prosecutors Office Andrea Predajov meanwhile

confirmed that they will be look into how the court employee took the boy from
the classroom full of children.

First Deputy of the General Prosecutor Ren Vanek ordered the regional
prosecutor in Bansk Bystrica to immediately check the matter in penal and
non-penal department and adopt measures if necessary, Predajov said, as
quoted by Dennk N.

The opposition MPs Erika Jurinov (Ordinary People and Independent

Personalities-NOVA), Natlia Blahov (Freedom and Solidarity) and Martina
imkoviov (Sme Rodina) initiated a session of the parliamentary human rights
committee to discuss the case, Dennk N wrote.

Marin Mdel, the officer of the Bansk Bystrica regional high court who removed
the first-grader from his classroom, was an expert in debt collection. After a
video of him taking the boy being in the headlines for two days he left his job
on May 19.

the courts

Although Mdel had been working at the court for 13 years, this was the first
time he dealt with a case of this kind.

The court management had been satisfied with his work until now,
spokesperson Adriana Vakov told the Sme daily.

The boy was removed from a primary school in the village of Brehy (Bansk
Bystrica Region) on May 13 by Mdel, despite the protests of the boy, his
teacher and the schools headmistress. Mdel, who also recorded the action,
entered the classroom together with a social custody representative and the
mother of the boy, without identifying themselves, the Dennk N daily reported.

According to legal experts addressed by the Sme daily the behaviour of the court
officer violated a number of rules. The process of taking a child should be
handled sensitively and usually 24 hours notice has to be given to the
headteacher of the school. The headteacher is then obliged to cooperate,
advocate Martin Hurtaj explained for the daily. He said that this did not happen
in the given case.

The schools headmistress Maria kodov is planning to file a criminal motion

against the court officer while a prosecutor is also dealing with the case.

Parliament: MPs not banned from accumulating public posts

Kozelov claims in her blog that under the current rules, if a child is taken
from a school, it has to be done as sensitively as possible. Moreover, the court
has to ask the headmaster for cooperation at least 24 hours before the planned
action. This, however, did not happen in this case, Kozelov added.
It was absolutely non-standard, the legal rules have not been observed,
Kolrovs lawyer Veronika kodov told Sme.

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MPs will not be banned from holding the posts of regional governor, mayor and
deputies of these positions while serving in parliament.
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Also social consultant Ida elinsk confirmed to Dennk N that the way in which
the child was taken from school by court employees is not standard and that

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An MPs mandate should also be incompatible with serving in a statutory
authority or as a member of a statutory body of a corporate entity established
by law.
The House turned down a bill to that effect proposed by MPs Martin Klus and
Milan Laurenk (both Freedom and Solidarity-SaS) on May 18. The bill received
only 52 votes in the 150-member chamber. The draft amendment aims to prevent
the accumulation of executive posts in local government as well as statutory
functions in public institutions with an MPs mandate," explained Klus and
Laurenk. According to them, MPs occupying two posts at the same time can get
into conflicts of interest, for example, when voting on the state budget, taxes
or when voting on measures favouring particular local governments. Approval of
the SaS draft would eliminate this problem.
Currently, those MPs who also serve as regional governors and mayors receive
only the MPs salary in full, while the other post is remunerated only to the
amount of the minimum salary.
It is not a good idea to ban MPs from holding any other elected posts because
this would mean discrimination against one group of people in relation to
others, said coalition MP Peter Kresk (Most-Hd) during the parliamentary
debate on an amendment to the Slovak Constitution on the same day. Kresk said,
as quoted by the TASR newswire, that everyone should have equal access to
elected functions. This right must not be withdrawn from any particular group of
people. I dont understand this selection, and I dont find it good, he said.
Opposition legislator Milan Krajniak (We are Family-Boris Kollr) is another who
views the draft sponsored by the liberal SaS as wrong. He also mentioned the
club of mayors that forms part of the Czech Parliament.
At the moment, MPs who concurrently occupy the posts of mayors or governors can
only draw one (MPs) salary to the full amount. They cannot receive more than
the minimum wage for their additional posts. This change was adopted by the
parliament during the previous electoral term. The principle that one mandate
is enough sponsored by the Christian Democratic Movement (KDH), failed to make
it through.

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We would be glad if we could send at least 51 athletes as it will bring
advantages for our organisation team, said ubomr Souek, manager of media
communication at the Slovak Olympic Committee (SOV).

Traditionally, the strongest medal potential ahead of Rio is laid on white-water

slalom, sprint canoeing and shooting.

The K4 in canoeing and Erik Varga in shooting are reigning world champions and
therefore they can aspire for the top places, said Souek, adding that however
in sports, it is impossible to plan medals. At the Olympics, you are entering
the battle with the worlds top athletes and the outcome depends on the actual
form and mental preparedness.

With 51 athletes, Slovakia would fall into the category of medium-sized teams
and be allowed to take more members of the supporting team.

This would includes trainers and people who take care of the athletes year
round. Peter Korok, the designed chief of the Slovak team tod the TASR
newswire in April. It is important from the point of view of psychology and can
help towards peak performance.

There are opportunities in several sports, for example badminton, table tennis
and the womens beach volleyball team is just two places short of qualifying,
Souek said in early May 2016.

The athletes can meet the criteria till the 23 June, said Souek, adding that
for some sports, including swimming, the closing date is the first weekend in
July.

Slovak swimmers already tried the pools in Rio at the 2016 Maria Lenk Trophy
Open Championships in April. They were satisfied with their performance but they
agree that the conditions at the venues are worse than the standard set by
London. Two of them, Katarna Listopadov and Tom Klobunk are sure to come
back to Rio for the Olympics, together with Richard Nagy, who did not travel to
the Open Championship.
Trio of strong sports

At the first Summer Olympics after the split of Czechoslovakia in Atlanta (1996)
Slovakia won one gold (Michal Martikn in single canoe). That year the team
included 71 participants.

In London in 2012, Slovakia took 59th place in the ranking of the countries with
one silver and three bronze medals. Shooter Zuzana tefeekov won silver in
trap (shooting on clay pigeons); Danka Bartekov was third in skeet (shooting on
a series of targets). Further two bronzes were added by double canoe of Peter
and Pavol Hochschorners and single canoe of Michal Martikn.

Slovakia has medal hopes for Rio 2016

Track and field prospects looking up, but most potential Olympic medalists
already in their 30s and are not matched by new talents.

The games in Beijing in 2008 were for Slovakia the most successful ones in
history with six medals, three gold (Hochschorner brothers, Martikn and Elena
Kalisk in womens kayak), two silver and one bronze.

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Less than three months before the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and 42 Slovak
athletes have thus far secured their place in London 46 Slovak athletes
competed, which was the lowest number ever.
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Water sports remain to be the strongest sports in Slovakia while there are
excellent athletes with medal aspirations. Unfortunately, only one boat per
country can qualify in water events.
In womens kayak both double Olympic champion Elena Kalisk (2004, 2008) and
Jana Duktov are among the top contenders. Kalisk, however, was eliminated by
the national qualification round in Liptovsk Mikul during the weekend of May
14-15.
Meanwhile, three time champions Peter and Pavol Hochschorners faced somewhat
younger Ladislav and Pavol kantrovci, with the latter now set to go to Rio.
The trend of Olympic winners being displaced by younger competitors began last
autumn when Martikn was beaten by Matej Beu.
In comparison to past years, Slovakia's chances in to medal in track and field
events look better.
The recent cycle was the most successful in the history of Slovak athletics,
said Martin Pupi, the head coach of the Slovak Athletic Federation. In 2015 the
racewalker Matej Tth won gold medal at the World Championship and will look to
do the same in Rio.
The top medal contender is Matej Tth, but we can also count on Martina
Hranov and Marcel Lomnick in hammer throw, Pupi said. The goal is one
medal and one placement in the top 8.
Cyclist Peter Sagan is probably the most famous sport personality in Slovakia in
the recent months (alongside the footballer Marek Hamk, but no team sport
qualified for Rio). However, as Souek pointed out, the race route around Rio is
quite hilly, which does not fit into Sagans style.
At the moment, he is trying to qualify in mountain biking, where he could be
considered for a good placement as well, explained Souek.
Slovakias nomination for shooting sports is already complete with five athletes
qualified for the Olympics, said Miloslav Benca, the president of the Slovak
Shooting Association.
Every final placement is a success and we hope that at least one of them will
be in the top three. However, it is a lottery, Benca told The Slovak Spectator.
Settings and facilities also play an important role in optimising the
performance. Despite criticisms about the readiness of the organisers, the
Slovak Olympic Committee is satisfied with the situation in the Olympic village.
A press release after an official visit to the venue reads that it is comparable
to the situation in Athens or Sochi three months ahead of those games.
The main problem is the infrastructure, Jozef Liba, the general secretary of
SOV told the TASR newswire after his return from a visit in Rio.
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The opinions on the organisation vary, but they depend on the point of view and
the expectations of the athletes, Korok said. The venues arent luxurious as
the main aim was cost-saving and potential future utilisation for multiple
purposes.

Slovak Olympic Committee President Frantiek Chmelr believes that Brazil will
prepare a great games despite the problems that accompanied the process of
preparation, including shrinking of the domestic economy, poor ticket sales and
construction of the subway link to the Olympic Park.

I hope that the people in Brazil are patriotic enough to prepare the games with
grace despite the problems, he told TASR. We do not need red carpets and
fireworks, just conditions for competing, good atmosphere and security.

The official Slovak house in Rio should be opened by a former famous Brazilian
footballer Romario, one of the three Rio representatives in the Brazilian
parliament.

The Slovak house will represent the whole country, moreover at the time of
Slovak EU presidency, said Liba. Therefore it must carry dignity.

The Slovak Olympic Committee also introduced the official clothing of the Slovak
team. The athletes will wear new tracksuits with a folk motive from the imany
region.

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