The Slovak government said Wednesday it had approved the sale of a minority 49% stake in gas supplier SPP, held by GDF Suez (GSZ.FR) of France and Germany's E.ON Ruhrgas, to a Czech buyer.

The Slovak government owns a controlling 51% of the shares in SPP, but GDF and E.ON have managed the gas company since 2002.

They have been seeking to sell their minority stake to the Czech Energy and Industrial Holding for an undisclosed price.

The government also said it wanted to strengthen its position in the country's biggest gas supplier when it comes to setting the prices for households.

Slovakia 's left-of-center Prime Minister Robert Fico, in power since April, has repeatedly criticized the plans by GDF and E.ON to raise Slovak household gas prices.

Gas and electricity prices in Slovakia are set by the state energy regulator URSO after considering SPP proposals.

In November, URSO rejected an SPP request for an increase of between 18% and 25%, allowing only for an average 0.46% price hike.

The nation's economy is driven by foreign demand--notably from Germany --for the output of its auto and electronics plants.

Slovakia officially expects its economy to grow by 2.5% this year, making it one of the euro zone's top performers, after having expanded by 3.3% in 2011.

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