Politicians must bring youth back to Slovakia, says President

Many talented young people are leaving Romania and Slovakia to work abroad, stated Slovak President Andrej Kiska during his two-day official visit to Romania on Monday and Tuesday. According to Kiska, more than two million people have already left Romania, and many talented people have been among them. "This is happening to us as well. Young and competent people are fleeing Slovakia, and it's our job as politicians to think about how to bring them back," said the Slovak president. According to him, one of the solutions is to bring successful companies to Slovakia for which young people would like to work. Another possibility is to create suitable conditions for start-ups and innovations so that new companies could be set up in Slovakia that would attract young people and convince them to stay. Kiska noted that Slovakia and Romania have a lot in common in terms of the economy. For example, both countries are economically very successful, they both have a strong orientation towards the automotive industry, and the development of both countries depends on the size of the technically educated labour force. "However, there's a fundamental difference - in fighting corruption," stressed the Slovak head of state, who added that Romania has begun vigorous anti-corruption action against thousands of state officials, including top politicians, with 80 percent of the accused convicted. According to Kiska, regarding economic developments and the arrival of foreign investments, it's extremely important for the country to know how to fight corruption and enforce the law. "This is one of the most important conditions for every single investor. So, when we speak about development and about Slovakia's future in terms of the economy, we must also speak about fighting corruption and enforcing the law," said the Slovak president.