Energy security of Slovakia much improved

Slovak EU Commissioner for Energy Union Maroš Šefcovič presented the third Report on the State of the EU in Brussels on Friday. The document outlines the situation in each individual EU-member country. As for Slovakia, energy security has seen an improvement mostly due to investments in better connections with neighbouring countries and access to European gas centres apart from traditional gas suppliers. "I'm glad to note that the situation has taken a turn for the better," said Šefcovič. He added that Slovakia has seen a big improvement in costs because it is able to buy electricity on international markets at lower prices. This is due to the fact that the EU has managed to increase competition between suppliers and so force prices down, he claimed. Slovakia is still a net importer of fossil fuels and electricity, although the trade deficit was reduced to 3.5 percent of GDP in 2015. In 2006, the figure stood at 6.3 percent of GDP. The report also points to growth in electromobility in the country, with 335 electric cars registered in 2016. As for charging stations for electromobiles, Šefcovič claimed that Slovakia was among the "better countries" in the EU.