The Slovak Government should begin to be actively interested in bringing in investment from U.S. online retailer Amazon to Slovakia, Opposition SDKU-DS vice-chairman Ivan Stefanec said on Thursday.
“Not a single significant investor has come to Slovakia in two years. Now we're having a chance to attract such an investor,” said Stefanec, urging Prime Minister Robert Fico and especially Economy Minister Tomas Malatinský to be engaged in the issue. Citing Amazon's chief for Europe Tim Collins, various media reported on Wednesday that Amazon had dropped its plans to build a distribution centre in Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic after being rejected by local councillors. The company was aiming to spend some €98 million in the investment and create 1,500-2,000 jobs. While some future plans in Brno aren't ruled out, the company is said to be on the lookout for a replacement location in central Europe in lieu of Brno. According to Stefanec, an investment from Amazon would cost nothing, as the company isn't seeking state investment assistance.
