There's now a need to focus on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises as the time of large investments in Slovakia is over”, said Economy Minister Pavol Pavlis at an HNClub discussion forum in Košice on Tuesday.
“There's a lack of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Slovakia. It's because they mainly serve as the suppliers of large corporations and are dependent on one or two orders”, said the minister, adding that these enterprises need to have a stable environment. “This is why SMEs now focus on stabilising their businesses. They are laying off staff and are afraid to invest in the future. Small and medium-sized enterprises are becoming microenterprises”, said Pavlis. The main topic of the HNClub forum in Kosice was business opportunities in eastern Slovakia. According to UniCredit Bank's director for medium-sized enterprises František Doležal, the economic structure of the Košice area mainly resembles the Slovak average. Nevertheless, growth in the area has been below average over the long term. “The sectors of trade, finance and public services have been growing more slowly than the Slovak average. Nevertheless, the region's economy has also suffered from a decline in construction and industry following the crisis. Despite this crisis slump, industry has been one of the sectors that's been pulling the Košice region's economy upwards”, said Doležal. Prešov region remains Slovakia's poorest one, reaching only 58 percent of the country's average economic performance. “The inconvenient infrastructure and geographical location on the margin of the EU have resulted in a lack of foreign investment flowing into Prešov region. This can't even be compensated for by the benefit of a cheap labour force”, added Doležal.
