Mayors in Nitra region expect Jaguar to revive industrial parks

The news that Jaguar Land Rover chose Slovakia for its new car plant was made official on Tuesday. Analysts and local politicians have been looking at the new investment and its benefits and shortcomings. People living in the Nitra region expect Jaguar Land Rover's investment to reduce unemployment. While 2,000-4,000 new jobs are set to be created in the plant alone, municipality officials expect additional jobs to be created in both existing and new supplier and logistics firms. Nitra mayor Jozef Dvonč noted that the negotiations on the investment haven't been concluded yet. "I'm happy the negotiations have reached this stage, but we need to be cautious, because the decision isn't final yet. The Government and all those concerned still need to put in a lot of effort, and I believe that the final decision will benefit both Slovakia and our town", said Dvonč. Nitra regional governor Milan Belica said that the investment will have a major effect on the business environment throughout the entire region. "Understandably, it will have a positive effect on people's lives, because the primary production is supplemented by the work and production of contractors and other companies", said Belica. Otakar Klein, mayor of the nearby town of Nové Zámky, said that more investors may follow suit after the new plant, noting that the town is speeding up work on opening a new industrial park and preparing the required infrastructure. Peter Baláž, mayor of Topolčany, pointed to the industrial park and infrastructure that is already available for investors in the town. "Such a large investment is also expected to foster construction of residences and other incentives", said Baláž. Levice mayor Štefan Mišák also said that the town is ready to cater to investors with its industrial park and infrastructure.

Following the announcement that Jaguar Land Rover is set to open a new car production plant in Nitra, the president of the Slovak Automobile Industry Association Juraj Sinay stated for the Pravda daily that "the main reason why the car firm chose us is the high quality developed network of sub-suppliers. The Poles haven't developed this as much as we have ... The second factor is the stable economic situation, which is linked to the euro ... It's difficult to say whether there are any other reasons". When asked whether it's a good thing for Slovakia to have yet more jobs reliant on the car industry when the figure is already around 270,000, Sinay stated that he doesn't see any problem in this, but Slovakia needs to make sure that it can produce enough qualified workers and create the conditions needed for a sufficiently mobile workforce.