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| 2024 was a year of untapped opportunities for the economy |
| Bratislava, 30.12.2024 |
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| Slovak entrepreneurs evaluate 2024 as a year of untapped opportunities. Slovakia has not taken the necessary and fundamental measures that would direct our country on the path of economic growth, innovative development and would ensure the strengthening of competitiveness. This is how the Club 500 assessed the state of the domestic economy in the given year.
According to its representatives, Slovakia is stagnating in the sphere of support for research and development, digitization and also the efficient use of resources from the European Union. "The state has €13 billion in the Slovakia Programme, €6 billion in the Recovery Plan, in addition to up to €5 billion in the Modernisation Fund and one and a half billion euros in the Envirofund. These are huge financial resources that, if used effectively, could be a significant impulse for kick-starting the economy," said Tibor Gregor, Executive Director of the 500 Club, adding that Slovakia has not prepared a comprehensive plan for their effective use this year either.
The consolidation package adopted by the government is highly negative for the association and states that the entire burden of consolidation has shifted to employers and employees. During the consolidation, the state did not look at its own operations and did not focus on optimizing its own expenses, which from the club's point of view should form the basis of any consolidation. The path of increasing the tax and levy burden significantly threatens future investments and the sustainability of jobs, especially at a time of a Europe-wide decline in orders in industry, the representatives of the association added.
On the other hand, they positively evaluate the adoption of some legislative changes, such as the law simplifying environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes. He sees the club as a step in the right direction, which will facilitate the implementation of investments and key projects and accelerate the development of the necessary infrastructure in Slovakia. Representatives of the association also positively perceive the allocation of 58 million euros from the Environmental Fund for compensation
for the industry for indirect carbon costs or the adopted amendment to the Building Act, which eliminated the risk of collapse of building permit procedures.
The 500 Club called on the Government of the Slovak Republic to focus on strategic reforms supporting economic growth, innovation, research and education in the coming year. "The basis is to ensure the efficient use of public resources and EU funds to support economic growth, create a favourable business environment and support sectors that fill the state budget. Only in this way can we harness the potential of our country and ensure its sustainable prosperity. The lessons learned from 2024 show us that if we set the right priorities and choose the right tools to implement them, we can turn 2025 into a year of positive change and success," the representatives of the association concluded.
Klub 500 is a non-profit civic association founded in 2002 by Slovak owners and co-owners of companies employing more than 500 employees. |
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Address : Euro-Brew Ltd., Hlboká 22, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia
Tel. : +421 33 53 418 53, Fax : +421 33 53 418 52, E-mail : info@eurobrew.sk |
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