Mission to the next country that will hold the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Bratislava, Slovakia The Slovak Republic is eagerly awaiting one of the most important milestones in its history as an integral part of the European Union. Together with Netherlands and Malta it forms the current “trio” holding the presidency of the Council of the EU.On this occasion, the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency had a pleasure to welcome the members of Canadian senate and parliament, who at the same time form the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association. The delegation led by the Honourable Percy E. Downe, Senator visited SARIO at its premises on the 26th of April 2016 with the aim to discuss the possibilities of mutual cooperation between Canada and Slovakia.Robert Šimončič, Chief Executive Officer of SARIO, opened the discussion with a warm welcome and a short introduction of the agency, its mission and services. Mr. Downe praised Slovakia for its admirable development in such a short period of its independence, particularly highlighting its success in the automotive industry. After his short speech, Mr. Downe gave an opportunity to all members of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association to introduce themselves and their background.The opening words were followed by the presentation of Romana Jakabová, consultant at the Investment Projects Department of SARIO. The presentation introduced Slovakia as a business friendly country offering vast opportunities for mutual cooperation between Canada and Slovakia, both in the area of investments and foreign trade.The program continued with a discussion session. Related questions from the delegation members ranged from the key attraction values of Slovakia for new investors through inquiries about specific sectors up to the challenges Slovakia faces. Especially the members were keen to learn about the decisive factors for Jaguar Land Rover to choose Slovakia as well as the role of incentive scheme in the economy. Furthermore, the agency representatives highly valued the interest of the Canadian side regarding the Slovak strategy for innovation and R&D. Mr. Šimončič stressed the role of the National R&D Specialisation Strategy and emphasised the need to improve the cooperation between the corporate sphere and public R&D centres. Green economy, green energy was another discussion topic and particularly the members of the delegation wanted to discuss the future challenges in the field.SARIO emphasized the intention of the country policies to focus on attracting more R&D – applied research activities, support higher value added sectors and as a result, there is an intensive effort to cooperate with Western and the Far East economies. Both parties concluded that the expected signing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union will further reinforce mutual relations between Slovakia and Canada.
