92 percent of foreign companies operating in Slovakia would repeat their investment intent also in current conditions – this is the outcome of the opinion poll conducted in 114 German, Austrian and French companies. Only six percent of the addressed companies consider the current economic situation good, but 35 percent of them expect the improvement already this year. The expectations in connection with their own companies are even more optimistic. Over 40 percent of the participants of the poll expect the situation of their company to improve. Four out of five companies do not plan to lay off any of their employees. Every fourth company actually wants to increase the number of employees. The same is true for the investment expenses that should either equal those of the previous year or be even higher. According to the opinion of the addressed investors, Slovakia is characteristic mainly by the membership in the European Union, labor force willing to work at relatively moderate cost and calculable tax system. In the comparison with other countries of the Central and Eastern Europe, the poll participants value the Slovak Republic as the most attractive investment location. Prevalent majority of the foreign investors (92%) would repeat their investment in Slovakia again. Nevertheless there are also reasons for criticism. German, Austrian and French companies can see the unfulfilled tasks of the politics especially in the field of law enforcement, fight against corruption and infrastructure development. Contact: Slovak – German Commerce and Industry Chamber Markus Halt, e-mail: halt@dsihk.sk, tel.: +421 2 2065 5533 Organizers of the opinion poll Slovak-German Commerce and Industry Chamber (SNOPK) established in 2005 in Bratislava is a forum of German and Slovak companies. The Chamber advocates the interests of approximately 300 member companies that employ in Slovakia 74,000 employees and have a turnover of 15 billion EUR. SNOPK is a part of worldwide network of German Chambers of Commerce. Commercial Department of the Austrian Embassy – Commercial Department in Bratislava is from 1992 one of 100 official representative offices of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber in the world. Business Counselor is the official representative of the Austrian economy in Slovakia. He/she is the contact person in all economic issues of the Austrian companies in Slovakia where there are about 1,600 branches and daughter companies. Slovak - Austrian Chamber of Commerce is the independent association of natural and legal persons established in order to support commercial and economic relations between the business subjects of the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Austria. Its activities are covering whole area of the SR; the chamber has a non-profit character. French – Slovak Chamber of Commerce (FSOK) – was established in 1994 with the aim to develop the economic cooperation between France and the Slovak Republic, to support the mutual business relations and to increase the volume of the French investment in Slovakia. FSOK associates over 230 entities.
