BRATISLAVA, November 25, (WEBNOVINY) – The biggest economic challenges ahead of Slovakia in the near future are long-term unemployment, reform of the first [pay-as-you-go] pension pillar, support of employment of young people, education and research, announced Prime Minister Iveta Radicova following Thursday’s talks with OECD Secretary General Angelo Gurria. “The challenges arising from the OECD analyses are well-known to us,” she added.
Gurria praised Slovakia’s economic progress in the past years but reminded that similarly to other economies, also the Slovak one is in a complicated and turbulent global environment. He further spoke highly of the fiscal consolidation effort of the incumbent government and the prepared reforms. “Slovakia is doing good things. It is making steps towards fiscal consolidation and reforms. This sends out strong signals to markets that Slovakia is a solid place for business,” he commented.
The OSCE Secretary General came to Bratislava to present the latest OECD report on the Slovak Republic. The latest prognoses estimates that Slovakia’s economic growth will slow down to about 3.5 percent next year due to fiscal consolidation measures and expected weaker demand by the country’s main business partners. The organization positively evaluated the government’s fiscal consolidation plans.
SITA
