BRATISLAVA, January 4, (WEBNOVINY) — Businesses in Slovakia expect a moderate recession this year. This stems from a survey carried out by the Slovak Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SOPK), in which 240 small as well as large enterprises participated last October. 48 percent of companies expect their turnover to grow in 2012, while 31 percent expect stagnation and 21 percent decline. “2012 is a game with an open ending, as external impacts on the Slovak economy are dominant and with regard to the situation in the eurozone and Europe, also hard to predict,” stated SOPK President Peter Mihok. Businesses are uncertain also due to early parliamentary elections and formation of a new government.
Only seventeen percent of companies expect their indebtedness to grow in the new year. Approximately forty percent of businesses estimate their indebtedness to decrease, while according to 43 percent of firms, their debts will remain the same next year as they are now. Mihok commented that with regard to expected economic development, the situation regarding debts is quite good.
The survey results further show that perception of the business environment significantly worsened among firms. Only twenty percent of companies considered the business environment and its influence on their development as positive, 25 percent considered it negative, while the remained opine that the situation has not changed much. 20 percent of businesses evaluate the government’s economic policy positively, whereas in 2010 it was 33 percent. “In my opinion this is connected to the government’s collapse and with all that turbulence that existed within the coalition,” Mihok commented. 42 percent of respondents consider the government’s policy to be neutral, while 33 percent find it negative.
As much as 42 percent of those polled plan to use the institute of distraint proceedings against debtors this year. On the other hand, 38 percent of companies do not plan to use distraint proceedings, while 20 percent do not yet know.
SITA