Last Update: Mach 2021
Download
| VERY LOW | LOW | MEDIUM | HIGH | EXTREME |
COVID-19
IMF
Democracy
Index
Human
Development
Doing
Business
Corruption
Perception
Global
Peace
KApersky
Cybermap
Health
Security
Slovakia is a parliamentary democratic republic with a multi-party system. In principle, legislative, executive and judicial powers are separate, independent functions of the state. However, Smer-SD’s populist intervention in the economy and the pressure that it placed on the independent media and judiciary brought the country closer towards semi-authoritarianism, and increased state control over private and public life. The corruption of the Smer - SD party has made that the anti-corruption campaigner Zuzana Caputova won the elections and became the Slovakia's first female president in 2019. She promised to fight impunity and champion justice. This particularly attracted people’s attention after a journalist's murder in 2018. Indeed, the killing of Jan Kuciak - who investigated high-level graft cases - and his fiancée at their home sparked mass street protests. The latest parliamentary election took place in February 2020, only a few days before the first coronavirus case was diagnosed in Slovakia. The anti-corruption party, Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OL’aNO), won the election. Taking over from the previous government led by Peter Pellegrini, a centre-right four-party coalition government led by Igor Matovic was sworn into office at the end of March 2020. In the course of 2020, there were series of arrests (including former top police officials) linked to Kuciak’s killing.
Businesses do not face major operational obstacles in Slovakia. However, corruption is present, including among high-ranking politicians, and efforts to combat high-level corruption and fraud are inconsistent. Structural reforms of the state apparatus remain slow. Infrastructure quality is improving, but the availability of labour remains a challenge as a result of poor demographic trends. The government remains open to foreign investment. The economy of Slovakia has strong foundations: is the production platform for the European automotive and electronics industries and it has satisfactory public and external accounts (in normal times). However, the country is unequally developed as the the east is lagging behind (infrastructure and training). In 2020 the GDP has been reduced by -7,6%, but the expected recovery is 6,9% growth, according to IMF.
According to the COVID - 19 forecast of IHME, daily infections have reached the peak in March, but a strong decrease is expected in the following months.
.
After the 2016 elections, when Smer-Social Democracy (Smer-SD) lost its majority in parliament, political instability increased. The governing coalition of Smer-SD, the nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS) and the liberal, ethnic Hungarian Most-Hid was not united around a set of shared values and policy priorities. As a result, policy disagreements were relatively common and occasionally triggered broader coalition crises. A centre-right coalition government came to power in March 2020 after winning the February 2020 election on an anti-corruption platform. However, it will continue to prioritise tackling the COVID-19 outbreak and the related economic downturn.
The president is directly elected for a five-year term, but has limited policy competencies and decision-making powers. The president can veto legislation but this can be overridden by parliament. The president also appoints top posts to judicial institutions and nominates the prime minister after elections.
Slovakia has been a member of NATO since 1999 and a full EU member since 2004, and is firmly rooted in the Western, Euro-Atlantic security and foreign policy architecture. Slovakia has good relations with its neighbours and other EU members. Regardless of ideological leanings, all governments since 1989 have pursued a liberal and peaceful foreign policy doctrine, avoiding confrontation and seeking the peaceful resolution of bilateral disputes.
Slovakia is considered a flawed Democracy in the 2020 Democracy Index, developed by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), where the country ranks 42 out of 167 countries scored.
The country ranks 39 at the 2020 Human Development Index developed by the United Nations Development Programme.
Although operational obstacles have gradually declined over the last two decades, businesses continue to face some challenges. The quality of power and transport infrastructure is improving, but remains below that in Western European countries. Many administrative bodies are inefficient, the enforcement of business regulations is uneven and under-resourced, and local bodies have limited capabilities to implement complex and technical regulations.
Labour shortages have increased in recent years, affecting the manufacturing sector in particular. Demographic trends suggest that labour shortages are likely to become more common, unless the government changes laws to allow for the import of skilled labour from abroad, which appears unlikely. Labour activism is not a major operational threat.
Restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to continue to cause significant operational disruption into mid-2021. The authorities are likely to amend measures in place at short notice depending on infection rates, including at a local level.
Overall, Slovakia ranks 45 out of 190 countries scored at the 2020 Doing Business Index by the World Bank and 59 out of 198 at the 2020 Corruption Perception Index by the Transparency International Organization.
Security risks are low. Slovakia has been a member of NATO since 1999. Its security and defence priorities are well integrated with NATO’s security architecture. The threats from war and terrorism are very low, with no recent record of terrorist incidents or indications that terrorist organisations are present in the country. Far-right violence has become more frequent over the past few years, but such groups do not generally target businesses.
Crime poses the most significant security threat to businesses in Slovakia. However, overall crime rates are lower than in Western Europe and are declining. Petty and acquisitive crime, especially in the capital Bratislava and larger urban centres, is the security threat that business personnel and assets are most likely to encounter. Economic challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic could prompt a rise in crime in 2021.
Overall, Slovakia ranks 25 out of 163 within the 2020 Global Peace Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace.
Slovakia is not currently among the most cyber-attacked countries in the world according to Kaspersky cyber threat map.
No vaccinations are required to enter the country.
Slovakia 52 out of 195 within the 2019 Global Health Security Index, a project of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security (JHU), developed with The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
The country often suffers from summer floods following heavy rain. In 1998, 2002, 2006, and in 2013, the country experienced severe flooding that left dozens dead.
Between November and March, important snowfalls can isolate some parts of the country (roads and rails cut, electricity outages, etc.).
Corporate Security........
department