PS: Measures to Save Slovak Automotive Industry Have Come Too Late

Bratislava, 4 July (TASR) - Our country isn't ready for the new era in global trade, and neither is it ready for the arrival of electromobility, stated opposition Progressive Slovakia (PS) party leader Michal Simecka at a press conference on Friday, adding that measures aimed at rescuing the automotive industry in Slovakia have come too late. The party's press conference was held in the context of Friday's government meeting, the subject of which was the current state of the automotive industry in Slovakia. "Our entire economy, our industry and our business environment are in their worst state ever. We have the highest tax burden in the past 25 years, qualified people are leaving Slovakia, no foreign investments are coming in, let alone those with the highest added value. This applies not only to the automotive industry, but also to other areas, simply because the investment and entrepreneurship environment here is poor," stated Simecka. According to PS vice-chair Ivan Stefunko, Slovakia doesn't follow trends and even resists them. He stressed that the country should have spent years preparing for the new green revolution, adding that this year alone, Slovakia has lost two internal investments in the automotive sector, with two new models of electric car going to Portugal and Spain instead. "This isn't only about car manufacturing, it's about the whole electromobility ecosystem. There's an insufficient amount of chargers in Slovakia, there's a lack of support for home charging and battery storage," said Stefunko. According to MEP Ludovit Odor (PS), Slovakia is becoming significantly more unattractive for investors. He pointed to several issues such as the high tax burden, consolidation based on the revenue side, poor law enforcement, a lack of skilled labour and poor drawing of EU funds. lin/df