Eximbanka: Combining Development Cooperation with Trade Important to Slovakia

Bratislava, 2 October (TASR) - Bringing together development cooperation, public resources, financial tools and the private sector is one of the issues on the agenda of this year's Ambrela Development Forum 2026, which is being held in Bratislava in early October and attended by Eximbanka representatives. The programme also included a working meeting with European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela, focusing primarily on opportunities for greater involvement of the business, civic and public sectors in Global Gateway projects. Pavol Adamka of Eximbanka reported on Friday that representatives of the bank met EU Commissioner and Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD) to discuss opportunities for cooperation and the involvement of Slovak entities in international and European initiatives. "For us, development cooperation and trade aren't two separate worlds. If we want to prepare larger and more complex projects with a greater development impact, we need to combine knowledge of local environments, grant and technical support and financing with the ability of companies to provide specific technologies, services and long-term solutions," said Eximbanka general director Rastislav Podhorec. According to Podhorec, Slovakia already possesses several tools needed to prepare and implement international development projects, ranging from grant support and technical assistance to financing, insurance and professional expertise. The challenge remains to link these tools more effectively so that they can play a greater role in larger European and international initiatives. Eximbanka is therefore cooperating with its partners to strengthen a coordinated Slovak approach to development projects and to support the involvement of Slovak entities in international opportunities. "Fragmentation isn't an effective path for Slovakia. It's not just about supporting exporters, but about the ability to bring all relevant players together around a common goal. If we can better coordinate existing capacities, we can prepare projects that are larger and of higher quality, while also delivering a stronger development impact," emphasised Podhorec. He noted that the European Union (EU) plays an important role in such projects, helping - through guarantee and grant mechanisms - to supplement national resources, share risks and implement projects on a larger scale. One concrete example is Eximbanka's participation in the Ukraine Investment Framework (UIF). In cooperation with the European Commission (EC) and SlovakAid, this programme combines the bank's lending resources, a European guarantee, grant support and technical assistance for projects focused on reconstructing and developing Ukraine's energy infrastructure. ko/df