In order for Slovakia to keep pace with the rest of the world, it's necessary to increase the competitiveness of domestic enterprises, the Republican Employers Union (RUZ) pointed out on Tuesday at a meeting with Investments Minister Richard Raši. This won't be possible without substantial investments in the modernisation of industry and the involvement of innovative technologies, they said.
"Slovakia is one of the most threatened countries in the OECD in terms of digitisation and automation. Long-term low labour productivity, weak development of digitisation of state services or stagnation of many domestic enterprises in comparison with foreign competitors confirms that our country is voluntarily losing competitiveness," emphasised RUZ head Miroslav Kiralvarga.
But changes require massive investment in businesses and therefore massive financial resources. That is why employers and the minister discussed more efficient use of EU funds in the coming months. For example, under the Slovakia 2021-2027 Programme, a nearly €2-billion package of funds is allocated specifically for building a more competitive and smarter Slovakia.
Raši responded that simplifying and speeding up the use of EU money is one of his priorities.
One of the main topics of the meeting was the digitisation of state services, which can substantially reduce the administrative burden on entrepreneurs.
(TASR)
