Slovakia’s Capital, Bratislava, with a population of 450,000, stands at the crossroads of one of the world’s oldest trade routes: the east-west water route along the Danube and the overland route from the Baltic to the Mediterranean. The presence today of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, the Comenius University, numerous further education establishments, the National Gallery and the National Museum make Bratislava a cultural metropolis for Slovaks and thousands of foreign visitors. Mingle amidst the delightful collage of cobbled streets, inviting street cafes and wine bars or visit one of the many theatres and world class opera to feel the heartbeat of the city.

As a result of its truly strategic location, the region supports a diverse economy spanning financial services, tourism and manufacturing. In fact, the investment climate is so favourable that over the course of one year Volkswagen tripled the output of cars, primarily the Golf model, at its plant on the outskirts of the city. The plant employs around 4,500 and almost 100% of output is exported.

The region is also in a very strong position to support the industries of tomorrow on account of the very high intellectual capital available. Currently, the region produces 46% of the nations graduate output and the availability of a highly educated workforce at very cost competitive salaries represents the key benefits capitalised on by companies like Siemens who have established software development units in the region.

Other prominent investors include Coca Cola, Globtel, Whirlpool, Henkel and the domestic giant, Slovanaft which exports 50% of its petrochemical output.

While the city has its own international airport, its very close proximity to Vienna airport (40 minutes by car) means that air transportation is excellent.

General Introduction

Slovakia boasts eight well developed regions and in terms of population, they are finely balanced, as the table below illustrates

Regions of Slovakia and Population - Total Population of Country - 5.4 million

Unlike the neighbouring countries with which Slovakia competes for foreign direct investment, manufacturing and the established infrastructure to underpin the activities, is not concentrated in a few territories. Rather, Slovakia has a well balanced manufacturing base with an even distribution of production activity across the eight regions as outlined below.

Regions of Slovakia - Workforce engaged in Manufacturing