Facts and stats about Slovakia

In the midst of Ukraine’s impending political predicament, thousands of Ukrainians are expected to enter Slovakia illegally. This is a big concern for the Slovakian government according to Prime Minister Robert Fico during the GLOBSEC annual conference in Slovakia’s capital city (Bratislava). Slovakia is adjacent to Ukraine’s western area. This is the shortest border in Ukraine which is only 98 kilometers long. Organized criminal groups have already intensified illegal transportation of migrants across the Slovak-Ukrainian border.

Meanwhile, there are also challenges facing the country’s economy. The Slovakian government needs to make modifications in its budget plan due to the expected drop in the country’s envisaged economic growth. The economy has been affected by a deceleration in Germany which is one of Slovakia’s major trading partners. Slovakia was the focus of global attention in 2011. Due to internal political squabbling, it became the last country in the Euro Zone to vote on adjustments to the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) scheme. Earlier, European leaders agreed to appease increasingly jittery global markets. Slovakia failed in its initial attempt to approve the changes, making it the only country to reject them, and threatening to ruin the initiative. This brought about the collapse of the centre-right administration led by in 2012.

The Slovakian prime minster has criticized the third round of sanctions against Russia. He believes that Slovakia and other EU nations will also suffer from these restrictions as these can reduce the country’s growth by at least one percent in 2015 from the projected 3.1 percent. It can be a big blow, not only to the EU economy, but especially to the economies of countries like Ukraine.