- Business investments in Slovakia jump to 10% above pre-Covid levels, according to a European Investment Bank (EIB) Group survey.
- Share of finance-constrained firms in Slovakia at historical low.
- Four in five Slovak companies satisfied with their investment levels and more than three-quarters embrace digital technologies.
Companies in Slovakia are on stronger financial footing than ever and business investments in the country are 10% above pre-Covid levels, according to a European Investment Bank (EIB) Group survey. More than three-quarters of Slovak firms have embraced advanced digital technologies and almost 90% have taken steps to guard against the effects of climate change, new country results from the EIB Group Investment Survey (EIBIS) show.
EIBIS is an annual report based on polling of approximately 13,000 firms in all EU Member States plus a sample from the United States. Its main results were released in October 2024, showing that EU businesses lead the way in investments in climate mitigation and adaptation.
The detailed reports for individual EU countries were published today.
“The results for Slovakia are encouraging,” said EIB Vice-President Kyriacos Kakouris, ”They show an accelerating economic rebound that is key to maintaining competitiveness and job creation. The EIB Group will continue to respond to the needs of the Slovak economy and help companies navigate through the major challenges.”
Key takeaways for Slovakia include:
- More Slovak companies expect to increase rather than decrease investments.
- The share of finance-constrained firms in Slovakia has fallen to a record 0.1%, driven by a drop in the number of businesses denied loans or a part of the requested financing.
- The share of Slovak companies that have adopted advanced digital technologies – 76% – is above an EU average of 74%.
- The share of Slovak businesses that have taken steps to guard against the effects of climate change is 25% compared with an EU average of 29%.
"European companies are making significant progress in tackling climate change and embracing digital transformation across the board" said EIB Chief Economist Debora Revoltella.
The full country report about Slovakia is available here.
Survey results feed into the annual Investment Report, the flagship publication of the EIB Group’s Economics Department, gauging the investment outlook for Europe’s economy. The next Investment Report will be released on 5 March 2025 during the annual EIB Group Forum in Luxembourg.
The annual Forum brings together key stakeholders from the government, business and finance domains to exchange views on investment priorities that support Europe's policies, including industrial decarbonisation, artificial intelligence, the Capital Markets Union, security, housing and EU enlargement. The theme of this year’s event is Investing in a more sustainable and secure Europe.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.
The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security.
In 2024, the EIB Group reached a funding volume of €1.7 billion in Austria, focusing on countercyclical investment promotion in energy-intensive industries such as steel production.