Bratislava – A special government meeting addressing the challenges facing Slovakia’s automotive industry may be scheduled for early July this year. This announcement was made by Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) on social media following his discussions on Monday with industry representatives. The concept of “short-time work,” aimed at alleviating issues for car manufacturers in Slovakia, could be brought before parliament as soon as the May session, according to TASR.
“Today, we welcomed significant guests at the government office—leaders from the automotive sector, which is crucial to the Slovak economy. We are all concerned about the soaring energy prices for which the European Union (EU) has provided no viable solutions. Instead, the EU’s push to halt energy supplies from the east is exacerbating gas prices for political reasons, affecting electricity tariffs as well,” the Prime Minister stated.
Fico noted that the automotive leaders highlighted the challenges of securing a sufficient number of qualified workers, including those from abroad, as well as issues related to the processing of industrial waste. He emphasized that the impact of the 25% tariffs imposed by the United States on European car production dominated the meeting’s discussions.
“We must recognize that Slovakia has an exceptionally high concentration of car production, and in terms of cars produced per citizen, we rank among the world leaders. These American tariffs pose a significant threat to employment in Slovakia. Therefore, we considered whether it might be more suitable to implement short-time work for employees unable to report to production lines due to insufficient orders, rather than risking their dismissal and the associated social consequences,” he stressed.
The government is also looking to leverage EU funds to bolster the automotive industry and is considering the introduction of scrappage schemes at the European level.
“At this time, I can affirm that we are thoroughly examining the legislative and financial avenues for enacting the necessary changes that would enable short-time work. Should our ongoing consolidation of public finances permit—given that we are tasked with making cuts rather than increasing expenditures—this change could be expedited through a fast-tracked legislative process during the May parliamentary session,” Fico revealed.
He reiterated that comprehensive discussions would be essential within the government and mentioned that he has proposed a dedicated meeting with representatives from the automotive sector to address the industry’s challenges.
“We had a similar meeting in February 2024, and I am hopeful that with cooperation from the involved companies and relevant associations, we can convene another meeting at the beginning of July this year,” the Prime Minister concluded. (May 5)
”When we consider the number of cars produced per citizen in the Slovak Republic, we are world leaders. American tariffs significantly threaten employment in Slovakia. Therefore, we discussed whether it would be more appropriate to resort to partial payment for employees unable to start at production lines due to a lack of orders, known as short-time work, rather than allowing their dismissal with serious social consequences.” Robert Fico.
Leave a Reply