BASIC INFORMATION

Full Country Name: The Slovak Republic


Country Profile:

Area: 49,000 sq km (11,400 sq mi)
Population: 5,391,000 (2002)
Capital City: Bratislava
People: Slovak 85.8%, Hungarian 9.7%, Roma 8%, Czech-Moravian-Silesian 0.8%, Ruthenian and Ukrainian 0.2%, German 0.1%, Polish 0.1%, Others 0.2%.
(According to the 2001 census, 1.7 percent of Slovaks identified themselves as Roma. However, the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic estimates number of Roma as 400,000.)
Language(s): Slovak (official), Hungarian
Religion(s): Roman Catholics 60.3%, Atheists 9.7%, Protestants 8.6%, Orthodox 0.7%, Other 17.5%.
Currency: Slovak Crown (Koruna) (�1=SK 55)
Major political parties: Party Direction – Third Way (SMER), People’s Party for a Democratic Slovakia (LS -HZDS), Slovak Nationalist Party (SNS), Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKU), Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK), Christian Democratic Movement (KDH).
Government: Government coalition: SMER, LS-HZDS, SNS.
Head of State: President Ivan Gasparovic
Prime Minister/Premier: Robert Fico
Foreign Minister: Jan Kubis
Membership of international groupings/ organisations: Council of Europe (COE), European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC), European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Union (EU), Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IFC, International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Interpol, IOC, NATO, Non Aligned Movement (NAM), (guest), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Organisation for Co-operation and Security in Europe (OSCE), Partnership for Peace (PfP), United Nations (UN), Western European Union (WEU), (associate partner), World Health Organisation (WHO), WIPO, WMO, WtoO, WtrO. was elected a non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council for 2006 and 2007. They also hold the Presidency of the Visegrad 4 group (, , and ) for a year from July 2006.

General

On 1 January 1993, became independent following the peaceful dissolution of . The Slovak Government signed the EU Accession Treaty in Athens on 16 April 2003 A referendum in May 2003 gave them an overwhelming mandate to join the European Union and they duly became a full member on 1 May 2004. received an invitation to join NATO at the NATO Prague Summit in November 2002 and joined on 2 April 2004.

GEOGRAPHY

is a landlocked country in Central Europe and shares common borders with , the Czech Republic, , and . Mountains dominate the central and northern parts of the country while the south is mainly lowland. It has a temperate climate.

HISTORY

Longer Historical Perspective

The earliest records of Slavic inhabitants in present-day date from the fifth century AD. Following their invasion in 907, the Magyars established the Kingdom of Hungary, which included much of modern-day . This invasion had profound long-term consequences as it meant that the Slavic people of the Kingdom of Hungary - the ancestors of the Slovaks - were separated politically from the western areas, inhabited by the ancestors of the Czechs, for virtually a millennium. This separation was a major factor in the development of distinct Czech and Slovak nationalities. The Hungarians ruled the Slovaks for a thousand years until the end of the First World War.

Recent History

In 1918, at the end of the First World War, a Slovak National Council was formed and under the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, was separated from and the Czechoslovak State was created. Following the German annexation of the Czech Lands in 1938-39, a Slovak nationalist government was set up under Father Tiso, who in March 1939 established an independent fascist state. Under post-war Communist rule, the Slovaks were reunited with the Czechs. However, after the "Velvet Revolution" of 1989, latent tensions in Czech-Slovak relations re-emerged. Vladimir Meciar, leader of the "Movement for a Democratic Slovakia" (HZDS), led the demand for Slovak state sovereignty. Meciar became Prime Minister following parliamentary elections in June 1992. An independent Slovak Republic came into being on 1 January 1993 and in February 1993 Michal Kovac was elected its first President.

Meciar's particular brand of authoritarian leadership made him a highly controversial figure. His party governed in coalition with other smaller parties, notably the Slovak National Party (SNS), the most nationalistic party in Slovak politics and intensely hostile to the Hungarian minority. At the elections of September 1994 Meciar's party formed a new coalition, with the SNS and the far-left Association of Slovak Workers (ZRS). During the next 4 years, Meciar deprived the opposition parties of any meaningful role in parliament or elsewhere. In September 1998 Mikulas Dzurinda, won a general election. In December 1999, the EU recognised the progress Dzurinda's government had made in overcoming the democratic deficit of the Meciar years, and invited to open negotiations on EU membership.

The general elections of 2002 resulted in a centre right pro-reform coalition government of four parties - SDKU, KDH, SMK and ANO with Dzurinda again Prime Minister. The Dzurinda government ensured that played an active role in Western political and defence structures. Under Dzurinda supported measures for trade liberalisation, and participated in NATO peacekeeping missions. also deployed troops in and in .

The withdrawal in September 2005 of ANO from the coalition followed by KDH in February 2006 resulted in a minority government and a call for early elections, which took place in June 2006.

The withdrawal in September 2005 of ANO from the coalition followed by KDH in February 2006 resulted in a minority government and a call for early elections which took place in June 2006.

POLITICS

Recent Political Developments

National elections were held on 17 June 2006 and a new coalition government was formed, led by Robert Fico. The new coalition of SMER, LS-HZDS and SNS saw the return to government of the parties of former Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar and nationalist Jan Slota. Under the coalition agreement neither Meciar nor Slota hold office, though they are members of the coalition council.

While on the domestic front the new government has vowed to roll back some of the reforms of the past few years mainly in healthcare, social benefits and taxation, it has also pledged to uphold ’s EU, NATO and international obligations.

Ivan Gasparovic was elected President, replacing Rudolf Schuster, in April 2004. He was inaugurated on 15 June 2004. The President's term of office is 5 years.

ECONOMY

Basic Economic Facts

GDP: US$60.5bn (2006 est.)
GDP per capita: $8,905 (2006 est.)
Annual Growth: 6.0%
Inflation: 4.2% (2006)
Major Industries: metal and metal products; food and beverages; electricity, gas, coke, oil, nuclear fuel; chemicals and manmade fibres; machinery; paper and printing; earthenware and ceramics; transport vehicles; textiles; electrical and optical apparatus; rubber products.
Major trading partners:November 2006 Slovak Imports: Germany 20.6%, Czech Republic 12.4%, Italy 4.6%, Poland 4.5%, Austria 3.4% Slovak Exports: Germany 23.9%%, Czech Republic 14.0%, Italy 6.5%, Austria and Poland 6.1% Imports from UK 1.5%; exports to the UK 3.8%
Unemployment: 12% (2006)

In 2004, was commended in a World Bank report for improving its investment climate, joining the 20 "easiest" countries in the world for doing business. Recent economic policy in has resulted in strong growth with falling inflation and fiscal deficit, keeping the country on course to join the Euro in 2008/9. Effective economic reform, political consistency and a high quality workforce continue to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). At 30 September 2005 total foreign direct investment in the Slovak Republic was SKK 409.7 billion, (US$ 12.715 billion). From the new FDI the highest portion was consumed by the Bratislava region (67,5%) followed by Trnava region (5,9%).

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

's Relations with the International Community

The European Union

The Slovak Republic became a full member of the European Union on 1 May 2004, having signed the Accession Treaty in Athens on 16 April 2003. The EU membership referendum held on 16-17 May 2003 gave backing to membership with a 92% vote in favour.

Mikulas Dzurinda's government had since 1998 sought to win back the trust of the countries of the European Union and NATO and to catch up as quickly as possible with progress made by the other Visegrad countries (, the and ) towards West European integration. Numerous concrete reforms in economic, domestic and foreign policy helped the Slovaks to achieve this.

OECD

In December 2000, became the 30th official member of the OECD.

NATO

signed the NATO Accession Protocol on 26 April 2003 and became a member of NATO on 2 April 2004. The accession of the , and to NATO in March 1999, and the outbreak of armed conflict in , were important influences on ’s policy. has since contributed to a number of NATO peacekeeping missions including , Kosovo, and the Golan Heights