Slovakia may take measures to maintain growth rate

Significance

Tomas Drucker resigned as interior minister on April 16, under pressure to dismiss a police chief targeted by protesters dissatisfied with the investigation into the murder of investigative journalist Jan Kuciak and his girlfriend in February. Sakova’s appointment is unlikely to demands for a fresh start at the ministry, where she has served for ten years.

Impacts

• With an expected rise in auto capacity and consistently strong domestic demand, growth is forecast to average around 4% in 2018-19.
• Slovakia’s economy will thus become more balanced, between domestic demand and exports, but FDI inflows have yet to recover.
• The government will face pressure domestically and from the EU over the introduction of new anti-corruption and public-procurement measures.