AN EASIER PATH TO AID

Comparison of different governments‘ offers to help businesses is, for companies in these difficult economic times, a reality more than ever before. The Slovak government joined the battle for investors carefully. Parliament, based on the government’s proposal, loosened the criteria to receive state support. According to an amendment valid from the beginning of this month, a wider range of firms can ask for money from the government. Jana Murínová, spokesperson for the governmental investment agency SARIO, states that several new investors were postponing their decision until this amendment came into force. If this is true, soon there should be an announcement of planned investments. That’s to say that the law allows to support investments 50% smaller than they were at the end of March. For example, industrial producers were entitled to receive help only when they purchased long-term properties for 26.5 million euros. In regions with higher unemployment the limit was half, or a quarter. I Pg 54