The wave of industrial parks sprouting up all over Slovakia in recent years thanks to part-financing from the EU, is maybe now running onto dry land. In the east of Slovakia in particular many of the new parks are not getting enough investors to move in.
Take the example of Vranov nad Topolou, which is sttruggling to get investors interested in its park. Worst of all, this could mean that it will have to repay the EUR 4 million plus that it received for the park if it does not manage to deal with the situation by the end of the year. The town is confident that it will manage this, though, and is currently in talks with several potential investors.
Others include the town of Stropkov, which is awaiting final decisions from four investors after it spent over EUR 3.7 million on buying land and revitalizing a local brown field industrial zone. The town says decisions are due once reconstruction work is complete. The town of Medzilaborce hoped to have the company Merlin Trade generate 150 jobs in the production of artificial sapphire, but even though the park is prepared, the investors haven’t arrived.
Funding was also approved for the town of Svidnik, but it only has until the end of the year to make an official request for the funds. Some interested Italians and Germans were put off by the poor transport infrastructure in the region. (HN/14)
On a better note, a new logistics centre in Trnava region is set to employ 500 people thanks to the plans of Italian company Codognotto, which wants to build up to 19 halls and other premises near the village of Zelenec. The logistics centre should cost about EUR 38.1 million.