Fico: Respecting Differences between Regions Can Eliminate Regional Disparities

Bratislava, January 2 (TASR) - Disparities between the regions in Slovakia can be at least partially mitigated if differences between the regions are respected, Prime Minister Robert Fico has said in a New Year's interview for TASR. The premier stated in this vein that the government's responsibility is to develop specific qualities in individual regions and districts. According to the premier, the era in which the state decided on locating enterprises regionally has come to an end. In his opinion, this practice before 1989 allowed the development of a number of "hungry valleys" in the country. "This is over. You can tell an investor whatever you want, the investor won't settle where they don't want to settle. They want to have access to an airport, they want to have quality roads, they maybe even want to have access to a river port. They want to have a skilled workforce. You can't smooth-talk these people," remarked Fico. On a related note, the premier claimed that the government's away-from-home sessions have been paying dividends, pointing to one such session in Trencin at which the cabinet discussed the end of mining in the region. "I want six to seven away-from-home sessions every year. You'll see that it will produce a positive effect," said Fico, expressing his belief that this is the way to eliminate regional disparities. Fico warned, however, that eliminating these differences doesn't automatically mean that there will be equal salaries and equal opportunities everywhere. This is one of the pitfalls of a free market. zel/df