Slovakia Lags Behind EU Peers — and Even Ukraine — in Tech Innovation, Former Finance Minister Warns

Slovakia is falling further behind its European neighbors in technology and innovation, with conditions for tech companies ranking among the worst in the European Union, former Finance Minister Ivan Mikloš has warned. Writing in Denník N, Mikloš pushed back against claims by Education Minister Tomáš Drucker that Slovak science is progressing, arguing that the reality is far more troubling. Slovakia has no so-called 'unicorns' — privately held startup companies valued at over one billion dollars — while neighboring Romania, as well as Ukraine and Belarus, have already produced such firms. Mikloš noted that Slovakia ranks second-worst in the EU for conditions facing technology companies, and that the country's gap with its peers is widening rather than closing. The critique carries weight given Mikloš's background: he served as finance minister and is widely regarded as one of the architects of Slovakia's post-communist economic reforms in the early 2000s. The absence of high-value innovative firms is a significant concern for Slovakia's long-term economic competitiveness, particularly as EU economies increasingly shift toward digital and knowledge-based industries. The disagreement between Mikloš and Minister Drucker highlights a broader debate within Slovakia about whether the country's investment in research and development is producing meaningful results.